SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

As is suggested by name, sport psychology is an interdisciplinary science that draws on knowledge from many related fields including biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology and psychology. It involves the study of how psychological factors affect performance and how participation in sport and exercise affect psychological and physical factors. Sport psychologists teach cognitive and behavioral strategies to athletes in order to improve their experience and performance in sport. Apart from instruction and training of psychological skills for performance improvement, applied sport psychology may include work with athletes, coaches, and parents regarding injury, rehabilitation, communication, team building, and career transitions. Also closely associated with Sports psychiatry. In its formation, sport psychology was primarily the domain of physical educators, not researchers, which can explain the lack of a consistent history. Nonetheless, many instructors sought to explain the various phenomena associated with physical activity and developed sport psychology laboratories. In fact, applied sport and exercise psychology consists of instructing athletes, coaches, teams, exercisers, parents, fitness professionals, groups, and other performers on the psychological aspects of their sport or activity. The goal of applied practice is to optimize performance and enjoyment through the use of psychological skills and the use of psychometrics and psychological assessment. This book is meant for the students pursuing recently introduced BPES course at different Indian universities. Based on the prescribed syllabus, this book consists of the following chapters; UNIT – I Conceptual Design–Introduction: Meaning, Definition and Nature of Psychology and Educational Psychology; Psychology as a Science; Importance of Psychology in Physical Education; Introduction to Sports Psychology: Meaning, Area/scope of Sports Psychology and Importance of Sports Psychology for Physical Educationists Coaches and Players; UNIT- II: Growth and Development–Meaning of Growth and Development; Physical, Mental & Social Development during Early Childhood, Middle childhood and Adolescence; Individual Differences: Meaning of individual difference, Heredity and Environment as causes of Individual Differences, Interaction of Heredity and Environment; UNIT- III Learning Concept-Learning: Meaning, Definition and Nature of Learning; Principles/Laws of Learning; Factors affecting Learning; Meaning and Conditions of Transfer of Training; Personality: Meaning, Nature and Dimensions of Personality; UNIT- IV Motivation and Emotion–Motivation and Emotion, Meaning of Motivation; Concept of Need, Drive, Motive, Incentive and Achievement; Types of Motivation, Role of Motivation in Teaching Physical Activities; Emotion: Meaning, Nature and Types of Emotion; and References Certainly, this will serve the purpose of all those for whom this is meant. In course of compiling basic information, I have consulted a number of primary and secondary sources, e.g., books, articles, reports, research papers etc., available in print and digital form both. I am deeply beholden to all the scholars and learned professionals whose writings and opinions are cited or substantially made use of. In fact, the real credit for this goes to them all. Simultaneously, I express my gratitude to my teachers, seniors, colleagues and friends for their generous help, assistance, guidance and cooperation. I am equally grateful to my parents, family members and near and dear ones for their patience, and constant moral support besides providing congenial work environment at home. Finally I am thankful to Shri Lokesh Thani of Sports Publication, Delhi for evincing interest in this and bringing out the book meticulously in elegant manner. Constructive criticism and comments are welcome from the readers to improve the quality of contents.