Troy Bolton and the Wildcats might have been on to something with the whole “Getcha Head in the Game” thing. For so long, those leading innovation in sport were focused on advancing athletes physiologically. Recently, we’ve transitioned into an age with a heightened emphasis on the psychological aspect. Whether we realized it or not, this intercorrelation between sports and psychology has always existed. Which begs the question, “How much of sport is mental?” Given my educational background and my experience as an athlete, I scoff at this question… it’s silly. Sport is 100% mental in my opinion. (I’m tempted to end the article here but where’s the fun in that).

Though I might roll my eyes, it truly is an important question. To better prepare athletes for competition we must acknowledge the physiological AND psychological processes that underly performance.

At the risk of sounding ridiculously hypocritical, let’s say that sport performance isn’t based on psychology at all. We already know that the physiological side of sport is crucial. Athletes often have a genetic “ceiling,” a biological limit to which they can perform. Of course, this may be slightly altered through physical training by changing body composition, neural pathways, etc. However, in general, an individual’s absolute performance, their performance “on paper”, is largely governed by physiology. As a result, there are some people that are more physiologically inclined to excel at their sport. Take Michael Phelps for example, he is anatomically disproportionate; he stands at 193cm tall, and his wingspan is 203cm. His torso is the size of someone almost 10cm taller, and his legs are on par with someone significantly shorter. Phelps is also double jointed in multiple places. He also produces less lactic acid than his counterparts, allowing him to recover quicker. All of this to say the man was designed to swim he is a literal fish and giving him an advantage in the water. Phelps is “built different” which undoubtedly has contributed to his illustrious career. So, in a world where sport is purely based on physicality, Phelps should probably win every race; in any case, the better physiologically suited team/individual should win every time.

In this theoretical world where physiology rules, No. 16 UMBC doesn’t beat No. 1 Virginia 74-54, Leicester City certainly doesn’t win the Premier League, and Jaden Smith does not win his final match in Karate Kid (2010). There would be no “underdog” movies because these things simply wouldn’t happen. Now, I know in the above examples I’m oversimplifying. You can always argue that those teams might not have been completely blessed with better genetics, and you would probably be right. My point is, even when opponents are bigger, taller, older, stronger, and with arms just a little bit longer (get it…), the dark horse can still find a way to come out on top. So there have to be variables, independent of physiology, that influence sports and allow discrepancies between what “should” happen and what actually happens. These factors can also explain how good teams stay good, how certain individuals become dominant in their sport, and why certain rivalries keep us on the edge of our seats. These ‘unseen’ variables can be external and internal. External factors are those usually out of athletes’ control like the weather or the officials. However, internal factors can be those related to psychology and is where the mental side of sport kicks in.

Furthermore, physiologically, there are processes that occur out of an individual’s conscious control that allow them to be successful or at least more successful than their opponent. At the lower levels of sport, athletes can rely purely on these instincts and probably get away with it. As competition level rises athletes become more similar. As a result, these physiological advantages may begin to disappear. Here’s where these internal factors such as mentality come into play and why many elite athletes turn to psychology for an edge over their competition.

There are many theories supporting the relationship between psychology and athletic performance. For example, there is the Mental Health Model (MHM); originally introduced in 1985, it proposes that there is an inverse relationship between psychopathology and athletic performance. Simply put, it suggests positive traits of mental health are correlated with better performance. The model was later expanded, theorizing that an athlete’s psychological response to training is a better indicator of performance than their baseline characteristics. The introduction of the MHM gave rise to Hanin’s Individualized Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF). The IZOF is another theory attempting to explain the relationship between psychology and performance. The IZOF suggests that in some quantities certain “negative” mental traits may actually be beneficial and that the threshold at which these traits become counterproductive is based on an individual. Where the MHM suggests that increased anxiety will hinder an athlete during competition, the IZOF proposes that, for some, certain levels of anxiety are actually beneficial. Although these theories seem to be at odds, the central tenet for both is that psychological factors do have a significant effect on athletic performance. These, and other theories, act as a foundation for sports psychologists to explore the specific psychological factors that influence athletes.   

There’s a lot of research supporting the link between psychology and sport; the actual theory names suggesting this relationship are completely irrelevant to the average athlete. What’s important is that athletes are made aware of the factors that effect their mentality which, in turn, influence performance. Many of us are already cognizant of certain psychological factors and strategies even without knowing their formal names.

