Democratising sports psychology

Rebasing the foundations of sports psychology for non-professional cyclists. 

The performance improvements sports psychology could deliver to amateur riders are unrealised, not just because of cost or inaccessibility but because the interventions are irrelevant to that population.
Current tools and techniques are focused on making the very best perform better or encouraging the reluctant to adhere to exercise. Consequently, it caters for the tiny number of elite sportspeople and those who need to exercise but do not have the motivation to do so consistently with intent and purpose. For most cyclists, these categories are irrelevant.

Putting aside arguments about how well it succeeds in addressing the needs of either of these specialist populations taking into account their long term physical and mental wellbeing, it leaves passionate enthusiasts without sports psychology support helpful to them.  As a result, its potential benefits on performance and enjoyment for those who pursue their sporting endeavours for reasons of satisfaction, achievement and meaning are lost.

Competitive amateur riders, like the millions who post their endeavours on Strava every day, are unconvinced because it does not relate to how and why they engage with cycling.  This is unsurprising given that its theoretical base is either trickle down social psychology or subjective observations from a small sample of a few elite performers.

Sports psychology is unhelpfully dualist in two ways. First, it is based on the separation of mind and body. Increasingly it is evident a holistic ‘whole human’ approach is needed to ensure physical and mental well-being alongside considerations of performance. This is prescient at a time when British Cycling have come under scrutiny for the treatment of riders on their programs. Secondly, it separates sport from culture rather than viewing it as integral. The cultural dimension is critical to the engagement of riders as it has a massive influence on how cycling is experienced.

Before it gets its tracksuit on and starts jogging, sports psychology needs to tie its ontology and epistemological laces because it trips itself up by starting in the wrong place. It does not ask why people passionately engage in sport despite it needing this understanding before effective interventions can be made. ‘Because it’s fun’ does not cut it. It is much deeper than that, sport and cycling in particular is a non-negotiable part of identity for millions.

Mindset is a significant performance differentiator. The effect of competitive pressure, both positive and negative is evident although it has never been measured empirically in context. Rather than generalisable principles, sports psychology and consequently coaching practice is based on guesswork using observational assumptions. This implies a rebasing of sports psychology is needed to understand the underlying conscious and unconscious motivations of participants who feel compelled to exercise, train and compete.

First, existing research in evolutionary psychology, social psychology, affective neuroscience need to be critically reviewed and applied to a sports and exercise context where is it appropriate to do so. This should also include the application or initiation of research into the cultural and anthropological dimension of amateur mass participation sport.

Second, novel empirical research needs to be undertaken to understand the correlates of motivation and the effect of competition and competitive environments on performance. This needs to done using a combination of experimental techniques, computational modelling and an analysis of large publicly available exercise data sets to produce generalisable principles.   
​
Only from there is possible to produce evidence informed tools and techniques empirical data that are relevant to non-professionals who engage in physical activity and competitive sports that can be tailored to the individual.  

---

Rich Smith, MSc, BSc Psychology, specialises in competition, motivation and affective states. He is a British Cycling qualified Level 3 Road and TT coach supporting riders nationally and internationally. He established RideFast Coaching in 2015 to deliver physiologically effective and psychologically sustainable training to enthusiastic amateur riders.