History of Sports Psychology

Sports psychology had an early start in the world of psychology in 1925 that lasted for about 10 years. In the 1960s there was a revival of interest. In 1965, the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) was established. By the 1970s, sports psychology had been introduced as a university course offered at educational institutions throughout North America. 

My History of Sports and Psychology

I wrote four blogs a year ago telling you about my years in the world of sports. 

In the world of psychology, I had taken two coaching courses at LPO J.C. and I would have been interested in continuing my world in Sports Psychology at Northern Illinois University when I arrived there in 1949 but it wasn’t offered there. Sports Psychology programs were established in 1965 and university programs are now offered at higher educational institutions throughout the country - including NIU.

For my research in writing this blog, I scanned the current programs being offered by several colleges. They are sufficiently alike so that a student can move from one college to another and not lose credits. In fact, the psychology courses I took for my doctorate in Educational Psychology (1966) would be accepted by the colleges I scanned.

By the 1980s, sports psychology became the subject of a more rigorous scientific focus. Researchers began to explore how psychology could be used to improve athletic performance. 

Present Day Sports Psychology Requirements  

American Psychology Association (APA) 

The APA requires the earning of a doctoral degree in order to become a licensed  Sports Psychologist. This degree must be earned in one of the primary areas of sports psychology such as Clinical Sports Psychologists who work with athletes who have mental health conditions and Exercise Psychologists.

Psychological Concepts

There are some concepts that are specifically dealt with in Sports Psychology doctoral courses such as Attentional Focus, Mental Toughness, Desire, Biofeedback, Relaxation, Anchoring, Visualization, Hypnosis. . . 

Other Areas of Psychology

Our focus in Educational Psychology, Educational Leadership, and Coaching has been with Coaches, Players,  and Parents of Players. We have dealt with many areas of psychology in our past Blogs - especially in the “Seven Super Strategies” Primary, Recency, Repetition, Reinforcement, Awareness, Achievement, and Closure, (June and July, 2022). Also Teamwork, Readiness, Goal Setting, Motivation, and Rights and Responsibilities. . .

Becoming a Sports Psychologist

Becoming a sports psychologist could be exciting for many psychology students - it is a good career choice for those with a strong interest in sports and physical activity. Sports psychologists are paid well - so start working on your doctorate.