For the latest information in sports psychology and sports motivation, read the following articles. Performance psychology is an important part of modern athletics… To browse our library of free sports training articles, browse using the categories on the left or use the search box.
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Sports psychology
Articles
We'll pay you to ask questions
Got a question about sport? We'll pay you to ask it, and pay more to answer others' questions!
Self-confidence in sport – make your ego work for you!
Self-confidence in sport – make your ego work for you!
The Rise and Rise of China's Athletes
Chinese Sport : The future's not orange - it's Chinese
Peak Performance Launches Olympics 2008 Blog
Telling Non-Olympians how to do it too!
David Walliam's Endurance Swim Coach Reveals All
Endurance Training and Mental Toughness for Long Distance Swimming
Sports psychology: Post-game recovery for rugby players
Is exercise better than rest for psychological recovery after a game of rugby?
The sports psychology of tennis
Game, set, and match – developing resilient self-confidence in tennis
Sports Psychology techniques to avoid anxiety
Competition Anxiety Needn't Get You Down
Does exercise affect brain function?
Effects of maximal exercise on the brain
Team sports have sports psychology benefits
Never walk alone
How yoga and motivation exercises boost performance
Sports Psychology: Be Creative!
'Tuning up' performance - music and videos as ergogenic aids
Motivation in Sports Psychology
The motivational dynamics of sport
Carbohydrate benefit during cycling
How carbohydrate affects your mood
Imagery in sport – how imagination can enhance performance
The Science and Practice of Sports Motivation
Use Mental and Physical Sports Motivation
Half-time nutrition – what’s best for maximising fulltime performance?
Half-Time Training for Team Sports
Half Time Strategy - Temperature
Coping With The Effects of Temperature on The Pitch
Don't let competition anxiety get the better of you
Sports Psychology: endurance training
using your mind to help with endurance training
Football coaching - half time psychology
Make sure your football coaching mentally prepares you for the second half!
Emotional Intelligence and Performance
Can emotional awareness be developed as a sports skill?
Sleep Loss - Making Sure it Doesn't Affect Your Training
waking up to the performance of sleep
Sports Injury Pain : Pain and brain - a revolutionary approach to chronic injury
Detraining - why a change really is better than a rest
Mental Effects Of Exercise: Prolonged exercise and mental function
Sport Motivation : To create a positive motivational climate you need more carrot than stick
Fans feel the pressure too
Sport psychology demystified - or not
Successful coaching: The secrets of success with high-level athletes
Runner's high: a new explanation
Sports science: What have the sport scientists done for us? Craig Sharp on the interface between knowledge and performance
Sports psychology article: Beset by 'Olympic phobia' and lacking in focus and toughness: a sport psychologist's damning verdict on the underperforming GB swim team
How Athletes Perform Under Pressure
Choking under pressure
Child protection in sport
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY: The importance of attributions - or how to learn from success and failure alike
Marathon world record: The day of the two-hour marathon
Body building - Why bodybuilding dependence is not just a problem for men
Mental imagery for physical people: how recreating all-sensory experience can profoundly affect your performance
Football managers - Who is there to support the managers? A psychologist reflects on survival techniques in a cut-throat world
Underperformance Syndrome - how youth rugby coaches are using psychology to raise their players' game
Goal setting: One step at a time - how to raise your game through effective goal-setting
East African running: an alternative explanation for the East African dominance of distance running
The majestic self-confidence of Jonny Wilkinson - or how expectations can make or break your performance
Exercise addiction
athletes eating disorders | female athletes
Athletes and eating disorders - Too thin to win: why athletes who lose weight to enhance performance are dangerously misguided
Pity the poor referee - he gets all of the stress and none of the lolly
bilateral co-ordination | training
Bilateral Co-ordination: Why dexterity alone just will not do: some lessons from a young piano player
Training with verve gives you extra nerve.
'Stages of change': how to motivate your athletes to help themselves
'Stages of change': how to motivate your athletes to help themselves
How sport improves the body image of adolescent girls.
