Psychology and Sports Performance |

ABSTRACT:

Psychology is an increasingly popularand important area of human performance, which concerns research into sportingand athletic performance, particularly with regard to improvement. It is nowaccepted that superior sporting performance is not just dependent upon physicaland motor skills but on perceptual and cognitive skills as well. Thus sportspsychologists are playing an increasingly important role in individual and teamsports. Sports and exercise psychology has beendefined as the scientific study of people and their behaviors in sports andexercise context and the practical application of that knowledge. Where there is behavior, there ispsychology. Physical education and sports make an art-science combine dealingwith movement, motion, activity, play, recreation and the like. In essence,they are activity based endeavors; in function, they are enhancers of healthand fitness; in objective, they are developmental to the core; in nature, theyare joyful, recreating and relaxing, and in purpose, they are and ought to beout and out educational. The branch of psychology which is intimately connectedwith human behavior on the playfield – both under practice and competitivesituations – with a view to bring about quantitative improvement inperformance, is usually called “exercise and sport psychology”. It is basicallyof applied nature. Physical education, an educational endeavor, is much widerin range and focus than elite competitive sport.