Success in sport is not just about physical training. When all competitors are performing at a high and consistent level, psychological factors - such as the ability to cope with pre-competition nerves - can be decisive in achieving a top result. Sports psychologists therefore play an important role in the modern preparation of athletes. What does their work involve? We asked dr hab. Dagmara Budnik-Przybylska to share her experience in this field (both practical and academic).

Karolina Żuk-Wieczorkiewicz: - How did you come to decide to become a sports psychologist?

Dr hab. Dagmara Budnik-Przybylska: - It’s a long story. It actually began with sport. I was a karate competitor, and at one of the training camps a psychologist turned up who started talking about mental training and imagery training (which involves, for example, visualising a competition or the situation just before the start). I realised then: ‘But I’m already doing that!’ It turned out that, somewhat unconsciously and automatically, I’d been practising mental training. That’s how it began. So first came sport, then psychology (I wrote my Master’s thesis on family psychology), and finally sports psychology. I discovered the latter thanks to the lectures of prof. Franciszek Makurat and prof. Marcin Krawczyński, and I took it up ‘in earnest’ after my Master’s degree under the guidance of subsequent tutors. I wrote my doctoral thesis in the field of sports psychology under the supervision of prof. Mieczysław Plopa. And I’ve been working in this field ever since.

- You’re a researcher, but you also work directly with athletes. What does the role of a sports psychologist involve? If mental training exists, can a sports psychologist be considered a mental coach?

- Not exactly. Whilst it’s true that sports psychologists are sometimes also referred to as mental coaches, these terms are not synonymous. First and foremost, a sports psychologist has a background in psychology, whereas a mental coach does not necessarily need such a background. So, in short, a mental coach does not have to be a psychologist.

- What does your work as a sports psychologist involve?

- Sports psychology, whether in terms of research, education or practice, covers many different aspects: personality psychology, the psychology of motivation and emotions, the psychology of stress, and many others. We work not so much with the athlete as with the person who practises sport.

In practical terms, we primarily teach athletes self-awareness. In a sense, we help them take a shortcut to what they would have realised at some point anyway, because an awareness of what is happening in their mind and body during a competition - and beyond - will eventually develop in the athlete.

Our role is to impart this knowledge earlier and to teach in such a way that the athlete knows what is happening to them and can react appropriately to the situation. So we teach them a certain degree of independence on the board, on the track, etc.: ‘I know what’s happening to me, I’m aware of it, and I can change it’.

It’s worth emphasising that mental training is also a form of training. Developing skills requires the proverbial sweat and repetition - and the same applies to mental preparation. Developing an athlete is a process. There are elements that need to be implemented at the right moment for them to be effective.

- As a sports psychologist, you combine practice with research. Based on your experience to date, do you find that the presence and work of a sports psychologist with athletes actually translates into their performance and achievements during competitions?

- Let me put it this way: if I didn’t see that it made a difference, I wouldn’t be doing this. In my view, the most valuable aspect is precisely that, by being familiar with scientific findings, we can put them into practice. I can’t imagine working any other way. At the recently concluded European Congress of Sport Psychology, we actually had an entire panel discussion on combining the roles of practitioner and researcher.

Of course, as researchers who also work with athletes, we need to be mindful of the language we use to ensure we’re understood. ‘Scientific’ language needs to be translated into a form that’s understandable to an athlete. During that panel discussion, it was even suggested that we should learn to speak as if we were talking to a five-year-old child, to ensure a simple and clear message. Similarly, we’re taught to write articles in such a way that even complex issues are understandable to those reading them.

- Even for people who aren’t scientists?

- Exactly. What else is interesting to say about combining science with practice? Sometimes, in the field of practical sports psychology, ideas for research emerge. We observe a phenomenon or a correlation and can verify it through research; then, based on that, we develop a new element for practice - and the circle is complete.

- That sounds like the ideal collaboration between science and practice.

- I know it might sound idealistic, but my job is precisely to bring all these elements together.

- Does the work of a sports psychologist with athletes in individual sports differ from that in team sports?

- I specialise more in individual sports. Most often these are combat sports, as they’re closest to my heart due to my own experience with karate. However, in every sport - whether individual or team-based - you’re always working with a team. When I was still a competitor, I frequently took part in team kata, which required the whole team to perform a specific sequence of movements in unison at a given moment. Athletes are often supported by a team of staff (head coaches, assistant coaches, movement specialists, physiotherapists and others). Of course, we also work individually with athletes, in which case we focus on that person and their self-awareness. However, when we work with the entire support team, we draw up a plan based on agreed objectives, set targets and work out certain elements together to achieve those targets. It’s important to speak a common language in such situations, which can sometimes be a challenge. When that common language is lacking or when the goals aren’t consistent, the team performs less effectively.

- I understand that a team of people works with an athlete or a group of athletes. What is the role of a sports psychologist in this?

- We’re part of the support team, so there needs to be full cooperation between all of us at all times. We’re working with people, so although each of us is a specialist in a particular field, these fields cannot be separated. We need to talk to one another, work out certain things together or in consultation with the rest of the support team.

As sports psychologists, we naturally have slightly different ways of working to the other members of the coaching staff (who have their own tools). We take a holistic view and pay attention to communication within the team. In our direct contact with the athlete, we work on aspects such as mental imagery, which is the main focus of my research interests. Added to this is the context of individual differences, for example in terms of personality, concentration, self-confidence, readiness for competition, or, more generally, coping with the competitive situation. This is precisely the ‘domain’ of psychologists - and their contribution to the coaching staff’s work towards achieving a common goal.