Attention Control Training - The crucial importance of paying attention
Sports Vision: In most sports, you'll never achieve your true potential if your eyes aren't up to it. Here's a special report on how they can be trained.
warming up | substitute players
Warming up, substitute players & sitting on the bench
Why MCTs alone don't work. It's important to bear in mind that the MCTs had to be ADDED to carbohydrate in order to shore up performance; the MCT-only drink produced terrible results.
Overtraining and Depression: Is There a Difference?
Overtraining and Depression: Is There a Difference?
Motivation: Here's how to design a self-determined training programme that will drive you to new heights
Mental Strength: To improve your performance, you have to start by fortifying your mind--
football | penalty taking | soccer
Football - penalty taking: How to win the shoot-out mind game
training | depression | overtraining
Depression, Training and Overtraining
Aerobic exercise beats drugs for depression
Eating Disorder Athletes: Female athletes who are obsessed by food and body weight can develop anorexia athletica.
Steph Cook: gold medallist. The inspiring tale of the rower who became a shooter-fencer-swimmer-rider-runner
Sports Psychology: Tennis. How a promising young tennis player was rescued from the clutches of overtraining.
Encouragement Boosts Performance
How Encouragement Boosts Performance
To improve performance, you have to start by fortifying the mind.
Competition & Emotional Control
Competition & Emotional Control
Here's an exclusive report on a world-record attempt made in (or about) the year 2025
Pressure Training Sessions: How to keep your skills even when all about you are losing theirs.
sports psychology | expectations
Why 'good enough' is actually better than perfect (and a lot more fun, too)
Golf - The Inner Game: How learning to play the inner game put a top golfer back on course
Reading The Game: While lesser mortals grind out victories with their patient shots, eliminating risks and playing the percentages, the truly gifted seem to conjure with time. They bring an unhurried genius to their game that allows them to play shots with an audacity that sometimes surprises even them.
Ergogenic aids
Winning: The relevant question is not "Did you win?" but "Did you come up to your expectations?"
Sports science of the future - Here's an exclusive report on a world-record attempt made in (or about) the year 2025
Cheering someone on can boost their muscle power - it's been scientifically proven!
Sports Psychology - Thought Control
Sports Psychology - Thought Control
Why visual training programmes for sport don't work
Sports injuries prevention: A cynic would say that the way to prevent sports injuries was to not play sport, but for readers of PEAK PERFORMANCE that rather misses the point.
choking | golf | sports psychology
Do Pro Golfers 'Choke'?
sports psychology | imagery | lower back pain
Sports psychology - imagery: how a young professional golfer used imagery to conquer his persistent lower back pain
psychometric testing | sports training
Psychometric testing: How the Giants kicked tradition into touch with psychometric testing
breathing techniques in running
Breathing Techniques In Running: If you let your mind control your heart, you can improve your performances
The crucial importance of paying attention
The crucial importance of paying attention (part two)
Positive Thinking: Golf - although the following report is not in the true sense a scientific study, I think it offers a few useful pointers to tackling some of the psychological difficulties encountered by competitive golfers.
brain | vital organs | exercise fatigue 2
The governor: how the brain protects your vital organs by inducing exercise fatigue
Sports Supplements: Here's a survey of what the nutrition experts take
Can Physical Activity Reduce the Risk of Suicide?
Suicide and physical activity - Why Active Women May Be More Suicidal
Mood States: High-level college swimmers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the States were studied for a research project published in 1991.
Team Sports Cohesion and Success: What Is the Link?
Team Sports Cohesion and Success: What Is the Link?
Endurance Exercise: If at first you don't succeed, should you exercise or eat chocolate?
Exercise And Depression: Slimming down the body while fattening up the brain
Sports Psychology Resistance: Why is it that athletes so often resist the benefits of sports psychology?
