Psychological treatment prior to sport

The advantages that sport produces in the mental health of the individual are popular, but conversely, the role of psychology within training prior to a sports activity is decisive so that in the competition they obtain satisfactory results.The application of psychological treatments prior to the initiation of sport is a common practice and increasingly widespread not only among professional athletes.

Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales acknowledged in a recent conference on overcoming that the only training that cannot be dispensed with daily is "mental preparation". For the Olympic swimmer, one of the recurring psychological exercises consists of the "daily visualization" of the competition scenario (moment in which she prepares to enter the water and the realization of the entire test) so that the athlete internalizes and normalizes The act in order to feel as comfortable as possible on the day of the race.

The importance of sports medicine and psychology before competition

In addition to this year of one year of Olympic Games, on which you can already bet online, athletes more than ever are aware of the psychological preparation prior to what is considered one of the most worldwide sports quotes. It is the time when life projects and professionals carrying out for years athletes are finally at stake.

To help them carry it out, a large number of professionals in Medicine and Sports Psychology are part of the previous training that aims to build a mental strength that allows the athlete, on the one hand, focus their objectives (motivation and commitment) and, by another, being able to face adversities (stress management and anxiety and control of negative situations such as defeats).

In addition, The Founder of The Sport Psychologist and also academic in the Department of Sports Sciences of the University of North Carolina, Daniel Gould, identifies as primary the training of what he calls 'sports intelligence': the acting capabilities within the sports action , the technique used, and previous studies on the different sports disciplines.

Psychological characteristics of athletes

Many are the psychological components that athletes have to develop to perform a professional sports career, where performance is marked by good performance that allows it to achieve professional successes and trophies.

Motivation and commitment are two concepts that the professional athlete has to exercise to keep them at a high level. Motivation and commitment, in many cases, work together since determination and thrust generate a habit that must also be achieved by avidity and both personal and external thrust.

In turn, the concentration ability and perfectionism of acts are very important. Not forgetting that one of the central parts of sports psychology profusely trains the positive attitudes and optimism of the athlete, something primary to free sports battles.