Behind every kick of the ball there has to be a thought’, Dennis Bergkamp.
I tend to get asked the following question quite often when people ask what I do….
‘What is Sport Psychology?’
Therefore, I thought I would write this blog to help some of you understand what Sport Psychology is, why athletes use sport psychology to help them in their careers and how I can be of benefit to you/your child.
Sport Psychology helps an individual improve their athletic performance through the use of psychological knowledge and skills.
Why would you or your child need to use Sport Psychology?
There are many situations where a player/athlete may need support from a Sport Psychologist. For example, a player may be struggling with pre-match anxiety. A Sport Psychologist could work with the player and teach them techniques to help control those feelings of anxiety, better preparing them for performance.
Another situation could be a player who has been injured and is struggling to adapt to the difference in routine and getting back to peak performance. Injury is a tough time for any athlete as it feels like a loss of identity, routine and ultimately, they can’t do the thing that they love the most. I would work with the athlete to support them with their rehabilitation, and to set goals to get them back to peak performance quicker.
Some players may be struggling with performance but not actually know the route cause of it. I would work with the player holistically to look at all the areas of their sport and personal life to see where the issues are rooted. From there, we would work together to help them overcome those areas of their life and to try and get them back to performing at their best.
These are just a few areas where I would be able to help, however every athlete is different, as each person is different. Personally, I feel it is vital to get to know the individual in front of me, which techniques work for that individual and what techniques may not work. Sport Psychology is a working progress between the practitioner and the athlete, the better I know the athlete, the easier it is to help them achieve their goals. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to this area of support.
Why work with me?
If I were to choose somebody to work with as an athlete, I would want to speak to somebody who has knowledge of taking part in sport and potentially worked in sporting environments as well.
I have played football my whole life and overall loved taking part in competitive sports from a young age. Therefore, I am able to understand some of the challenges that athletes may face, as I am able to put myself in their shoes.
On top of playing the sport, I have also worked over a decade as a football coach and within schools as a sport coach. I achieved my UEFA B licence in 2019, after working for many years in grassroots football. For me, the skills I have learned over the years in coaching are invaluable and no doubt help when working with players as a psychologist.
What do my sessions look like?
I try and tailor my sessions to the individual, therefore for younger players I tend to do hybrid sessions. For example, a hour session would look like 30 mins of discussion of goals and progress and 30 mins of working on those skills out on the pitch.
For those who are older or don’t have access to a pitch I tend to do an hour of consultancy, where we discuss progress, set targets together and discuss techniques the individual can use in their own time.
I also do some sessions over video call for those who are based further away, which can often be convenient as athletes have busy schedules.
I can be flexible with timings and location of sessions, as I try and make it as easy as possible for the individual I’m working with.
I hope this blog has made it clear for some of you what a sport psychologist does and what support I can offer you/your child.
If you are interested in seeking some support, please feel free to email me @ Sabrina.dale@allstarsportscoaching.co.uk.
Thanks for reading,
Sabrina
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