The Underrated Mental Technique Athletes Must Master to Be at Their Best
There are several mental techniques that steal most of the hype of mastering the mental side of sports. Typically, techniques such as mindfulness, visualization, and self-talk get most of the attention. Don’t get me wrong, these techniques work and deserve the attention they get. However, there is one technique that people rarely mention that deserves just as much attention as these others.
In my opinion, this technique should be at the top of the list for athletes to master as it can impact performance immediately. So, what could I be talking about that is so important yet so underrated? I’m talking about the simple technique of listening to your body.
As funny as it may sound, most athletes (and non-athletes for that matter) ignore the signals their body is sending to their brain. It could be a small cramp signaling the need for more water or it could be a slight headache signaling the need for some high-quality calories. Often these signals are telling you to get more rest, sleep, or recovery time too. Listening vs. ignoring these signals from your body is a game changer. Especially when there is an opportunity to listen and react affirmatively real-time in the heat of competition.
The Importance of Listening to Your Body
One of the biggest mistakes an athlete can make is to ignore a signal from their body that will result in an injury that they could prevent. The fact is the body doesn’t lie. If your body is telling you something is not right, then it’s not right. Don’t wait to do something about it, as waiting just a few additional moments will make recovery that much harder.
Simply stated, if an athlete wants to perform at their best for as long as possible, they must learn to listen to what their body is telling them. What’s more, this requires practice that starts with reflection and self-awareness.
Reflection in terms of reflecting back to when you were at your best and worst. Then identifying what signals your body was sending you right before and after those moments. Self-awareness in terms of being aware when those signals are occurring again in real-time. Then doing something about it to enhance your performance or prevent a decline as a result of those signals.
In short, applying reflection and self-awareness to the process of listening to your body may be the single most important mental technique an athlete can adopt.