Coaching and Sport Psychology
What the exam tests
Sport psychology on the PES exam is applied: you must know which psychological variable to adjust and which coaching behavior fits a given athlete. Core concepts include intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation; self-determination theory's three needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness); self-efficacy and Bandura's sources (mastery experiences, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, physiological state); goal setting with SMART criteria and the process/performance/outcome distinction; arousal theories (drive theory as linear, the inverted-U as moderate-optimal, and the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning, which says the optimal arousal point differs by athlete and task); cognitive versus somatic anxiety; attentional focus (broad/narrow crossed with internal/external); imagery and self-talk; feedback types (knowledge of results versus knowledge of performance); reinforcement versus punishment; and the transtheoretical model from precontemplation through maintenance.
Traps
- Outcome goals ("win the race") versus process goals ("drive the knees"). Questions often ask which to emphasize; process goals are controllable and support adherence.
- Negative reinforcement is not punishment. It removes an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior.
- Drive theory says performance rises linearly with arousal; the inverted-U says only to a point. IZOF rejects one curve for everyone.
- Fine-motor skills (putting, archery) tolerate lower arousal than gross explosive skills (squat, sprint).
Rule of thumb
Match arousal to task: the finer the motor demand, the lower the optimal arousal; the more gross and explosive, the higher. Decide whether the athlete is over- or under-aroused before choosing a psych-up (fast tempo, loud music, assertive self-talk) or psych-down (breathing, imagery) strategy.
Worked example
A basketball player shoots 60% in practice and 35% in games, reporting racing thoughts and shallow breathing. Read this as anxiety above her zone for a fine-motor skill. Plan: breathing to lower physiological arousal, a pre-shot routine and imagery for cognition, a process goal (follow-through), and knowledge-of-performance feedback from the coach instead of punishment after misses.