Evidence to Support Why the Mental Side of Sports is So Important
If you ask any coach what percentage of sports is mental, you almost always get an answer that is somewhere between 50% and 90% mental. Rarely will you ever hear a coach with a significant amount of experience downplay the importance of an athlete’s mental skills. However, what evidence is there to support this common belief?
There are several things coaches often use to support this assertion. Everything from motivation and confidence to mental toughness and faith are points coaches use to argue the importance of the mental side of sports. What’s more, one could make a very good argument for each of these. However, there is one mental quality in particular in which sports psychologist all agree there is plenty of evidence to show how critical it is to performance. That mental quality is INTENSITY!
The Mental Side of Sports is so Important Because of Intensity
Sports psychologist almost universally agree with the evidence that supports how important intensity is to performance. Intensity is a multidimensional mental state that encompasses stress, anxiety, relaxation, pressure, worry, nervousness, and energy. In general, the way intensity works is that as it increases performance improves, to a point. Once that point is reached performance decreases with more intensity.
This important observation was first made by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson in 1908. More recent research shows that not only does intensity have a peak point that turns performance negative thereafter, this peak point is variable. This is what makes intensity so unique. A given level of intensity is not always good or bad. Any given level of intensity could drive peak performance or poor performance depending on the circumstances. In addition, each athlete has an optimal level of intensity unique to both their individual personality and their circumstances.
Athletes must have the right amount of intensity to perform their best. Too little or too much will decrease performance. Therefore, finding one’s optimal intensity level must be the goal if an athlete wants to perform their best. But how do you find this balance?
Since the emotions that drive intensity are mental, finding this balance requires mental training. This mental training starts with increasing self-awareness, and may also require visualization, deep breathing, and mindfulness techniques among other mental skills.
In short, there is no question that intensity plays a critical role in both good and bad performances. However, the role it plays is unique to every individual athlete. For me this is clear evidence to support why the mental side of sports is as, or more important than the physical side.