‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs

An athlete’s body plays an important role in their performance and well-being. However, game-relevant skills are better determinants of success, compared with physical fitness, in technically-driven team sports. In the professional era, over utilization of resources, in pursuit of physical optimizat...

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Main Authors: Blake D. McLean, Donnie S. Strack, David T. Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: North American Sports Medicine Institute 2022-08-01
Series:International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy
Online Access:https://ijspt.scholasticahq.com/article/36812-avoidance-preening-displacement-behavior-and-co-dependency-in-professional-team-sport-when-wants-become-more-important-than-needs
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author Blake D. McLean
Donnie S. Strack
David T. Martin
author_facet Blake D. McLean
Donnie S. Strack
David T. Martin
author_sort Blake D. McLean
collection DOAJ
description An athlete’s body plays an important role in their performance and well-being. However, game-relevant skills are better determinants of success, compared with physical fitness, in technically-driven team sports. In the professional era, over utilization of resources, in pursuit of physical optimization, can detract from time spent on priorities. Athletes’ non-strategic, time-demanding focus on physical preparation/treatments resembles avian ‘avoidance preening’, whereby stressful situations trigger birds to excessively preen in place of more productive activities. The purpose of this commentary is to explore the behaviors of resource-rich professional teams and the roles of staff dedicated to optimizing physical performance, including circumstances that foster avoidance behavior and create the potential for practitioners to encourage co-dependent relationships with athletes. To cultivate healthy/productive environments, the following is recommended: I) recognition of non-productive avoidance behaviors; II) eschewing unjustified, fear promoting, pathoanatomical language; III) fostering collaborative approaches; IV) encouraging utilization of psychology services; V) recognizing that optimal physical function and feeling good is rarely the primary goal in professional team sports. # Level of Evidence 5
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institution Kabale University
issn 2159-2896
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publishDate 2022-08-01
publisher North American Sports Medicine Institute
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series International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy
spelling doaj-art-66cab896edf441bd84fbeb15e462d7752025-02-11T20:27:07ZengNorth American Sports Medicine InstituteInternational Journal of Sports Physical Therapy2159-28962022-08-01175‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than NeedsBlake D. McLeanDonnie S. StrackDavid T. MartinAn athlete’s body plays an important role in their performance and well-being. However, game-relevant skills are better determinants of success, compared with physical fitness, in technically-driven team sports. In the professional era, over utilization of resources, in pursuit of physical optimization, can detract from time spent on priorities. Athletes’ non-strategic, time-demanding focus on physical preparation/treatments resembles avian ‘avoidance preening’, whereby stressful situations trigger birds to excessively preen in place of more productive activities. The purpose of this commentary is to explore the behaviors of resource-rich professional teams and the roles of staff dedicated to optimizing physical performance, including circumstances that foster avoidance behavior and create the potential for practitioners to encourage co-dependent relationships with athletes. To cultivate healthy/productive environments, the following is recommended: I) recognition of non-productive avoidance behaviors; II) eschewing unjustified, fear promoting, pathoanatomical language; III) fostering collaborative approaches; IV) encouraging utilization of psychology services; V) recognizing that optimal physical function and feeling good is rarely the primary goal in professional team sports. # Level of Evidence 5https://ijspt.scholasticahq.com/article/36812-avoidance-preening-displacement-behavior-and-co-dependency-in-professional-team-sport-when-wants-become-more-important-than-needs
spellingShingle Blake D. McLean
Donnie S. Strack
David T. Martin
‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy
title ‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs
title_full ‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs
title_fullStr ‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs
title_full_unstemmed ‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs
title_short ‘Avoidance Preening’, Displacement Behavior and Co-Dependency in Professional Team Sport: When Wants Become More Important Than Needs
title_sort avoidance preening displacement behavior and co dependency in professional team sport when wants become more important than needs
url https://ijspt.scholasticahq.com/article/36812-avoidance-preening-displacement-behavior-and-co-dependency-in-professional-team-sport-when-wants-become-more-important-than-needs
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AT donniesstrack avoidancepreeningdisplacementbehaviorandcodependencyinprofessionalteamsportwhenwantsbecomemoreimportantthanneeds
AT davidtmartin avoidancepreeningdisplacementbehaviorandcodependencyinprofessionalteamsportwhenwantsbecomemoreimportantthanneeds