Did you know that by some estimates, up to 60 percent of competitive athletes overtrain at some point? A recent study conducted showed that over 15 percent of 200 elite British athletes tested met the criteria for being overtrained, and thus, felt the effects of a “burnout” (Reynolds 1). To understand the toll that overtraining can take on an athlete’s life, consider Whitney Myers, a world class swimmer at the University of Arizona. In 2006, Myers won the women’s N.C.A.A. title in the 200 and 400-yard individual medleys, while going on to win gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Championships. Less than a year later, however, she stumbled under pressure at the 2007 Long-Course Championships, making the finals in only one …show more content…
Prior research has determined, according to Yelverton, that athletes are at an increased chance to burnout if they are participating in a sport for reasons other than sport attraction. In other words, if athletes are pushed to achieve at a high level in activities they present no interest in, burnouts to those individuals seem to increase by chance. The well known theory, and common definition proposed by numerous doctors to help describe stressors athletes face, is in fact, known as a “burnout,” or “a response by an athlete to chronic stress in which he or she ceases to participate in a previously enjoyable activity, withdrawing from the sport because they perceive it is not possible to meet the physical and psychological demands of the sport” (Lindsey Barton Straus, JD 1). Research has provided critical information on the stresses athletes endure on a daily basis. If an athlete is in a stressful situation, subsequently, their athletic performance will become affected (Mackenzie 3). There are various aspects of an athlete's life that can prompt stress at definite times. This may emerge due to commitments in the areas of study, sport or family/social life. Finding the healthy balance is the key, as without balance, variations within what is being prioritized only add
Athletes’ mental health is becoming increasingly popular. Mental health can be defined as “a person’s condition regarding their psychological and emotional well-being.” Mental health can affect how individuals feel, act, or think. This is becoming a controversial topic in the sports industry. As someone studying in this field, I find this topic extremely important.
Have you ever been inspired by a beautiful piece of literature? Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Slam, Dunk, & Hook” changed people’s perspectives on the game of basketball forever. The work of literature was about all of the arts and finesse that occur in the game of basketball. Yusef Komunyakaa used several diverse poetic elements to express his love for the game of basketball in “Slam, Dunk, & Hook.” Komunyakaa gives off a joyful attitude through the feeling that you are out on that court with those basketball players when they make a shot.
“Cutting-edge physical training programs frequently require overloading athletes to obtain maximum training gains. The pressures to do and achieve more keep growing, and far too rarely is consideration given to the costs of operating in this non-stop fashion. In reality, however, the human body needs recovery to thrive.” (Kaufman, 2023). Student athletes often get burnt out due to the exhaustion they put on their bodies.
Why Student Athletes Quit It is a well known fact that for an athlete to reach and compete in the elite level, a certain degree or mastery and proficiency must first be attained. Research suggests that guided training from an early age greatly influences what an athlete’s level of achievement will ultimately become. Hours of training alongside cognitive and physical development gives a good start for children when they have selected a sporting endeavor. Also, it has been shown that athletes who input more time into their sport perform better than their peers.
“The culture of college sports may inhibit some student-athletes from seeking help to address issues such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, burnout, the stress of team or individual expectations, and the everyday stress of dealing with relationships, academic demands, and life away from home” (McQuade, 2021). The demand on student-athletes is tremendous. The need to perform in front of hundreds of thousands of people in order to bring success to their school’s name does not allow much room for relaxation. These sports teams require many hours throughout the week to practice and prepare for games that will be nationally televised. This extra time commitment causes student athletes to lose study and social time.
Mental Health: An Issue Among Student-Athletes Stress has been an increasing issue regarding not only college students, but also student-athletes. Imagine the workload of any normal college student. Then imagine on top of academics, playing a sport which occupies the remaining available time within your day and weekend. This is the life of a student-athlete. Many student-athletes are able to handle the schedule and pressure that one faces in the collegiate environment, but some cannot.