Pity the poor referee - he gets all of the stress and none of the lolly
Squash: The ball-boy servants who watched, waited - and conquered
Injury Rehab Programme: An injured sportsman is like a sick gorilla - no use and a lot of trouble. The coach has to deal with the mind as well as the body in maintaining the athlete's equilibrium.
mental strength | mental fitness | mental toughness
Mental strength - When you can manage your emotions, you can perform at your best
Anxiety and sport: If you want to get rid of anxiety, go out and run for 10 hours.
stress inoculation training | sports psychology
Learn how to 'inoculate' your stress, and take mental charge of your performances
Noel frost | rowing world record
Noel Frost: How I started from nothing and won a rowing gold medal in nine months
Self-Awareness in Sport
Mental Fitness: When you can manage your emotions, you can perform at your best
Mental Fatigue: When your brain tells you to stop going, here's how to tell it to shut up.
thought suppression | sports psychology
Thought Suppression - a Paradoxical Effect
Sports coaching: J'accuse! A noted coaching guru launches a broadside at outmoded thinking and models
Sports psychology: Mental toughness: do you have what it takes to maintain focus, motivation and self-belief when the going gets hard?
performance profiling | mental training
Performance profiling: a coaching tool for pinpointing strengths and weaknesses, designing training strategies and building better communication with athletes
Questions
How can I strenghten any part of me without using weights. Like at home stuff.
im a 17 year old footballer and am currently just coming back from 2 ACL operations (one on each knee) and one bucket handle tear cartlige operation.
can I have some tips on soccer attacking techniques
I am soccer coach
There's a lack of answers on these forums. Could the community please get involved...
History- i have blown out my disc's at L5/S1 & L4/L5 when lifting a cable drum at work. A few months after I was in a pretty bad car accident which has stirred every thing up.
I have a coach that I don't like (can't stand) to be around, how can learn to tolerate him?
How do I make lower stomach fat into abs?
I can define and shape my upper abs but anything I do doesn't define or shape my lower abs. What can I do?
How can I improve my dolphin kick for swimming?
I want to make my under water dolphin kick better, what do I do?
How can I improve my breathing for swimming?
I'm joining swimming and it gets hard for me to breathe during flip turns. What exercises should I try?
Firefighter Training - Peridisation and other methods?
Hello, I have a client who wants to become a fireman. To do this, he needs to pass some tests. Here are the tests; 1) Running (Condition)
Who or what are elite athletes ??
I am interested in strength and conditioning and may get accredited while at university.
Lack of questions on this page...
Why is nobody asking any more questions ?? Nobody knows everything, so get on here and learn from others. Okay I will start the ball rolling...
Distance running training using the mind?
I know from my physiological studies that the body is connected to the mind in ways we dont even realize. Is there any advanced technology using this methodology?
How does one effectively lead a sports team to reach their goals?
It is so difficult to motivate a group of people into doing their best and sacrificing themselves for the team.
Sports Science Degree-related work
Has anyone here got an honours in sport and exercise science, or health and exercise science or any other similar degree ?? If so, have you got progressed more than if you had not had a degree ??
How do i overcome the psychological aspects of repetitive injury??
I played rugby to quite a high level in the Welsh Premiership but over the past two seasons have incurred a mini nightmare, having broken my right leg in May 2006.
Does brand matter when buying gear?
I would like to buy good basketball shoes, but i cant decide where to buy from i mean should i stick to adidas or nike or try other brands and see comfort.
How can i increase my leg-eye coordination
I play football but unless i am watching the ball i am unable to kick properly.
What are the ways of treatment? Are there ways to treat it without involving gain of body mass, and more particularly, without gaining fat?
What is a good training program for a 48 hour, 100km walk?
I'm looking at undertaking a 100km walk, which must be completed in 48 hours,in about 10 months time. My aim is to complete the walk in about 30 hours.
What do you think of the Peak Performance Premium area? (!)
As the main provider of information in this area, I'd like to find out what you think about the videos and the articles in particular.
Carron's (1988) Conceptual Model for the Study of Sports Groups
Can anyone please briefly describe the inputs through puts and outputs of this model? I need to get my head around it for an exam on the 28th. Thanks to anyone who can help Allan C. x
Hi im currently at university doing an assignment looking at creating a 12 week pre season rugby programme for a university athlete.
How to train your mind for a wrestling match
How do you train your mind to be more focused?
