How a sports psychologist can improve performance

As we all know, Psychology is the study of human behavior and mind. It studies the thoughts, beliefs and emotions of people and helps in better understanding and solving problems related to emotions of all kind. It can be related to every aspect of life. And a psychologist is someone who studies the behavioral patterns of people and helps them to overcome the problems related to emotions. Nowadays, Sports Psychologists in London are much sought after by the athletes in order to help them boosting their sports performance. Read on to know more about Sports Psychologist.


Sport mind coaching or sports psychology is now becoming an essential tool in sportsmen and women’s overall development. It can have an impact that will affect results. In order to get the best out of any athlete or player a commitment to the mental side is essential. We all know how important physical and tactical development is, but when combined with mental preparation and coaching then we have the ability to reach our performance potential.

Sports psychology and sport mind coaching gives people the ability to question their own limiting beliefs, understanding the obstacles that may be holding them back. It can bring awareness to all the mental barriers they may face and also opens up possibilities to what their real potential is. By turning limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs a player or athlete can choose to change a mindset that will only aid performance.

Here is an example of how beliefs can change. In 1954 the overall consensus of the athletic population was that it was impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Rodger Bannister believed it was possible. He knew that if he was able to run at the same pace as his 4 pace setters, who all had to run at under a minutes per quarter mile then this could be achieved. In May 1954 he achieved his goal. However, what is important about this was that after he proved it was possible, then many people started to run sub 4-minute miles. In fact Bannister’s time was beaten a month later. Over the next 2 years. Seven other athletes broke this record. What is important to remember is that for over 90 years, people had been trying to accomplish this feat, but didn’t believe it was possible? Bannister changed people’s belief of what was possible. In fact many other people started running under 4 minutes, and now the world record for 1500 meters, stands at 3.43. 16 seconds off Bannister’s time.

Enabling a sports person to realize how they are communicating to themselves, about what they believe in and what is achievable, can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of their results. Sometimes we have to dig hard to expose these limiting beliefs, but once found and reshaped, then peak performance is attainable.


Below is a list of the top ten ways that you can benefit from sports psychology and mind coaching.

1. Having the right focus: Many sport people have the ability to concentrate, but often they focus on the wrong aspects. Sometimes too much attention is put on the result whilst in competition. The player who has the ability to live in the moment and focus on the here and now, will have the better result.

2. Recognising self-doubt: Doubt is the opposite of confidence. Understanding where and when there is self-doubt can give you the capability to reprogram where your attention should be focussed. I like to do a lot of work on finding these areas of self-doubt, and finding tools that turn the doubt into confidence. Confidence is what I call a core mental game skill because of its importance and relationship to other mental skills.

3. Dealing with setbacks and errors: Emotional control is a prerequisite to getting into the zone. Athletes with very high and strict expectations, have trouble dealing with minor errors that are a natural part of sports. It’s important to address these expectations and also help athletes stay composed under pressure and when they commit errors or become frustrated.

4. Finding your zone: I use intensity in a broad sense to identify the level of arousal or mental activation that is necessary for each person to perform his or her best. This will vary from person to person and from sport to sport. Finding the “flow” state and using tools to activate it can determine the outcome of competition. Everybody’s zone is different, so it is imperative to understand the correct state that works for you. What you might think will aid performance can sometimes have the reverse affect.

5. Helping teams develop communication skills and cohesion: A major part of sports psychology and mental training is helping teams improve cohesion and communication. The more a team works as a unit, the better the results for all involved. It is much better to have a star team, than a team of stars.

6. Creating a healthy belief system: One of the areas I pride myself on is helping athlete identify ineffective beliefs and attitudes such as comfort zones and negative self-labels that hold them back from performing well. These core unhealthy beliefs must be identified and replaced with a new way of thinking. Unhealthy or irrational beliefs will keep you stuck no matter how much you practice or hard you try.

7. Motivation and the value of what you do: It’s important to look at your level of motivation and just why you are motivated to play your sport. It is very important to look at why we do what we do. By finding the value of the sport and why we are compelled to it, give us the correct motivations to excel. Some motivators are better in the long-term than others. Athletes who are extrinsically motivated often play for the wrong reasons, such as the athlete who only participates in sports because of a parent. Coaching allows us to develop for the right reasons.

8. Quickening the injury process: By focussing on the outcomes wishing to be achieved when injured, rather than being frustrated by the setback, can quicken up the recovery process. Injury can hurt confidence, generate doubt during competition, and cause a lack of focus. I help athletes mentally heal from injuries and deal with the fear of re-injury.

9. Constructing a compelling game plan: All great coaches employ game plans, race strategies, and course management skills to help athletes mentally prepare for competition. By making these plans realistic and compelling the player will be able to execute these tactics and won’t be overcome when in competition. This is very important in sports such as golf, racing, and many team sports.

10. Entering the “zone” more often: Sometimes we become aware that we are in the “zone”. This awareness can allow us to step outside and become victim of trying too hard to re-enter this space. Through mind coaching I can help a player understand what is needed to re-engage with their zone. We work on applying anchors and triggers to enable this flow state. This is where potential is not impeded by interference. It’s impossible to play in the zone everyday, but you can set the conditions for it to happen more often.


I believe that mental coaching and sport psychology can have a dramatic impact on anyone wishing to improve on sporting performance and success. I would however be cautious of anyone who is being pressured to seek mind coaching. It is very important that athletes and sports people choose this approach themselves, rather than satisfying a coach or parent. Commitment to developing improved performance cannot be forced upon someone. Therefore it is down to the individual to decide whether they want to work with a sports psychologist or not.

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