Sports psychology studies how an athlete’s performances are affected by psychological and mental factors. The field attempts to study how mental processes such as mood, attitude, emotions and stress can influence an athlete’s performance during competitive games or athletics. This field draws its knowledge from sciences such as Kinesiology. The purpose is to use these principles to understand how the human mind works and functions, thereby allowing it to work at optimal settings during stressful moments and competitive atmospheres.
Studying sports psychology is better for people who would like to help others in achieving their full potential and enjoy being part of sporting activities, and for those interested, there are many psychology schools in Montana that offer specialized degrees in this field. These schools may provide the students with education on how to work with children interested in athletics, professional athletes and those that have previously been injured and teach them how psychologists can use their expertise in enhancing performances, increasing motivation and boosting the mental well-being of their clients. Courses that may be available for this area of study include social psychology, developmental psychology, performance psychology, rehabilitation, sports coaching, mental health conditioning and so on.
There are many career possibilities for sports psychologists. They may find opportunities at university levels and opt to teach, give consultancy services to athletes and clients, or some may opt to work as coaches/personal trainers or scientific researchers. One may also come across high profile clients and famous athletes while working. If you work well with your clients and achieve positive results, you may get a chance to work with a national sports team. The average annual salary for sports psychologists in Montana according to simplyhired.com is $42,000.