Mind Games: The Role of Sports Psychologists in Team Sports

The importance of sport psychology has been realized for decades but many coaches and athletes pay too little attention to how it can help them perform better. Physical aspects of sport are critical, but they become even more significant when combined with an effective mental training program, including looking into relationships within the team, aspects of leadership, behavioral patterns, and individual personalities.

Sport psychologists can help athletes cope with competitive fears, improve mental skills, prepare for competitions, return after injury, develop pregame routines or routines before a shot, improve practice efficiency, cope with adversity, perform well under pressure, manage expectations, maintain confidence, handle emotions after setbacks and mistakes, improve consistency in performance, among other skills. It all starts, however, with building a solid team culture, including goals, values, attitudes, and beliefs. While professional organizations increasingly use specialized help, what should coaches and administrators of youth and development teams know about techniques that can help them build strong, cohesive, and successful sports teams?

When: Dec 3, 2020 11:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Speakers:

• Lindsey Blom | Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Ball State University | USA
• David Charlton | Owner and Sports Psychologist, Inspiring Sporting Excellence | Great Britain
• Dubravka Martinovic | Sports Psychologist, Performance Consultant | Croatia
• Grant Parr | Mental Performance Coach, San Francisco State University Women’s Volleyball Department | USA
• Karanbir Singh | Sports Psychologist, Tata Steel High Performance Center Sport Department | India

This webinar is part of World Learning’s International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) —Virtual Together program, a series of virtual events, launched in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. ISPI is a program of U.S. Department of State's Sports Diplomacy division. The series aims to engage the sports community globally, to creatively problem solve, share digital tools and work together, follow health guidance, and continue to promote active, healthy lifestyles both physically and mentally throughout this crisis. Additional modules related to these objectives are being developed and will be announced.

The webinar is produced by Digital Communication Network, a diverse professional coalition in the digital space.