Question:
Discuss the psychological benefits of exercise and the importance/effect/role that other (parents,friends/family&coaches) can have ?
Answer:
Sports are competitive games associated with winning and losing aspect. Playing sports help one stay physically and mentally fit. It is a source of livelihood for people while some treat it as a source of fun and recreation. People seldom speak about the psychology of sports. Sports psychology is misunderstood as field attached to dealing with the mental trauma of athletes. Rather it is information about what motivates participation in sports (Weinberg and Gould 2014). Outdoor sports like Tennis, Hockey, etc. are associated with various health risks. What pushes people to go beyond this extreme level to compete and win? What are the Psychological benefits behind Sports? How coaches help athletes in having correct frame of mind? Sports psychologists can answer these questions. Moreover, only the person playing the games does not gain benefits. Rather sports create a social network. Other people associated with the sports as a coach, friend, family and viewers experience psychological benefits. Sports psychology involves psychologists to develop the strategy to deal with problems of players and athletes by healthy interaction and communication. Sports psychology deals with procedures that enable an athlete to perform with the correct mindset. It deals with the development of goal-oriented plans in different kinds of sports (Wu and Huang 2012). Again, psychologists of sports address the question as to what motivates sports coach to take up the job and what pleasure do people get sitting patiently and watching the whole match. What is the reason behind consistence performance of some of the athletes? In this essay, the author intends to discuss psychological benefits of sports and what role do others play in the sports psychological development.
Coaches train players and athletes both physically and mentally. They help athletes to be excellent in sports as well as in life and to gain mental toughness. It is the responsibility of the coach to analyse and understands what the mindset of players is (Russell 2015). It is important to examine how players think and act. How do sportspersons feel when they compete and win? Sports psychology for coaches gives information about sports strategy they need to use (Zakrajsek et al. 2013). It involves an application of theories and principles of psychology in mental training programs. It informs about how coaches should make an organised schedule for exercises, practice, and relaxation. Trainers should help players return after injury. A coach helps players in goal setting. Coaching also includes training athletes to cope up with immense mental pressure. Coaches learn to train athletes in developing mental skills such as motivation, focus, stress management, energy management. The coach supports players mentally and helps them build self-confidence, which leads to enhanced performance (Cowden et al. 2014). It further improves life skills and gives enjoyment to them. Sports psychology for coach provides information about integrated mental training programs for athletes (Gulbin et al. 2013). Also, the coach knows how to put it all together into mental plans that allow athletes to attain mindset that boosts their performance. Psychological studies show that coach should exchange thoughts and feelings honestly with the players. Athletes are motivated so that they do not get too much involved or overbearing. According to sports, psychology research players gain self-esteem through participation in sports (Russell 2015). Sports teach teamwork and enhance social acceptance. It ‘s hard to determine the relationship between self-concept and sports participation. There is the positive correlation between greater participation in physical activity and better emotional well-being. Research shows if instructors do not consider athletes’ developmental needs and encouragement then their performance substantially declines.
Sports participation conveys myriad psychological and sociological benefits. Sports encompass social mobilisation, exercise and communication dimension. Sports include intense and regular exercise. Gene Tunney said, “exercise should be regarded as the tribute to heart”. Exercises play a significant role in maintaining physical health and mental wellbeing. Physical activity and sports are a cornerstone to preserve good health condition and improve manic-depressive illnesses (Eime et al. 2013). Several studies have shown the physical effects of exercises, but psychological benefits of it are rarely explored. Some studies have shown that exercises improve self-esteem, increase energy, reduce stress and enhance mood (Reiner et al. 2013). According to the study conducted by (Downs et al. 2014) intense regular exercises improves performance in a job. Several types of research carried out on senior school students who participated in school sports. A study by Veliz et al. on high school students showed that 14 students out of 22 were positively influenced by engaging themselves in sports. This group of pupils showed reduced absenteeism, through academic knowledge, high educational aspirations, making strong relationship with friends and had high self-esteem. This study is an evidence of the fact that participation in sports helps in school identity (Veliz et al. 2015). At this very age, students develop knowledge of what is right and wrong for them. The results revealed that Sports help people in personality development and communication skills. Participation in sports activities teaches teamwork and aid in the development of leadership competencies. Sports activities require competition and compliance to set of rules. Life skills such as perseverance, goal setting and personality development may transfer from sport to academics (Arnold and Sarkar 2015).
Playing chess enhance intellectual skills. Staying focussed is a keystone for being successful in sports. During major tournaments like Wimbledon, Olympics, etc., participants undergo tremendous pressure but eventually they learn to handle it and at the same time do not compromise with the performance (Eime et al. 2013). With long-term participation, sportsperson becomes more gracious and emotionally resilient and perceived competence. They have high self-efficacy. A thorough literature review shows that sports person seldom suffers from depression (Carr 2014). Moreover, psychological studies show that sports person behaves in a sexually responsible way. They experience generosity and has a sensation of mattering.
