1. Background to sport-psychology and applications

1.1. Definition of sport-psychology

Sport psychology can be defined as a science of studying mental changes and the psychological aspects of physical activity. We can see that in the initial definition of sport psychology we approach the field of science from a variety of points of view. One such aspect is the effect of physical exercise on the athletes’ personality, while another aspect may be to achieve and maintain the athletic performance of the athlete, to achieve the highest possible level. According to the second point of view (this is the most characteristic of today’s performance-oriented sport life), the emphasis is not on the acquisition and maintenance of physical-mental subjective well-being, but on the attainment of the athletic performance of athletes (Nagykáldi, 2002, cited by Tóth, 2010). Another way of defining sports psychology is to divide it into theoretical and practical (applied) areas (Shaw et al., 2005, cited by Tóth, 2010). While athletes moving at a more theoretical level are involved in research and / or applied research on the scientific background of sports psychology, for example, they identify the psychological components of tests for athletic selection and objective performance in sport, and develop and validate models for this. match the results they receive with the research results. An expert in the field of sports psychology and sports diagnostics, which is active in the theoretical field, can also promote the daily work of athletes involved in sports psychology. Until then, a more practical (employed) sports psychologist will work with the athletes, ideally monitoring and applying the latest scientific results, so that the impact of the work of a practicing sports diagnostic practitioner can appear directly in the athlete’s performance.

It can be seen that none of the areas is present in itself, but rather interdependent (interdependent). In a good case, the two types of sport psychodiagnostics, sport psychologist activity and area appear in mosaic, the results, work and effect of the two areas are mutually reinforcing, non-extinguishing.

In addition, we should also consider the way in which sports psychology approaches the physical and psychological parameters of athletes, and how the athlete considers his physical and psychological abilities. A “performance component”, a key determinant of maximum athletic performance. Performance Components According to Nádori (1991, p. 39, cited by Balogh et al., 2015), we can define as follows: “Performance component refers to a combination of athletic characteristics or characteristics of an athlete, which plays a decisive role in the athletic performance. We need to keep track of activities, action lines that result directly or indirectly in the result. (eg physical strength, reaction time, flexibility, regeneration capability) and”coordination" (eg balance, distance estimation, rhythm sensation), and “technical and tactical knowledge” as well as “mental skills”.

Moreover, we must also take into account the athlete’s “performance”, which “reflects the relationship between the athlete’s coach, his sport, his environment, and his lifestyle” (Nádori, 1991, p. 39, cited by Balogh et al., 2015). With this in mind, “performance” can be defined as a motivational basis for the athlete to achieve his / her sporting goals. In addition, Nádori (1991, cited by Balogh et al., 2015) also draws attention to the prominent role played by athlete performance in the organization’s organizational commitment, organizational attitude and attitude, as well as its relationship with the athlete’s club and association. At the same time, sports organizations also have expectations of the athlete, from the very first moment of joining the club or association. Thus, the development and outcomes (fulfilment, harmony, match or even counter-interest) of these mutually acceptable individual and organizational expectations fundamentally define, facilitate or impede attainment of athletic goals, and thus maximum performance. In summary, in the event of disruption factors occurring either at the individual level, at the level of organizational performance or at the level of performance, the athlete’s performance may deteriorate.

According to Nádori (1991, cited by Balogh et al., 2015), this interaction is integrated into the process of developing athletic performance, so training is an integral part of the process. In order for the athletes to be able to perform the chimney, day-to-day workouts at a good level (capability development), an appropriate level of motivation is required. Nádori (1991, p. 40, cited by Balogh et al., 2015), “one of the topical tasks of scientific research is to reveal these interactions.” A significant part of sport psychological research in sport is mainly focused on examining the components of athletic performance, as well as examining performance factors that highlight these factors from a motivational, objective and organizational psychological perspective.

The basic skills, attitudes, research and practical interest of sports psychologists and sports psychodiagnostics professionals may raise further issues leading to more precise definition of sports psychology. We can see that professionals with clinical basic skills approach sports analysis and sports psychology from sports analysis and athletes. In this case, we can see the psychological treatment of psychological problems as a result of sporting activities and its consequences. For example, non-clinical, rather pedagogical-oriented practitioners, using educational methods, are trying to develop targeted abilities that can be associated with enhancing athletic performance, and thus support achievement of peak performance. At the same time, professionals with more working and organizational-psychological attitudes are active in the field of athlete selection, aptitude and admittance, complementing the development and development of the organizational psychological aspects of sports organizations and sports clubs, in accordance with the alignment of the athlete and the organization.

