Inside an elite athlete's mind

Commonwealth Games gold medals are often decided before the starter's gun is fired, according to National President of the APS College of Sport Psychologists, Professor Peter Terry.

Professor Terry said the real competition is in the ‘Call Room', where the athletes wait together prior to the start of a race. It is there where the mind games are at their fiercest, and their mental state and imminent performance can be changed dramatically.

Professor Terry, who is also head of Psychology at USQ, said athletes who are thinking the wrong thing often focus on the responsibility to family, friends and the Australian nation.

"They will often be weighed down by the burden of expectation, which is a very common mistake," Professor Terry said.

"They magnify the importance of what they're doing, which is really just a game.

"Those who get it right focus on their role and how they're going to play it.

"They will have mentally rehearsed what will happen leading up to the Games. What they will be thinking, feeling, doing and will have been doing this for most of the previous few days.

"If the athlete gets it right, they are just implementing what's been planned in their mind's eye. Some need help to do this and that's where Sport Psychologists come in," he said.

Sport Psychologists encourage the habit to mentally prepare, and work with the coach to build that into training.

Another major role of Sports Psychologists is supporting athletes through injury.

Professor Terry was until recently Coordinator of Psychology Services at the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) and has worked with elite athletes for more than 22 years, at 7 Olympic Games and more than 100 international events.

He said of the 600 athletes at QAS, about 67 percent of them get injured per year and 18 percent are injured at any one time.

"It's in these dark times that athletes need the most support."

Another time where support is crucial is working with those athletes who don't win. 

"The ones who lose have to deal with shattered dreams, and often have a grief-like response," Professor Terry said.

On the up side though, when an athlete does win a Sport Psychologists would tend to encourage them to enjoy the success before looking forward to the next challenge.

Professor Terry said while there is a close link between mindset and performance there is of course those occasions where athletes get the mental side all wrong but still win – because they're just too good.

Fiona Taylor, P: 07 4631 2559, M: 0423 808 462