Perceção da Psicologia do Desporto na Natação: Um estudo com Treinadores e Atletas

Abstract

The development of mental skills is fundamental for the prevention of problems. With the appearance of Sport Psychology, there was an increase in the interest in applying Psychology techniques to improve the competitive performance. In this way, this interest has also been observed in swimming. Swimmers are also dependent on several aspects, including psychological ones. Athletes, coaches and the rest of the technical team recognize the importance and value of a sport psychologist. However, there still was some skepticism and stigma regarding this type of intervention. The main objective of this research was to study the importance given to the role of Sport Psychology and the perception that both swimming coaches and athletes have about its services. The first study aimed to understand the perception and experience that swimming coaches had regarding the services of sports psychologists and what were the most relevant skills that coaches try to develop in this area, using the semi-structured interview as main instrument. The second study aimed, through a mixed study, to identify the perceptions and attitudes that swimmers had about sports psychologists and the reasons that would lead them to seek for this service. To this end, the Sports Psychology Attitudes - Revised (SPAR) was applied. The swimming coaches' perception of the sports psychologist proved to be positive and without stigma, revealing the interest and need for their intervention to improve the athlete's success. Similarly, the swimmers recognised the importance of the sports psychologist and had no prejudices towards this professional.