Using music to enhance learning and performance has become increasingly popular over the years. We know that listening to music can shift our mood, cause us to remember things from the past, or help us forget about things for a while. Decades ago, I would let my young sons pick out music to do chores by, we called this, “clean up music.” If they stopped doing the designated chore, I would turn off the music.

I was using music as a performance enhancement and motivator. (A mother will try anything to get those chores done!) Athletes can use music in similar ways. There are some general assumptions about which type of music is best used for creating a certain response, however, each athlete must discover what works best for them, as it is their interpretation of the music that determines their response (Karageorghis & Terry, 2011).

Find the tunes that ‘move’ you! Mind over Music!

Every athlete experiences various levels of anxiety; it can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your relationship with it.

Anxiety does not begin being good or bad to the athlete, it is simply a normal reaction to a stressful experience. In sports training or competition, the stress response can be triggered from a variety of stressors. These stressors can include, learning a new skill, having to keep going when the body is exhausted, facing a challenging competitive situation, audience interruptions, or taking a fall during a performance.

The Heart is the center of power and unique wisdom; it has ‘intelligence,’ and knows what to do, to function for our best performance. ‘Heart Intelligence’ links the physical and energetic heart, with the brain and body, through extensive communication. The “Zone” is a function of the heart that improves concentration, and streamlines the body’s ability to perform during stressful situations, in the most efficient way possible.

Over the past 3 decades that I have been a mental health professional, I have had the opportunity to work with many athletes, from young gymnasts, to Olympic level athletes, from all sports. One of the most consistent factors I have seen, is that hardly any of them have had any specific mental skills training. They train for years to master the physical skills their sport requires.

Practicing and competing consume their lives, and often their family’s lives. Intuitively, most athletes develop their own methods to sustain concentration, reduce stress and anxiety, and prepare for competition. Coaches sometimes offer suggestions as well. However, positive results can be inconsistent, and not always reliable when the real life situations throws an unexpected curve ball.

Research in the past decade is evolving rapidly regarding the influence of perfectionism in sports. In the past, it was a commonly held belief that perfectionism appeared to have a debilitating effect on an athlete, which undermines their sense of fulfillment in their achievements.

Dr. Sara Gilman, focused her Doctoral studies in Sports Psychology, she utilizes visualization, guided imagery, and self-hypnosis, with all of the athletes she works with.

An athlete’s passion for their sport can lead to obsession and imbalance in life, or harmony and a more meaningful quality of life! If you are a coach, parent, or athlete yourself, this article may help you discover if passion is fueling you or draining you.