On the eve of the last cricket World Cup, Sandy Gordon, the South African sports psychologist was called in for a few sessions with the Indian team. The result was the famous ?huddle?, which followed the fall of each opponent wicket, and the team mantra of ?do it now?. It was a bunch of aggressive go-getters that we saw, raring to take on the world. And that was the beginning of a new-look Indian team. Many attribute that new-found confidence to the efforts of Sandy Gordon.

This goes to show that just skills are not enough, the mental makeup is equally important. And this is where sports psychology comes in. Sportspersons spend a lot of their time physically practising to get an edge over the competition, but most tire mentally before they get tired physically, due to the fact that their minds are not in as good a shape as their bodies.

Over the past several years, both coaches and sportspersons have started to realise that strength, speed and other athletic skills are not sufficient to produce champions. Sporting performance has three parts: physical preparation, technical skill, and psychological readiness. This model suggests that if any of the above areas are neglected, the overall performance will decline. However, psychological preparation is the component most neglected by sportspersons and coaches alike.

Our body is a mass of muscles and nerves linked together into the central processing unit ? our brain. Sports psychology seeks to show you how to use that CPU to its greatest effect in controlling your body to give optimum sporting performance.

The main approaches to sports psychology are: goal setting, imagery and simulation, flow and flow control.

Competition is tough, all sportspersons are physically fit, and the margin for victory is slim. Managers, coaches and players are realising that to get ahead they need an added resource ? a trained mind. When there are two teams that are physically equal, the team that works together smoothly, is mentally prepared and confident, will come out on top. Keep in mind, though: no mental training will compensate for ineffective technique. According to a sports psychologist, ?combining the two elements of mental and technical training gives the players an opportunity to establish a consistent, peak performance every time they step onto the field.?

What do i have to do?

Sports psychologists help athletes overcome psychological problems that affect their performance. Until about a decade ago, a sports psychologist was a person whom one went to see only when one had a problem. Luckily, this is changing. Now you see sports psychologists everywhere ? helping out athletes, college sports teams, professional teams, Olympic athletes, etc. People are realising that no matter how good you are, you can always improve, and one way to improve yourself is to become well-versed in performance enhancement techniques.

What should i study?

Most colleges require a science degree for the course. The two-year diploma in sports medicine, recognised by the Medical Council of India, is offered to MBBS graduates.

What next?

Currently, the field of sport psychology and performance enhancement is growing exponentially. However, it is also difficult to make a living purely as a sport psychology consultant. Many are still skeptical about having such a person working with their school, team or club. There are three main areas to consider if you are interested:

• Educational sports psychology emphasises teaching performance enhancement skills such as goal setting, focussing and imagery in an athletic environment.

• Clinical sports psychology deals with sports-related psychological problems such as depression, substance abuse and eating disorders among athletes. Expertise in clinical or counselling psychology is helpful.

• Academic sports psychology focusses on research and teaching. If you are still at the undergraduate level, you could do an internship or get involved with a sports team. The results can be very rewarding!

where to study

• Department of Sports Psychology, Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Old Moti Bagh, Patiala

• University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai- 600005. Postgraduate diploma in sports psychology

• San Diego University for Integrative Studies, 5703 Oberlin Drive, Suite 208 San Diego, CA 92121

Master of arts in sport counselling

• School of Natural Health Sciences (SNHS), Suite 10, 2 Lansdowne Row, Berkeley Square, London W1X 8HL. Diploma in sport psychology

• University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK, PR1 2HE. BSc (Hons) sport psychology