Mental Skills for the Artistic Sports: Developing Emotional Intelligence

Virginia Gillham is university librarian at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The artistic sports—figure skating, gymnastics, synchronized swimming,
diving, and rhythmic gymnastics—require much more of their
participants than simply athletic prowess and physical conditioning.
Because these sports are judged subjectively, enormous mental stress is
created for the athletes. The most successful participants in these
sports are not only physically capable at a very high level, they are
also highly intelligent and mentally disciplined, which helps them deal
with the pressures induced by rivalry and subjective evaluation, and
focus on the task at hand to the exclusion of everything else at the
critical moment. Canada’s Elvis Stojko displays perhaps the most
impressive example of mental discipline and focus in Canadian artistic
sports; his career history abounds with examples of success owing to
incredible focus and discipline.

Sports psychologist Dr. Murray Smith has written this book for coaches,
competing athletes, and athletes’ parents with the goal of fostering
mental discipline, a positive attitude, and coping skills. Artistic
athletes who are able to incorporate his advice into their training will
“be better equipped to behave intelligently and responsibly in the
face of challenges or adversity ... learn how to control their thinking
and emotions to perform consistently and effectively at their highest
level of personal excellence ... learn how to set personal and
achievable goals.”

Coaches and officials have long recognized the issues addressed by this
book. It fills a gap that has been crying out to be filled. This volume
should be at every skating rink, swimming pool, and gymnasium and in the
home of every competitor in the artistic sports.