What things can i do to improve my high jump?
I'm doing high jump in mid may. Any tips on how to train?
Effect of gender stereotypes on sporting goals/achievements?
any thoughts towards this topic? do you know of any articles i can read up on? thanks so much for your time
i want to know about mental training in volleyball ?
i want to know about mental training in volleyball
How do I increase speed, explosiveness, and my verticle leap?
I am an 20 yr old collegiate basketball player, wanting to improve my speed, foot speed, stability, explosiveness, and verticle leap.
What is a good way to prepare in the last weeks prior to a track meet?
I am running the 400m and 200m I am wondering: What types of food should be eaten and what one should do in the last week or two prior to the competition to increase the chances of performing to thei
What is a good frame of mind to be in before and during a sprint ?
How shall one feel emotionally during these times ? What mind state should one posses ?
What is the best way to train for a judo tournament?
Our matches are 5 minutes long with no breaks, up to 8 matches in the tournament. I am trying to find the best exercises to get us ready for the tournament.
What can you do in an overtrained state to remedy the position?!
I am 27 and compete in many sports and train with weights additonally and have done from a young age. I do have an addictive requirement to exercise hard and compete, often 'pushing through'.
How do you tell if you have shin splints. I have a pain in my left leg above my ankle, but I don't know what it is.
Run 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes
I am 45 years of age and require to pass a fitness test, I work irregular hours but can gaurentee that i can run most mornings over a distance of between 2 and 3 miles with varying outcomes of success
I need to be able to sprint 50 meters very quickly. My sport being paintball, i have to have my head down keeping a low profile.
If i Drink Skimmed milk every day for a month and not drink anything else or eat anything else cept from veg and fruit.. will that be a healthy lifestyle?
Describe a training cycle and periodization for bodybuilding?
I have been bodybuilding for four years. I am 36 years old.
Does increased protein intake depress mood?
In summer I train outdoors for 10k and half-marathon, with some gym work. In winter I tend to train indoors and work on strength and speed, with an occasional outdoor run.
Are there any good online sport psychology courses ideal for someone located in the uk .
Des resting heart rate affect your performance?
i am a 22 year old male having played soccer my whole life, my resting heart rate is about 68 beats per minute, this is quite high compared to other elite athletes, would this affect my performance, c
for someone who can not take lessons? I have pull-up/ dip bars and know about the planche and front lever. Any training tips would be appreciated.
uses the the entire lower body, to what extent does it work the hamstrings and calves?
How do I endure heat during a training session?
I live in South Africa and attend a Virgin Active gym nearby. I am increasing my training schedule this year.
At home I have a pull-up bar and some weight plates and I want to know how I can perform pulldowns.
I have heard that push-ups work the back.
Is this true and if so to what extent?
Opinion. If you could only do one aerobic exercise, which would it be?
Facts are lovely. Which one provides the best overall benefits?
What are the benefits of boxing as a sports to college students?
I want to know the psychological benefits a college student can get from boxing as a sport. People tend to associate boxing with violence thus it is not offered as a P.E.
Has anyone dealt with vocal fold dysfunction in a swimmer
My daughter, a competitive swimmer, has developed vocal fold dysfunction.
What is the best diet for a football player before and after a match?
I am an amateur footballer but try my hardest and want to achieve what i can at this level and need to do whatever i can for optimum performance eg best training best diet best lifestyle.
I am a 16 year old girl who plays competitive netball.
Do you have a question for our community?
PP Online has over 10,000 registered users, all of them keen sportsmen and women, including many coaches, personal trainers and sports scientists.
I feel selfish when I exercise before doing anything else
Primarily in the morning. How do I get over this? "Danny O'Dell M. A. CSCS*D is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning coach, and the co-owner of The WeightRoom Gym and Explosivelyfit.com, both located in Nine Mile Falls, WA. Here, he shares with us some of the questions he gets asked most often. How would you answer this question?"
I think one of my athletes may have an eating disorder but I am unsure. What signs should I be looking for and what should I do?
What is mental imagery and how can mental imagery help improve my performance in sport?
