A Day on the Diamond
Marcus Patton
University of the Rockies
Abstract
To apply the topic of sports psychology I am going to use a baseball game day. Since baseball is a very mental game that requires a lot of focus and concentration. I am going to start with the night before a game and end when leaving the ballpark. This paper will present a review in athletic performance. The prevalence of anxiety disorders, simple phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders are common in the general population and common in baseball players as well. These symptoms are familiar to many baseball players. It is not at all uncommon to hear of sleeplessness, vomiting, nervousness and restlessness before games. The intensity of the anxiety that is felt before and during sports is so gripping, immediate and debilitating that one feels compelled to provide fast relief for these anxious baseball players. The need to offer a quick solution to panicking baseball players is so pervasive that it may account for the compulsive use of behavioral techniques even when they are ill-advised or ineffective.
The night before game day, a baseball player should get a good night of sleep; this will help to have a fresh mind ready to concentrate on the game. Before falling asleep, mental imaging while lying in bed can be a good tool to boost confidence for the next day. Imagery can be defined as using multiple senses to create or recreate experiences in one's mind (Vealey & Greenleaf, 2006). Both anecdotal evidence from athletes and research findings suggest imagery is an effective tool to enhance performance and psychological states relevant to performance (Weinberg, 2008). When waking up it is critical to give the body plenty of time to get focused and concentrated on the game; it is not a good idea to wake up an hour before game time that is not long enough for the brain to prepare the body for competition.
All baseball players should...