Tag Archive for 'atleti'

Are you passionate?

We often use words without stopping to understand their value. This is the case when we talk about passion. What do we mean when we say that we are passionate about something, that amateurs (nowadays more frequently called masters), for example, are passionate about swimming, running or cycling. That is, that I do the work I’ve always wanted to do.

Passion consists of a particularly strong motivation towards a well-defined activity, it is very useful to understand what drives to training, study or work. A survey conducted in 2019 had highlighted that 55% of Italians are satisfied with their work. satisfaction is at a lower level than passion although positive and determined by experiences evaluated as rewarding.

Passion emerges in those jobs that involve a certain degree of creativity and are perceived by those who perform them as more exciting, since they require autonomy, decision-making skills and divergent reasoning. Those who consider it necessary to introduce innovative factors into their professional experiences, as opposed to those who make more conservative choices, are certainly among those who perform work with passion. Athletes who have succeeded in turning their passion for their sport into a job fall into this category. Outside the work context, those who are engaged in activities driven by the pleasure they provide, from which they derive no gain or material recognition, are individuals turned to cultivating a passion.

Like any psychological dimension, passion can be interpreted in a constructive and pleasant way and in another more negative way, in this case we can talk about:

Harmonious passion, it is based on autonomous motives. pleasure and the feeling of mastery.
Obsessive passion, consists in feeling obliged or compensate for other aspects of the personality. Reduces concentration. Obstructs self-regulation.

Mental health: something is moving in the sport world

Let’s read this text and try to understand that mental health even in sports is a topic to be addressed without hiding behind medals won and a machista culture or more simply behind the indifference of the “I don’t care” philosophy.

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Hilinski’s Hope Foundation (H3H), founded by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the legacy of their son Tyler, today announced that 50+ schools around the country will be participating in the second annual College Football Mental Health Week. The week will focus on a series of mental health initiatives, beginning October 2, which will honor Tyler, those lost, and those suffering, and will culminate on October 9.

To date schools from around the country are participating including:

Hilinski's Hope 2021 Schools

 

Hilinski’s Hope 2021 Schools

 

• Baylor University • Northwestern University • University of Colorado-Boulder
• Brigham-Young University • North Carolina State • University of Dayton
• Claremont-Mudd-Scripps • North Dakota State University • University of Georgia
• Clemson University • North Greenville University • University of Massachusetts
• Drake University • Northern Arizona University • University of Miami
• Duquesne University • Oklahoma State University • University of Missouri
• Eastern Washington University • Oregon State University • University of Mississippi
• Florida State University • Pomona College • University of San Diego
• Georgetown University • Sacramento State • University of South Carolina
• Georgia Southern University • Southern Methodist University • University of South Florida
• Idaho State University • Stanford University • University of Southern California
• Kansas State University • Stetson University • University of Tennessee Knoxville
• Lamar University • Stevenson University • University of Utah
• Lehigh University • Texas A&M • University of Washington
• Liberty University • Texas Tech University • Washington State University
• Louisiana State University • Tufts University • West Virginia University
• Louisiana Tech University • University of Alabama • Whitworth University
• Mercyhurst University • University of Arkansas
• Middlebury College • University of Arizona
• Mississippi State University • UC Berkeley
• University of Buffalo

“We are so honored that more than 50 schools nationwide will be participating in this year’s mental health awareness week,” said Mark Hilinski. “This year, more than ever, student-athlete mental health has been in the spotlight and while conversation around mental illness can be tough and even at times uncomfortable, it is absolutely critical for the overall health and well-being of our student-athletes. Throughout the last year, we’ve continued to see support from schools, fans, students and parents as they join us in the fight against mental illness and that is a major piece of the puzzle that will help destigmatize mental illness and increase mental health resources. We miss Tyler every single day, but we are grateful to know that what we are doing is making a difference and that he would be proud of us.”

“The College Football Playoff Foundation is happy to support Hilinski’s Hope during College Football Mental Health Week to eliminate stigma and increase mental health resources across the county,” said Britton Banowsky, Executive Director of College Football Playoff Foundation. “We see teachers and coaches often taking on responsibilities related to the basic needs of their students and student-athletes, and this includes mental health. We hope these mental health resources can make a difference in providing what they need to better support their students.”

Participating schools have committed to at least one of the following during the week: showcasing a lime green ribbon on all players helmets with a “3″ in the middle to honor Tyler Hilinski and remember those lost and those suffering in silence; encouraging students, parents, alumni, and fans to participate in showing solidarity, eliminating stigma around mental health by holding three fingers in the sky during the first play of the third quarter; participating in an internal assessment to evaluate how universities are following best practices in terms of mental health programs and include talks and trainings on campus for players, coaches, and staff.

Additionally, on Wednesday, Oct. 6 Hilinski’s Hope will host a mental health training open to student-athletes nationwide. Registration link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7124947916045695501.

To learn more and/or get involved with Hilinski’s Hope Foundation please visit https://www.hilinskishope.org/cfb-mental-health-week.

Pre-race athletes’ biases

In the mind of every athlete before a major competition many thoughts arise. They are like salesmen who want you to buy their products, but not always this merchandise is the best to face the competition. Sometimes the athletes manage to buy only the ideas they need while in other occasions they buy the first one that comes to them and let them occupy their mind.

It is certainly not a problem that negative and anxious ideas pop up in the mind, it only becomes one if the athletes choose and magnify them.
Because it is really a matter of choice, there is no imposition. The athletes accept one thought (with its associated feeling ) and allow it to spread through the mind.

