Lesson Structure: Sports Psychology BPS106

There are 8 lessons:

1  Introduction

• Introduction
• History of Sports Psychology
• Performance Psychology
• Physiological Psychology
• Psychophysiolog
• Exercise Psychology
• What is the Difference Between Sports and Exercise Psychologists?
• Environmental Influences
• Aspects of Sports Psychology
• Applying Sports Psychology

2  Psychological Traits of Successful Athletes

• Personality traits are different to Psychological disposition
• Personality Traits
• Personality Types
• Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory of Personality (1933)
• Hollander’s Personality Structure
• Psychological Core
• Typical Responses
• Role Related Behaviour
• Drive Theory
• Psychological Dispositions
• The Sporting Personality
• Concentration
• Psychological Attributes can predict Success
• Personality Theories – An Overview
• The Interactionist Approach
• Stress and Stressors
• Self-esteem and improved involvement in physical activity
• Learned Helplessness
• So what are the benefits of understanding the personality profile of athletes?

3  State of Mind.

• Anxiety and Arousal – an Introduction
• Anxiety: State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety, Physiology of Anxiety, Psychology of Anxiety, Competitive anxiety, Relationship Between Emotional Arousal and Performance
• Arousal: Physiology of Arousal, Psychology of Arousal, Choking
• Cognitive Technique
• How to Maximise Psychological State: Ways to ‘Psych’ Yourself into a Peak Psychological State, Ways to Prevent Choking, Relaxation Techniques, Imagery/Visualisation

4  Motivation

• Basic principles
• Intrinsic motivation
• Extrinsic motivation
• Motivation and Goals: McClelland’s achievement motivation theory, Factors affecting motivation
• Maintaining Motivation – Expectations – Vicious and Virtuous Cycles: Vicious cycle, Virtuous cycle, Self belief and Self talk
• Motivation for Fitness and Weight Control: Nutrition and sport, Weight control
• Slimming for Fun
• Think Before You Eat: Eating disorders and athletes, Endurance sports and eating disorders, Sports psychologists and fitness programmes, Motivation for a personal trainer

5  Aggression

• Anger: Anger Management, Techniques to encourage, Strategies to Manage Anger, Anger can Damage an Athlete’s Performance, Useful Concentration Techniques
• Aggression in Sport: Theories of Aggression (Biological (or Instinct), Frustration-Aggression, Environmental Factors, Types of Aggression in Sport, Steroids in Sport
• Measuring Aggression
• Conflict
• Conflict Handling Techniques: Competing, Soothing, Avoiding, Compromising, Joint Problem Solving

6  Leadership & Coaching

• A Coach’s Role
• Coaching or Leadership Styles: Leadership Characteristics
• Getting Attention: Hints for Leading Activities
• Questioning
• Punishment: Strategies for Dealing with Poor Performance, Developing a Coaching Philosophy, Know Yourself, Obstacles Encountered – The Coaching Context, Understanding Athletes, The Coaching Process

7  Team Dynamics

• A Group
• A Team: Team Dynamics, Goals
• Steps in Building a Team: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing
• Traits of an Effective Team: Suitable membership, Appropriate Leadership, Commitment to the Team, Concern for Achieving, Effective and Well Organised Work Methods and Procedures, Ability to Take Criticism, Creative Strength, Positive Relationships, Positive Environment, Team Roles, Developing the Ideal Team
• Factors Affecting the Team Environment: Autonomy, Support, Pressure, Recognition, Trust, Fairness, Innovation, Cohesiveness, Cohesion, Loafing

8  Special Groups

• Children
• Readiness
• Dropping out
• Stress
• Post Game/Season Evaluation
• Gender Differences: Elite Female Athletes, Special Considerations with Female Athletes, Eating Disorders, Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge-Eating Disorder, Disabled Persons

Learning Goals: Sports Psychology BPS106

• Describe the nature and scope of Sports Psychology
• Identify psychological traits found in successful athletes.
• Explain effects of state of mind on athletic performance.
• Recommend ways of maintaining or increasing motivation in an athlete.
• Differentiate between positive and negative application of aggressive emotions in sport.
• Discuss the role of leadership in sports coaching.
• Explain the impact on performance of psychological interactions within a sporting team.
• Describe variations in the sports psychology of different demographic groups.

