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preparation
Psychological preparation of the athlete: to express one's full potential
But when one moves on to a competitive career where the level required is that of constant competition in tournaments against opponents at the highest level of preparation, the psychological load to which the athlete is subjected becomes an element of stress as strong as the stresses to which his body is subjected, and both technical training and athletic preparation become necessary to accompany psychological preparation that helps him/her express his/her potential to the very best.
What is the psychological preparation
Psychological preparation is a series of activities carried out by the athlete together with the trainer to help him/her overcome blocks, resistance and psychological difficulties that act as obstacles to a more satisfying athletic performance in the court during games. Relying on tools such as sensor motor therapy and transactional analysis, the psychological coach helps the athlete to first identify and then deal with critical psychological issues, and to construct routines that the athlete can adopt to activate, during the game, the appropriate reactions and behaviours that lead to the desired performance.
The path of psychological preparation
there is an initial interview between the athlete and his/her trainer..
It is here that the latter has the opportunity to observe what the athlete’s psychological characteristics are, his unconscious reactions, and the problems arising from the inevitably stressful circumstances of high-level sports competition, and this allows him/her to draw up a profile that includes both the possible problems to be faced and the goals that the work done together will have to achieve.
Such as anger, anxiety, or fear, will be used to plan a list of highly customised activities aimed at addressing these critical points. These may consist of on-court work alongside coaches and athletic trainers, but also activities to be carried out in the classroom, either individually or in groups with other athletes.
It is only by observing the behaviour in the court that the perception of the problems to be faced can arise, and it is only by integrating into physical training the insights and strategies developed during psychological preparation that the athlete can truly overcome his/her difficulties and build his/her own patterns of reaction to competitive stress.
The areas of psychological preparation
The psychological preparation of the athlete is a job that requires truly global – 360° – attention to his/her behaviour and problems, as well as to his/her strengths. Among the areas in which the psychological trainer operates are certainly among the most frequent:
_Fear of winning
_The fear of losing
_Anger, tensions and anxieties faced during the match, the opponent or the athlete’s condition
_Psychological and character strengths to refer to when facing challenges
_The mental goals
_The management of aggressiveness
_The attitude in front of change
_The activation of states of mind that lead to better athletic performance
