To date the majority of research in sport psychology on athletes in game situations has focused on using retrospective or laboratory-based methods. Few studies have examined psychological aspects of athletes in competition without introducing researchers into the environment and compromising the authenticity of the research. Audio and video technology now allows sport psychology researchers to capture previously elusive data while minimizing their presence in the competitive environment. Self- and other-directed talk and gestures, forms of communication, have been shown to affect competitive sports performance. By studying individual athletes directly during competition, performance levels can be better understood and appropriate psychological interventions can be designed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of talk and physical gestures exhibited in an elite competitive setting, professional football games. The study took advantage of technology that allowed overt behaviors during athletic performance to be captured unobtrusively on videotape and later analyzed. Existing videotapes of 11 elite USA professional football players were analyzed for talk and gestures exhibited during league play. Players wore wireless microphones in their shoulder pads and were videotaped. The videotapes were transcribed and systematically coded for overt statements, dialogue, and gestures within the game contexts in which they occurred. Interaction type, direction, valence, location, game context, and score were analyzed for individuals and the group. Ethnographic information was also reported for individuals. Seven hundred eighty-four minutes of videotapes containing 2,312 overt interactions (1,743 talk, 231 gestures, 338 combination talk and gestures) were coded. Interobserver reliability for event occurrence was 99.8%, and the mean reliability for subcategories was 91.0%. Results indicated that all players exhibited observable talk and gestures before and during competition, and that the frequency and content of talk and gestures varied by individuals. Across all players, interactions were comprised of 75.4% talk, 10.0% gestures, and 14.6% combination talk and gestures. The valences of interactions were positive (44.7%), negative (8.9%), and technical (39.5%). Players directed interactions to self (13.4%), team (67.4%), coach (8.7%), opponent (2.9%), game officials (1.0%), and fans (1.0%). Individual analyses showed that while overall trends were similar, player’s interactions varied by type, valence, and direction, with individuals responding differently to various game outcomes. This study used current technology and an innovative coding system to analyze talk and gestures exhibited by elite, professional athletes during game play. It serves as a model for assessing psychological aspects of athlete behavior during competitive sports settings.Keyword(s): athletics/sports