Blogs
The Big Mo' - Momentum In Sports
A player can feel it during a game when they hit a match-winning goal or when they miss a wide open net.
In the golf world, the 'yips' can be used to describe any kind of loss of putting form but amongst golf coaching professionals, it is normally reserved for a serious breakdown in the psycho-neuro-musc
The purpose of the paper is to define Exercise Science.
Life After Football: Helping Players in Retirement
This article looks at the pre-retirement services offered to their player members by the professional footballers' unions in England (PFA) and France (UNFP).
Use of Social Networking in Sport & Exercise Sciences
The idea of social networking has gained a mass of attention in recent years.
Life After Sport: Counselling Athletes Facing Retirement
Much of the early research into withdrawal from sport concentrated on the problems faced by younger athletes (all disciplines) retiring from full-time sport at high school or college (university) leve
Mental skills, Eastern martial arts traditions and their application to strength sports
Marilia Coutinho, who is a scientist and powerlifter has started a blog that she is using to document a personal experiment - using eastern martial arts techniques to improve mental skills and powerli
What next as Roy Keane leaves Sunderland?
This week Roy Keane left Sunderland, after just over 2 years in charge of the Black Cats. What's behind this? Is it a good decision for Keane?
Australia Close In On Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup semi final line ups are now complete after Fiji defeated Ireland 30-14.
Experience and Sports Performance: A Personal Insight
Why is it that an overweight, undertrained 35 year old can do the times he did as a 17 year old swimmer? And no, the answer isn't "the suit"... ---
Pressure plays a huge role for any sportsman when competing but those who make it to a professional level have the added stress of expectation brought around by the media, coaches and spectators wh
England Under Pressure Despite 5-1 Win!
England continued their strong start to the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5-1 rout over Kazakhstan.
Ironman Triathlon- The Toughest Sporting Event On The Planet
This weekend is overflowing with fantastic sporting events but none will be quite as demanding as the World Championship Ironman Triathlon taking place in Ha
World number two Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from this week’s tennis open in Stockholm and has admitted that his season may be over.
As one great cycling tournament ends another begins, but before we are lost in the excitement of the Cycling World Championships, a tribute must be paid to Tour of
This weekend world football was treated to yet another example of why video technology has to be introduced to the sport sooner rather than later.
Ricky Hatton No Show For Press Conference
The build up to the fight between Britain’s Ricky Hatton and the US’s Paulie Malignaggi took a bizarre turn on Saturday as the British fighter was forced to miss a press conference due
It’s the second round of the world cup football qualifying fixtures on Wednesday night with the pick of the games taking place in Zagreb between Croatia
Does anyone remember Asafa Powell?
What do Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, AC Milan and Inter Milan all have in common? They all failed to register a win over the weekend!
I just haven’t had the time to write like before so I wanted to create a solid article which tackles a wide range of issues.
So what do we think of "little Tom's" display in the Olympic diving display?? Does it matter that he did not win, or come in the top 3?
Knowledge, Quality and Web 2.0 in Sport & Exercise Science
One of the things that comes up in conversations about iStadia is the lack of quality control, or the lack of quality control as perceived by sport scientists that have been indoctrinated into the epi
I'm a fairly young but well read athlete, and I've been reading up on eating problems in sport, and the female athlete triad as well.
I think that the most important thing in basketball is to stick to it. Don't think "Oh, this is just one of those smart-asses shooting their mouth off" Well it's not. I'm just stating my opinion.
Have shoulder pains? You came to the right place.
“The 7 Deadly Sins of Lifting” this is another installment from A. Jay of a series of motivational articles.
Mindtree NLP in Sports Seminar Mindtree would like to invite you to attend our NLP in Sports seminar to find out how we can assist your players to achieve their maximum potential.
next NLP Sports Practitioner Course that we run here at Mindtree Ltd.
Drug testing what's out there a physiotherapists view point
Testing Athletes for Drug Use Why do some “athletes” try to enhance their performances on the track and field by taking drugs?
Here is the first and not the last instalment of Nick Mitchell’s long awaited All Strength Q&A.
