Sport Performance Psychology

Performance Psychology in Sport

Sport can be a challenging environment in which athletes can face physical and mental setbacks.

Elite athletes are required to maintain focus, manage stress, and respond to adversity, highlighting the critical role of sport psychology to help manage performance. ³

Sport psychologists work with athletes, coaches, teams, and organisations across three broad domains:

• Performance enhancement: An athlete’s mental state can be either an asset or an obstacle to performance success. Sport psychologists use a variety of techniques to enhance an athlete’s performance, including improving focus and confidence, managing pressure, and fostering resilience. ⁴
• Injury recovery/Performance restoration: Psychological strategies such as mental imagery and goal setting are useful tools in rehabilitation, as athletes can face doubts and fear of re-injury when returning to performance. ⁵
• Mental health promotion and support: Sport psychologists provide athletes with the support needed to not only perform at the elite level, but also improve their quality of life, ultimately fostering positive well-being and enjoyment in their sport careers. ⁴

Groups, societies and professional bodies

Vocational educational training

The minimum education level required to enter into a career in sport psychology is a 4-year degree majoring in psychology from an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), opens in a new tab Australian University. Following this degree, prospective psychologists must either complete further university education or enter a program of supervised practice. Psychologists must then be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), opens in a new tab, and meet the Board’s registration standards, in order to practice in Australia.

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Sport Psychologists, opens in a new tab have qualifications beyond those required for basic registration. Attaining full membership requires a minimum of six years of university training, plus two years of supervised practical experience in sport and exercise psychology.

The Psychology Board of Australia, opens in a new tab is the National Board for the psychology profession that is established under the National Law. They provide Guidelines on area of practice endorsements, opens in a new tab, including the 'Competencies required for sport and exercise psychology endorsement'.

Standards

The Australian Performance Support Practitioner Minimum Standards represent the minimum standards for Performance Support staff and contractors engaged to deliver professional services in identified practice disciplines by National Sporting Organisations (NSOs), National Institute Network (NIN) partners, the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia, and Commonwealth Games Australia. These standards, along with the AIS Sport Science Sport Medicine Best Practice Principles are a recommendation within the National Integrity Framework, opens in a new tab.

The AIS develops evidence-based position statements on new and complex topics in sports science and sports medicine to provide guidance and leadership for the Australian high-performance sports system.

Research and Resources

• National Institute Network Research. Published sports science/sports medicine research from NIN researchers. This list is updated on a monthly basis.