Category Archives: *The Sport Psychologist

I/O Psychology and Sports: The Do’s and Don’ts of Handling Stress.

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Topic: Selection, Human Resources, Sports Psychology
Publication: The Sport Psychologist (2006)
Article: Stressors, Coping, and Coping Effectiveness Among Professional Rugby Union Players.
Authors: Nicholls, Adam R.; Holt, Nicholas L.; Polman, Remco C. J.; Bloomfield, Jonny
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin

10, 9, 8, 7; the clock ticks down in the final game and you are passed the ball. Make it, and your team is the champion. Miss it, and you have an off-season filled with regret and disappointment. From the field to the boardroom, stress exists. How do you handle it?

Adam Nicholls, Nicholas Holt, Remco Polman, and Jonny Bloomfield collaborated to investigate the coping strategies used by professional rugby players. Broadly speaking, there are two types of coping strategies, problem-focused and emotion-focused. A problem-focused coping strategy focuses on practical solutions to the stress-inducing situation. An emotion-focused coping strategy focuses on ameliorating the emotions (e.g., frustration, sadness) caused by the stress- inducing situation. In a 28-day diary, eight elite rugby players recorded their stressors, coping responses, and the efficacy of their coping strategies. It was found that the most frequently cited stressors were injury concerns, mental mistakes, and physical mistakes while the most effective coping strategies were problem-focused (e.g., focusing on the task, increasing effort).

Like the rugby players, do you also use problem-focused coping strategies before the big
meeting? Or do you kiss your lucky penny, cross your fingers, spin in circles three times, and hope for the best? It’s up to you. But considering that professional athletes focus on the task and increase effort when the heat is on, maybe you should too.

Nicholls, A.R., Holt, N.L., Polman, R.C.J., & Bloomfield, J. (2006). Stressors, coping, and
coping effectiveness among professional rugby union players. The Sport Psychologist, 20, 314-329.

human resource management,organizational industrial psychology, organizational management

Do you have what it takes? An examination of the psychological characteristics that predict success in athletes.

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Topic: Selection
Publication: The Sport Psychologist (2009)
Article: Why some make it and others do not: Identifying psychological factors that
predict career success in professional adult soccer
Authors: N. Van Yperen
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin

Why do some aspiring soccer players reach the professional ranks and others do not? Though some previous research has focused on the psychological characteristics of athletes that are already successful, little research has been conducted on the psychological characteristics that enable aspiring athletes to succeed.

In a study that sought to do just that, Dutch psychologist Nico Van Yperen was able to predict with over seventy percent accuracy whether Dutch junior-elite soccer players would become professional soccer players by assessing their mental characteristics. Specifically, Van Yperen assessed 65 fourteen-year-old males that attended an internationally recognized soccer academy. Ten to 15 years later, a portion of these players became professional soccer players and it was found that three psychological factors — goal commitment, problem-centered coping behaviors, and a tendency to seek social support — could predict who would achieve professional status with seventy percent accuracy.

These results suggest that the secret to selecting athletes has been uncovered. If
players have the trifecta of psychological factors, give them a jersey. If not, show them
the door.

Van Yperen, N.W. (2009). Why Some Make it and Others Do Not: Identifying Psychological Factors That Predict Career Success in Professional Adult Soccer. Sport Psychologist, 23(3), 317-329.

human resource management,organizational industrial psychology, organizational management