Life Coaching Wellness Coach Career Options 1 | Page 15

Careers as a Sports Psychology Coach Sports psychology coaches help ensure that athletes don’t choke in the big moment, that runners are ready for their races and teams are ready for their next competition. Sports psychology is simply the scientific study of people and their behaviors in sports as well as the practical application of that study. Sport psychology coaches help people of all abilities increase their sports and fitness performance while enhancing the overall enjoyment of physical activity. Whether they are performed for leisure or competition, sports aren’t just speed and strength. Rather, a lot of mental discipline and psychology goes into racing, winning, losing and competing. Sports psychology helps coaches understand how psychological factors impact clients’ performance and how participation in sports and fitness can influence psychological development and overall well-being. In turn, sports psychology coaches can help their athletes increase performance by managing emotions, expectations and outcomes. Because psychology is such an intrinsic part of sports and fitness today, sports psychology coaches can enjoy varied, interesting, challenging and rewarding work in this field. Individuals trained as a sports psychology coach can: • Train amateur up to professional athletes in all disciplines and sports • Specialize in various areas (triathlons, baseball, kids coaching, college coaching, etc.) • Offer seminars or create podcasts on using sports psychology to get and stay ahead • Write ebooks/books on various sports psychology topics • Work with individuals or teams • Enhance another career in fitness or psychology with this unique focus