A frequent phenomenon that I have noticed over my time rowing, is the pre-event incompetence syndrome.
Are you making these mistakes as an Athlete?
Don’t get me wrong nobody’s perfect, especially me, many of these ideas came from my “Stupidity”, a rollercoaster of discovery, injuries and re-injury, does that sound about right?
When does it become an obsession...?
When does your pastime or interest become an obsession? Are all obsessions unhealthy..?
It's been so long since my knee injury. You'd think I'd have got over it and be back on my bike as it were! . . But alas It's taking me a while to build my fitness up again.
Sports Medicine Foot and Ankle Rehabilitation
This article was a long time coming. After writing and then scraping and re-writing it is a good way to describe this.
The Insider’s Secrets to a Flat Stomach
Hey regular blog readers myself and Nick sat down and and had a conversation, long story short this article was born.
When to turn to a clinical sport psychologist?
As a sport psychologist, there is always the possibility of encountering an athlete that does not simply need help with performance, but may need clinical help, for example relating to eating behaviou
Rotational Carbohydrates "RO-CHO" ?
Rotational Carbohydrates "RO-CHO" Article by Steve Blades. It is all about carbohydrate rotation for ultimate performance.
Another great read by Steve Blades aka "Marmite". If you are not making gains in the gym or the track this will change everything completely.
You are a Beginner, READ THIS!
A great,long article about everything on general bodybuilding ,training, nutrition and supplementation as a beginner.
Is it a case of hearts over minds as Keegan returns to Newcastle?
When Sam Allardyce left Newcastle United last week after less than a year, it became clear that cold, hard analysis wasn't behind the decision.
Mental Toughness (or how to keep going)
Picture the scene: It's the first interval session of the year.
A great new update to hit Rawgrip.com, a great article for all of the new found health freaks this year.
Squat Rx Video Creator Interview
If you are a serious lifter you must have heard of the “Squat Rx” video series all over the net. The Videos are available on YouTube.
How Focused Are You at the Gym?
Sean discusses The Top 10 Reasons why you are slacking in the Gym and How to prevent this. He exposes some great Tips how to make your training sessions more productive for better end results.
Finally an article created for all you serious weight shifters. C Pikey discuses the truth about A massive Bench Press and gives some tips How To Improve your Weak Bench.
Strictly Speaking, is it Sport? Who Cares? Come Dancing Proves Great Competition
As this year’s Strictly Come Dancing season progressed, so it became quite a family ritual, a weekly treat that we let the kids stay up for.
Glycemic Index in Athletes and Weight management
An article about the glycemic index of carbohydrates pertains directly to athletes and their performance.
A new article by Michael Nystrom discussing the protein intake amounts in athletes. Athlete Protein intake article
Introduction to Tai Chi Training
This article is merely a brief and light hearted introduction to Tai Chi. My next article will focus upon how the key principles of Tai Chi can be used to develop optimum sports performance.
Catalano (Sam) All about tennis coaching.
Hi seeking info to implement into my tennis coaching to increase the development of my young players, all suggestions greatly appreciated. For e.g simple ways to understand a kick serve.
What is Mental Toughness, and How Does it Relate to Motivation?
Mental Toughness is a concept that has been given a lot of attention in sport psychology in the last few years.
Is 'Glorious Failure' the Comfort Zone of the Scots?
After watching Scotland just miss out again last night, I was reflecting on our National character and how it shows itself in our National game of football (soccer).
It's a very exciting day for us today, because we've had our first major relaunch in 7 years.
When we set up the new PP Online site, one of our biggest aims was to create a place where anyone with a passion for sport could share their opinions and experiences.
Joey Barton will miss the start of the season
Unremarkably, Joey Barton will miss the start of the Premiership season. Remarkably, it's not due to suspension.
Parkinson's & Cerebral Palsy Case Studies
Every so often a patient walks through the door who requires you to really think outside the box.
How to learn from success & failure
In order to learn from mistakes and failures, it is important to be able to assess what has happened objectively.
What causes skilled and experienced athletes to ‘choke’ under the many pressures of competition?
