A list of some of the myths and misconceptions that I have come across as a sports psychologist. These are just some of them there are quite a few more but hopefully these will help with raising some awareness and getting a better understanding of what it is we do and how we can help.
- A sports psychologist is a personal cheerleader.
They show up just before a game gives a motivational speech, a quick pep talk, and psych the team up and we are good to go. There is a lot more to sports psychology than just motivation and pep talks.
- Sports psychology is only for people who have “problems” who are “mentally weak”
There is still that belief that if you see a sports psychologist, there is something wrong with you and that is not the case. A lot of athletes start working with sports psychologists to prevent something from happening. To improve their mental game because they have certain goals that they want to achieve. They know that the mental aspect of sports is important. Athletes work on their mental game, their mindset, grit, mental toughness, resilience (are some of the terms that are commonly used by athletes and coaches). Aspects that will help them push through barriers that they might face or prevent them from facing any mental blocks.
- The belief that sports psychology is only for elite-level athletes.
I get asked that a lot. No anyone and everyone can work with a sports psychologist. Beginners to Elite level athletes, kids to seniors. It is for anyone that wants to improve the mental side of the sports. For those who know that their emotions, thoughts, and fears might be holding them back. The sooner you start working with a sports psychologist, the better because then you can practice those mental skills a lot sooner and make them part of your daily training sessions.
- You either have it or you don’t!
This is mainly about “mental toughness”, “grit”, “resilience” that ability to perform during big matches. You can work on your mental game, you can improve all aspects of it from your mindset to your character to your personality. Like physical abilities that certain people have, some have a bit more than others but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get there. It doesn’t mean that you can’t develop it. Working on your mental game will help improve your performance.
- A sports psychologist can’t make a “losing” team become a “winning team.”
There have been studies and case studies where sports psychologists have worked with teams who have had a losing streak, haven’t been performing as well. After working with a sports psychologist, the teams started to improve their winning record. After losing a few games back to back your mindset and confidence are affected, you start doubting yourself which means more mistakes which an increase lack of confidence and increased doubt. This negative spiral isn’t good. Working with a sports psychologist can help you break that negative spiral. It is also about understanding what does winning and losing mean to you.
- Quick fix
So it’s not just motivation, but a lot of people think that you know, I can come in there with this magic wand. I would love to have a magic wand. But it’s not always possible. There are a few techniques that can work right away, but in the long term, it’s best to work on it over time and prepare, practice, practice, practice. You have got to practice it in training. You have got to work on them in competitions, minor competitions then build-up to the major competitions. Yes, you can see benefits right away but not with all the skills and techniques. Some of it takes time, especially when it comes to working on certain characteristics, some of the deeper level things that you need to work on.
- If I read about sports psychology, such as articles and books, I can improve.
Some books are great, absolutely and they give really good tips. But it’s not always possible to implement what you read in books. So you can take some of the theories and try but yeah, it’s always helpful to have support to develop the theories more and to adjust them so they fit you and your needs. It is important to practice and get a better understanding of the underlining theories. So I’m not saying don’t read. If you read about it, gain awareness, gain understanding. But then take the next step.
- Psychological skills, replace physical skills
Absolutely not! A sports psychologist will never replace a coach,. It will never replace your physical skills. It’s a combination of both. It’s bringing those two worlds together. So while you’re working on your physical skills, you’re also working on your mental skills, they need to be integrated. So ideally I work together with both the athlete and the coach. As you see your coach more than you would see your sports psychologist. It is always good to work together, understanding confidentiality, so there are things that the athlete will tell me that I will not talk to the coach about. But there are certain things that we agree on that, can be discussed with the coach.
- If the coach finds out I’m seeing a sports psychologist, he’s gonna think I’m weak.
I have come across this a few times where athletes didn’t feel like working with me because they were scared the coach would not approve or they would be benched as the coach would think they are weak. More and more coaches thankfully are seeing the benefits of sports psychology and that it isn’t just for people who have “problems” but also for those who just want to get better and work on that 1%. Remember where there is a problem there is a solution. So should the coach at first have a problem with it we can find a way to get the coach to see the benefits of you working with a sports psychologist.
I hope I was able to clear up some of the myths and misconceptions about sports psychology with this post. If you have any more questions please feel free to get in touch. You can also request a copy of Caren’s mental roadmap to success