On the outside, sports can seem to only require perfect muscle movements, leading an athlete to victory. Under the surface, however, athletes must not only focus on executing and refining their skills but also balancing their emotions and finding the mental state that will bring success.
One of the main aspects of sports is having the health to play, but wrestling coach Nick Garcia believes that mentality is the most important part.
“Wrestling is a very physical sport, and everyone says it’s 80% physical, but it’s not. It is all mental. Physicality is a small part of it, but the mentality behind it is the driving force. It is what you push through,” Garcia said.
Like Garcia, junior basketball player Vishva Ravi noticed that team-based sports are largely mentality dependent.
“When you are in a ‘shooting slump’ and you can’t make a shot, it plays with you mentally as you start doubting your ability to possess such a skill,” Ravi said.
Finding the right mentality can be crucial for a good performance. Recently, a new online trend has surfaced on reaching a ‘flow state.’ Despite being used in a joking manner, a flow state can be a vital aspect many athletes try to find. There are different aspects to a flow state for varying individuals, and for freshmen tennis player Rhijan Angela Miranda, her emotions play a crucial part.
“Our coach always says that we should control our emotions while playing because the game is still going and if you put your emotions first, this could give an advantage to the other players, to the opponent,” Miranda said.
Senior girls water polo player and wrestler Zoe Reyes Laughery believes that athletes can also find their flow state by pushing self-doubt out of their head.
“Once you get all of the ‘I can’t’ or ‘This is too hard’ or ‘What do I do’ out of your head, once you’re confident in yourself, that’s when you get in the zone. That’s when you start to flow,” Reyes Laughery said.
For Ravi, confidence has been a key part in some of his best sport performances. A good game warmup is a necessary part of his routine to find a flow state.
“Before games I will typically stretch to get my body right and pray before I leave the house to go to the game. This helps me stay in check with myself and stay ready. I never doubt myself and stay confident the entire time,” Ravi said.
“Typically my best games are when after those first 4-5 minutes in a game, I’m feeling good and warm, which helps me feel loose and calmer while playing.”
Miranda believes that empathy for oneself can also help an individual stay relaxed.
“Before the game, I always say “It’s fine,” even if it’s win or lose, because I know I tried my best. I know I’m improving, and I’m still a new player, so I should not expect too much,” Miranda said.
For many athletes, however, the hardest part about gaining a flow state is not finding which aspects contribute to it, but achieving it. Factors from an athlete’s environment can distract them from being able to connect with their mind and fully focus.
“Instead of being an entire team out there, it’s just you with a crowd of people around, and everything’s super loud, it’s just overwhelming in general,” Reyes Laughery said. “Everyone’s screaming, so trying to digest what they’re saying, but you have the head gear on, everyone screaming different things, so you can’t really hear what they’re saying. It’s just a headache.”
There may be no clear way to train one’s mentality, but Reyes Laughery has noticed that physical conditioning helps improve her mental endurance.
“We actually hit each other. Something that our coach says is that he wants us to give all that we can give and then find somewhere to give more,” Reyes Laughery said. “You just have to go until your body stops, and getting the mental part out and getting the ‘Oh, this is so hard’ out of your mind, that’s probably the hardest part. But once it’s out, it’s out.”
Garcia has a ritual he performs with his wrestling athletes to wake them up and get them in the right headspace.
“There’s one thing that my coach has us do where they hold their hands out, then you hit their hands, they hit your hands, and they hit you on either side of your head or the head gear. Sometimes you’ll be feeling a little foggy, and it sharpens your brain,” Reyes Laughery said.
Flow states do not always come easy for players, but it can be vital in order to unlock their peak performance and find what works for them as an athlete. Garcia highlighted how confidence is an important aspect to flow state, as well as never giving up on oneself.
“If you have a hard time with self-confidence in yourself, in your coach, there’s always someone in your life that will be there for you no matter what, even though you don’t think about it,” Garcia said. “Don’t feel bad that you’re not where you think you are. Everyone moves at different paces. As long as you just keep moving, you will get there.”