7th Observation

On Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 11:30, I observed Sports Psychology (PYSC 3400) class which is located in the Carl DeSantis Building, Room 3046. The class is held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. I was able to observe the last half hour of the class because I finished my Statistics test early. I decided to observe sports psychology, study of a person's behavior in sport, because I wanted to understand the psychological aspects of an athlete's peformance during a game. Athletic Trainers have used sports psychology to understand the psychological aspects as well to better communicate with the athletes.

The class focused on Sports Psychology Skills Training. I learned about Peak Performance which the goal is to control the physical, mental, and environment which meant to train hard, be positive, and focus. Although I was not able to observe the full 75 min of this sports psychology class, I learned that mental process an athlete takes before execution during a sport's game. Athletic Trainers must have high interpersonal communications skills since they are working with athletes, coaches, and clients all day long. Understanding these mental processes are essential so that the health care they provide for the athletes is outstanding. During the next observation I hope to observe a Level Four athletic trainee to discuss the obstacles and benefits of being a part of the athletic training program. Also, I would like to observe their preparation for their advancement to graduate school in hopes of becoming a certified athletic trainer.