Mindfulness is the new buzz word sweeping the sporting world, with more athletes shunning the commonly used psychological skills techniques such as self-talk and imagery in favour of a more accepting approach to their sport. There is an increasing body of evidence noting that attempts to decrease or suppress negative thoughts in a sporting context […]
Mindfulness is thought to be a tendency to be present in the moment and to mindfully accept naturally occurring events, emotions and thoughts. As a trait-like variable, some people are able to achieve this state more regularly than others. When considering a mindful, let it be, present moment approach it could appear to be counterintuitive […]
Introduction “What a liberation to realise that the “voice in my head” is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that”. – Eckhart Tolle When Michael Jordan was asked how he was able to transform his on-court leadership and lead the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, he attributed it […]
This brief practical guide will provide feasible recommendations for developing emotional control in high pressure situations. Encouraging Emotional Intelligence: This very useful form of intelligence can begin to be developed simply by asking individuals to be more aware of their emotions and reactions in high pressure situations. Frequent prompts during these situations may be initially […]
DO NOT THINK ABOUT A PINK ELEPHANT. When reading a command like that, the majority of people invariably think of a pink elephant. It’s pretty unavoidable, the more we try to suppress a particular thought, the more it seems to creep back into our consciousness. Emotions work in a similar way. The ironic process theory […]
Athletes spend much of their time mentally and physically preparing for athletic competitions in hopes of improving playing performances. However, many athletes are inconsistent with their athletic performances due to anxiety, lack of self-confidence, and other barriers (Mamassis & Doganis, 2004). Athletes who experience sport related anxiety may also suffer from feelings of worthlessness, physical/emotional […]
Summer is winding down over here in the States. Temperatures are cooling down, and leaves will soon begin changing colors. Fall is approaching, which means one thing in the U.S.: football season is upon us. Months of two-a-day practices in the summer heat and hours of meetings have prepared thousands of teams for the upcoming […]
Frank Gardner and Zella Moore (2001) developed the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach to sport performance enhancement in a response to the absence of research supporting traditional psychological skills training (PST) techniques such as goal setting, imagery, self-talk, and arousal control. The MAC approach is comprised of a combination of mindfulness exercises and acceptance techniques, and is […]
The penalty kick is widely considered the most anxiety-provoking situation in all of football. Whether it be a schoolyard match at the local grade school or the final of the World Cup, the pressure on the goalkeeper or the shooter can cause players to second-guess their abilities, shatter their confidence, and ultimately fail the situation […]