Psychological Momentum (PM) is a term that describes how our thoughts, emotions, motivation, body reactions, and actions can change when we believe we’re moving closer to or further away from a desired or undesired outcome (Gernigon & Den Hartigh, 2019). It can be influenced by events that make us feel like we’re progressing faster or slower towards our goal. PM is not the same as the belief that a streak of success or failure will continue in the future. PM can be experienced by athletes, teams, and even people watching a game. It can develop slowly or suddenly, and negative PM is usually harder to break free from than positive PM (Gernigon et al., 2010). Once interrupted, it can be challenging to regain (Markman & Guenther, 2007). PM can occur in a short time, like during one match, or over a longer period, like a whole season, and these different time scales can affect each other (Den Hartigh et al., 2016). Sport psychologists, coaches, and athletes are interested in how PM relates to performance. While studies on this relationship have shown inconsistent results, researchers have found connections between PM and measures of effort and coordination during performance.
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