1.2. How to become a sport psychologist or sport-psychodiagnostic counsellor?

Qualified as a sports psychologist, sports psychodiagnostic specialist with MA degree (MSc) with a psychologist degree (degree in humanities). In addition, you must have a degree in sports psychology that attests your special qualifications. Here, too, we should mention the direction of sports psychologists that professionals with a high level of track record, sports career, and coaching are also represented in this field. In many cases, after completing their active sports career, they did the same studies at the same time as their athletic career and gained experience in professional sports psychology. Other professionals work in the field of sports psychology, sports psychodiagnostics with their acquired psychological qualification, knowledge and basic professional interest (including clinical, pedagogical, work and organizational psychology) knowledge and specialization. Although sport psychology is generally regarded as applied science, the judgment of the effectiveness of athletes is not to be determined solely by the way in which they came from basic psychological orientation, but rather by becoming a professional technician through the means of gaining professional experience and the methodological tools it uses. area. It may also be a good measure of how well you can help your athlete’s selection, match with team sports, daily preparation and, last but not least, effective racing.

In general, we can see that the sports psychologist, sports psychodiagnostic is recognized as one of the professionals working in “team” in addition to the athletes, in addition to the fact that they recognize and recognize the role of theoretical and practical knowledge gained in their field of expertise in athletes’ individual and team level. However, in the event of the athletes’ success or potential failure, it is very difficult to “diagnose” the extent and weight of the work done by those around them, and to further explore this, it is worth reviewing the areas of application of sports psychology.

1.3. Applied fields of sport psychology

If we want to look at the fields of sport psychology, we should fundamentally strive to define the subject of science in accordance with the definitions discussed in the previous paragraphs. If we assume that one of the most important but at the same time the most complex task of sports psychology and sports diagnostics is to get to know the athlete’s mental state, abilities, skills and presumably his goals and career plans. The related psychological field is the mapping of the motivation base that drives athletes’ goals and future sports plans. In order to explore motivation, we must in any case examine the starting points of the sport, the life situations surrounding it and the development and realization of the initial objectives. This is also a primary field of investigation for individual and team sports, as it is not a negligible circumstance that the differences in the goals and career plans within the team, but basically the attitudes towards the sport can affect the individual and team performance.

We also need to focus on the phenomenon that is particularly evident in competitive sports and sports, that athletes are under enormous power constraints, both in terms of racing and training. They have to face similar challenges and stress as artists, as the public, the fan team and, of course, the sports club, management and coaches are constantly under pressure to make them more successful. Thus, the continuous, pronounced or unspoken performance expectations, and the good performance at the competitions together with the increased workout, are a huge burden for the athletes, both in physical and mental terms.

The study of sports psychology and sports diagnostics is also an important area for the athletes to cope with the constant load and the challenges they face as stressors (in many cases, we can see that the presence of stress is perceived by some athletes but not considered to be burdensome) depends on their mental endurance, resilience (flexible adaptability), and ways of coping with stress (see Figure 1.).

Figure 1. The main areas of sports psychology, sports diagnostics

We also need to consider whether the initial goals and motivational basis of the athletes are aligned with their abilities, skills, both mental and physical. We could also describe this area as the selection and training of talented athletes, skills development and expert guidance. The development of physical abilities, with the help of competent coaching staff, is constantly and purposefully accomplished with hard workout training, but in parallel with the fitness and tactical developments, the athletes must also be characterized by a higher level of conditioning and coordination on the mental level as well. The lack of this can be a problem even if the properly trained athletes are not able to perform high-level performance in the training sessions or matches (in this case we can talk about a so-called workout or training-spy phenomenon). At this point, the task of sport psychology and sports diagnostics would be to explore and develop individual mental areas that inhibit peak performance. In line with this, we should also mention the issue of individual and team-timed peak performance, which is one of the key issues in sports psychology and sports diagnostics.

1.4. Sport psychologists’ and sport-psychodiagnostic counsellors’ responsibilities

Tasks are based on work with athletes. First of all, we have to look at avoiding contact with the athlete, which may have different paths and different ways, taking into account the written and unwritten rules of the sport and the level of the athlete’s level and age. It is very common to say that the athlete’s coach or the leader of the field, the club management, is contacted by the athlete with the psychologist. In addition, it is the psychosomatic symptoms of the athlete who turns to a sports doctor, a club doctor, or a physician who is directed by a doctor to a psychologist. Taking into account age-specific characteristics, frequent (up to 18 years of age) contact with the parent at the age of child and youth is also a typical way of turning to a psychologist. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more common for an athlete to initiate a relationship with a psychologist (primarily for clubs and sports organizations where the athlete is a permanent sport-psychologist), either for life counselling or for discussing individual performance or privacy issues.

