“So wretched is the weather forecast for the next two days, this 140th Open Championship will turn into as much a mental marathon as a technical examination.”



Quote taken from the Belfast Telegraph about the
conditions at the 2011 British Open Championship.

Sport psychology aims to work with participants in both team and individual sports from amateur to elite levels of competition.  

Frequently in competitive sport the psychological preparation and mental state during competition can be essential for achieving success, and set you apart from the competition.



Issues that can be addressed with a Psychologist include:



Self Confidence



Anxiety management e.g. for coping with, pre-competitive nerves and anxiety related to crowd effects



Concentration and strategies for controlling it



Goal setting to help with training



Help dealing with emotional consequence of sustaining injury

Transition to retirement

Within football-player welfare.  For more on this take a look at : http://www.thepfa-safetynet.com/



"Wayne Rooney reveals visualisation forms important part of preparation"

"When I was younger, I used to visualise myself scoring wonder goals, stuff like that. From 30 yards out, dribbling through teams. You used to visualise yourself doing all that, and when you're playing professionally, you realise it's important for your preparation."

Quote taken from The Guardian, 17th May 2012

For more on how psychologists can help athletes check out:

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sport-psychologists.aspx