Assessment in Sport Psychology

Assessment in Sport Psychology by Sagal, Marc-Simon. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781885693280.

*Will the athlete youre working with put it all together when everything is on the line? *What can you do to make sure an athlete performs best when it really counts? *Are certain conditions more likely to lead to success (or failure)? *Will he or she be able, and willing, to make the changes required to be more successful? In todays highly competitive environment, the answers to these questions often spell the difference between success and failure, not only for individuals, but also for entire teams and organizations. At the upper levels of performance, in situations where competing individuals and teams have all the technical skill and tactical knowledge required to be successful, psychological factors become the most important determinants of outcome. The ability to control emotions, to communicate effectively and to perform under pressure, is what separates winners from losers. Sport psychologists are beginning to uncover the links between thought processes and physiology; as a result, todays testing tools have much greater utility and relevance than ever before. Today, more than ever before, sport psychology professionals must have the skills necessary to bridge the worlds of science and application. After testing and evaluating athletes, you often hear comments like the following: **"I cant believe you got all that from a test." **"Have you been at my practices and games for the past year?" **"Thats exactly what happened yesterday." **"Thats amazing! You described the situation perfectly." **"Can you imagine where we could be if wed known this stuff 3 years ago?" Assessment will become an increasingly valuable part of graduate education in sport psychology. The reason is simple: Sport has become big business. In todays highly competitive sports markets, much is at stake, and winning is what its all about.