Applying Sport Psychology to
Health Promotion
Robert A. Swoap, Ph.D.
The Art and Science of Health Professor of Psychology
Promotion Conference, March 2006 Warren Wilson College
Asheville, North Carolina
Learning Objectives
Identify seven skills that successful athletes use
in training and competition.
Understand how sport psychology skills can
transfer to the field of health promotion.
Apply sport psychology skills to individuals
trying to make health behavior changes.
Habits of Successful Athletes
Small-group exercise:
Identify several behavioral
and/or psychological skills
that you see in successful
athletes. Do any of these
have apparent applications
to health behavior change?
Seven Habits
1. Effective Goal-Setting
– Challenging but realistic
– Specific and with a time-
frame
– Short-term and long-term
– Written down
– Action-oriented; focused on
the process more than on the
end-result (e.g., place kicker)
2. Training Smart / Work Ethic
– Work on weaknesses (e.g., Tiger,
Mia, JJ)
– Have a routine (mental and
physical) for CONSISTENCY
– Intentions vs. behaviors: Past
behavior is often a better predictor
of future behavior than are stated
intentions. (“Just do it” is not bad
advice!)
• Power of inertia (can be a benefit or a
barrier)
3. Using Others as Support
• Get feedback from
coaches, teammates,
and others
– Ask for (and accept)
critique
– Get support and
instruction
• Accountability to one’s
stated intentions (e.g.,
posting goals; exercise in post-
menopausal women)
4. Mental Rehearsal
• Imagery/visualization
– Planning for a
competition (e.g., race plan)
– Developing a strategy for
health behavior change
(e.g., smoking cessation plan)
• Imagining potential
barriers and how one
will overcome them (e.g.,
Coach Jackson, next slide)
Mental Rehearsal:
Imagining potential barriers
“Visualization is an important tool for
me. During one of those [imagery]
sessions, I visualized a way to
neutralize Magic Johnson: double-
teaming him in the backcourt to
force him to give up the ball.”
“That was one of the keys to beating
the Lakers to win our first
championship in 1991.”
-- Coach Phil Jackson,
Sacred Hoops (1995)
5. Dealing with Self-Doubt
• Cognitive control
– Being able to manage self-
talk (e.g., when the pain comes)
– Controlling automatic
thoughts
• “I can’t do this.”
• “I’m a choker”
– Use of cue words / phrases
to get focus back on the
ACTION vs. the outcome
6. Concentration and Focus
•Sean O’Neill’s Rules
– Rule #1 – Try For EVERY
Ball.
– Rule #2 – If The Ball Is
Too Far Away To Reach,
See Rule #1
– Rule #3 – Stay In Present
Moment In Competition
(Focus On Technique or
Point-by-Point Strategy)
Concentration and Focus
• Focus on the present
– Past and future largely
irrelevant (press conf.)
• “What if I can’t ….”
needs to be replaced with
“What do I need to do
right now?”
(e.g., Anne Riddle Lundblad)
• Practice refocusing
during drills (e.g., Todd)
7. Dealing with Setbacks
• Contingency planning
– Preparing for scenarios
– How will I handle a slip?
• “Failure isn’t fatal. All the
setbacks I’ve had, although
heartbreaking at the time,
were only temporary.”
– Don Shula
• Avoiding mental traps
– Black-white thinking
• “I always get stressed-out
when someone cuts me off.”
– Catastrophizing
• “This is the worst…”
Applying sport psychology skills
in health promotion settings
• Guidelines
– With whom will this strategy be most effective?
– Ask the client to describe how an athlete improves
• Likely, you’ll get a vague response (e.g., “She works hard.”)
• Your response: Let’s look at this more closely
• Help the person operationalize “working hard” by
introducing the seven habits of highly effective athletes
– Overall goal: To help the person understand the
connection between his/her situation (changing a
health behavior) and that of an athlete training and/or
competing
– Some of the seven habits will, of course, apply more
obviously than others depending on the person and the
situation
Applying sport psychology skills
in health promotion settings
• Case Studies
• Weight Management
– Gerald, 43-year-old male, 5’10”, 225 lbs, pre-diabetic
– Intelligent, motivated, self-employed website designer
– Family history of obesity. Father died of M.I. (had a
long-term struggle with managing Type-2 Diabetes).
– Wife is also overweight, but not to his extent
– Enjoys travel, NCAA basketball, playing with his
children
Weight Management (case study #1)
7 Habits (recap)
• Go step-by-step 1. Goal-setting
through the seven 2. Training smart /
habits Work ethic
3. Using others as
• In reality, this support
would occur over 4. Mental rehearsal
5. Dealing with self-
several sessions doubt
6. Concentration and
focus
7. Dealing with
setbacks
Small-group exercise #2
• Case study #2 (Allison)
• Case study #3 (Vivian)
– Handouts
– You can add details to the case
studies as needed
Smoking Cessation (case study #2)
7 Habits (recap)
• Allison, 22-year-old female
• Smokes 1 ppd 1. Goal-setting
• Single, college senior, majoring 2. Training smart /
in history, most of her friends Work ethic
smoke (at least socially) 3. Using others as
• Has tried to quit several times support
4. Mental rehearsal
before; found it too stressful
5. Dealing with self-
• Works part-time as a server in a doubt
coffee house 6. Concentration and
• Enjoys hiking, reading, and focus
going dancing 7. Dealing with
setbacks
Starting an Exercise Program
(case study #3)
7 Habits (recap)
• Vivian, 71-year-old female
• Widow, four children, many 1. Goal-setting
grandchildren 2. Training smart /
Work ethic
• Recently diagnosed with 3. Using others as
osteoporosis support
• Always been a sports fan, but 4. Mental rehearsal
never very active herself 5. Dealing with self-
doubt
• Doesn’t want to be a burden on 6. Concentration and
her children (is motivated to focus
become healthier) 7. Dealing with
setbacks