A Review of External and Internal Factors that Affect Sport Performance and Interventions

Research on sports performance shows that athletes’ performance is heavily determined by internal and external factors. Studies have shown that these factors can either have a negative or positive impact on sports performance depending on different factors. They are various interventions that an athlete can use to mitigate poor performance caused by external and internal factors. South Africa is amongst the most active countries in the world as far as sport and sports psychology is concerned, but literature that merges these two disciplines is scant. More research and reviews on this topic can play a vital role in sports and sports psychology in South Africa and the world at large. This paper summarises the current state of factors that affect sports performance and proposed interventions in efforts to supplement the scant body of sports psychology literature. Upon reviewing the literature, the conclusion was that South Africa needs more research and reviews on the topic of sports performance to improve athletes’ performance and the quality of sport in South Africa. Researchers should look into contextualizing the factors that affect sports performance in South Africa and provide relevant interventions taking our unique history, diversity, culture, social interaction, and other distinguishing factors into consideration.