INDIA has done itself really proud by its achievements in the CWG and the Asian games . The Indian sportsmen have really come off age ,their confidence has increased tremendously .The heartening feature is that of the contribution of the rural sector , that once felt itself incapacitated compared to its urban counterparts . Despite lacking in the infrastructure ,financial and monetary support, rural India has shown courage, determination and toughness that is required to compete at the international level . The initiatives taken by the Haryana government to promote sports could definitely encourage other ‘s to follow suit .
If China which is more populous than India could do wonders in terms of organization, infrastructure, conduct ,performance in the Olympic and the Asian games that it hosted recently ,then why not INDIA ?
India showed that ,after the initial debacle before the Asiad , what it is capable of . India has shown time and again what it is capable in the country’s most popular sport ‘’Cricket’’ .Advancement in sports is certainly a symbol of a country’s progress .What are we waiting for ?
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The only thing we need to do is to take an envisioned approach, and look in to the business of ‘sports’ seriously like other things.
The need of the hour in our country is better sporting infrastructure, political will, honest selection methods and practices, world class coaches, and ‘sport psychologists.
There are numerous instances to prove the effectiveness of a sport psychologist.
As a sport psychologist, counselor mentor I would like to dwell on the subject related to‘’sport psychology’’.
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY is a special branch in ‘psychology’ that seeks to understand the psychological or mental factors that affect performance in sports.
Why is it so important?
Because it is a scientific study of people and their behavior in sports.
A person takes to a sport, exhibits his talent, works hard on the skills, expresses his desire to do well at the competitive levels, tries to achieve but fails to get the desired results. It is here that his talent, hard working skills are not enough at the highest level . It is here he needs to deal with the mental aspects of the game.
Some of the mental and psychological factors that affect and are affected by participation in sports are: anger, stress, anxiety, nervousness, fear and other emotions. Some positive factors are positive thinking, motivation, mental toughness, imagery, relaxation, visualization, self confidence and belief empowering emotions, awareness goal setting that helps an individual or team performance beneficially.
In today’s competitive environment in sports, players need to recognize the importance of mental application in addition to talent, skill and hard work. Going by the popular phrase ‘’Winning is 90 % mental, 10% physical ‘’
At the highest level it is only the mental toughness or winning attitude that fetches results.
Top individual players and teams are known to seek the help of a sport psychologist to attain their goals. The Australian cricket team is a testimony to this.
Sport persons gain valuable insights in to thought process involved in playing sports.
A sports psychologist counselor/ mentor are one such person who utilizes the psychological skills and practices to enhance sporting performance.
He helps players deal with negative characteristics and responses and infuse them with positivity and self belief, takes them through imagery to visualize the attainment of their goals.
SO NOW WHAT IS ‘’MANTRA’’ FOR SUCCESS IN SPORTS?
It is TALENT, SKILL. HARD WORK, AND ABOVE ALL ‘’TOUGHNESS’’
Mental toughness comprises of two vital areas [1] tough thinking [2] tough acting
[a] by tough thinking a player can be made to think in a disciplined manner when the going gets tough ,visualizing the positive result ,preventing him from panicking ,and not to surrender the game eventually .
[b] By tough acting a player can be taught to ‘’act as if’’ nothing has happened during competition even when he is trailing.
By tough acting he can spur up the right emotions by positive body movements and vice versa by empowering thoughts and self talk he can rejuvenate the body with energy.
It is said muscles and emotions respond to each other when stimulated.
Getting mentally tough means [1] readily accessing empowering emotions during competitions [2] changing from a negative state to a positive state. [3] Trigger an ideal performance state on demand [4] cope with crisis and adversity
During every competition only one player emerges as a winner eventually, though many players have taken part in the same competition . Some fallout due to lack of skill or effort some due to lack of hard work, but so many others are talented, skilled and hard working but they do not get the desired results. Why?
Because they have psychological issues, or mental weaknesses that have sunk deep in to ‘’the sub conscious ‘’level that unknowingly or unsuspectingly the players keeps losing. There is a need to work with the player on the ‘’emotional ‘’ aspect.
The mental weaknesses, negative responses, and other issues can be attributed to one or more of the factors below:
[1] His upbringing and mental conditioning.
[2]Family value system.
[3]Family atmosphere [disturbed, loving etc.]
[4] Childhood memories, of incidents.
[5]Lack of unconditional love.
[6]Too much expectation or pressure from parents and coaches.
[7]Previous results, disappointments, and failures. Etc.
A DISTRESSED PLAYER; who is going through any one or more of these tendencies can seek the support of a ‘’sports counselor or mentor.
What is ‘sport counseling?’
It is a process of empowerment whereby a sports person in distress is heard, given total acceptance, shown empathy, unconditional support, by which the person can solve his own problem or learn to cope with it and move ahead in life.
A sports counselor/mentor normally sits with the distressed player helps him to deal with negativity and presence of unwanted emotions, further, to bring about self belief ,confidence ,empowering emotions on demand ,again takes him through imagery and visualization .to see a positive end result
Qualities that a ‘’counselor /mentor must possess to be effective:
[1] He must show warmth and empathy.
[2]He must be an active listener.
[3]Must refrain from giving any advice.
[4]Maintain confidentiality about what the person has shared.
[5]Show concern acceptance and be genuine.
STAGES THROUGH WHICH THE COUNSELOR TAKES THE COUNSELING SESSION:
[1] Making the person comfortable by showing warmth.
[2Make him to open out by open ended questioning.
[3] Give him genuine positive strokes where ever required.
[4] allow the ‘catharsis’ to happen i.e. client sharing fully.
[5]Para phrase and re phrase about what has been shared.
[6] Identify feelings and emotions and dig a little deeper.
[6]Help him to set his own goals that are practical and attainable.
[7]Be available to the client as he starts implementing to review his progress and follow up.
Contact for sports counseling /mentoring needs
Mr. Vishwanath
Sports Counselor – Mentor
