Q.Describe important of self-talk by athletes in sports?

Self-talk is defined as the overt (spoken aloud) or covert (silent, internal) personal dialogue in which an athlete interprets their own feelings, perceptions and convictions, and gives themselves instructions and reinforcement. Every athlete has thoughts running through their mind during performance - especially in competition - and these thoughts, whether positive or negative, are a form of self-talk; the skill lies in learning to control and structure them deliberately rather than letting them happen at random.

For self-talk to actually work, the textbook specifies it should be brief and phonetically simple (so it can be used in the instant it's needed), logically associated with the skill being performed, and compatible with the sequential timing of the task. There are three primary categories: task-specific statements that reinforce technique (e.g., saying 'turn' while preparing to hit a tennis volley); encouragement and effort statements that provide self-encouragement (e.g., 'you can do it' before a crucial play); and mood words that raise mood or arousal (e.g., 'hard' or 'blast' during a football or soccer play). …