Search

Despite health benefits gained from physical activity and sport participation, older adults are less likely to be active. This study investigates what influences 50- to 75-year-olds (N = 439) to initiate and maintain walking football, across gender, socioeconomic status, number of health conditions, and physical activity level. It also considers relationships between participant characteristics and influences, and intentions to play after a forced break (COVID-19). Results of a U.K. online cross-sectional survey found those with two or more health conditions rated social influences significantly higher in initiation and maintenance than participants with no health conditions. Multiple regression analysis found a positive walking football culture, and perceived use of maintenance resources contributed significantly to intentions to return to play after COVID-19 restrictions eased. Practitioners should consider providing opportunities for social connection, foster a positive walking football culture, and encourage players to utilize maintenance resources (e.g., scheduling sessions) in older adult walking football sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure training (PT) strategically increases pressure in training to prepare athletes to perform under pressure. Although research has studied how to create pressure during training, PT's effectiveness may depend on more than creating pressure. A practitioner's delivery of sport psychology interventions can moderate their effectiveness, so the current study explored perspectives of sport psychologists and athletes on the characteristics of effective PT delivery in applied settings. Eight international-level athletes and eight sport psychologists participated in semistructured qualitative interviews in which they described their experience participating in or conducting PT, respectively. Thematic analysis produced four themes relating to effective delivery: (a) collaboration with athletes and coaches: "with," not "to"; (b) integration into training; (c) upfront transparency; and (d) promoting learning before and after PT. The themes provide guidance for planning, conducting, and following up on PT sessions in applied settings. The best practices discussed could increase athletes' receptiveness to PT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined coaches' and sport psychologists' experiences of managing performance blocks and the mechanisms they adopted in supporting athletes who experience them. This qualitative study adopted a constructivist philosophical paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with elite coaches (n = 8) and HCPC-registered sport psychologists (n = 7). Following transcription, interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that managing performance blocks is a complex and dynamic process whereby participants iteratively moved through five stages (i.e., understanding the athlete, intervening in performance blocks, experiencing the emotional rollercoaster, coping with emotions, and learning). From an applied perspective, findings encourage coaches and sport psychologists to create trusting relationships with the athlete and demonstrate an emotional understanding of athletes' needs. Findings indicate that lowering the psychological demand and increasing the athletes' coping resources such as by offering emotional support is an important strategy in the management of performance blocks. Lay summary: This article explores eight coaches' and seven sport psychologists' experiences of managing performance blocks. Coaches and sport psychologists continually shifted between five stages in understanding and supporting athletes' experiences of performance blocks. Findings highlight the importance of trusting and collaborative relationships, emotional intelligence, and coping strategies when managing performance blocks. Coaches and sport psychologists must create and maintain trusting relationships with the athlete and those surrounding the athlete before attempting to intervene in performance blocks to ensure athletes feel safe in discussing performance blocks and receive consistent and supportive messaging. Coaches and sport psychologists are encouraged to develop and utilize effective coping strategies throughout managing performance blocks. Examples including seeking support from colleagues and supervisors, participating in reflective practice, and seeking emotional support from friends and family. Sporting organizations can improve the management of performance blocks by providing coach education sessions to raise awareness of the causes and warning signs, and highlight instances of best and worst practice for management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses an applied case study with a young footballer and his father. Contacted initially to offer psychological support to the athlete, after conducting his needs analysis, the practitioner was left questioning who his client really was. This paper outlines how the practitioner arrived at the decision to work with the father rather than the athlete, before reflecting on how his own experience as a young athlete fueled his commitment to work with this case. Drawing upon acceptance and commitment therapy, the intervention's aim was to increase the father's psychological flexibility and explore ways he could better support his son. The evaluation suggested that working alongside the practitioner helped the father (a) gain clarity with regard to what was important to him as a parent and (b) begin to behave in a manner that was more aligned to his son's needs. By virtue of the changes he observed in his father, the young athlete also discussed the implications this had for his own mindset and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure training (PT) strategically increases pressure during training to improve athletes' abilities to cope with pressure in competition. Although evidence suggests that PT can improve performance under pressure, implementation of PT can be challenging in applied settings. The purpose of this article is to guide sport psychology practitioners and coaches in conducting PT at both elite and lower levels of sport. We first outline basics of PT, including who will benefit from the intervention and when to conduct it. We also clarify the purpose of PT and distinguish it from other forms of coaching that may seem similar. The next section includes steps for conducting PT effectively. Based on research and applied practice, these recommendations address how to create pressure and how to establish training environments that are conducive to PT. Each recommendation describes a principle that can guide practitioners and coaches as they tailor PT to specific sports and levels of competition. We argue that the use of negative consequences, an existing