Why is sports psychology least considered? Coaches do not know how to teach athletes. They lack knowledge about essential psychological skills to explain trainees. There are also coaches who think that psychosocial skills are inbuilt and cannot be taught (Cowden et al. 2014). There is a common misconception that intense physical work and sincerity is enough to win the competition. It is the reason most athletes perform well in the practise session but get eliminated at higher competition levels. It is a common issue that most parents and instructors do not know how to impart psychological training to young players.
According to US Department of Health and Human services various diseases like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, etc., are mainly due to physical inactivity. Intensive exercises help burn calories and reduce excessive fat. The intense heavy workout has been observed to improve or gain weight stability. Exercises and sports make musculoskeletal activity healthy by strengthening bones and joints and comfortable respiration. Playing sports prevents various diseases like cancer (Reiner et al. 2013). Therefore, it will reduce healthcare costs.
Sports have a potential to build the high social network. People call it a social connector. It brings people together and creates in them the sense of belonging. Sports facilitate social participation. There is an increase in interest amongst adults. More people tend to be active members of golf clubs, tennis association, etc. to play or to watch sports (Rimmer and Marques 2012). Memberships are increasing in social clubs since few years. Physically disabled people experience social stigma. For instance, Tanni Grey-Thompson. She is known as “disabled athlete”. She won nine gold medals in Paralympic games in 1988. This wheelchair athlete won five times in London Marathons. By promoting sports activities among these marginalised groups with other community members, negative perception of people can be changed (Di Cagno et al. 2013). It helps create shared space and bring social cohesion. Sports play a useful role in communication. High-profile athletes endorse brands and to deliver critical health information. It inspires viewers and helps them build confidence in engaging themselves in the proper health plan.
A study conducted by a professor at Utah State University showed the effect of youth participation in the family relationship. It also investigated the parental support and provision of financial investment in youth sport (Atkins et al. 2013). Organized youth sports participation should take place since childhood. Importantly, not only the athletes but parents also actively participate. Teachers and parental support also have the impact on learning of sport (Downs et al. 2014).They exhibit involvement in the context of children’s development. For example, in the movie “Children Of Heaven,” the young boy would not have fulfilled his dream of winning race competition without his teacher’s support. He initially failed to enroll himself for the competition. On requesting for one last chance, his coach agrees to take his name for racing. The boy stood first in the race and proved himself. Parents invest their savings and family resources into the sports development of their children. These studies identified that parental involvement in youth sports is essential to the success of their children. Parental involvement should be of both proper quality and quantity. Only then, it will ensure positive development. Based upon certain research experiments, it concluded that teachers in school should have the active relationship with coaches. Both together should emphasize learning and cooperation and consider children’s goal as their very own. Research suggests that parents should involve children in decision-making (Veliz et al. 2015). Parents should help children understand the success and failures associated with sports and ensure that they always stay in the positive state of mind. Parents should take an effort to make their child competent and build relationships. Children learn building relationships both with their teammates and with coaches through sports participation.
The ancient literature review showed some studies conducted on psychological benefits of sports for girls. Research shows evidence of the increase in women participation in sports (O’Reilly 2012). Women are involved in playing different types of sports. More studies are being conducted to analyse what changes has triggered this motivation to play. There is also ongoing research regarding the reason for women dropping out from sports. Girls suffer adverse psychological consequences when parents and coaches do not emotionally support them. Recent studies research has explored the benefits of sport for girls and young women, who are increasingly playing more sport at all levels. According to some research women, participating in sports at school is more likely to earn the college degree after completing high school compared to those who did not (Veliz et al. 2015). This is advantageous for students facing socioeconomic challenges in college days. Girls and young women playing sports are less likely suffer from obesity and depression. There is lesser tendency among these women towards smoking and taking illicit drugs. They have the better sense of belonging. They are less susceptible to sexual harassment. There are growing efforts to achieve the goal of protecting sports eligibility or scholarships. Women sport psychology studies showed that psychological benefits of sports engagement are related to the act of participation (Lavelle 2016). Sports participation aims at the development of adolescent girls.
Sport psychological training includes the same principle that helps regulate awareness regarding behaviour in everything one pursue It includes the athletic field and other like the job interview, examination, public speaking, etc. It is common saying that “practice makes man perfect. With time psychological skills and strategies learnt becomes integrated into daily life. Learning these skills last lifetime as well as enhances performance each time.Physical skills are dependent on mental skills. Coaches mainly focus on the physical aspect of the performance, but the mental aspect of it also should be considered. Based upon above discussion it can be said that there are significant psychological benefits of sports for athletes as well as parents, peers and relatives. Athletes’ success and failure is not attributed to only coaches but also friends and family. Without love and emotional support of family, players would not develop proper mindset. There are excellent techniques in the field of sports psychology that allow one to maximise their potential in sports. To develop these skills athlete needs to understand the behavioural demands required in the chosen sport and learn to cope with it.
References
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