Sport Psychology investigates the mind's role in physical activity.
Take, for example these two athletes:
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Both preparing for a race, they appear to be in completely different places mentally. Sport psychologists try to understand why these athletes use different preparation routines, and why each one is successful in their own strategy.
They also look at how different factors influence success: some of these include stress, practice, talent, peer pressure and confidence.
They do this by making comparisons between elite athletes, average athletes, individuals with mental disabilities and everyone in between.
To find out more about the world of Sport Psychology check out these links!
About Swimming.com's sport psych links
Athletic Insight Online Sport Psych Magazine
Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology
Psychwatch: Sport Psychology Resources
Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (really good FAQ section)