Some pre-race biases of athletes:

  1. “Let’s hope everything goes well.”
  2. “Just now I had to find myself in trouble”
  3. “It will be the race of a lifetime”
  4. “I did everything I was supposed to, now let’s see how it goes”
  5. “Hopefully it won’t be like last time”
  6. “The important thing is to start well”
  7. “I don’t have to relax/angry/beating myself up”
  8. “I’m in such good shape that I have to win”
  9. “With this opponent I have to win, otherwise…”
  10. “Important is that at some point I don’t start thinking about the result”

During the competitions are you aware of your thoughts ?

Athletes are often unaware of the role of their thoughts during a race.

In my opinion they make these mistakes:

  • They confuse having respect for the opponents with being afraid of them
  • They have a vision of themselves as athletes not very global and have the myth of physical fitness and technical perfection
  • They do not think that their opponents probably lives the same situation as them
  • They do not mentally hold up their positive results instead of benefiting from them for the next ones
  • They don’t understand that being in difficulty is normal believing that it shouldn’t happen
  • They think “But he/she is a champion” and not that he/she has trained better than them

It’s time to promote the athletes’ and coaches’ mental health

The NGO of Athletic in UK are working with Believe Perform to create new online resources for athletes, coaches and parents around mental health and performance.

Great news!

Immagine

Immagine

Mental coaching: when the athletes speak another mother tongue

Psychological preparation with athletes and coaches usually takes place with people who speak the same mother tongue, because sharing the same cultural climate promotes relationship and change.

When I was involved in this consultancy activity in non-English speaking countries such as Cyprus, India, Malta, United Arab Emirates and Iran, I have been aware that English, even as a second language, still allowed for a constructive and equally effective dialogue with athletes.

I recently spent two weeks in China, in Beijing, working with the Chinese national shooting team. In this country, I hav had to cope in a different environment, having to work with an interpreter who, although an expert, limited the relationship with athletes and coaches and consequently I run the risk to reduce the effectiveness of the psychological preparation. As a result, the work done was essentially focused on practical experiences to be carried out collectively in the gym and individually on the shooting range.

In this way, the athletes were able to immediately apply in training psychological strategies and techniques to improve: (a) their ability to be focused in conditions of competitive stress and (b) how to refocus themselves after a mistake or unexpected events.

This experience has further confirmed to me that, even with our Italian athletes, we often spend too much time describing what they should do/think/feel rather than more pragmatically allow them to make experiences of change and optimization of their psychological resources through a specific training consisting of exercises. On the other hand, the athletes know these systems very well, since the physical preparation and technical training are based on the practice repeated over time with the desired intensity.

First money and second athletes’ health

What is happening at the World Athletics Championships in Doha is the proof that there are places where if not possible to compete. It is also clear that political and economic interests dominate the world of sport, so that for a long time the most important sporting events have often been organised in areas of the world where, because of the environmental conditions, athletes run serious risks to their health and are unable to provide performances corresponding to their level of competence.

In Doha, 40% of marathon runners retired and the final times of the best performers are worst than their best performances. Moreover, the marathon is certainly the race where these difficulties emerge most clearly but similar facts have happened in other performances on the track.

I don’t remember if any athletics federation protested against this assignment of the World Championship. On the other hand, it’s an old story. We remember that the matches of the 1970 Football World Cup in Mexico were played at an altitude of over 2000 meters and at hours impossible for heat and humidity but useful to be seen in TV in Europe.

There is no chance for the athletes, the only reaction would be not to participate but many do not have a the power to bring forward their rights. Only Eliud Kipchoge has not gone, because he is preparing the attempt to run the marathon in 1h59m in two weeks, financed  by a big sponsor like Ineos.

Risultati immagini per maratona donne doha

Athletes’ 10 more common mistakes

List of the most common mistakes made by athletes starting from their sentences.

  1. the technique solves any difficult situation
  2. I just have to train for many hours and if that’s not enough, I’ll add more hours
  3. it’s always important to do what the coach says
  4. I did everything I had to do to be ready, now let’s see how it goes
  5. the opponent was too strong
  6. I don’t believe that I continue to make the same mistakes
  7. after a while I lose my mind
  8. today wasn’t exactly a good day, I knew it would has been bad
  9. when I make a stupid mistake, I get mad at myself and I make another one.
  10. It was all right until then, but then it was a disaster.

10 questions to understand the coaching effectiveness

10 questions for athletes and coaches. How much my coaching is oriented to teach:
  1. athlete controls the process of his/her performance (e.g. technique, timing, speed and accuracy) and much more less the result
  2. what happens before determines what happens immediately after (e.g. warm-up quality determina to be ready to start training)
  3. mistake is a coaching component, the improvement occurs through the prompt reaction at this situation
  4. high intensity and concentration must be showed during all the coaching time
  5. athlete must be mentally ready to do and not only to start one exercise just to do
  6. athlete must be aware of his/her thoughts, feelings and behaviors
  7. coaching is not a sequence of exercises but it is a sequence of situations to be solved in the best way
  8. coach/athlete dialogue is a fundamental aspect of the coach and athlete improvement
  9. before to start one exercise it’s necessary to be committed for some moments to visualize the task to do
  10. behavioral routine are essentials to execute difficult tasks and to cope with competitive situations

With muscles, ‘use it or lose it’ rings true

This study included 40 recreational masters athletes between the ages of 40 and 81, who trained 4 to 5 times a week for running, swimming or cycling. Neither leg muscle size nor strength declined significantly with age among the subjects…