Self-regulation of sport performance

All serious sport participants must engage in goal-directed behaviors in the relative absence of immediate external constraints (i.e., self-regulation). Psychologists have developed theoretical models of self-regulation and produced principles of self-regulation that are summarized by the models. These concepts apply directly to sport performance. The purpose of this paper is to review the most relevant concepts in self-regulation and show how they impact on sport psychology. Several studies are reviewed which have used self-regulatory concepts to help both elite and ordinary athletes improve their performance. For example, the research indicates that when performance is difficult (e.g., at low and moderate skill levels), performance can be improved by keeping track of successes while performing or while viewing videotapes of one's own performance. Keeping track of instances of inadequate performance may prove detrimental except if the tasks being monitored are extremely easy or routine. How to apply this principle and others to sport performance is discussed.