Sports Psychology And What Goes On The Brain Of An Athlete

Sports Psychology and What Goes On in the Brain of an Athlete Gabriel Cerna Community College of Aurora What Goes on in the Brain of an Athlete Every athlete that needs to compete has to be not only be physically ready, but they also need to be psychologically ready. Thousands of things go through the head of an athlete before the event even happens. They also have to think about what they are going to do while they are in the game. It is hard to react and perform at your best when a person’s mind is not clear. They can do all of the physical preparation that they need to do but being mentally ready is another thing. Some athletes are naturally stronger mentally than others. Having the motivation, grit, and will to accomplish†¦show more content†¦This causes their mind to be in a clear state and be able to perform well while training. When they have to to perform for an event their mind is not at its normal state. â€Å"Athletes that have not had exposure to sports psychology are often to go through completed stage of change, decisional balance, and self efficacy questionnaires. This means that they are not psychologically ready to take on performance related performances that are not in a familiar environment† (Powell, 2011). This does not entirely mean that athletes that do not get informed with sports psychology perform poorly. There are things such as achievement motivation, and grit that help them perform well. Based on the information that has been addressed it is true that a person’s mind set is different when one is going to perform in any kind of sport. Anxiety and Performance Next, there is going to be an explanation of how anxiety and performance relate among athletes. A lot of sports psychology is related to anxiety. It shapes the way we think and behave prior to an event. â€Å"The ability to cope with pressure and anxiety is an integral part of sports, particularly among elite athletes† (Humara, 1999). If one is unable to get through the psychological battle that is going through their heads, it will lead to doing poorly when participating in an event. Causes There are many reason why a lot of athletes go through anxiety before or