Application
This unit applies to those working autonomously and within supervisory roles in a sport and recreation environment. It applies to personnel who are responsible for coaching athletes in a sport-specific training or competition setting.
Prerequisites
Nil
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide. |
1. Analyse information. | 1.1. Access and analyse relevant and current information from a range of sources on the application of principles of sports psychology for peak sporting performance. 1.2. Identify support personnel and resources available to assist athletes with sport psychology issues. 1.3. Assess athlete's information needs in relation to psychological approaches to enhance peak performance in relevant sporting activity. 1.4. Maintain and update information on psychological approaches for peak performance. |
2. Liaise with sports psychology support personnel. | 2.1. Select appropriate psychological support personnel to assist athletes. 2.2. Consult with sport psychology support personnel to identify specific psychological approaches for peak performance in the sporting activity. |
3. Provide information to athletes. | 3.1. Assess individual psychological needs and preference of athletes in relation to the sporting activity according to organisational policies and procedures. 3.2. Explain psychological approaches for peak performance in the relevant sporting activity to athletes. 3.3. Present information to athletes in a style appropriate to the needs of the athletes and the coaching setting. 3.4. Check understanding of athletes regarding psychological approaches for peak sporting performance using appropriate approaches and encourage athletes to clarify information. 3.5. Clarify with the athletes, the role of the support personnel, including personnel who are experts in the field of sports psychology. 3.6. Encourage athletes to seek advice and support from selected sport psychology support personnel. |
4. Assist athletes to implement psychological approaches. | 4.1. Select implementation strategies to enhance peak performance in the activity in consultation with the athlete and sport psychology support personnel. 4.2. Support athletes to implement selected strategies in training and competition according to organisational policies and procedures. 4.3. Monitor implementation of psychological approaches during training or competition according to organisational policies and procedures. 4.4. Identify possible psychological symptoms that act as barriers to enhanced performance. 4.5. Refer athletes who have psychological symptoms to psychology support personnel for treatment. |
5. Evaluate the effect of psychological approaches. | 5.1. Analyse the performance of athletes in competition situations against expected performance. 5.2. Evaluate the effect of psychological approaches on performance in the activity in consultation with the athlete and psychology support personnel. 5.3. Adjust psychological approaches to better assist athletes to achieve peak performance in the activity in consultation with the athlete and psychology support personnel. |
Required Skills
Required skills |
communication skills to: build rapport with athletes and support personnel access, analyse and convey information about sport psychology principles and approaches for peak performance to athletes using appropriate communication techniques negotiate appropriate strategies to achieve peak performance with athletes and seek feedback on the effectiveness of strategies language and literacy skills to access and interpret information on sport psychology principles and approaches for peak performance relevant to the appropriate sport problem-solving skills to: assess effectiveness of psychological approaches to enhance performance and to modify accordingly recognise psychological barriers to enhanced performance and refer the athlete to support personnel. |
Required knowledge |
psychological approaches and techniques such as mental rehearsal, goal setting and self control strategies to assist athletes to prepare psychologically for competition and to enhance performance in a sporting event organisational policies and procedures to enable athletes to implement psychological approaches to enhance performance in a professional and supported manner motivational techniques to assist athletes to prepare psychologically for a sporting event psychological barriers to enable these to be recognised and addressed information sources regarding psychological approaches for peak performance to enable accuracy and currency of knowledge to be conveyed to athletes. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the following is essential: acquires, selects and adapts information in relation to sports psychology principles and approaches for optimal performance to develop and maintain professional knowledge for own sporting area works with support personnel to identify sport-specific psychological approaches for peak performance and selects and adopts communication strategies appropriate to the information needs of athletes consults with athletes and support personnel to develop, implement and review psychological approaches to support them in a coaching setting monitors psychological approaches of athletes and refers psychological barriers to appropriate support personnel. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure participation in multiple interactions with athletes and support personnel that involve the provision and discussion of information and the implementation, monitoring and review of psychological approaches to enable optimal performance to demonstrate competency and consistency of performance. Assessment must also ensure access to: a sport-specific training or competition setting athletes and sports psychology support personnel sources of information about sports psychology principles and approaches for peak performance current organisational policies and procedures that impact on the implementation of psychological approaches for peak performance. |
Method of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: observation of interaction with athletes and sport psychology support personnel including discussions and implementation of psychological approaches for peak performance observation of consultation with athletes to review strategies to support them to apply psychological approaches to achieve peak performance oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of the principles of sports psychology third-party reports from coaches or other support staff detailing examples of interactions and discussions with athletes and support personnel such as the implementation of strategies to support athletes with sports psychology. Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended. Relevant sport specific coaching units of competency. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Principles of sports psychology for peak sporting performance may include: | establishing mental routines motivation stress management. |
Support personnel may include: | sports psychologists nutritionists administrators other coaches sports scientists sports medicine providers other health professionals parents and guardians. |
Resources may include: | audiovisual multimedia information kits. |
Athletes may include: | beginner through to high performance level competitors athletes under 16 years of age who require parent or guardian consent prior to being included in a training program female or male athletes athletes with a disability or special needs athletes from minority ethnic and cultural groups. |
Psychological approaches to enhance peak performance may include: | mental rehearsal goal setting self control, arousal and anxiety techniques relaxation techniques visualisation self-talk stress management time management intrinsic and extrinsic motivation concentration. |
Organisational policies and procedures may include: | codes of conduct duty of care confidentiality occupational health and safety. |
Approaches may include: | discussions open questions. |
Symptoms may include: | loss of concentration loss of motivation consistent under performance aggressiveness. |
Sectors
Sport
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills.
Licensing Information
No licensing, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement