manage the effects of pressure and anxiety is an essential component of successful sports competition, but many athletes have difficulty with this. For instance, previous research investigating why Olympic athletes seek the assistance of a sports psychologist reported that the majority of such consultations were related to stress or performance anxiety issues (Murphy, 1988). Sports psychology focuses on the study of the psychological factors that affect performance in athletics, physical activity, and exercise and applies these factors to improve individual and/or team performance. The major focus for increasing performance is by managing emotions and affect as well as diminishing the psychological effects of prior poor performances or injuries. Due to the complexity and impact of anxiety on sports performance there has been a great deal of research in sports psychology investigating the relationship between anxiety and athletic performance. This paper will review the issues from a cognitive-behavioral perspective as well...
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