The effect of stress on the sportsman’s body and training activities

Abstract

In the modern conditions of the development of sports, a great place is given to the impact of stress on the athlete's body. During preparation for competitions of various levels, the Olympic Games, world championships, continental championships, city competitions, athletes are "accompanied" by mental and emotional tension. Accordingly, when being in a given state of stress, corresponding negative disturbances appear in the performed sports activity. In general, stress is a fairly common and common phenomenon. Minor stresses are inevitable and harmless, but excessive stress creates problems for both individuals and organizations in accomplishing tasks. Psychologists believe that a person suffers more and more often from insults inflicted on him, a sense of his own insecurity, uncertainty about the future. There are two main groups of stress factors that most significantly affect the results of sports activities and are most often encountered: pre-competitive and competitive. Competitive stressors are stressors related directly to the sporting situation the athlete finds themselves in. Essentially, they are the most obvious stressors and are most directly linked to what happens during training or in a game. Organizational stressors can be attributed to, and therefore solved by, the coaching and organizational set up surrounding a team. The athlete needs to be helped to identify actions aimed at improving performance. Success in reaching sports peaks depends on the individual psychological characteristics of the athlete, and certain types of sports make demands and at the same time form personal qualities that are necessary for successful competitive activities. Each athlete is different, and their response to these competitive stressors will vary too. Finding the sweet spot where these stressors are contributing to an engaged, locked-in mindset can be the difference come crunch time. Knowing when a competitive stressor is overwhelming an athlete and having a detrimental affect can be an important preventative measure to avoid further issues down the road.