Optimization of the gesture with mindfulness
Athletes are increasingly incorporating complementary exercises and development techniques into their training regimen. Not only do these additional techniques enhance their performance, but they also promote their overall health and well-being. It is well known that in life, having a well-equipped toolbox is always beneficial. The same principle applies to sports. However, it is crucial to select the right tools and, more importantly, to use them effectively. Optimization of the gesture with mindfulness
Alternative practices
Today, elite athletes have access to a wide range of development strategies and techniques, some of which may be unconventional, to enhance their performance. These include yoga, mindfulness meditation, cardiac coherence, gesture optimization, and motor simulation. These practices can be integrated into their daily routine to go beyond their technical skills as champions and take care of their physical and mental well-being. They can improve their attentional capacity, emotional management, find serenity, relaxation, and also enhance their footwork, muscle tone, and flexibility.
While it is difficult to precisely measure their impact on results, the interdisciplinary nature of these practices allows athletes to reach an optimal physical and psychological state. This enables them to strive for peak performance while prioritizing their health and well-being. And this changes everything.
Serenity and relaxation
Reconnecting with one's body and working more precisely with it becomes possible. It promotes a sense of relaxation, refinement, and efficiency.
Both athletes and artists may have bodies that are not naturally suited to their disciplines. However, this does not hinder their performance, but by optimizing their body, muscles, and movements, they can push their limits even further.
Through targeted exercises focusing on relaxation, strengthening, and breathing, athletes can enhance mobility, increase range of motion, and release tension to elevate their movements and make them more efficient.
Athlete may face obstacles that prevent them from fully expressing their potential, often without even realizing it. These obstacles could include subtle imbalances, limited joint flexibility or pelvic mobility, or a rigid wrist, all of which can impact the fluidity of their movements. Additionally, they may unknowingly imitate a gesture that they have not fully integrated, necessitating the reworking of their automatisms to broaden their range of possibilities. They must be willing to return to the basics, confront their limits, and face themselves to overcome these challenges.
Full Integration
This support must find its place in the sports project and be fully integrated into training and overall physical preparation to avoid overloads that could lead to injuries. On the contrary, optimizing movement should bring a sense of fulfillment and well-being, enabling athletes to surpass themselves and excel.
"I have often been told and criticized throughout my career for not utilizing my large size enough, for shrinking instead of using my size and elongation. But I couldn't find the keys to free myself, and perhaps I wasn't putting in the effort for it either," confesses a karateka.
"In 2018, I experienced a real wake-up call at the World Championships. This poor performance opened my eyes. Following my coach's recommendations, I started working on optimizing my movement. Through exercises focusing on muscular amplitude, support, and breathing, which brought me more stability, flexibility, and balance, I have been able to fully unlock my potential. Coupled with regular practice of yoga, which helps me refocus, I now approach competitions with greater serenity and relaxation."
Yoga not only allows you to take care of your body and become less restricted but also helps you refocus and concentrate on the essentials. It improves coordination, flexibility, strength, energy, and balance. For top athletes, there are also real benefits for lung capacity and stress management. Regular practice of yoga increases awareness of breathing, enhances breath control. And increases respiratory volume through the stimulation of physiological metabolism. Yoga is a genuine source of physical and mental recovery. It promotes emotional stability and enables a certain distance from events.
Letting go
In addition to toning the muscles developed during these physical sessions, which provides a genuine guarantee for preventing the risk of injury, athletes have also realized that they can and should allocate precious time to self-care. The breathing techniques used during yoga or mindfulness meditation sessions, also known as mindfulness, allow regular practitioners to let go, improve their concentration in training and competition, and have greater clarity in their actions or the ability to switch between tasks.
Freed from tension and distracting thoughts, they regain confidence in themselves. Their project by gaining perspective to better focus on performance. Mindfulness involves a conscious effort to direct attention to thoughts and emotions. This method helps reduce the emotional impact of a situation. The initial goal is not to regulate emotions but to become aware of them without judgment. For athletes, this leads to more effective stress and emotion management before or during a competition, improved ability to concentrate, enhanced body language, and a finer perception of sensations. For some, it can even prevent depressive disorders. In high-performance sports, hard work, whether physical or mental, always pays off, especially with the right tools.
Next read: https://mentalaccelerator.com/resource/keeping-your-cool/how-to-step-back-when-you-lose-composure