or "baseline" level of pressure, and involvement of coaches are key ingredients for conducting PT that promotes athletes' development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults aged 55+ years are most likely to be inactive, despite research suggesting that older adults experience multiple benefits when participating in physical activity and sport. Limited research focuses on long-term continuation of sport participation in this population, especially in "adapted sports" like walking football. This study explored the experiences of walking football maintenance in 55- to 75-year-old players. Semistructured interviews were conducted, with 17 older adults maintaining walking football play over 6 months. The inductive analysis revealed five higher-order themes representing maintenance influences and two higher-order themes relating to maintenance mechanisms (i.e., the conscious process by which players maintain). Influences when maintaining walking football included individual- and culture-level influences (e.g., perceived benefits of maintenance and ability acceptance). Maintenance mechanisms included cognitions and behaviors (e.g., scheduling sessions and redefining physical activity expectations). Findings highlight novel implications for policy and practice, which are important to consider when delivering walking football to older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prepare athletes for psychological pressure of competition, pressure training (PT) systematically applies pressure on athletes during training. This study explored how to create pressure for PT and how PT improves performance in competition. Specifically, it aimed to explore the views of sport psychologists and athletes on: (a) common properties of effective pressure manipulations, and (b) PT's mechanisms for improving performance under pressure. Eight sport psychologists and eight international-level athletes participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified three properties of effective pressure manipulations: (a) extending the reach of consequences, (b) simulating psychological demands of competition, and (c) approximating, but not replicating, intensity of competition pressure. Analysis also produced three themes that described how PT benefits performance: (a) learn and practice coping skills, (b) "change the relationship" with pressure, and (c) increase the quality of training. Understanding these benefits can help communicate to athletes why they should participate in PT. Lay summary: Pressure in training can help athletes adjust to pressure in competition, and this study found that practitioners can create pressure by applying psychological demands and consequences that have an extended impact on athletes. Athletes can then practice coping skills and learn that pressure does not have to hurt performance. To create pressure in training, practitioners should implement pressure manipulations that increase the sense of importance to perform well. These pressure manipulations include consequences that have extended reach or demands that emphasize psychological challenges of competition. PT helps athletes train mental skills learned in workshops or one-on-one consulting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the use of motivational interviewing (MI) in sport contexts by experts in that approach. Specifically, the purpose was to understand which aspects of the MI approach are deemed valuable for working in sport and to begin to understand how these aspects are best applied. Nine practitioners participated in semistructured interviews, and thematic analysis identified themes related to core and subcomponents of MI (e.g., relational spirit, technical microskills, applied tools, and the MI communication styles continuum). Additional themes relate to integrating MI with other interventions, the challenges of working with athletes (e.g., mandated attendance, ambivalence about change), and unique aspects of working in sport contexts (e.g., frequency, duration, and location of contact points). The participants also outlined essential ingredients for an MI training curriculum for practitioners in sport. This counseling approach appears to have valuable relational and technical components to facilitate the building of the therapeutic alliance, enhance athlete readiness for change, and support delivery of action-oriented interventions in applied sport psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults aged 55 and older are least likely to play sport. Despite research suggesting this population experiences physical and psychological benefits when doing so, limited research focuses on older adult sport initiation, especially in "adapted sports" such as walking football. The aim of this study was to explore initiation experiences of walking football players between 55 and 75 years old. Semistructured interviews took place with 17 older adults playing walking football for 6 months minimum (Mage = 64). Inductive analysis revealed six higher order themes representing preinitiation influences. Eight further higher order themes were found, relating to positive and negative experiences during initiation. Fundamental influences preinitiation included previous sporting experiences and values and perceptions. Emergent positive experiences during initiation included mental development and social connections. Findings highlight important individual and social influences when initiating walking football, which should be considered when encouraging 55- to 75-year-old adults to play adapted sport. Policy and practice recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spotlight Profile is a contemporary personality profiling tool developed in elite sport that focuses on fostering adaptability. It has been increasingly deployed by sport psychology consultants in sport and other organizational settings, yet how end-users perceive the tool’s use to benefit their performance is not yet known. Using semi-structured interviews, we explored the experiences of 16 individuals who have engaged with Spotlight Profile as part of a performance-based intervention across elite sport and a series of other domains (e.g. business, education, health). Thematic analysis led to the development of seven themes, which included: self-awareness, contextual sensitivity, positive outlook, adaptability, self-regulation, interpersonal skills, and team effectiveness. These findings highlight the multiple benefits which may be experienced by engaging with Spotlight Profile and offer a framework to guide the potential areas for development when using personality profiling in applied practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we are introducing an Integrated Model of Talent Development (IMTD). Predicated on a line of research that originally focused on