- You mentioned the issue of individual differences between athletes. During your practice, have you observed any particular elements or challenges that athletes face most frequently? When is the help or support of a sports psychologist most needed?

- In my view, working on self-awareness and elements of mental training form the foundation that every athlete should have in place. Looking at the bigger picture, an athlete’s preparation consists of four fundamental elements, like the four legs of a table: technical, tactical, motor and psychological preparation. For our metaphorical table to be stable, all these ‘legs’ must be in good working order.

Mental training comprises elements that foster readiness for competition, such as the ability to regulate emotions, the ability to cope with stress, visualising various alternative plans, and the ability to regain concentration following an unexpected event. Building self-confidence is also very important. It sometimes happens that athletes have phenomenal skills, yet they do not always believe in them, which makes it difficult for them to translate their training experiences into competition situations.

- I get the impression that it’s not just in sport that highly skilled people often doubt themselves. Where does this come from? And how can we work on it?

- I think it may stem to some extent from cultural differences and beliefs. Fortunately, this is slowly changing. When I started working as a young psychologist, I noticed that seeing the symbol of a country perceived as dominant in a particular discipline had a significant impact on competitors. When a competitor (male or female) saw that their opponent represented such a country, they would suddenly go from being a top-class athlete to feeling, as it were, less significant - simply one athlete among many.

Travelling abroad for competitions can also be a challenge. People who feel confident as athletes in Poland may feel less so in another country (after all, at international competitions, everyone is good). Competitors need to be convinced that they’re in their element, that they belong at the competition, regardless of where it’s held - because, after all, they’ve worked hard for their results. Building that conviction is probably our biggest task as sports psychologists.

I think this is changing a little; the younger generation seems more feisty and has no problem taking on experienced competitors.

- I understand that a great many limitations are in the mind.

- In fact, I’ve noticed that the higher the level of sporting competition, the greater the role psychology plays in an athlete’s preparation. At the very highest level, every athlete is good, and the technical standard is very even. However, the winner is the one who is more self-assured, who is better able to regulate their emotions and keep a ‘cool head’, as we call it.

- So the further you go, the more you need a sports psychologist?

- Exactly. Personally, however, I believe that if an athlete is provided with the basics of mental training and sports psychology at an early stage, it’s much easier to work with them later on, not least because we share a common language. When someone hasn’t had this kind of preparation, the psychologist’s job is first and foremost to build those foundations. I often compare what we do to a lever, which is also used in combat sports: sometimes a small, subtle movement can bring about a big change. Our task is to apply this ‘lever’ at the right moment.

- How are sports psychologists perceived by athletes and the rest of the coaching staff? In your opinion, has this perception changed over the years?

- It has changed. In the past, a psychologist was associated with a couch and ‘mental health issues’. Now we’re simply part of the coaching staff, and sports psychology is seen as an integral part of an athlete’s preparation. In this respect, the awareness of both athletes and coaches has changed significantly - and that gives me great joy and satisfaction. An athlete doesn’t think, ‘I’m going to see a psychologist because there’s something wrong with me’, but rather, ‘I’m going to do some mental training to keep improving my performance in competition’.

- What aspect of your work (I’m referring to all aspects - research, education and practice) gives you the greatest satisfaction?

- On the one hand, the athletes’ good results naturally bring me joy. However, what gives me the greatest satisfaction is seeing the elements we’ve worked on with an athlete come to the fore during a competition. It’s a pleasure to watch when an athlete competes, for example, at the World Championships or European Championships, and you can see the results of our work in their performance. It’s very rewarding.

I’ve had another interesting experience, as I’ve been working in sports psychology for over 20 years now. I once worked with an athlete who later became a coach and now has children - and I’m working with those children. Stories like that give you the feeling that we’re probably doing a good job, don’t they?

- What would you say to people, such as students, who are thinking about a career as a sports psychologist?

- I’m very biased, but in my opinion it’s the best job you can do, especially if you combine research with practical work. Well… I simply love it, even though it’s demanding and often very difficult. I love that sense of satisfaction from research when we get something right. We have a hypothesis, we carry out a study, we get results, we think about how to translate the findings into practice, we observe what works, and ideas for further research emerge…

- A sort of perpetual motion machine?

- I suppose that’s the idea, isn’t it? Just as we work with athletes or students, so too must we constantly learn and develop, drawing on both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. I’m also delighted that, as the Department of Sports Psychology, we train students who go on to work as sports psychologists and are valued by athletes, clubs and other employers - and who, incidentally, have fond memories of the University of Gdańsk - which is very encouraging for us.

- Thank you for the interview!

Dr hab. Dagmara Budnik-Przybylska has been working (since 2005) at the Department of Sport Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk. She serves as deputy head of the Postgraduate Programme in Sport Psychology and as supervisor of the Sport Psychology Section of the ANIMA Psychological Sciences Society.

She is a member of the Polish Psychological Association, a member of the Executive Committee of the Sports Psychology Section of the PTP, and a member of the European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC). She has been nominated five times as an Olympic psychologist and is a certified master-class sports psychologist. She has published (as an author or co-author) several dozen academic articles. Her main research interests concern mental imagery in sport.