People’s general talents and competencies differ dramatically in the realm of sports. Of course, everyone is different, and therefore the overall result depends on one’s personal abilities and predispositions. However, when you try and analyze top athletes from all different sports, you’ll notice certain patterns emerging between the thin lines, and you’ll see how mimicking these patterns can change your performance and help you become a better player. In the text below, we summed up some top ideas for practicing certain sports movements and making you shine.
Flexing and stretching
One interesting ability is to rapidly make sharp movements under pressure. Professional athletes have the unique ability to flex and stretch their muscles at exponential rates and recover fast after the performance. This outstanding ability can be connected to the individual abilities of the person, however, it can be trained and learned. Stretching exercises make you more agile and more resilient. They get the blood pumping and flowing through the veins at a faster rate, so the muscles start acting as though already active and prepare for the oncoming exercise. Stretching exercises can vary and basically depend on the type of sports you play, as you do have to take into account what particular muscle groups are mostly affected by your sports training. Of course, too much pressure could cause ligament tears, and therefore the magic formula stays a bit of pre-exercise running and stretching to make the muscle more elastic and better prepared for what is coming.
A relaxed state of mind
People rarely associate sports with having a relaxing state of mind, due to the excessive running and engagement, and think of it as more of a way to put steam off. However, certain sports require a degree of mental preparation and stability for overall better performance. No, we are not talking about chess per se, even though it does count, we are referring to golf. One of the best golf tips that pro players can give you is absolute focus and a high level of concentration are key components of good play. A relaxed state of mind gives you a more realistic and better overview of the coming obstacles and unplanned outcomes. It gives you the ability to predict and make certain movements to enhance your play. The relaxed state of mind does not only refer to the sports which require less physical engagement, they also refer to football and rugby as well.
Just with these sports, the pressure is building up due to the adrenaline rush, and keeping clarity may require more effort, yet it is the same with chess and golf as the fulfillment of expectations can produce similar pressure and disturb the peace of mind. This actually can be taught and keeping calm whatever the situation is harder than it seems. Breathing exercise stands as the fundamental element to staying relaxed. And yes, controlling your breathing can greatly affect your overall performance, as you control the oxygen flow in your body.
Standing properly
Not only standing properly, rather having a great overall posture can affect your performance and make you a better player. The way you perform is influenced by your posture, which can vary greatly depending on the sport. How come, you might ask? And the answer is simple. The posture can influence the speed of reacting, meaning if you have a good and proper posture you can engage more quickly, react faster, catch the ball better, or swing the club. A good posture also means a greater level of control over the distribution of force used to play, for example, a proper golf swing comes from the hips, or so they say.
Training regularly
Sometimes the best tip is the one you have heard a thousand times, training regularly. What is the benefit of constantly training? The sport develops into a habit. A habit is when you automatically walk to the kitchen when you’re thirsty, or when you grab something out of habit, when you do something without thinking about it, rather unconsciously. And we humans have the ability to become so good at practicing the same habit, if we implemented the principle on sports, our performance would drastically change for the better. Therefore, make it a habit by practicing often and regularly.
A sense of proper use of force
Another interesting attribute professional athletes have as opposed to common folk is a sharpened sense for the usage of proper force. You can see common folk playing football on the field, just kicking the ball without any sense, uncontrollably, using excessive force with no end. Professional athletes, however, do it differently. They sense the situation, they read the room, they feel the pulse, and when the moment is right, use the exact amount of force needed to make a proper shot. This is also connected to proper training, as you’ll never develop the feeling without training regularly.
We hope you’ll find these ideas more than useful and implement them to become a professional player.
Jennifer
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.