elite youth soccer (cf. Mills et al., 2012; Mills et al., 2014a,b), the IMTD is a research-informed model that elucidates the interplay between environmental and psychological factors in the effective development of athletic potential. We introduce the core components of the model including environment strengths (e.g., involvement, opportunity, challenge) and development strengths (e.g., perseverance, self-determination, adaptability), and highlight how these interact in multiplicative ways to positively shape athletic potential along the developmental pathway. An example of how the model can be used in practice is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addresses the hegemony of the Prolympic system, especially its effects on children, asserting that it abrogates the liberal democratic promise that all people are entitled to develop their talents to the fullest extent and making suggestions to combine sport psychology and sociology when thinking about a sport pedagogy system oriented to democratic participation and sensitive to children's developmental processes. Assertions are structured around the work of Erik Erikson. (Contains references.) (SM)

In previous research, multiple demands and consequences were manipulated simultaneously to examine methods for pressure training. Building on literature, in this study a single demand or consequence stressor was manipulated in isolation. Specifically, in a matched within-subject design, 6 international shooters (mean age 28.67 yr) performed a shooting task while exposed to a single demand (task, performer, environmental) or consequence (reward, forfeit, judgment) stressor. Perceived pressure, anxiety (intensity and direction), and performance were measured. Compared with baseline, manipulating demands did not affect pressure or anxiety. In contrast, pressure and cognitive anxiety significantly increased when judgment or forfeit consequence stressors were introduced. Thus, the findings lack support for manipulating demands but strongly support introducing consequences when pressure training. Compared with baseline, the judgment stressor also created debilitative anxiety. Hence, in terms of introducing a single stressor, judgment appeared most impactful and may be most effective for certain athlete populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear reporting of the counseling approach (and theoretical underpinning) applied by sport psychologists is often missing, with a tendency to focus on intervention content rather than therapeutic processes and relationship building. Well-defined psychotherapies such as motivational interviewing (MI) can help fill this void and provide an underpinning counseling approach (in an athlete-centered manner) as a framework for delivering interventions such as psychological-skills training (PST). This article describes the role of MI as a framework on which PST sport psychology interventions can be mapped and delivered. The paper presents an athlete case study to explain the role of MI at each phase of the interaction. Robust, well-defined applications of MI in sport require further research, although evidence from other psychological domains suggests that it can be successfully blended into sporting contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore how sport and exercise psychologists working in sport understand and use motivational interviewing (MI). Eleven practitioners participated in semistructured interviews, and inductive thematic analysis identified themes linked to explicit use of MI, such as building engagement and exploring ambivalence to change; the value of MI, such as enhancing the relationship, rolling with resistance and integrating with other approaches; and barriers to the implementation of MI in sport psychology, such as a limited evidence-base in sport. Findings also indicated considerable implicit use of MI by participants, including taking an athlete-centered approach, supporting athlete autonomy, reflective listening, demonstrating accurate empathy, and taking a nonprescriptive, guiding role. This counseling style appears to have several tenets to enhance current practice in sport psychology, not least the enhancement of therapeutic alliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a Mental Toughness Education and Training Program (MTETP) in elite football officiating. The MTETP consisted of four individual and two group-based workshops designed to develop mental toughness (MT) and enhance performance in three English Football League (EFL) referees. Adopting a single-subject, multiple-baseline-across-participants design, MT and referee-assessor reports were evaluated. Self and coach-ratings of MT highlighted an instant and continued improvement in all three referees during the intervention phases. Performance reports of all referees improved throughout the intervention phases compared with the baseline phase. Social validation data indicated that an array of strategies within the MTETP facilitated MT development. Discussions acknowledge theoretical and practical implications relating to the continued progression of MT interventions in elite sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the factors perceived by successful coaches to underpin optimal development environments within elite English soccer academies. A semistructured interview guide was developed to interview 10 expert coaches about the environments they create for players at a key stage in their development. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and inductively content analyzed. The results identified a wide range of factors resulting in a conceptual framework that explained how these factors interact to underpin an optimal environment. Subcomponents of this framework included organizational core (e.g., advocate a player-driven ideology), adaptability (e.g., embrace novel ideas & approaches), player welfare (e.g., understand players' world-view), key stakeholder relationships (e.g., build trust with parents), involvement (e.g., encourage players' ideas/feedback), and achievement oriented (e.g., establish an explicit pathway to senior level). Collectively, the findings highlight the importance of establishing strong, dynamic, organizational cultures at elite youth soccer academies. Ways that academies might be helped to establish such environments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of performance slumps in cricket from the perspective of psychological resilience. Findings from a thematic analysis of a focus group (n = 4 athletes) and one-to-one interviews (n = 10 athletes) with 14 expert cricket batsmen indicated that numerous factors associated with psychological resilience protected players experiencing poor performance from the negative effects of stress, enabling them to successfully implement strategies