For example when you have practice 5-7 days a week your relationships can suffer. Whether it's a friend or a loved one, if a child spends most of their time playing football no one will want to spend time with the child (Oberschneider). Another example may be that stress from youth sports can lead to anxiety and sometimes substance abuse and eating disorders. Stress from getting a scholarship can cause anxiety which can cause many disorders like insomnia (a common sleep disorder), eating disorder, social isolation, etc… (Oberschneider). Youth athletes can have the fear of failure which causes anxiety, depression, and substance misuse (Kinsella, Swanlund).
Furthermore, the pressure that can come with sports can lead to stress. One piece of evidence, 68 percent of moms polled say their children’s involvement in youth sports causes stress in for them. (Sports Can Cause Students Stress, I9 SPORTS ASSOCIATION, 2013) This clearly shows that because sports cause pressure, kids are stressing. Continuing, In a series of studies conducted at UCLA, Drs.
“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” is one way to say it. Or, as one sports psychologist put it, mental toughness is “the ability to consistently perform toward the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances.” In other words, being mentally tough means that no matter how brutal the circumstances—whether it’s your 14th hour running through a desert in temperatures well over 100F or you’re halfway through a 400-rep workout that includes pull-ups and single-leg squats—you’re able to withstand the pain and suffering and perform to the best of your skills and talents, with a good time, high place, or even a win.
There are many responsibilities that a sports manager has in his day to day job, this causes stress. According to leaf group, Sports management covers many aspects of the sports industry. Many ethical issues arise, causing stress (Leaf Group). The manager of the sports team is basically like the key to the team. They have to do it all and that is not a very easy thing to handle.
In addition, it reinforced my desire to research and work with athletes. As such, my research interests shifted towards program development, whereby I could create curriculum that would directly help athletes. For my dissertation, I have proposed to develop a program that aims to assist athletes with an unexpected transition out of sports, which I am tentatively scheduled defend on January 15th 2018. The program utilizes an empirically-based, holistic model that focuses on social support, identity enhancement, occupational skill development, holistic wellness skill development, as well as maintenance and generalization post- program completion. The goal is that this program will provide a viable option for athletes who have experienced many of the issues associated with unexpected athletic retirement, as there is a lack of empirically-supported programs available for this population in the
In a world full of athletes a Physical therapist is a very viable asset to any athlete’s road to fame, because they provide support to the player, keep them healthy and in shape, and prepares them to get back on the field. As a Sports therapist you will work with athletes and exercise participants in order to help prevent, recognise, manage injuries and treat them if they should occur, and then rehabilitate the patient back to full fitness. Using the principles of exercise science, they incorporate physiological and pathological processes to make sure patients are training and competing safely and provide an immediate response when athletic related injuries occur. Work can be found in sports injury clinics or directly with a sports club or even as a personal therapist for an athlete, either professional or amateur.
As a sport psychologist it is important to know various ways in which they can help prevent burnout in athletes. Potgieter (2006), states the following factors on how to reduce burnout from occurring: monitoring the athlete, variety in practice sessions, to deal effectively with post competition tension, social support, athlete input, control, revision of goals, psychological interventions, prolonged rest and lastly timeouts. This article is also trying to get across to sport psychologists to alleviate stress and burnout. The article mentions how coaches should allow their kids to attend educational programs teaching life skills and time management. The article aims to build athletic resilience by reducing risk factors and stressors (Masten and Reed, 2002).
At worst the effect of the anxiety gets the athlete so tied up in knots that he is frozen in fear. At best anxiety subtly impairs performance by distracting the attention. The purpose of the study was to compare the anxiety levels of individual sports and team
Stress: Stress is related to sport and fitness because being stressed can affect your mental state of mind, this means you could make the wrong decisions within a sport or a fitness techniques. Due to being stressed your performances would drop and you wouldn’t be able to cope. This situation may arise because you may have other commitments. Alcohol: Alcohol can be related to sport and fitness because if a performer or athlete overdrink this could cause the person mind to get carried away and not to focus on the task in hand; this would also affect the person health. Alcohol can damage the person organs in the body they would need in order to perform to their maximum.