Sport psychology is fast becoming a growing area of interest and building an identifiable profile leading up
to the many national and International sports events, with both athletes and coaches increasingly aware
of the edge that mental fitness gives to an elite athlete's performance.

So what is Sport Psychology and what can it offer?
I hope to dispel some of the “mystery” around Sport Psychology by answering some common questions
about it and ways psychological skills can enhance sporting performance.

1. How can sport psychology help my sporting performance?
Traditionally a great deal of emphasis has been placed on physical fitness and technical skills as the key
to an athlete's sporting performance. Both these factors are important, however athletes, coaches and
sporting organizations are now recognizing that optimal sporting performance requires an approach that
incorporates physical fitness, technical and tactical skills and MENTAL FITNESS. An athlete who is both
physically and mentally fit will have an edge over competitors who choose to concentrate on only one
aspect of their fitness or approach to performance.

A Sport Psychologist is part of the coaching team concentrating on developing and maintaining mental
fitness skills just as your strength and conditioning coach might assist in developing and maintaining
physical fitness. A Sport Psychologist may work with an athlete on their own, and/or with their coach or on
a team basis. They also work as part of a medical support team.

2. What can Sport Psychology offer?
Sport Psychology offers help to athletes in a number of ways:

Developing mental skills that may assist in enhancing sporting performance. These mental skills might
include:
- relaxation techniques that can be used to achieve a 'just right' feeling so that you can perform to the best
of your ability without feeling too anxious or too lethargic.
- Concentration techniques to make sure that you remain focused on important components of your
performance and reduce attention to distractions and factors that are of your control.
- visualization techniques that can be used in skill development and to enhance performance
- establishing pre-competition and post-competition routines
- developing a positive attitude and self-confidence and ways to challenge negative thoughts that may
impact on performance.
- Strategies to overcome difficulties that an athlete may be experiencing both on and off the sporting field.
- Helping coaches develop their communication and coaching skills
- helping an athlete in the recovery phase of an injury/illness.
- Helping an athlete maintain balance in their lifestyle
- debriefing athletes following major competitions.

3. Is Sport Psychology difficult to understand?
Not really – a lot of sport psychology is common sense. In fact, you've probably been using a lot of
psychological techniques without knowing it!

A sport psychologist is trained to help people understand any difficulties they are experiencing and
suggest some ways that they can overcome their difficulties so helping them to perform at a level that
matches their physical skills and potential.

4. Will I have much work to do if I start using Sport Psychology?
One thing that must be made clear is that Sport Psychology is not about 'magic wands'. A Sport
Psychologist does not convert athletes into work champions with one wave! Whenever you are learning a new skill, it does require practice and hard work. Like a coach, a Sport Psychologist can suggest ways to
achieve a goal or identify problems, but it is up to the athlete to do the work required.

5. Can my coach benefit from Sport Psychology?
Yes, coaches can also benefit from Sport Psychology. Firstly, Sports Psychologists don't work alone.
They work closely with coaches and the medical support team so that the athlete has the benefit of
information from a variety of sources. Many more coaches are now recognizing the need to incorporate
psychological skills into skill development and training methods. Coaches may also seek advice on how
best to communicate with athletes so that a mutually effective coach/athlete relationship is achieved and
maintained.

6. When is the best time to use Sport Psychology?
Ideally, Sport Psychology techniques should be used all the time – in fact, these techniques should be
just as much a part of your training routine as weights, Cricket, rugby, running or any other physical skill
training. Often people come to a sport psychologist when things are going wrong. This is OK – the Sport
Psychologist can spend time talking to the athlete and coach to identify where the difficulties lie and what
is needed to overcome the difficulties. However, psychological techniques can also be used when things
are going right – to make sure they stay that way – or to prepare an athlete to make the transition to
compete at a higher level such as National or World Championships!

The best time to start getting mentally fit is now!


Are we looking for a long lasting positive impact on Sri Lankan Cricket ?

The current turmoil, instability and divisions in the national cricket management are disruptive not only for players of the national team but for all Sri Lankan cricket players and fans. Due to not receiving the necessary guidance and support from the administration and other support bodies the players are suffering from a
profound lack of security about their future which directly results in poor performance on the field. It has been shown that a lack of security and the constant negative regard of the management towards players lead to stress, anxiety, confusion and a lack of motivation.

Writer’s stand
Therefore it is this writer’s intention to explain from the psychological point of view (as well as international Sports Psychology point of view) the way the current turmoil in Sri Lankan national cricket administrational is negatively effecting the players.

The Lost child: The Plight of the Sri Lankan Cricketer
Consider a child without parents, or several parents claiming the parenthood of a single child. Consider the confusion of this child. Similar to this the national players face the same confusion and lack of guidance and support due to the turmoil in the team’s administration.

Are we there yet? Sri Lankan Cricket and Psychological support
In conjunction with science and technology, sports have progressed dramatically in the last decade. Like any other sport, cricket now uses advanced science and technology both on ground and off, not only to enhance player performance but also to present the game to its audience. Like any other activity, which needs maximum mental consistency and self-integrity, competitive sport like cricket requires higher self-discipline. Furthermore players require absolute mental peace and concentration to achieve optimum performance on the field.

