Sports psychologist practitioner Rachel Mamo said that while Malta has a lot of talent and potential in its sporting world, the country's sports scene still has a lot to learn when it comes to supporting the mental side of sport.

Mamo, 23, is a sports psychologist practitioner who recently graduated from the University of Staffordshire with a Master's degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology. She is also a former gymnast, previously enrolled at the National Sports School. Mamo is now working to attain her warrant to be a qualified sports psychologist.

In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Mamo said that as mental health applies to everyday life, it also applies to sports. In this regard, sports psychology "helps athletes be in better shape and form, apart from the physical aspects of the sport." She continued that she doesn't see sports psychology as therapy, but rather as a form of education.

She said that mental fortitude is what defines elite athletes from the rest, though in Malta, "everyone focuses on the physical aspect". She sustained that sports psychologists, if embraced, could help athletes overcome mental blocks affecting their performance, help them get through difficult periods on the pitch, and stop many prodigies from leaving their respective disciplines due to burnout or other factors.

Mamo added that sports psychology is very good for athletes' holistic development and that it is "very important" for young children to be introduced to mental skills training techniques. On the latter, she said that teaching children how to deal with fear and anxiety appropriately is very beneficial towards their overall character formation - "not just for them in sport, but for the rest of their lives."

Sports psychologists may support young athletes looking to move abroad or who are going through transitional periods, e.g., are moving up from U21 to senior level. She commented that qualified sports psychologists may keep Maltese athletes abroad from returning home early and for them to keep pushing for their sporting career to advance outside the country.

She remarked that sports psychologists' services are not only available to athletes, but also for coaches, sports staff, and even the general public to cope with high-pressure stakes in day-to-day or work life.

Mamo likes to think of this work as "mental skills training"; this includes goal setting, breathing techniques, practising mindfulness, visualisation, imagery, and cognitive reframing.

Sports psychologists may help reframe athletes' perception of their failures to help them bounce back and stop putting themselves down, so that they don't define themselves by their errors. For instance, Mamo said that a sports psychologist could help someone like Roberto Baggio move on past his missed penalty kick in the 1994 World Cup final. Through this major example, she said that "there's always a different way to see things in a different light, so it's about being more positive about things."

She stated that she had ended her gymnastics career at the young age of 16. She admitted that she was burnt out, that she "ended up almost hating gymnastics," and that ironically, she did not make use of a sports psychologist to get through this rough patch.

"I did not want anything to do with gymnastics - that's how I ended my career. I was in a really bad place mentally, and at the time, I still did not make use of the services I knew were available. This is why it's important for sports psychologists to put themselves out there," Mamo said.

In her Master's thesis, entitled "Beyond the Island Mentality: Perceptions on Sports Psychology," Mamo found that sports psychology is presently perceived as a last resort miracle tool for when things are going wrong. Mamo dismissed this attitude, stating that "that's not how things work." She said that proper use of sports psychologists is done via programmes over the course of the season, though this does not mean it's necessary for athletes to see a sports psychologist everyday. When asked how often one should see a sports psychologist, she said that groups can start out by having a session once a month and individuals interested in having one-on-one sessions can come forward if they wish.

In her study on sports psychology perceptions in Malta, Mamo found that while awareness on the subject is rising, work is still required for this field to become common knowledge.

Another issue is that psychological services for athletes in Malta over the years, generally, have either not improved or have even gone backwards. In this interview, she observed that Team Malta no longer sends a sports psychologist up with the team for regional Games, as it used to. She acknowledged that this decision could have been motivated by the fact that there are less than a handful fully qualified sports psychologists in the country. However, she doesn't expect this context to last since there are currently several practitioners looking to attain their warrant - six of whom, including her, graduated this year.

Furthermore, Mamo commented that certain organisations providing psychological services, including some free introductory sessions, do not promote these services, thus rendering struggling athletes, and accompanying staff, oblivious to services they may greatly need.

With people generally correlating sports psychology to something resembling therapy, Mamo discussed the existing taboo to seek this kind of mental assistance. Mamo's research identified that Maltese people may feel more anxious or nervous to visit such a professional out of fear that their communities will find out and spread this information through the grapevine.

She added that ego, and sometimes elements of social stigma, cause people not to admit that they are suffering from mental anguish. She mentioned that in some cases where people admit what they're going through to their loved ones, some people insist that they can deal with them alone. In the case of younger athletes, like teenagers and young adults, some feel that they must impose their independence when their parents suggest visiting a sports psychologist during a period of turmoil, leading to the same result, she said.

The reality is that many athletes, irrespective of background or culture, may face mental struggle requiring assistance from a certified professional. Several elite and widely known high-level athletes such as Neymar Jr., Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Kevin Love, Christian Pulisic, Naomi Osaka, Lewis Hamilton, and many others have all gone public about their bouts with poor mental health, dealing with high pressure, and in some cases, depression, and have all advocated on the pros of seeking help.

Mamo did not pin this nation-wide culture down to just athletes; she described this to be a cultural and almost systemic issue she believes the country must overcome for its athletes to reach the next step in order to attain more success. Moreover, she stated that a healthy relationship with a sports psychologist should involve at least a monthly check-in for athletes to become stronger mentally.

"Sports psychology is not just something you turn to when things are going wrong," Mamo said.

For instance, she said that if one had to ask athletes about their pre-performance routine before a game or competition, many athletes would answer that they control their nerves by putting on a pair of headphones and listening to music. Mamo stated that while there is nothing wrong with this approach, there are more optimal ways for athletes to mentally prepare before competing, such as by visualising success, and failure, beforehand. Mamo said that visualising good performance can put athletes in a better mindset during competition, while visualising setbacks may better prepare them to quickly adapt if things go wrong in the worst moments.

She added that as physiotherapy boomed in years' past to strengthen the local sports scene, sports psychology is the next element that must be embraced to support Maltese athletes to enhance their performance locally and abroad.

Mamo believes that sports psychology is the missing piece for Maltese sport to progress - especially since some sports require athletes to be stronger mentally than physically.

Mamo stated that Malta's limited size tends to make Maltese people believe that the country is too small to succeed in sport. She stressed that this is not true and that this attitude is something that must be left in the past.

"We have this mentality through which we don't think we are good enough because we come from a small country, when it's not the case. Changing that mentality - this culture aspect of sport - I think would help us go a long way," Mamo said.