Top athletes develop brain strength

In 1965, the first World Congress of Sports Psychology met in Rome. It wasn't until 1977 when the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology was formed to study the effects of the field. It has slowly built since then, but it is an integral part of any elite sports organization now. There are many areas where a psychologist plays a role in the development of athletes. At the most basic level, it comes down to mental strength. The ability to keep one's focus, to block out distractions, to understand their exact goal with each competition and each practice and the ability to survive both defeat and victory. In individual sports where a thousandth of a second can determine the outcome of glory, every edge is critical.
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