Sports Psychologists
As I’ve mentioned previously, I am fascinated by what goes on behind the curtain. I can’t stop thinking about the education, training and knowledge that goes into all the professional actions that play out right in front of me. I’m not nearly as enthralled by the worker and the job they’re doing as I am by all the know-how they surely must have packed into their brain. I want to know why they’re doing what they’re doing and how they knew to do it in that particular way.
Professional athletes are workers (in their own high-pressure, playful sort of way). I would never classify myself as an avid sports fan, but I can appreciate the grace and skill involved. Again, what I’m really thinking about when I’m watching a game is how the players and the coaches have taken decades of amassed sports knowledge and are applying it all right before my eyes.
There’s all the game strategy—which players to put in at what point in the game based on the players themselves, how the game in question is proceeding, and on which of the opposing team’s players are on the field—and the training methods, including specific movements that have been engrained in the players’ muscle memory, etc. During any given play, all of that knowledge, training, strategy, muscle memory, and talent combine in a fraction of a second with the players’ instincts to create an amazing moment that I get to witness.
Sports psychologists are one of the fascinating behind-the-curtain elements on the sports team staff. A lot of athletes, especially the do-it-for-money variety, appreciate a highly educated pep talk when they’ve hit a slump and are psyching themselves out. It’s understandable; if I had a gajillion dollar contract to be awesome (or else) and thousands of people watched me do my job, I’d need a damn sports shrink, too.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (no longer an actual newspaper) has this article about the Mariners’ sports psychologist, Steve Hecht, and what it is, exactly, that he does for the players. It’s info from behind the curtain, and it’s even more interesting than watching an actual game (although perhaps only to me).
Further Reading and Resources:
What is a Sport Psychologist?
BLS Occupational Outlook: Psychologists
Sports Psychology Degrees and Careers
Sports Psychology Degree Programs: How to Become a Sports Psychologist
Univ. of Iowa, Dept. of Health and Sport Studies
SportPsychology.com
Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP)
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
Posted by Alexa Harrington
(image credit: zuma press)
