ABSTRACT
One would think that defining what has become a recognised field of academic pursuit would be a simple enough exercise. This is not, however, the case. Indeed, Dishman (1983) has suggested that sport psychology sometimes suffers from an identity crisis. The reason for this is the many and varied perspectives that exist within the field. Nevertheless, a summary definition (based on a number given by Feltz and Kontos 2002) describes sport psychology as the study of people’s behaviour and thoughts in sporting contexts. Furthermore, the general goal of applied sport psychology is to provide athletes and coaches with the necessary mental skills to manage the demands of training and competition, thus helping each realise his/her potential.
