Mental Skills for Athletes
This technique involves focusing on the present moment and ignoring distractions.
What is mindfulness?
A mental skill used to maintain focus on the task at hand by avoiding distractions.
What is concentration?
A term for extreme nervousness or anxiety that interferes with athletic performance.
What is performance anxiety?
The concept that involves team members supporting each other emotionally and mentally.
What is team cohesion?
This technique, often used by athletes, involves breathing exercises to help manage stress.
What is deep breathing?
The process of visualizing successful performance, often done before competitions.
What is mental imagery?
A strategy used to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
What is cognitive restructuring?
This disorder involves a preoccupation with being thin and an unhealthy focus on exercise or appearance.
What is exercise addiction?
The psychological need for athletes to feel that their role on a team is valuable and recognized.
What is role clarity?
This strategy involves focusing on cues in the environment (e.g., sounds, sights) to prevent anxiety from interfering with performance.
What is external focus?
A strategy to calm nerves, often used by athletes to reduce stress before high-pressure situations.
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
This technique helps athletes build confidence by recalling past successes.
What is self-talk?
The psychological phenomenon where athletes experience a drop in performance after an injury, despite being physically healed.
What is return-to-sport anxiety?
This phenomenon occurs when one teammate influences the performance of another, for better or worse.
What is peer pressure?
The psychological state that can negatively impact an athlete’s performance by causing excessive worry about failure.
What is choking under pressure?
This technique involves breaking down a large goal into smaller, manageable steps.
What is goal-setting?
The term for an athlete’s ability to adapt and bounce back from setbacks.
What is mental resilience?
The experience of an athlete’s loss of confidence or motivation after experiencing failure or a slump.
What is self-doubt?
The process of bonding and creating trust between teammates, which is essential for effective teamwork.
What is team building?
This condition is caused by prolonged stress and can result in burnout, fatigue, and negative attitudes.
What is sports burnout?
The ability to maintain focus and control under pressure, often referred to as "the zone."
What is psychological flow?
A psychological concept where athletes believe they can control their performance regardless of external factors.
What is locus of control?
The condition characterized by overtraining, leading to burnout, depression, and diminished performance.
What is overtraining syndrome?
This concept refers to the negative behavior that can arise when individuals prioritize personal goals over the team’s success.
What is social loafing?
This phenomenon refers to the mental and emotional fatigue that comes from too much focus on the outcome of the competition, rather than the process.
What is over-competition?