How important is mindfulness in sport?
Imagine yourself standing over a last minute free, 60 yards out, dead straight in front of goal. The scores are level and the responsibility lies on you to win the county final for your team. Now picture this. The wind is blowing fiercely from left to right, and you like to float your frees just over the crossbar. You start thinking to yourself, ‘if I try to drill this over, I have a good chance of pulling it to the left and wide’. You have not been this nervous in your entire life and it’s the first time you’ve been trusted with a shot to win such an important game. If inly you could clear you head and focus on the task at hand, hitting the free that you’ve hit a thousand times before.
The above is a perfect example as to where the practice of mindfulness and improving your sports psychology can be the difference in controlling these nerves or letting them get the better of you. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. With mindfulness training, we don’t just simply ignore our thoughts, we take notice of any intrusive thoughts, anxiety, physical tension in the body. We can then react accordingly to these feelings, either by reacting to them in a positive manner or by simply relaxing and allowing them to pass.
Although many professional athletes are experts at performing mindfulness techniques. The vast majority need to work incredibly hard at maintaining a positive mental state and even the most experienced athletes get nervous when the pressure is applied. However, it’s how they react to this pressure which makes them stand out from their peers. Successful golfers often talk about using their ‘goto shot’ when the pressure comes on, this allows them to be confident standing over the ball. They feel comfortable and they ‘know’ exactly where the ball is going to go. You, too, can improve your mindfulness techniques with a bit of practice.
Here are 5 tips for improving mindfulness in sport
Breathing - Focusing on your breathing will help to slow down your heart rate, relax and gain self-control. When nervous or anxious, breathing tends to become more shallow, reducing the oxygen flow to the brain. By noticing changes in breathing patterns and slowing it down, we can concentrate on maximum cognitive control.
Body - The majority of the time we take our body for granted. Our bodies are capable of incredible actions without even thinking about it; beat our heart, pump our lungs and stay upright without a thought. However, to get the most from our body it’s important to fuel it efficiently, and a healthy diet allows optimal performance. It’s also important to listen to negative feedback, if you feel a niggle or twinge, then it’s a sign that something isn’t quite right. Being ‘in tune’ with your body will breed confidence in your abilities.
Environmental Awareness - Noticing external factors while training can increase performance at a competitive stage. Factors such as wind, temperature, humidity, preparation, hydration and equipment used can all play a factor in sports performance. Allowing yourself to be aware of these factors can be the difference between winning and losing. Also, being aware of external noises can then allow you to intentionally block them out.
Clear Goals - Setting clear goals is essential to meeting targets and improving. The goal can as small as wanting to do 10 push-ups a day for a month or something much larger such as running a marathon a month for an entire year. An intention has to be in place for an action to occur, and by completing a task, a great sense of achievement is attained. Small gains can lead to huge changes.
Imagery - When performing a task, try to keep the images related to that task, and keep them positive. For example, if you’re in a situation like the free taker above. Imagine yourself lifting, striking and scoring the point just before taking the shot. In the lead up to a big game or event, imagine every aspect in detail. What can you do to improve on each aspect. Positive mental preparation is key to consistent performance.
Always remember that whatever sport it is, it’s just a game. Nothing is more important than your mental health, so if you struggle with anxiety or any other negative thoughts on a regular basis, reach out to people whether it’s family, friends or a complete stranger, people are here to help. You can also contact mentalhealthireland or this link includes a list of organisations that are here to help.
Tomas O’Leary