Practicals:

• Read articles (magazines, newspapers), watch interviews on TV/Radio, etc. with elite athletes/coaches/sports persons. Try to find out what techniques they use to stay motivated, to reduce stress and tension, to remain focused, to prepare for a competition, etc.
• How do successful athletes cope with failure, error or poor performance in a major competition? Give an example of an acute stressor because of one of the above in sport, and describe the techniques you recommend for an effective coping strategy.
• Discuss the difference in coping with sports related stress for the athlete and the non elite sportsperson. Include examples of their ability to handle fatigue,
  pain, competitive situations, and performance failure.
• What can a coach do to reduce or eliminate learned helplessness? Discuss the potential harm caused by this?
• Talk to one or more athletes to find out what psyching techniques they use to help improve their performance. Have they tried other techniques? If so, why did they stop using them?
• Think about two or three different activities (sporting, or otherwise) that you undertook recently but weren’t keen to do, or that you felt would be beyond your capabilities. How were you motivated to complete the activity was the motivation intrinsic or extrinsic? Did you use different motivating techniques to accomplish each activity? How did you feel once you had accomplished each activity? Would you use the same motivating technique(s) in the future? Also speak to someone else, and ask them the same questions.
• Watch a range of altercations (such as a fight or collision between players) or aggressive behaviour in sporting events, such as in team sports like football or basketball, or in direct competition between two or more individual competitors such as in tennis, fencing, car racing, or distance running. What events have led up to the altercation/s or fight or aggressive behaviour? What form of behaviour did the aggression take? Who was it directed at? How many people were involved? How did it stop? What penalties, if any, where applied (e.g. fines, frees, time outs, lost points, etc.)?
• Speak to a coach to find out what role they play in organising and training their athletes. Speak to a coach who trains children. Find out how their role differs to when they are training adults. What techniques do they use for gaining attention and motivating the children?
• Discuss the development of a team with someone who has been a member of a sporting team (school, amateur or professional) for more than one season. Ask about their ups and downs and the reasons they think contributed to high points and low points. Investigate those reasons to see whether any situations or patterns relate to things you have studied in this lesson.

Your learning experience with ADL will not only depend on the quality of the course, but also the quality of the person teaching it. This course is taught by Iona Lister and your course fee includes unlimited tutorial support throughout. Here are Iona’s credentials:

Iona Lister
Licentiate, Speech and Language Therapy, UK, Diploma in Advanced Counselling Skills.

Iona has been a clinician and manager of health services for fifteen years, and a trainer for UK-based medical charities, focusing on psychosocial issues, mental health disorders, and also the promotion of communication skills for people in helping roles. She tutors and facilitates groups via workshops and teleconferences, and now specialises in Sight Loss. As a freelance writer, she contributes regular feature articles for magazines, has written five published books, as well as published courses relating to personal development and counselling skills.

Iona has also written published books, courses and articles across a wide range of subjects, mostly in the areas of health, counselling, psychology, crafts and wildlife.

She has drawn experience from clinical and managerial experience within the NHS as well as medical and humanitarian subjects. She has been a regular feature writer and expert panel member of a national magazine for six years.

Books include: A Guide to Living with Alzheimer’s Disease (and associated dementias), The Psychology of Facial Disfigurement; a Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals, When a Medical Skin Condition Affects the Way you Look; A Guide to Managing Your Future, Facing Disfigurement with Confidence, Cross Stitch: A Guide to Creativity and Success for Beginners.
Courses written include: Mental Health and Social Work, Counselling Skills, Understanding and Responding to Substance Misuse, Journalling for Personal Development, Guided Imagery, Stress Management.

Current work includes: Tutor: Courses associated with Creative Writing, Counselling Skills, Psychology, Holistic Therapy, Certified Hypnotherapist and Hypnotension Practitioner.

Facilitator of Teleconference Groups: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Trainer (Skills for Seeing): Macular Society

Reviewer of Books/Information: Macmillan Cancer Support

Fundraiser: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Embroidery/Art Groups Facilitator, Board Member

Website Manager: The Strathcarron Project, Coordinator (Delaware & Tennessee) Human Writes

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Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

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Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

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A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

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A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.

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A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

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A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.

This Level 3 course is accredited by ACCPH and allows you to join as a professional member after completion. Membership allows you to add the letters MACCPH after your name (post-nominals).

This course has been accredited by the CMA – The Complimentary Medical Association. On completion of any qualifying module, you can join as a “Fully Qualified Practitioner” and be entitled to use the post-nominal latters “MCMA” after your name.  CMA Full Membership is a privileged position and the fact that you have been accepted for CMA Membership demonstrates that you have a clear commitment to standards and professionalism. CMA Members in all categories are recognised as the elite in their field.

Excerpt from the Course

Intrinsic motivation

We act in an intrinsically motivated way when we find the endeavour a challenge, of inherent interest, and enjoyable. We do it for its own sake. We act in an extrinsically motivated way when we want something — money, promotion, candy — not in the endeavour itself. This distinction leads to the “over justification”: too much incentive and pressure from outside an activity can undermine the enjoyment it induces by itself. We soon find the pleasure of eating tasty food becomes work if we accept money for it. Extrinsic motivation replaces its intrinsic cousin.

