Important Terms in Sport Psychology

Arousal — the level of anxiety about the sporting event
Attention Focus — the ability to be able to block out everything, such as crowd noise or the other team, or personal problems.
Cohesion — when a team or group works well together, towards a common goal or shared task. In team sports, team cohesion is a large part of success.
Confidence — Sport psychologists help athletes with self-confidence. To perform beyond what they have accomplished before, athletes need to believe that they are capable of going further.
Extrinsic Motivation — when motivation comes from outside, such as performing for money or awards.
Imagery — such as picturing yourself performing a sport in your mind. It is important to picture yourself performing the technique correctly and doing well. Also known as 'visualization'.
Internal Monologue — Maintaining positive thoughts during competition.
Intrinsic Motivation — when the desire comes from inside the athlete - doing something because it makes them feel good.

Related Pages