Research on the needs of excellent athletes having mental health education and training

Introduction

How to improve athletes’ splendid careers and adjust their attitudes from passive to active and healthy in practices and competitions? They require having mental health education to a large extent. Nowadays, what sport teams pay much attention on are the results athletes having achieved and still ignore the importance of mental health education which will produce great effects on the full life of athletes. Entered the 21st century, World Health Organization has advised the whole world that changes of mental health state have reflected national culture education and national spirit in all respects. Athletes live, study, take training and have competitions in sport teams from childhood to youth. Traditional concepts neglect individual characteristic mental health and development. In fact, athletes should be facilitated to develop healthily in all-round and diversity. Therefore, it requires the coaches, sport teams and other relevant people to highlight and improve psychology education, which spans athletes’ whole life. Mental health education is one of the most important branches on the system of human science.

Methods

Athletes of Shanghai Cable men’s volleyball team and some of national team; Athletes and coaches of Shanghai Oriental basketball team; Some athletes, coaches and team leaders of national and Shanghai fencing team; Some athletes and coaches of national, Shanghai football team; Some athletes and coaches of national and Shanghai men’s table tennis team Some athletes, coaches and management level of national and Shanghai swimming and diving team. The total number of samples is 198.
The research adopts comprehensive methods including field study, interview research, feedback study, tracing research, observation research and consulting services.

Results

Research focuses on truth, filed study and interview. The upgrade of knowledge level, higher efficient training theories and brave enough to compete in the match result from healthy mentality. Every one grows up from the same starting line so that teenager is key period for athletes to develop energy, vigor and emotion (mentality). Currently, the main duty is to cultivate talents by developing their comprehensive qualities.
Results reveal that whether coaches realize own mental state during training exerts direct effects on that of athletes. The philosophy of life and principles of behavior of a coach affects athletes consciously or unconsciously. The traditional concept goes "an apprentice follows the master worker". Moreover, it’s natural for parents to tell children to obey the coaches in the sport team. Actually, athletes brave more than wise are used to such concept that dependence on parents at home while on coaches in the sport team. They are overcautious and not in a laudable tolerant spirit. Therefore, the conclusion is that one of the reasons why an athlete subject to the defeats in competition frequently is whether his/her coach realizes the importance of the theory that athletes taking mental health education in the early stage will have vital effects on their study, training and working in the later stage.

Discussion

Having Mental Health Education To Protect Beautiful Surroundings & Health Mental State Surroundings include the classroom, training class, team and club, inner or outer environment of competition arena, where athletes and coaches live and train. Sport competition has close relation with outer environment. The demands coming from beautiful mental state (inner world) is in tune with surroundings (outer world). Emphasis on "the combination of complementary and interaction of crossed science" and protection of human being is more than the responsibilities of psychologists. Related parents, instructors, leaders and coaches need to keep multilateral and multi-tier cooperation. The active "Environment Protection" of human natural resource is concerned. The demands are synthesis, which promote, operate, support and friend each other. The perfect environment of sitting close made for creation. Full use of knowledge is made for creative thought the same as taking advantages of strengths. Eager to be top and thinking over strategies develops reciprocally.

References

[1] Maslow ,A.H. (1987). Motivation and Personality, 3rd Ed. New York: Harper & Row.
[2] Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
[3] TANG YueYing & RONNY, (1999).Analysis of Several Factors Affecting The Psychological Changes of Sportsmen Proceedings of 3rd International Congress Asian-South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology. Journal of WuHan Institute of Physical Education, 33, 88-90.