Intrinsic motivation is internal motivation: motivation that comes from stimuli within the athlete. It is derived and supported by the satisfaction that comes from participation in activities such as exercise or sporting events. Motivation will, for example, increase for an athlete completing their first event, or winning their first trophy. Their perception of “what is success” will be important. One athlete may derive success from completing a marathon, while another may not. This may be because one perceives success as finishing the marathon, whereas the other may perceive it as winning or doing very well. The result of the race is not the stimuli – the attitude within the athlete is the stimuli.

Intangible rewards are those that we cannot be given, but that arise from within the person as feelings or values.

Extrinsic motivation

This is motivation that comes from external stimuli, primarily influenced by events or rewards outside of the person (not primarily influenced by any internal stimuli such as attitude).Tangible rewards can be important motivators.  If a member of staff knows that if they do their job well, they will receive certain rewards; it can act as a powerful reinforcer. Tangible rewards include money, benefits, services and goods, winning a match, receiving a sponsorship deal and so on.

THINK ABOUT THE SUBTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION.

For some people, motivation seems to come easy. Maybe somewhere along the line, they learned to value achievement, and their central role in gaining it. Perhaps motivation, and the desire for increased productivity or success that drives it, have become internalised, so that their motivating ‘motor’ on always on.  Many others, however, continually strive to become more motivated, to sustain their initial level of motivation as it wanes, or to motivate others. They might think of the obvious rewards (for example, improved health from stopping smoking; a promotion for working hard and being creative), but unless they have a good idea of what actually motives individuals, and what might de-motivate them, their approach to motivation will be based on stereotypes, assumptions and a lot of wishful thinking.

The key ingredient for successful motivation is awareness. This includes learning to become aware of what motivates a particular individual (including yourself), what de-motivates them, or inhibits their motivation, what environmental factors may be affecting motivation, the individual’s general attitude and beliefs about success and achievement, and other factors. In other words, to motivate others, you need to take a learning and enquiry approach to finding what works, and what doesn’t.  Awareness also includes knowing why the task is worth doing well (or quickly and well), where it fits into the realisation of business, workplace, study or other goals, and what difference the motivation will make.

EBook to compliment this Course

Leadership EBook

An invaluable guide to the theories and practicalities of leadership – this fascinating in-depth guide helps to explain what makes a good leader and how the skill can be developed. 

Leadership

by the Staff of ACS

Leadership eBook course online. What makes a good leader? Is it an innate personality trait or a skill that can be aquired? This book is an excellent guide to the theories and practice of leadership. It is full of interesting facts about social dynamics and examples of leadership styles. For those who are curious or in need of some leadership skills, this book will provide both entertainment and advice.

Leadership is a two-way relationship and it is important to recognise this. If there are no followers, there is no leader. Leadership therefore involves the obedience and willingness of followers. Leadership is also based on good will and cooperation. Leadership can exist through force and threat, but a leader will not usually maintain this relationship for long. Leadership can also be specific to a certain situation.

There are differences between leadership and power.

Where leadership generally suggests that following the leader is optional, power suggests an ability to control or command others, where the person does not have the option to follow – they are either forced to follow, or are so overwhelmed by the power that they follow without thinking. When we think of historical leaders, we generally think of people that inspired others to greatness, such as Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi. If we think of people in history with a lot of power, we think of political dictators, or people such as Adolf Hitler, who had control over people without them necessarily having a choice. Power, of course, does not have to be a bad thing. In combination with high integrity, a leader with power can create the extraordinary.

In the home environment, the difference between power and leadership can be demonstrated in a different way – a baby has the power to change the behaviour of his/her parents, but this influence is not the same as leadership in the family.

Is there a specific personality that demonstrates that a person is a “great leader”? Whilst some personality traits lead to a natural inclination to be a leader, personality traits will not necessarily determine a person’s leadership aptitude.

A leader may also have other qualities such as superior tact, superior intelligence, superior strength, superior knowledge, superior oratory skills, or superior power. Some or all or none of these can lead to attaining leadership. These things may be important, but they are not necessarily essential. It is also the ability to set new goals and reach new expectations for themselves and for the group they influence.

CHAPTER 1 NATURE, SCOPE & SCALE OF MODERN LEADERSHIP

• What is leadership?
• The nature of leadership
• Leadership and group behaviour
• The roles of leaders
• Functions of leadership
• Leadership and motivation

CHAPTER 2 LEADERSHIP TOOLS

• Leadership training
• Personal skills

CHAPTER 3 LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

• Introduction
• Modern contingency approach
• Leadership expectations
• Managing group values

CHAPTER 4 PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

• Introduction
• Group dynamics
• Problem solving
• Case study

CHAPTER 5 RECENT HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP

• Leadership styles
• Situational factors
• Decision making
• Conclusion

CHAPTER 6 CHOOSING A LEADER & LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

• Leadership selection criteria
• Types of leaders
• How people become a leader
• Risk factors
• Leadership opportunities

CHAPTER 7 CASE STUDIES

• Specific cases
• The dark side of leadership
• World leaders