Clinical sport psychology insights: Team vs. individual sports

When we think about team sports versus individual sports, the difference seems pretty obvious.

In a team sport, you're part of a team. You have teammates, and everyone has a role to play.

In an individual sport, you're on your own.

Except you're really not.

That was one of the things Lidia Garcia and I kept coming back to when we answered questions from a high school sports psychology class for an episode of The Mentally Fit Athlete. The more we talked about it, the more complicated the distinction between team and individual sports became.

The pressure can be different

There are some real differences between team and individual sports.

In a team sport, you have other people who can pick you up when you're having a bad day. Maybe you didn't sleep well. Maybe you've got a lot of homework. Maybe something is going on with your family. Whatever it is, you still have teammates around you.

In an individual sport, more of the responsibility falls on you.

If you're a sprinter and you false start, you're done. If you pull a muscle during the race, you're done. There's no teammate who can take over for you.

That can create a different kind of pressure.

But there are advantages, too. If you're an individual athlete, you don't have to sit around wondering whether your coach is going to put you in the game. You know you're going to get your opportunity to compete.

And some athletes really like that.

The point isn't that one type of sport is more difficult than the other. The pressures are just different.

You still can't control everything

One of the skills that matters in both types of sports is adaptability.

In a team sport, you have to adapt to what your teammates are doing. You might think they're going left, and they go right. You might have a plan for how a play is supposed to unfold, and then something completely different happens.

You have to adjust.

The same thing happens in individual sports.

I remember Lidia talking about her experience running the 800 meters. She could have her race strategy completely figured out, but she was still racing against other people who had their own strategies. They weren't thinking about what she wanted to do. They were trying to run their own race.

So having a plan is important.

Being able to change the plan when you need to is important, too.

This is one reason I talk so much about letting go of control with athletes. You can control your preparation. You can control your effort. You can control how you respond to what happens.

You can't control everybody else.

Even individual athletes need teammates

I've experienced this myself.

I competed in sprinting in high school and community college, and later I got into weightlifting. Weightlifting is usually considered an individual sport. When you compete, it's your lift. You're the one standing on the platform.

But being a good training partner is a huge part of the sport.

You help load and unload the bar. You support your training partners. You communicate. You encourage each other. You help create an environment where everybody can train hard.

And then you show up at a competition and compete against each other.

There's something interesting about that.

You can want to beat somebody and still want them to have a great competition.

The same thing happens in running. Having a good training partner can help you get faster because you're pushing each other. Sometimes you're trying to catch the person in front of you. Sometimes you're trying to stay ahead.

Either way, you're not really doing it alone.

Everybody has a role

This is also where team sports can get complicated.

Not everybody on a team gets to be the person who scores the winning touchdown. Sometimes your role is to give the starters a good workout in practice. Sometimes you're there to defend, block, communicate, or support your teammates.

That might not be the role you wanted.

But it's still a role.

And that's something athletes sometimes have to work through psychologically. Your value to the team isn't necessarily determined by how much playing time you get or how many points you score.

Everybody contributes differently.

The same thing happens in individual sports. The athlete might be the one competing, but there are coaches, training partners, athletic trainers, physical therapists, parents, and mental health professionals supporting that performance.

The athlete may compete individually.

They don't succeed individually.

Team dynamics matter in individual sports, too

I've done team-building workshops with track teams, and you might initially wonder why a track team would need one.

Track and field looks pretty individual. You've got sprinters, distance runners, throwers, jumpers, and other athletes doing completely different things.

A shot putter might barely interact with a distance runner during practice.

Sometimes the first step is simply getting athletes to know each other's names.

That might sound like a pretty small thing, but it can make a difference. Once you know who your teammates are, it's easier to talk to them. It's easier to cheer for them. You're not just yelling, “Go team!” You're cheering for an actual person you know.

And one athlete's performance can change the energy of an entire team.

Lydia brought up a good example from track meets. Everyone is competing in their own event, but when one person runs a great race, makes a big jump, or throws well, the rest of the team notices. It can shift the momentum for everyone.

So even in an individual sport, you're still part of something bigger than yourself.

You're not as alone as you think

I think that's probably the biggest takeaway.

Individual athletes still need teams.

Those teams might look different from the teams we usually think about. They might include a coach, training partners, parents, teammates, athletic trainers, physical therapists, or mental health professionals.

But they're still teams.

And that's worth remembering when you're feeling like everything is on you.

Yes, you are responsible for your performance.

But you don't have to do everything by yourself.

If you're an athlete struggling with performance anxiety, perfectionism, fear of mistakes, or other mental barriers, working with a sport psychologist can be one part of building that support system.

I work with athletes throughout Los Angeles, Long Beach, and the South Bay, helping them perform under pressure while enjoying their sport more. If you'd like to discuss your goals and see whether we're a good fit, schedule a free consultation.