Elite Athletes

Peak Performance

The performance research on both meditation and mindfulness for elite athletes is well established. Meditation and mindfulness is now often regarded as another very productive form of training for those seeking excellence in the sporting arena.

Remember Cathy Freeman winning the Sydney Olympics 400 metres gold medal with that astonishing run? In a later ABC documentary series ‘Sporting Nation’ she said her greatest delight from those Olympics was not the gold medal, or the applause of the crowd or even lighting the Olympic torch at Games start, but that everything in her final went as she visualised it thousands of times in preparation for the race of her life: her legs and arms were in perfect harmony, her mind was focused and clear, her oxygen flow also perfect. Cathy was in what is called a flow state where perfection and pleasure flow easily with the task at hand. Meditation – training in focus and awareness – can put you into that gold medal state.

I now am providing more specialist courses and private consultations for athletes, personal trainers and coaches based upon my considerable experience with elite sportsmen and women, including Olympic athletes, seeking that X factor which puts them ahead of their competitors.

In the world of elite sport, athletes are always looking for that special something that can help them gain a winning edge over their opponents and cope with extreme pressure. Mindfulness and meditation techniques have been around for centuries, but increasingly some of Australia’s high-profile athletes are using the tools to help them deal with life on and off the playing field.

Sydney Swans assistant coach Brett Kirk was one of the sport’s fearless competitors during his playing career with the AFL club. But his ferocity on the field belies his thoughtfulness off it, and he believes it was his daily meditation practice that helped him reach the pinnacle of the sport. Kirk said he started practising mindfulness and meditation while at the Swans in his early 20s following the death of a close mate.

Sandy Gordon, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia’s School of Sport Science Exercise and Heath, said research showed there were countless benefits to athletes who practised mindfulness and meditation including stress and anxiety reduction, and greater creativity. He cited the brain’s ability to adapt as a key factor. “The neuroplasticity in our brain has been recognised as promoting the greatest well-being of all in terms of forgiveness, self-compassion, enhancing the performance of people in leadership positions in highly volatile circumstances” he said.” So, there’s quite a robust literature now on the benefits of mindful practices.

Mindfulness, meditation helping elite athletes on and off the field By Clint Thomas ABC News 5th March 2017.