to overcome slumps. These strategies fostered the strengthening and acquisition of technical, tactical, and psychosocial resources that protected players against future slumps. The findings suggest practical strategies to aid players experiencing slumps to overcome their performance difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity (PA) declines as adolescents get older, and the motivational determinants of PA warrant further investigation. The purposes of this study were to investigate the amount of physical and sedentary activity that adolescents participated in across age, gender, and race, and to investigate adolescents' attraction to PA and their perceived barriers and benefits across age, gender, and race. Methods: High school students (N = 1163) aged between 13 and 16 years completed questionnaires on minutes and intensity of physical and sedentary activity, interests in physical activity, and perceived benefits and barriers to participating in PA. Results: A series of multivariate analyses of variance were conducted and followed up with discriminant function analysis. PA participation decreased in older females. In addition, fun of physical exertion was a primary attraction to PA for males more than females. Body image as an expected outcome of participating in PA contributed most to gender differences. Conclusion: There is a need to determine why PA drops-off as females get older. Findings underscore the importance of structuring activities differently to sustain interest in male and female adolescents, and highlights motives of having a healthy body image, and making PA fun to enhance participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study was to explore National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 athletes' perceptions of mental toughness. Specifically, three areas of mental toughness were explored including attributes, the role of significant others, and strategies used to build mental toughness. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 athletes from a variety of sports. Lower and higher-order themes were developed to capture the main ideas of mental toughness. Various psychological attributes emerged including performing under pressure, being motivated, being a hard worker, and anticipation. In addition, all athletes referred to coaches as being critical in developing mental toughness (i.e., coaches' support, coaches' attributes, coaches' practices). Creating a positive but tough practice environment emerged as a dominant theme to build mental toughness. In addition, the themes of teaching mental toughness and enhancing athletes' psychological skills emerged. Findings offer implications for aspiring collegiate athletes and their coaches, as well as current NCAA athletes and coaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the applicability of confidence profiling to the development of an individualized intervention designed in accordance with Murphy and Murphy's (1992) eight step cognitive-behavioral model. The case study design illustrated the potential uses and benefits of confidence profiling when developing an athlete driven intervention to enhance the sport confidence of a female swimmer. Specifically, it showed how confidence profiling can act as an applied measure to accurately assess sport confidence from the athlete's own perspective, provide the basis of an intervention targeted toward the athlete's individual confidence needs, and provide feedback to the sport psychologist concerning the effectiveness of the intervention. A postintervention interview with the athlete highlighted the usefulness of the confidence profiling process. Specifically, the profiling process helped to raise the athlete's awareness of the factors that facilitated and debilitated her sport confidence. Furthermore, the athlete reported feeling more confident and very satisfied with the mental skills training, which she perceived resulted in performance gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents an ideographic approach to the assessment of sport confidence in applied settings. In contrast to traditional nomothetic measures, confidence profiling provides an assessment of sport confidence from the athlete's own perspective. Seven athletes (4 male, 3 female) completed the profile and were encouraged to give an accurate account of their sources and types of confidence, and identify the factors that were debilitative to their confidence levels. Reflective practice on the application of confidence profiling, provided by three British Association of Sport and Exercise Science Accredited sport psychologists, demonstrated the versatility of approach, and indicated that the process allowed the athlete to accurately recall their confidence related experiences and attain an accurate and in-depth assessment of their sport confidence. Thus, it was concluded that completed confidence profiles could provide a strong foundation from which athlete-centered interventions might be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of the present investigation were twofold: (a) to investigate the fluctuations of anxiety and self-confidence throughout competition by measuring these variables retrospectively before, during, and after competition and (b) to investigate the relationship between the intensity and directional interpretation of anxiety and perceived performance across competition. Field hockey players (N = 62) completed the modified Mental Readiness FormLikert (MRF-2) within 30 minutes after competition using the method of retrospective recall. Results indicated significant fluctuations across competition for cognitive anxiety intensity and direction, somatic anxiety intensity, and self-confidence intensity. Results also revealed that the strongest predictors of performance across both halves were self-confidence intensity and direction and cognitive anxiety direction. These findings should have important implications for practitioners and sport psychologists because anxiety measurement and confidence are critical parts of most psychological skills training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that the political economy and social structures of prolympic feeder system abrogates the liberal democratic promise that each individual has the right to develop his/her talents to the fullest. Hegemony of prolympism in terms of contents, focus and relations; Contradictory ethics of liberal democracy on prolympism; Ways to remove the impediments that are anchored in scarcity and relation of extraction.

Focuses on the process of goal setting in the enhancement of performance in sport based from the perceptions of coaches in the United States. Use of qualitative methodology; Citations on the revealed interest goals; Investigation on the relationships among team, athlete and coach goals.