Sports Psychology - Positive Thinking
Published September 1, 2008 by Martin Bean
Sports Psychology was in the past viewed as a somewhat controversial technique but it has now achieved widespread acceptance by many sports, including boxing.
Boxing is undoubtedly one of the most physical sports there is, but I actually think that the difference between many fighters can be determined based on mental strength. Depending on how a fighter uses their pre fight feelings (nerves, anxiety, unshakable confidence etc.) dictates how they will then proceed to utilise their physical attributes.
Boxing Capital will feature regular articles on Sports Psychology and whilst each article (or even the topic in general) will not be of interest to everybody, for boxers looking to increase their abilities by that extra and often crucial 1% - 2%, you are in the right place.
In this, our first Sports Psychology article, we will concentrate on positive thinking. It is a relatively simple and common sense topic, but one that many of us do not apply in our daily routine.
Before we start, I’d like to stress the importance of ‘habits’. It is vital to stress that habits we have in the gym are those that we take in the ring, when the action is impulsive and based on reactions without the time to think. For example, lets take a boxer who is getting hit too much and is aware that he needs to move his head more. Unless a boxer has got into the good ‘habit’ of moving his/her head in the gym he/she will go into the bout, move his head for the first round whilst it is fresh in his/her mind but will then revert to old habits of a static head. I mention habits, as it is important to get into the right habits outside the ring so you can take them into training, sparring and bouts.
Positive thinking is a ‘habit’ I think the majority of people can get into as many people do not practice it now. Let take a discussion with your friends, colleagues or family when you are asked the straightforward question – How are you? The majority of people will respond ‘Not bad’ or ‘Alright’ – a negative habit.
That’s the start of the problem. You need to get in the habit of responding in a positive fashion – ‘I’m good’ or ‘having a great day’. There is no need to go over the top and make it false, but you just simply need to turn what are often needlessly negative comments into positive ones. First you need to get this into daily routine and then start applying this in the gym. Don’t come out of sparring saying I did alright, instead say I sparred well, my hand speed was good, my footwork was sharp etc. Yes, take notes of the negative aspects and work on them but don’t dwell on them and let them get you down.
Once you are regularly working positive thinking into your routines and it has become a genuine habit, you will bring this into bouts. This is crucial as it is easy to dwell on getting caught with a punch rather than capitalising on punches that you have landed. Shaking off such negative aspects and focusing on the positives can make a real difference between winning and losing bouts.
This is just the start of our Sports Psychology section and we hope it has been helpful. We welcome any feedback at info@boxingcapital.com, which will be passed on to the author.
In the next couple of weeks you can expect to see articles on ‘Routines’ and ‘Goals’, which we hope you will be able to apply and improve your performance.
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