It is still the case that either the sports club, the coach or the athlete, but shortly before the match games, matches and competitions, get to the specialist for the “fire-fighting” work with the athlete. This is not really fortunate, despite the fact that there may be a lucky situation in which the professional can really help and work successfully with the individual athlete or team. However, the work of a psychologist is much more complex and must be a project, so more than occasional individual counselling and brainstorming. Sport psychologist and sports diagnostic cooperation should mean at least 10-15 suitable meetings, so a short term co-operation should mean a minimum of 3 months. In order to get real help and problem solving, it is necessary to thoroughly reveal the factors and risk factors that disrupt the development of performance. In this cooperation, the mapping of the athlete’s competencies, abilities and skills is first made in the light of the problem and the psychological analysis of the sport, which can also be called a diagnostic phase, since the circumstances and situations that cause the problem are also identified here. In conjunction with the thorough exploration of the athlete’s problem, the psychologist’s tasks are already organically linked to the circumstances and circumstances of the selection for the particular sport (even if he / she is already in contact with a particular athlete).

Furthermore, to physical capabilities and characteristics, mental and psycho-physiological competencies, as well as motivational and objective studies, are indispensable for performing sport selection and matching. In addition, the initial determination of individual and team sports and sports levels is not indifferent to the athlete’s future performance, as in many cases, despite the perfect physical and tactical preparation, the athlete does not deliver the expected results or is changing too much, stuck or just its performance declines (Budavári, 2007, cited by Tóth, 2010).

1.5. Key outcomes of sport psychology

Depending on the psychologist’s basic skills, socialization and attitude, the sports psychologist, a psychologist in sports psychology, can use the interview technique and other psychological examinations in the diagnostic, problem and situation exploration phase in light of the objective, fact-finding, or rather familiar, confidence-building nature of the first encounters with the athlete or team. Objective psychological procedures that typically characterize the condition, skill, or ability, and the analysis of the data obtained from it, can precede or coincide with the first encounters. If we already have athletes with objective psychological test results, then the guidelines outlined by the data can be clarified or clarified during meetings with the athlete, even though qualitative psychological methods. Basically, semi-structured interviews are typical of sport psychological work, relying on a predefined set of questions, additional questions can be applied to the problems that arise. It is a very important area to carry out goal-oriented tests, and then to clarify and outline the long-term goal of the athlete with a sports career. Among other things, it is worthwhile to clarify the outcome of the work to be accomplished (for example, to achieve good results in training at competitions) and to measure the changes required to do so, the specific tasks of the athlete, and the tasks to be performed by the athlete and psychologist.

In addition, the process, circumstances and other supplementary arrangements for collaborative work, as well as the rules of conduct that are common to the joint work, should be laid down here. Additionally, you can record the frequency of appointments, pay, and the process of cancelling appointments. It is important that in the case of athletes under the age of 16, a contract must also be concluded with the parents, or a statement of consent must be requested for the performance of the tests (Szőnyi and Füredi, 2000, cited by Tóth, 2010). Characterized by working together and working with athletes, both athletes and coaches are looking for a fast-paced effect and result, and for this purpose psychologists are striving to achieve visible changes that can be measured in competition results soon. This is most evident by the fact that the athlete’s or team’s problem is not treated as a single whole, but rather a focused approach, which most often means that they focus on certain issues (usually the most disturbing factors for the clients) and focus on doing so. to solve it more quickly or at least to an acceptable level (for example, reducing the number of lanterns present in competitive situations and / or in the public domain).

There are also situations where the diagnostic phase failed to identify either objective or qualitative methods, or to formulate a psychological problem with the athlete or the team, in which case the aim of the professionals is to increase the overall psychological and performance efficiency of the work. Typical topics in these cases are the focus on athlete attention and motivation levels, the development of mental endurance, the definition and, if necessary, reduction of anxiety levels, and the achievement of positive goals for the athlete’s life and subjective well-being.

CHECKING ISSUES

How could you define sport psychology?
How to become a sport psychologist or sport-psychodiagnostic counsellor?
What are the most common applied fields of sport psychology?
What are the sport psychologists’ and sport-psychodiagnostic counsellors’ main responsibilities?
What are the key outcomes of sport psychology?