The Effect of Mindfulness and Meditation in Sports Performance

Abstract

Sports performance has been a hot topic in the past few decades and many studies have been done on factors that effect sports performance. Everything from diet to training methods has been studied. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of sports performance is the athlete's ability to train the mind to put themselves in the best situation to compete. This can come in many different forms. Mindfulness and meditation are the main focus. Many different theories have been studied. It is important to train the mind just as you would train the body. Using mindfulness techniques have been shown to increase athletic ability and focus. This review of literature will examine at how mindfulness techniques have been used to increase performance and the athletes ability to cope with inner and external stimuli to increase the competitive edge. Keywords: Sports performance, mindfulness, meditation, psychology