Malawi

MALAWI VS BURKINA FASO: BISHOP TO OFFER SPIRITUAL HELP TO THE FLAMES

The Flames (Malawi National Team) are leaving no stone unturned for the do or die game against Burkina Faso this Saturday. Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has included Bishop Mark Kambalazaza in the Flames’ delegation that departed for Burkina Faso via Ethiopia Sunday. Malawi Squad.

According to The Daily Times Sports Editor Pilirani Kachinziri, who is travelling with the team, FAM included Kambalazaza to offer spiritual help to the Flames during their last World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Burkinabees on November 14. Kachinziri said FAM had also incorporated Malawi College of Medicine psychologist Gus Banda.

My take is that having the Bishop as part of the team is not the same as having a “juju man” (Picture courtesy of theoffside.com) as part of the team. The interaction between sport and religion has been a significant area of study for sport sociologists who have recognized the importance of religion and spirituality in athletes’ lives (Coakley, 2003; Hoffman, 1992; Stevenson, 1991).

Below is a reproduction of the article’s/articles’ main points because I have realized that some people don’t bother to click on links.

A number of investigations have shown that the use of prayer by athletes before, during and after competition to be a common and valuable practice for enhancing performance and overall well-being (Czech & Burke, in press; Czech, Wrisberg, Fisher, Thompson, & Hayes, 2004; Park, 2000; Vernacchia, McGuire, Reardon, & Templin, 2000).

Coakley (2003) has suggested six possible reasons athletes utilize religious prayer: prayer as a coping mechanism for uncertain stressful situations; to help live a morally sound life; to sanctify athletes’ commitment to sport; to put sport into perspective; to establish a strong bond of attachment between teammates; and to maintain social control. The use of religious prayer to alleviate anxiety and stress in uncertain situations is prevalent among athletes, and is consequently an important topic for sport psychology research.

Womack (1992) theorized that one reason that athletes use religious rituals is because it helps them focus attention on the task at hand, thus aiding performance. Therefore, it is argued that in addition to prayer being used to alleviate anxiety, it may also assist in optimizing attentional focus (Nideffer, 1976) by blocking out excessive environmental stimuli, such as fan interruption and any distraction strategies of the opposition.

When dealing with religious athletes, another important consideration for the sport psychology consultant is the question of professional boundaries and levels of competence. If an athlete presents with serious difficulties in their religious life, consultants should refer the athlete to an appropriate professional from the religious community. (That’s why Bishop Kambalazaza will be on-site to offer spiritual help). Within professional sport this would most likely be the team’s Chaplain or Minister, or in collegiate or amateur sport, either the college Chaplain or member of the community clergy. This emphasizes the need for sport psychology consultants to work closely with the religious professionals when appropriate, in order to provide a holistic service to athletes. For example, it is important that the sport psychology consultant is aware how prayer and other religious observances can be used as a useful adjunct to a conventional MST. However, consulting a religious professional may highlight how there are certain forms of intervention, such as positive self-talk, hypnosis, deep relaxation, and visualization that may not be appropriate for religious individuals, especially Christian athletes (Balague, 1999). For example, some forms of positive self-talk may conflict with the virtue of Christian humility.

In conclusion, Bishop Kambalazaza has gone to Burkina Faso as the Flames’ assistant sport psychologist. He will work hand in hand with Malawi College of Medicine psychologist Gus Banda. He has gone there to offer on-site spiritual help and not to pray for a Malawi victory because Burkina Faso will also pray to the same God for victory. God will grant victory to the team that deserves it the most. We’ll find out Saturday.

Faith increases your positive attitude thus improves your chances of winning.

Sport Psychology

Sport psychology deals with increasing performance by managing emotions and minimizing the psychological effects of injury and poor performance. Some of the most important skills taught are goal setting, relaxation, visualization, Self Talk, awareness and control, concentration, confidence, using rituals, attribution training, and periodization.

Psychological Skills Training

Psychological skills training (PST) refers to consistent practice of mental or psychological skills. Coaches and athletes know that physical skills need to be regularly practiced to become better. Similar to physical skills, psychological skills such as maintaining concentration and regulating arousal levels also need to be practiced. Psychological skills training programs are very common but not limited to the sporting arena. These PST programs should be planned, implemented and supervised by a trained sport psychologist.

Why is Psychological Skills Training Important?

All sport and exercise participants fall victim to mistakes and mental letdowns. Mental and emotional components often overshadow the purely physical and technical aspects of the performance. To overcome this, one must become equally fit both mentally and physically, an individual’s success or failure in the sport and exercise arena lies in the ability of the individual to practice both physical and mental skills.

Still don’t get it why the Bishop traveled with the Flames?