A recent study uncovered five key influencers that affect whether athletes decide to push through or bow out in challenging endurance events, including the severity of weather conditions and individual risk perceptions. Interactions between these factors and the growing environmental uncertainties create a dynamic decision-making landscape.
Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"
Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"
Did you know that the effects of pressure on sports performance are more complex than commonly assumed? A new study examined various pressure conditions in golf putting and found that while some conditions impaired performance, others actually improved it! Considering individual pressure factors and tailoring conditions accordingly may optimize performance and highlights the need for personalized approaches in sports psychology.
A recent global study shows that sports psychology professionals must prioritize cultural competence beyond a checklist, considering it an ethical duty for effective practice. The research highlights the need to actively develop this competence through learning from mistakes and open conversations, grounding it in personal and professional experiences for meaningful cultural understanding.
Overview
To achieve excellence, athletes must dedicate themselves not only to honing their physical fitness, but also to mastering the intricacies of their psychological skills. While extensive research has probed into the psychological attributes, states, and competencies of elite athletes, there persists a notable dearth of comprehensive conceptual models or frameworks that effectively bring together the most relevant skills, which limits their application by those who engage with athletes on a daily basis.
The Gold Medal Profile for Sport Psychology (GMP-SP) was developed based on the most recent research and provides valuable guidance for practitioners and professionals working closely with athletes, enhancing their capacity to nurture peak performance.
Key findings
The condensed version of the GMP-SP focuses on 11 mental performance competencies grouped under three components: 1) fundamental competencies (motivation, confidence, resilience), 2) self-regulation competencies (self-awareness, stress management, emotion and arousal regulation, attentional control), ad 3) interpersonal competencies (athlete-coach relationship, leadership, teamwork, communication). Mental health is also included as an overarching concept that influences both mental and athletic performance. The framework uses 3 main colors, analog to the gold, silver, and bronze podium finishes.
- Fundamental competencies:
- Motivation: An individual’s reasons or motives for behaving in a specific manner, either to achieve or avoid certain outcomes (Ryan & Deci, 2017).
- Confidence: The belief or degree of certainty that athletes possess about their capability to succeed in sport (Machida et al., 2017).
- Resilience: A dynamic process involving the ability to maintain regular (healthy) functioning amidst various challenges and to effectively rebound after facing adversity through the use of facilitative resources (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2016).
- Self-regulation competencies:
- Self-awareness: The result of engaging in introspection and thoughtful contemplation to understand one’s inner states (Ravizza & Fifer, 2015).
- Stress management: A dynamic process involving the assessment of stressors, one’s perception and interpretation of these stressors, and the utilization of strategies to manage the psychological and physiological responses to these stressors (Smith, 1986).
- Emotion and arousal regulation: The process of identifying, modulating, and maintaining specific emotion and physiological arousal states that are most conducive to one’s optimal performance (Ruiz et al., 2017).
- Attentional control: The ability to purposefully focus one’s attention on a stimulus to carry out a specific task (Boutcher, 2002).
- Interpersonal competencies:
- Athlete-coach relationship: The ability to establish and maintain positive and trustworthy coach-athlete relationships (Jowett, 2007).
- Leadership: The capacity to influence or guide others towards shared goals and that can be enacted by both coaches and athletes (Duguay et al., 2019).
- Teamwork: A dynamic process involving contributions from team members to efficiently execute independent and interdependent behaviors required to maximize a team’s likelihood of achieving its objectives (McEwan & Beauchamp, 2014).
- Communication: The exchange of information, thoughts, or messages using verbal and non-verbal means (Collins & Durand-Bush, 2019).
- Mental health: A state reflecting one’s psychological, social, and emotional well-being (Westerhof & Keyes, 2010). When high levels of stress come together with insufficient support, limited help-seeking, and inadequate recovery, athletes’ mental health can be compromised and lead to mental illness (Gouttebarge et al., 2019; Reardon et al., 2019). Prioritizing athlete’s mental health is of great importance given its multifaceted impact on areas such as learning, performance, interpersonal relationships, and physical health (Durand-Bush & Van Slingerland, 2021; Reardon et al., 2019).
Recommendations for members involved in high-performance sport
- The GMP-SP can be used to assess, periodize, and implement mental skills training programs in high performance sport.
- Prioritize fundamental competencies with support teams. Team up with your support network to focus on enhancing fundamental competencies such as motivation, confidence, and resilience. Work together to identify specific areas where improvement is needed and create a targeted plan to develop these essential skills.
- Personalize self-regulation skills with experts. Collaborate with mental performance consultants to tailor self-regulation skills to your sport’s unique challenges. Develop individualized strategies and techniques for managing stress, emotions, arousal, and attention effectively. Practice these skills during training sessions and competitions and remain aware of changes so you can adapt accordingly.
- Cultivate interpersonal skills within your sport environment. Encourage open communication, trust, and teamwork. Organize team-building activities and workshops that promote positive relationships and reinforce the importance of a supportive and safe sport culture for all athletes.
Conclusion
The GMP-SP offers a comprehensive and user-friendly framework that can be used to support athletes throughout their sporting careers. It is particularly important for athletes to achieve maximum mental performance and mental health as this enables them to improve their odds of succeeding in high-performance sports.
Athletes who experience strong support and a sense of belonging within their team are less likely to burnout. Coaches should encourage this sense of belonging to enrich athletes’ experiences and prevent dropout. However, too many team rules can burden athletes, impede support, and exacerbate burnout. Striking the right balance between team unity and support is crucial.
Choking is defined as a decrease in performance that happens in high pressure or anxiety-provoking situations. It often occurs in sports because of internal and external pressures that are present during competitions or big events. Visualization, practicing for pressure, developing a pre-performance routine, and developing a stress mindset can help decrease the chances of choking.
Did you know that imagining yourself performing motor skills can actually improve your performance? In a recent study, participants who combined watching actions with motor imagery achieved faster movement execution times compared to other groups with improvements lasting even after a week. lasted even after a week. These findings can help athletes develop complex motor skills without physical practice which can be beneficial for skill development when combined with physical training.
Did you know that cheering for runners is more than just words? Research reveals that providing instructional and motivational support is appreciated by runners, but its effectiveness depends on factors like the runner’s condition and course feedback accuracy. While support is usually uplifting, it can also create pressure. Experts suggest using the “IMPACT” approach (Instructional, Motivational, Personalized, Authentic, Confidence-building, and Tailored), and adding authenticity, empathy, and nonjudgmental nuances can make encouragement even more impactful.
Mental illness affects 35% of elite athletes, and some challenges—like performance anxiety and identity loss—are unique to the sport environment. In this video, McMaster university researchers discuss strategies like mental health awareness, individualized development programs, and mental health screenings to improve athlete well-being.
Overestimating the abilities of other people can cause us to doubt ourselves. A study of competitive runners showed that athletes’ predictions of their performance can vary: overconfident athletes tended to have an inflated view of their ability, while underconfident runners overestimated their competitors. Finding a balance between confidence and doubt can help athletes optimize their performance outcomes.