Sport psychology is the application of psychological knowledge to enhance personal development and performance of individuals within sport. It is distinct from clinical psychology that aims to help individuals overcome serious psychological problems.Most professional and elite amateur athletes acknowledge that psychology has a major impact on sports performance: "If you don't prepare yourself mentally its impossible to maintain consistently high standards"- Oliver Kahn, Bayern Munich & Germany. However, despite a substantial growth in the number of sport psychologists over the past decade, many athletes and coaches remain reluctant to use their services. Research continues to highlight the barriers that exist to the implementation of sport psychology programmes within professional sport.

Lack of knowledge: sport psychologist

Most research shows that a thorough knowledge of the specific sport is essential for interacting effectively with athletes and coaches. This does not mean that the consultant must have played the game to an elite level- although that may help - but in order to be successful he must have an understanding of the vocabulary, terminology, basic strategies, performance skills, and specific demands that confront the athletes.

Lack of knowledge: professional sports organisations

Research shows that mental training concepts are often not fully accepted or understood by professional sports organisations. Poor communication links between academics, sporting associations and professional clubs may mean that club management is simply unaware of the full range of services that sport psychologists can offer. Furthermore, athletic personnel often do not distinguish between educational and clinical sport psychologists. As such there is an expectation that psychologists will be able to deal with not only mental skills training but also clinical issues such as family problems, addictions and depression. This can lead to a variety of problems including the perceived failure of the consultant and the mistrust of players and staff.

Perceptions of sport psychology

Research in Britain and the US reveals that some coaches and athletes perceive sport psychologists as being similar to 'shrinks'. Although perceptions have improved considerably, some findings still suggest that sport psychologists are viewed with a degree of apprehension. Some coaches are not open to the possibility that consultants can help mentally strong athletes become even stronger and more focused. Similarly, some athletes that have never used a psychologist believe that the services provided are primarily for those with psychological problems. A further body of research also shows that athletes who consult a sport psychologist may be perceived negatively by their team-mates.

Integrating with the players and coaching staff

Evidence shows a reluctance for athletic personnel, especially at elite and professional level, to have excessive numbers of people involved with the team. The term 'organisational paranoia' has been used to describe the atmosphere when new staff are introduced to the team environment. In a study with the US Olympic team, both coaches and athletes indicated that 'fitting in with the team' was the lowest rated characteristic of all sport psychology consultants. Issues such as whether the consultant should wear the team training kit, attend games, be allowed in the changing room and actually eat with the players can make the difference between being accepted as part of the team or being perceived as an outsider. Athletes themselves have also indicated that they felt more comfortable dealing with the sport psychologist and coach together than directly with the sport psychologist.

Difficulties defining the role of the sport psychologist

Surveys of active sport psychologists and professional sports clubs show that there is often a difficulty in knowing where the sport psychologist should 'fit' within the club. Should he be part of the coaching staff and work solely with the players or does his role also involve liaising with the management team? The decision is not a trivial one and it has been shown to affect relationships within the clubs surveyed. For example, if information from consultations is shared with the management then players often become reluctant to disclose weaknesses for fear of being prejudiced against in team selection. If the consultant shares nothing then the management can feel undermined or even experience animosity towards the psychologist. There is also sometimes a concern amongst players and coaches that the psychologist will fail to maintain the necessary boundaries. The distinction between mental advice and tactical advice is often fuzzy, and if the psychologist is perceived as functioning in the role of the coach he may be resented.

Time

Timetabling psychology sessions around physical training sessions, personal commitments, media and promotional activities, team meetings and other activities can be an extremely challenging and frustrating exercise. Athletes often report being dissatisfied if they do not have enough contact time with the sport psychologist. Research has also shown the benefits of integrating mental skills training with the athletes' physical training schedule. Not only does this strategy save time, it also facilitates the acceptance of mental skills and enables them to practiced in the absence of the psychologist.

Funding

Sports organisations often believe that the work of a sport psychologist is lavishly resourced and highly paid. In reality few sports psychologists make a full-time living from consultancy work and the perception that it is an expensive luxury has limited the involvement within many organisations. A recent survey into the use of sport psychology services at top sport universities in the US revealed that the most common reason for not using such services was lack of funding. This finding has been repeated within professional sports clubs.

Lack of clarity concerning the services of a sport psychologist

There exists the belief that sport psychologists can provide a magical 'quick fix' for individuals and teams. Sport psychologists do have specialised skills that can help athletes overcome problems rapidly. More usually, however, mental skills, like physical skills, need considerable practice before performance improvement is likely to occur. Employing a sport psychologist for a single session in the belief that this can bring about some meaningful change is likely to result in disappointment and doubts about the benefits of sport psychology. Most practicing sport psychologists realise that it is very important to clarify from the outset the range of services that they offer and the outcomes that are realistic within the timeframe available.