It was such a delight to dive deeply into the realm of sports and esports psychology by attending the sports and esports psychology open talk with Dr Rebecca Wong being the main speaker. Dr Wong has shed light on the crucial role mental training plays in enhancing performance in both traditional sports and esports. Initially, I did not truly believe in the efficacy of sports psychologists, as from my perspective, it seems that the performance of a player purely depends on their skills, talents, and background. However, the talk helped reduce the stigma I held and completely changed my perspective.
As an esports performance coach and sports psychologist, Dr Wong started off the talk with the current trends, state, and development of esports and sports in Malaysia. She shared her background, how she entered the sports psychology industry, and what she did to be who she is today.
Dr Wong emphasised the importance of mental health and well-being in esports and sports and highlighted the need for athletes to prioritise their psychological development besides their physical training. She also professionally shared about sports psychologists in the current Malaysian context, herself included. Her colleagues were also there to kindly share their personal experiences and insights with the audience.
I was truly impressed by Dr Wong due to her experience of working with various levels of athletes at the Olympic Games. I also gained valuable knowledge on the importance of mental health support in high-pressure environments like the Olympic Games. Her passion for helping athletes achieve their full potential was evident throughout the talk, it was motivating to hear her perspective on the holistic approach to athlete development and the positive impacts it can have on the athletes’ performance. From this talk, I gained a more thorough understanding of the relationship between sports psychologists and athletes.
Among her sharings, I was most fascinated by some of her past experiences with esports athletes. She mentioned an athlete who had a panic attack on the stage during a competition, and how she intervened to manage the athlete’s situation. She stressed the importance of anxiety and stress management for the athletes. It was also quite surprising to learn that sometimes athletes are prohibited from using their phones particularly before a competition to keep them away from negative comments online, as those might affect their mental state, not to mention their performance.
As a sports psychologist, her duties also involve goal setting, providing motivation, as well as enhancing team dynamics and communication among athletes. Dr Wong generously shared several photos, including moments where she conducted mindfulness and relaxation activities with the athletes, both indoors and even by the roadside. This helped the audience and I to better visualize her work routines and job scope.
The open talk concluded with a Q&A session, where the audience was eager to delve deeper into certain aspects of sports psychology. Dr Wong and her colleagues showed remarkable patience and passion when providing more information and knowledge to us in a highly professional manner.
She even offered a precious chance for us to sign up as her trainee sports psychologist upon graduation, allowing us to take our very first step into the field under her supervision and guidance, immerse ourselves in their world, and learn more about how it works in detail.
All in all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr Wong and her colleagues for the valuable opportunity to learn from such experienced professionals. Their dedication and expertise in the field truly sparked the audience’s curiosity and inspired us to pursue a career in sports psychology, not to mention to make a positive impact in the world.
Written by Pang Ming Xi, psychology student at IMU University