Recent trends in developed countries have seen the attempt to turn cricket into a mind game rather than a purely physical game. This is possibly due to the large financial interests the game now attracts and the fact that winning provides the ultimate satisfaction for supporters. Countries like Australia, the UK, New Zealand,
South Africa, Pakistan and now even India provide psychological guidance, counselling and psychotherapy to players throughout their career. Administrators and sports educators enthusiastically encourage psychological guidance knowing the positive effects. This trend is supported by scientific findings that show that proper psychological guidance will both enhance individual performance on field and build a healthy personality in general. This practice will help to create healthy, respectable and psychologically ‘well balance cricketers’ who will be ambassadors for the nation. In addition such people would serve as positive role models and help to rebuild harmony in a fractured society.

The following factors may directly effect a player and his/her performance on the field.

:: High expectations of the player from parents and peers, clubs, selectors and the media causes enormous pressure, frustration and stress.

:: Assimilation Problems. Players come from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds. This leads to anxiety and confusion about correct behaviour and standards.

:: Communication Barriers. The inability to communicate due to language differences may cause players to miss vital information and lead to confusion, frustration and embarrassment.

:: Extreme competition. Research suggests that ‘competition’ may not be the best factor for motivating players to perform at their peak. Consequently it may not be the best method to select players especially for national teams.

:: Lack of experience at the national and international level can be harmful. Players from rural areas may require a strategy of systematic exposure to their new environment in order to avoid unnecessary disruption and
distraction.

:: Unhealthy habits such as drugs, smoking, binge alcohol consumption and unprotected sex can have a great negative impact on individual performance, undermine team discipline and team morale. Such behaviour is also harmful to the cricket industry at large.

:: Irresponsible health management. For example ignoring minor injuries, lack of awareness of injury or fear of disclosing injury due to fear of not being selected.

:: Personal Problems have a negative impact on player’s performance particularly on young players. Research shows that reduced confusion of identity and positive relationships are vital to enhance performance. It has
been apparent that a number of star players recently experienced devastating effects on their performance due to relationship problems. Further to that a significant number of incidents have come to light wherein personal/family conflicts directly effect individual performance on the field. This further supports the necessity of appropriate psychological support for each and every player of the team.

:: Financial related difficulties effect a player’s interest, motivation, concentration and even jeopardize their whole career. Most upcoming young players from rural areas constantly battle financial barriers due to lack of support.

:: Political and economical instability also negatively effects performance in various ways. It hinders school and club level cricket practice and matches, blocking new players from performing well and progressing to the national level. Furthermore, teams from other cricketing nations rarely tour Sri Lanka which also negatively effects local player’s performance and confidence.

:: It has been suggested that nepotism and favouritism are prevalent in Sri Lankan school teams, clubs and even at the national level. These malpractices are discouraging for talented, ambitious players and ultimately
effects performance, team morale and harmony.

:: In addition, the recent Tsunami disaster generated a range of significant negative impacts on player’s psychological well being. Some of the player’s families were directly affected and their traumatic experiences have direct impact on individual player’s performance.


The above mentioned negative factors effect individual players physiologically and psychologically in numerous ways. Research into the experience of professional cricket players shows that the following psychological
disadvantages are prevalent:

- Depression, low self esteem, lack of concentration, complaints of physiological discomfort without physiological illness, sleep disturbances, Anorexia Nervosa (Quite common among players; characterized by intense
fear of becoming obese can lead to dramatic weight loss).

- Anxiety related conditions such as Agoraphobia: research shows that a certain amount of anxiety is common and some cases can be healthy for cricket players. However if a player is anxious about being in certain
places or situations from which escape might be difficult their performance is negatively effected.

- Phobias – Specific situational type (Air travel, elevators, enclosed places), Social phobic situation (Quite common among Cricket players; A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. This fear may hinder their communication with cricket authorities, social functions, and building rapport with international players).

- Obsessive - compulsive tendencies; with two essential characteristics:

1. Recurrent and persistent thoughts, ideas and feeling
2. Repetitive, ritualised behaviour. Quite common when a player is under tremendous pressure. Players tend to show agitated, erratic behaviour followed by ritualised behaviour such as compulsive hand washing, ordering, checking cricket equipment, shoe laces etc, repetitive praying, counting, repeating words silently, and repetitive
knocking the cricket bat to the pitch.

In response to such problems and discomfort, teams from most of the other cricketing nations are implementing programs of effective psychological techniques to minimize the negative effects and facilitate and rebuild a positive psychological environment for players.

Have we learned our lesson yet?

It has become apparent that ‘Psychological Counselling by foreign Counsellors’ is largely ineffective in the face of a team crisis, such as periods of poor performances by talented senior players, player’s public outbursts, rivalry, rumours and so on such as we have witnessed over the last decade. It is my belief that the ineffectiveness of the overseas psychology professionals is primarily due to the language barrier between the psychologist and the players. In addition the psychotherapist’s may lack understanding of the local cricket culture and how cultural issues effect players. It has been shown repeatedly that without considering cultural aspects of an individual, effectiveness of psychotherapies is minimal or nil. It is also likely that a player may be unwilling to disclose actual personal difficulties due to lack of trust in the psychotherapist particularly if they are
from a rival cricket playing nation. Ironically, Sri Lanka is the only national cricket team that employs foreign psychological counsellors?

This writer has discussed the above issues with Sri Lankan cricketers in Australia, some of which have played at the national level and they agree that there is an urgent need of the assistance of a Sri Lankan trained in psychology.

In conclusion it is important to draw the reader’s attention to the current status of Sri Lankan Cricket. The remedy for the present situation is not cheering when the Sri Lankan team is winning and blaming them when they are losing! Being negative about the current situation is also not helpful, rather it is important to draw
public attention to the present situation at this critical moment and take action that is both lasting and transparent. There is much that can be done to improve the future of Sri Lankan Cricket.