KUALA LUMPUR: Sports psychology expert Associate Professor Dr Nelfianty Mohd Rasyid is confident that national athletes can win gold at the Paris Olympics (Jul 26-Aug 26) if they can properly implement the psychology techniques they have learnt.
"Sports psychology is not something an athlete can learn in a short time frame. It (mental strength) is something that must continuously be trained for, just like how an athlete would train physically," said Nelfianty when contacted yesterday.
"There are four phases to psychological skills training - the education phase, acquisition phase, practice (implementation) phase and evaluation phase (post competition).
"Our national athletes should now be in the practice phase and must use the techniques they have learnt during their training, especially those which are more relevant to them in the Olympics as each athlete has different psychological skills. Some athletes thrive under pressure while others prefer to have less expectations placed on them.
"The techniques include goal setting, breathing exercises, imagery, self talk, autogenic training, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness to control their anxiety, as well as boost their motivation and confidence to enhance their performances.
"They also have to focus on the goal they have set from early on, not only in terms of achieving the (ultimate) outcome of the goals but also process and performance goals.
She added: "Many studies have shown that in critical situations, what separates the champion from the runner-up at the Olympic level is mental strength. Mental strength is something athletes have to be trained on from an early stage. Their brain should also 'lift weights' and be just as strong as they are physically.
"I believe the National Sports Institute has provided our athletes with the required (psychological) preparation, InsyaAllah we will bring back the gold medal."
Nelfianty is currently serving at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris' Faculty of Sports Science and Coaching.
She is also a former national hockey player who represented Malaysia between 1989 until 1998, and was part of the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games squad.