Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 158-172 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2010 |
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What do young athletes implicitly understand about psychological skills? / McCarthy, Paul J.; Jones, Marc V.; Harwood, Chris G.; Olivier, Steve.
In: Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, Vol. 4, No. 2, 06.2010, p. 158-172.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - What do young athletes implicitly understand about psychological skills?
AU - McCarthy, Paul J.
AU - Jones, Marc V.
AU - Harwood, Chris G.
AU - Olivier, Steve
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - One reason sport psychologists teach psychological skills is to enhance performance in sport; but the value of psychological skills for young athletes is questionable because of the qualitative and quantitative differences between children and adults in their understanding of abstract concepts such as mental skills. To teach these skills effectively to young athletes, sport psychologists need to appreciate what young athletes implicitly understand about such skills because maturational (e.g., cognitive, social) and environmental (e.g., coaches) factors can influence the progressive development of children and youth. In the present qualitative study, we explored young athletes’ (aged 10–15 years) understanding of four basic psychological skills: goal setting, mental imagery, self-talk, and relaxation. Young athletes (n = 118: 75 males and 43 females) completed an open-ended questionnaire to report their understanding of these four basic psychological skills. Compared with the older youth athletes, the younger youth athletes were less able to explain the meaning of each psychological skill. Goal setting and mental imagery were better understood than self-talk and relaxation. Based on these findings, sport psychologists should consider adapting interventions and psychoeducational programs to match young athletes’ age and developmental level.
AB - One reason sport psychologists teach psychological skills is to enhance performance in sport; but the value of psychological skills for young athletes is questionable because of the qualitative and quantitative differences between children and adults in their understanding of abstract concepts such as mental skills. To teach these skills effectively to young athletes, sport psychologists need to appreciate what young athletes implicitly understand about such skills because maturational (e.g., cognitive, social) and environmental (e.g., coaches) factors can influence the progressive development of children and youth. In the present qualitative study, we explored young athletes’ (aged 10–15 years) understanding of four basic psychological skills: goal setting, mental imagery, self-talk, and relaxation. Young athletes (n = 118: 75 males and 43 females) completed an open-ended questionnaire to report their understanding of these four basic psychological skills. Compared with the older youth athletes, the younger youth athletes were less able to explain the meaning of each psychological skill. Goal setting and mental imagery were better understood than self-talk and relaxation. Based on these findings, sport psychologists should consider adapting interventions and psychoeducational programs to match young athletes’ age and developmental level.
U2 - 10.1123/jcsp.4.2.158
DO - 10.1123/jcsp.4.2.158
M3 - Article
VL - 4
SP - 158
EP - 172
JO - Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology
JF - Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology
SN - 1932-9261
IS - 2
ER -