Psychological skills training (PST) allows an athlete to perform better and more consistently by

Symbolic learning theory is different from the above in the fact that it does not require the brain to send electrical impulses to the musculature. Imagery works according to this theory because the individual will literally plan their actions in advance. Motor actions and sequences are considered cognitively before a physical response is required. a set-play in football is a good example of this. The kicker will have much option as where to kick the ball to and which of their team mates to kick it to. as the referee blows his whistle, the kicker will decide to take a shot on goal-if the wall stands still and holds it position or if the players come towards the player to block the shot, or if this occurs then they have the option of passing it to a player on their team. By them mentally rehearsing all possible outcomes then they can improve their chances of making the correct choice of action.

A great deal of research has been conducted in relation to the effectiveness of mental practice and imagery in sports performance; it is still not known why they are effective. It then begs the question as to why imagining and mentally practicing a physical action should result in improved learning and performance? A number of theories have been proposed in order to explain this, there are three main theories; psycho neuromuscular theory, symbolic learning theory and attention and arousal set arousal theory.

mental training. Although the athlete needs to be committed and motivated with the concept of PST in order to get the most out of it because it will benefit the athlete in terms of performance enhancement “it is mental power that separates the exceptional from the very good” Frank Dick. The importance of PST is due to the fact that all sporting people can fall prey to mistakes, misfortunes and mental let downs, PST can reduce the occurrences of these factors happening and further enhance the performance of these sporting people. PST is not a quick fix job on an athlete’s performance, they can not be expected to learn PST to enhance their performance after a couple of sessions and expect it to stay with them, and it takes time and is a learning process. It is suitable for any type of athlete whether they be amateur or professional; PST helps an athlete to reach their potential. Success comes with not just having physical abilities alone but with a combination of physical and psychological abilities combined, certain sports such as figure skating and golf use 80-90% mental ability although the biggest users in sport of PST are tennis and formula one.

Imagery is an effective way of improving sports performance. However it is not always been able to be used effectively each time it is used. There are various reasons for imagery to be ineffective; the inability of the athlete to produce mental images in their mind, the commitment of an athlete and motivation whilst using imagery for performance enhancement, some athletes do not know how to relax and imagery may not work well for athletes coming back to competitive competition from injury. These above reasons can decrease t

Some topics in this essay:
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