Meditation A VITAL TOOL FOR ELITE ATHLETES
- Self mastery
- Recognition of arousal levels
- Refocus
- Removal of negativity
- Visualisation
- Attain suitable mood states
- Reduction of anxiety
- Positive energy levels
- Inner stillness
- Quieting the central nervous system
- Increased oxygen uptake
The benefits of meditation in regards to elite athletes performance, can be utilised throughout different stages of their development. This encompasses elite athletes pre-event, competition, post event and rehabilitation cycles. Elite athletes must be able to perform skills without an excessive thought process, via muscle memory and exclude any surrounding factors that may disrupt their focus from the job at hand (Ungerleider, 2005). Although performance nutrition, skill development, strength and conditioning all play an extremely important role in elite athletes development, meditation is also a vital element for elite athletes.
Meditation is a form of relaxation, a mental technique that uses the mind to quiet the physical aspects of the body. It allows an athlete to be passively relaxed, yet positively focused on their athletic performance (Ungerleider, 2005). Meditation in athletic performance incorporates visualization techniques, which is a mental rehearsal of the physical actions of which an athlete will perform in perfection (Ungerleider, 2005). Meditation techniques have been encompassed in the mental training of elite athletes to assist with their phsychological states (Behncke, 2004). Meditation during training pre-event, allows the athlete to prepare for an event in a relaxed passive mode, during this phase of meditation the athlete learns to recognise their levels of arousal and acquire the skill of reversing the arousal process (Ungerleider, 2005). This allows the athlete to control mental and emotional elements assisting task performance as well as creating psychological foundation for confidence and well-being (Tod, R Thatcher, McGuigan, J Thatcher 2009). When the athlete feels as though they possess a degree of self-mastery in relation to psycho-somatic function, this in turn serves to motivate continued effects in attempting to increase performance (Behncke, 2004). Aspects of arousal for the athlete usually consist of negative thought patterns and emotions, it is important for an athlete to learn how to refocus and remove negativity from the mind and concentrate on the performance (Gabbett, Carius, Muvley 2008). Visualisation techniques are also used during this phase of meditation known as mindfulness meditation (Ungerleider, 2005) which allows the athlete to re-create the kinesthetic awareness of the movements required to perform a particular skill or movement in paragon. Visualisations assist with confidence building, focus attention, enhance technique, reduce interfering thoughts, and attain suitable mood states (Tod, R Thatcher, McGuigan, J Thatcher 2009).
Incorporating the techniques used in meditation for pre-event training during the actual competition phase, allows the athlete to have inner stillness despite the external motion which surrounds an event such as extraneous noise and sights, allowing the athlete to concentrate on their performance and remove distracting thoughts of fear and uncertainty, this reducing the anxiety and producing positive energy (Ungerleider, 2005). Confidence levels are then enhanced under the stress of competition (Catina, 2009). The skill of removal of negativity plays an important role during this phase as it allows the athlete to disengage from a bad experience during the competition and re-compose themselves quickly and efficiently (Gabbett, Carius, Mulvey, 2008). This procedure is performed by an athlete sending signals from the mind through the neutral pathways to the muscles and organs, reminding them to stay cool and calm (Gabbett, Carius, Mulvey, 2008). Practised mental rehearsal in this stage of competition mental skill development is paradox, the athlete must be able to react instinctively with flawless execution of combined skills (Behncke 2004).
An athlete requires transcendental meditation post event (Ungerleider, 2005), this enables that athletes to overcome the physical exhaustion and mental stress of the event, by being in relaxed state this practise is also known as quieting the central nervous system (Behncke 2004). The effects of physical exhaustion and mental stress after an event a can easily lead to adrenal fatigue (Shepard, 2001). This is caused by overstimulation of the adrenal glands which does not allow the body to meet its needs for recovery. The athlete can then suffer from excessive fatigue, prolonged recovery from training, low stamina, low immune function, slow recovery from injury, poor digestion, sleep disturbances and the feeling of being overwhelmed (Acevedo, Ekkekakis, 2001). If an athlete suffers from any of the above conditions there will adverse the effects on athletes condition, training and performance. It is vital for an elite athlete to have total recovery from an event especially when the athlete in season, so they can maximise the advantages of in season training and preparation for the next event or competition (Lakier Smith, 2000).
Meditation also plays a role in rehabilitation from injury, by creating a neutral pattern in the brain, a pattern which is identical to the network created by the actual physical performance of the movements in their chosen sport without placing any physical stress on to the body (Vetter, Matthew, Symonds 2010). The breathing techniques used in meditation play a vital role in rehabilitation as the increased oxygen uptake helps stimulate blood flow to the injured areas. During this time phase an athlete will also convey positive repetitive healing affirmations to themselves, to assist with the healing process (Peng, Mietus, Liu, Khalsa, Douglas, Benson, Goldberger 1999).
Meditation is a vital tool for elite athletes, and has been transferred to sport because of its holistic emphasis in integrating psychophysical function. Meditation assists athletes by focusing on particular aspects of physical sensation and being aware of the correlations between physiological functions and physiological activity. Meditation is a way for the athletes to identify what is happening within self and intervene before undertaking the activity, thereby, averting possible poor performance. Meditation is a fundamental principle of self-awareness for athletes that allow the athlete to reduce anxiety, achievement of critical levels of arousal, and the appropriate attention processes. Without this ability any application of cognitive-somatic technique to increase performance will be limited.
References
Ungerleider, S. (2005). Mental training for peak performance: Top athletes reveal the mind exercises they use to excel. Emmaus, PA: Ratale
Peng, C.-K., Mietus, J.E., Liu, Y., Khalsa, G., Douglas, P.S., Benson, H, & Goldberger (1999). Exaggerated heart rate oscillations during two medtiation techniques. International journal of cardiology, 70, 101-107
Paluska, S. A., & Schwenk, T. L. (2000) Physical activity and mental health current concepts. Journal of sports medicine, 29, (3), 167-180
Catina, P. (2009). Psychological modelling and adaptations in cognitive representations with increased resistance during motor skill acquisition. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23, (2), 668-676
Smith, L. L. (1999). Cyokine hypothesis of over training: a physiological adaption to excess stress?. Medicine & science in sports & exercise, 317-331
Tod, D. A., Thatcher, R., McGuigan, M., & Thatcher, J. (2009). Effects of instructional motivational self-talk on the vertical jump. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23, (1), 196-202.
Gabbett, T. J., Carius, J., & Mulvey, M. (2008). Does improved decision-making ability reduce the physiological demands of game-based activities in field sport athletes?. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 22, (6), 2027-2035
Vetter, R. E., & Symonds, M. L. (2010). Correlations between injury, training intensity, and physical and mental exhaustion among college athletes. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24, (3), 587-596
Behncke, L. (2004). Mental skills training for sports: A brief review. Received from http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol6Iss1/MentalSkillsReview.htm
Shephard, R. J. (2001). Chronic fatigue syndrome. Medicine & science in sports & exercise, 31, (3) 167-194
MEDITATION A VITAL TOOL FOR ELITE ATHLETES:
- Self mastery
- Recognition of arousal levels
- Refocus
- Removal of negativity
- Visualisation
- Attain suitable mood states
- Reduction of anxiety
- Positive energy levels
- Inner stillness
- Quieting the central nervous system
- Increased oxygen uptake
