The Magic of Mindfulness in Sport

Abstract

Top-level athletes are not only strong and fast, but they also look totally focused as if, in the moment of performance, the world around them does not exist. In the early days of sport psychology, this led to two misconceptions. First, we thought that when athletes looked calm and confident, their minds were quiet and positive. Second, we thought these people were born with extraordinary minds. Today, sport psychologists know better. We know the mind is busy and even the best athletes experience unpleasant thoughts and doubt at times. We also know that athletes can learn to refocus on the task at hand. They can do so by practicing mindfulness, which is training their attention to stay in the present moment, by bringing it back when it wanders. It is like taking the mind to the gym. In this article, I will explain how mindfulness training helps athletes perform at their best.