Overview
As footballing legend David James once commented, “Psychology is part of the building blocks to make a top athlete”. Sport isn’t just physical activity, it’s also a game of the mind, too: knowing yourself. Knowing your opponent. Getting into the zone, and having complete mental focus.
A sports psychologist can help athletes overcome performance anxiety, improve their mental resilience, help them mentally prepare for a race or competition, and so much more. And don’t think this only applies to Olympic-level competitors – coaches, sports teams, and marathon runners all regularly employ the services of sports psychologists in a bid to improve their performance.
If you’re interested in pursuing this increasingly popular sports psychology career, or even if you’d just like to gain the psychological knowledge that will help to boost your own athletic performance, this level 3 sports psychology course is ideal. You’ll study the influence that stress and anxiety can have on sporting achievement, and discover how psychology can be used to enhance teamwork and resolve conflict.
You’ll explore the psychological aspects of injury, and strategies for overcoming such setbacks and maintaining a positive outlook. Finally, you’ll take a look at effective approaches to goal-setting, as well as psychological techniques that have been proven to boost athletic performance. You can study in your own time, at your own pace, and at the end, you'll receive a certificate of achievement from NCFE.
What you'll learn
Unit one will explain the scope, purpose, and definitions of sports psychology as a science. You’ll gain knowledge of scientific principles that have guided the development of the subject so far. You’ll also take a look at some of the different approaches to understanding the influence that psychology can have on sporting performance.
Unit two will help you to differentiate between the terms ‘stress’, ‘stressors’, ‘arousal’ and ‘anxiety’, as well as understand the effect that each can have upon individuals in sporting contexts. You’ll discover some common sources of stress and anxiety for sportspeople, as well as exactly what happens when athletes ‘choke under pressure’.
Unit three will explore the relationship between self-confidence and performance in sport, as well as techniques athletes can use to give theirs a boost. You’ll examine the role that personality can play in sporting performance, as well as the characteristic of perfectionism.
In the fourth unit, you’ll examine factors that can influence the effective functioning of teams, and explore the relationship between team cohesion and performance. You’ll also learn some common techniques to help encourage closeness between teammates, and maintain a positive atmosphere.
Often athletes have more to worry about than whether they have performed poorly or well in a particular competition, sometimes having a profound effect their general well-being and mental health. Throughout this unit you’ll have an understanding of aspects of sports injury, explain the causes and symptoms of burnout in participants and lastly explaining the concept of exercise dependence and how it relates to body image.
Research has discovered that athletes who use process and performance goals rather than outcome goals exhibit less anxiety, greater levels of confidence, enhanced concentration, greater satisfaction and improved performance. This unit will help you develop an understanding of relaxation techniques, diaphragmatic breathing, psychological skills for goal setting and training programmes.
Extra info
Awarding Body
With a heritage stretching back over 150 years, NCFE is one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK. Last year, NCFE awarded certification to over 340,000 students.
NCFE Customised Qualifications are bespoke, unregulated qualifications developed to meet the specific needs of learners. These courses fit in where there are no other regulated qualifications available. This means you can achieve recognition from a well-respected awarding body, even if there isn’t a pre-existing qualification in a certain subject area.
Course Outcome
At the end of this course, successful learners will be awarded an NCFE Customised Qualification. The training courses have been designed specifically to meet the needs of learners who prefer to study from home.
How is this course assessed or examined?
Each unit is followed by a written tutor-marked assignment (TMA), which is submitted and then marked by your tutor. You will not be required to take an external exam.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course, however, it is recommended that you have an intermediate ability to read and write English.
