Named a trick that can improve achievements in sports
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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To improve their performance and show the best result in the competition, athletes can go for a little trick - tightly squeeze the left palm into a fist. However, as scientists emphasize, it is relevant only for those who have the leading side of the body - the right one.
Specialists from Germany came to the conclusion that if an athlete squeezes his hand into a fist or squeezes a small ball in it before starting, he can improve his results.
To confirm their theory, scientists conducted experiments with the participation of professional judokas, football players and players in badminton.
Athletes with the leading right side of the body, squeezing the ball in front of the contest, worried less and behaved more calmly, relying on the capabilities of their own body and experience. Experts explain this by the fact that a simple movement activated certain regions of the brain in them.
Experts say that for qualified athletes with a lot of experience, worked out for years of training the movement (movement in the box, hit the ball or swing racket) become familiar and do not require the participation of consciousness in this process.
However, before a responsible competition, a person still begins to get nervous and ponder every movement, deepening his thoughts in the process itself. This becomes a certain obstacle, which prevents a good athlete from relying on his abilities and skills that have been worked out for many years, brought to automatism.
"Although it is paradoxical, but too much thinking can adversely affect the outcome. Thoughts "overlap" the inner spirit of the motor. Usually the best results are shown by those athletes who rely on their own skills, gained over many years of practice, as well as those who can trust their body as much as possible, "says Jürgen Beckman, lead author of the study. "For example, a conscious attempt by a gymnast to keep the balance will lead to the opposite effect."
It is unlikely that the method of squeezing the ball will help those athletes whose activities depend on strength and endurance, such as weightlifters or marathon runners, the authors note. However, athletes, whose technique is based on precision and coordination of movements, for example, football players or golfers, may well practice such stimulation.