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.有关运动表现的研究表明，运动员的竞技表现在很大程度上由内、外两类因素共同决定。已有研究证实，依据具体场景的差异，这些因素既可能对运动表现产生消极影响，也可带来积极作用。针对内外部因素引发的竞技表现不佳问题，运动员可通过多种干预手段予以缓解。就体育与运动心理学领域而言，南非是全球活跃度最高的国家之一，但融合这两门学科的相关文献却十分匮乏。针对该主题开展更多研究与综述，无论对南非还是全球范围内的体育与运动心理学领域，都将发挥至关重要的推动作用。本文梳理了当前影响运动表现的各类因素及已提出的干预方案，旨在弥补运动心理学领域现有文献的不足。通过对现有文献的系统梳理与分析，本文得出结论：南非需针对运动表现主题开展更多研究与综述，以提升本国运动员的竞技水平与体育事业发展质量。研究人员应结合南非独特的历史背景、多元文化、社会互动及其他差异化特征，对影响该国运动表现的因素进行情境化分析，并据此提出针对性的干预方案。