How does the mind enhance or hinder sport performance?
You need willpower to get up, put on your running gear and go for a jog
There are several psychological factors that may affect sport performance – these include stress, anxiety, concentration levels, the way we talk to ourselves, and confidence levels.
For instance, too much anxiety is negative while no anxiety at all will mean that athletes will not have the necessary trigger to perform. What athletes need is the right amount of anxiety in order to perform at their best.
The same goes for confidence. If we are not confident and believe in ourselves, then our performance will lack. But then, overconfidence may be detrimental as we would feel that we don’t really need to make an effort.
As for positive and negative talk, there is what we call the self-fulfilling prophecy – if you believe something good or bad will happen, there is a bigger chance that it will happen. This means that positive talk helps athletes to push harder towards their goal while negative talk will dampen their performance.
We always talk about having the right attitude, but what is this exactly?
Attitude is the way you look at things. Some people always seem to look on the bright side of things while others are constantly full of doom and gloom. Having a positive attitude helps you perform better in sport and deal better with everyday life, stress at home and at work, and with people around you. Having a positive attitude will help you have a happier, more successful life.
How important is willpower in sport?
Willpower is very important not just in sport but in life in general. We need willpower to lose weight, quit smoking, or spend time studying instead of going out. When we have willpower and manage to reach a goal we worked so hard for, it brings on such a good feeling – we become more confident and positive and we can deal better with what is going on around us. We feel in control.
Most of us have had the experience of trying to achieve a goal but finding it too hard – this means that we did not have the willpower to do it.
In fact, sometimes we need others to help us reach a target because our willpower is not strong enough.
In sport, it’s the same thing – unless you are willing to work hard, you will not succeed. Getting up early in the morning, resisting eating junk food, training long and hard until your body is aching, and going to sleep early so that you rest properly for next day’s training, instead of partying – this is all about willpower.
Apart from professional athletes, do people who practise a sport or go to the gym also need willpower?
Yes they do. In my case, I only practise sport for fitness rather than professionally – however, I still need willpower. In winter, it’s so much easier to cuddle up under the quilt than go running in the cold, rain and dark – you need willpower to get up, put on your running gear and go for a jog.
Most of us need to push ourselves to get going – this is why it’s so important to choose an exercise regime which suits your lifestyle.
How can willpower be enhanced?
We need to become more aware of the way we talk to ourselves. Is this positive or negative? If it is more negative than positive, then we need to make a conscious effort to change this negative talk.
For instance, if you have an important match and it’s raining you might start grumbling – instead, try to understand that it will be raining for everyone and that you can meet the challenge.
We have to learn to push the mind beyond what we think are its limits. Some years ago, I climbed the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. I remember we had left for the summit at around 11.30pm and knew that we had around eight hours to reach the summit. It was cold and there had been the worst snowfall in 25 years, which made things much more difficult. I had also started suffering from altitude sickness.
I trudged along, one step at a time for eight whole hours in the cold and dark with my guide, stopping every few minutes to recover from my high heart-rate brought about by the altitude. I recall encouraging myself on – it was my mental strength and willpower which helped me reach the summit that night.
When you are out running and you get tired or bored, keep pushing yourself gradually and you will reach limits you never knew you had. One word of caution however – learn to recognise that sometimes you may be pushing too hard. If you feel sick or dizzy and are losing coordination, this is a sign to take it easy and that you might be pushing too hard. Be careful and test yourself step by step.
For professional athletes, controlling anxiety before an important event is crucial – how do you help athletes do this?
There are various ways to control anxiety – these may include deep breathing techniques and having a performance routine like repeating a penalty kick. Other methods include progressive muscle relaxation and listening to relaxation recordings. You can also engage in positive talk and use visualisation techniques to imagine best performances – this helps you gain confidence.
On the other hand some athletes may be too relaxed so it’s important to learn techniques to handle this too.
How can sport enhance someone’s self-worth and self-esteem?
Sport and exercise have been found to not only be beneficial to us at a physical level but also at a psychological level. People who practise sport and exercise have been found to be more positive, more in control, have a better attitude, work well in a team, be more confident, less anxious and less depressed. When you practise a sport, you feel fitter, your body shape improves and automatically this gives you more confidence to face the world.
Adele Muscat is a sports and exercise psychologist. She is also the Malta Olympic Committee’s sport psychologist.