Have you ever felt nervous, stressed, or worried before a big game? Did you notice you were tense, jittery, maybe sweating more than usual, or had butterflies in your stomach? Say you weren’t playing your best, kept making mistakes, did you notice you were constantly making bad decisions, simple tasks became difficult, or it was hard to focus? If you said no to any of those questions… bffr we might as well get you a pro contract, PhD, and a gold medal because you know something the rest of us mortals do not. If you are a regular human and said YES to any of that, it’s completely normal. What you were experiencing was anxiety. It is one of the most researched variables, and remains one of athletes’ biggest concerns. Anxiety is the perfect example of the connection between the mental and physical side of sport because it can be a classified as a psychological construct with the ability to cause direct, measurable physiological changes and changes to performance.

Anxiety has three components: cognitive, somatic, and behavioral. The cognitive aspect impacts an athlete’s thinking; somatic responses cause physiological changes to the body such as increased heart rate and muscle tension. While, the behavioral aspect of anxiety affects actions. Anxiety is the result of an athlete’s perception of the somatic changes that occur as they face an important competition. Basically, anxiety is how your brain interprets your body’s response to a stressor like an important competition. Pre-competitive anxiety has long been studied, and it remains one of the most popular problems athletes report. In excess, it overwhelms an athlete’s personal threshold and can hinder performance. The physiological changes that accompany anxiety include increased muscle tension, decreased attention, inability to shift attentional focus, impaired decision making, and reduced fine motor skills. These changes are contradictory to what is required for optimal athletic performance. So back to those questions I was asking before. If you experienced any of those things that was your mind and body reacting to a psychological factor, probably anxiety, that had a tangible effect on your behaviors. It is just one example of the many psychological obstacles that athletes must circumvent.

Performance related anxiety is almost inevitable and, as I mentioned before, its effects are largely influenced by individual’s perception. An athlete that interprets the “butterflies” they get in their stomach as readiness, rather than nervousness, may perceive lower levels of anxiety and have better performance than someone who perceives the latter. As a result, it is important for athletes to train their minds to respond more productively to anxiety. There are techniques such as self-talk, meditation, and visualization that can help reduce negative effects. Self-talk attempts to calm the mind by calling attention to negative thoughts and replacing them with more constructive beliefs. Meditation and visualization work to combat the physiological side of anxiety by relaxing the athlete and reducing potentially harmful muscle tension. These are just a few examples of strategies that work to influence the body by targeting the mind. They can also alleviate more than just anxiety. There are a plethora of other psychological factors that influence sport such as stress, motivation, and confidence (just to name a few) that can benefit from mental skills training. While anxiety may be the most popular psychological variable, it is just an example of the link between the mental and physical side of sport. There are many more psychological factors that influence athletic performance in similar ways. Mental skills training provides a mechanism for preparing the mind for competition and has been related to improved athletic performance. It’s important that athletes train mental weaknesses similar to how they would work to improve physical deficits.

Without psychology many of the most beautiful moments in sport would never have happened. Without the motivation, resilience (and many more factors) it takes to train day after day, or the confidence, focus (and many many more factors) it takes to deliver outstanding performances, the legends of sport would be unknown. Without the psychological aspect of sport the physical adaptations and skills that come from traditional training wouldn’t be possible. Researchers have provided empirical evidence that the relationship between sport and psychology exists through theories such as the MHM and IZOF. This type of research laid the foundation for further analysis into the specific psychological factors that create and influence the magnitude of this relationship. Factors such as anxiety emerged as major influences on performance. By uncovering these types of variables, and the mechanisms by which they influence performance, professionals can instruct athletes to train their thinking. This mental skills training provides an avenue for cognitive improvement and has been linked to increased athletic performance.

Now I’m not saying that the average weekend warrior is going to the Olympics by just committing to mental skills training. But, we can’t deny the importance of these skills. The good news is many athletes are already aware of psychological strategies and factors that influence performance. Anytime we visualize our performance, talk to ourselves as we play, or even try to calm ourselves before a big game, we are appealing to the mental side of sport. Honestly, this is why writing this entry was so difficult for me. It’s hard to quantify the mental side of sport because it’s so vast; it encompasses the thought processes, feelings, and emotions of athletes. I’m not really sure how we separate these things from sport. So I stand by my original statement…. Sport is 100% mental.