Psychological training in olympic shooting: A case study

Abstract

This article sets out a psychological intervention on an Olympic shooter. She competes in the air gun class and shows high levels of stress, anxiety, burnout syndrome and desires to retire from the sport. The main objective was to cut down the symptoms of anxiety and to enhance her sporting performance. The intervention lasted twelve months and was followed up for six months. The psychological training was composed of target-setting techniques, cognitive restructuring, thought stopping training, self instruction and relaxation and visualisation techniques. After the psychological intervention, the burnout syndrome disappeared and stress and anxiety indicators improved which meant that the shooter’s sporting performance increased and her desire to retire started to disappear. This research underscores the importance of psychological training in sport.