Students gain insights into sports psychology

The Sports University of Haryana on Wednesday organised a workshop on the theme “Personality and Potential: Understanding the Game Within the Game.” The event saw enthusiastic participation from nearly 400 students across various departments, including sports, sports coaching, BPES, MPES, sports science, sports journalism and mass communication, sports psychology, nutrition and management.

Vice-Chancellor Ashok Kumar emphasised that in today’s dynamic sports environment, technical skills alone are not sufficient. A sportsperson’s mental balance, self-development and personality maturity play a crucial role in achieving excellence. He added that such workshops offer learners and athletes valuable opportunities to discover and strengthen their inner potential.

Formally inaugurating the programme, Professor Yogesh Chander said the workshop would help players, teachers and staff understand the deep connection between personality and performance.

Resource person Dr Meenakshi from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, shared in-depth insights on mental focus, confidence building, pressure management and maintaining an effective balance between skill and strategy. Explaining the well-known “Iceberg Illusion,” she highlighted that nearly 90 per cent of an athlete’s success depends on psychological preparedness, discipline, self-image and inner strength.

Addressing students of journalism, she noted that the field of sports journalism offers vast opportunities for global visibility, enabling journalists to gain prominence by covering national and international sports events.

During the session, students filled out a personality assessment questionnaire and identified their personality types — lion, chameleon, turtle, eagle and salmon. They also engaged actively by asking thoughtful questions and receiving expert guidance.

In his closing remarks, Dr Vivek expressed gratitude to all participants and affirmed that the university would continue to organise such enlightening and insightful programmes.

Assistant Professor Dr Jaipal from the Department of Sports Journalism and Mass Communication introduced Dr Meenakshi, noting that her experience, research and understanding of personality development would greatly help students and athletes realise their true potential. He added that the workshop’s core objective was to help participants strengthen their inner performance by creating harmony between their “real self” and “ideal self.”