'Mindfulness' for Enhancing Sport Performance

This piece is an off-shot from the one I was writing on Yoga. As I was writing it, I began giving sports examples and then thought it was better I write one separately for Sport.

We’ve all heard that ancient Indian techniques of Yoga and meditation help in a variety of situations and illnesses. I’ve always tried to find the common ground between ‘Western and Eastern Psychology’ for my sessions, especially since the key is to stay ‘in the zone’ in sport. Only at the workshop did I realise that I was actually employing Indian methods to help in silencing the ‘monkey-mind’. What I am trying to showcase in the article is the importance of ‘going within’ in Sport. In today’s era, meditation probably seems too slow or for those who have too much time, yet it’s the opposite- if one wants to stay on the top, focused and in the zone – it helps to meditate.

In fact, at the Athletes Conclave organised by GoSports, I was amazed at the calmness with which both Bhindra and Gopichand addressed the questions and concerns in Sport. To me, Gopichand almost appeared to be in ‘Zen-like’ state- calm and smiling like a Buddha himself and his mantra was ‘positivity’. At first I thought he was being diplomatic but all his examples about his trials during his playing days also showed the same attitude, and the calmness stayed put in him! In fact, a question posed to him was what do Indians have that Chinese don’t, considering their dominance in many sport disciplines especially ‘badminton’.To which Gopi answered, ‘we are smarter’. I think what makes them so good apart from discipline is the ‘focus’ they develop from young. Look at all the martial art techniques, the key component is focus without straining or tiring oneself- they follow their age old traditions and are dominating the Sport World along with other Sports Developed Countries.

The key is therefore ‘centeredness’ and how does one attain that? Indian School brings out a beautiful concept of ‘Sakshi’ – Witness. Also, being a ‘witness’- ‘Sakshi’ is important as it helps in rising above ‘I, me, mine’. It is essential to ‘detach’ from the Ego and Results to look beyond. The minute we are viewing things as an ‘observer’, it helps us go beyond the ego-games and think at least a little higher. In fact,  we were advised on being a ‘Sakshi’ in whatever we were doing. We've all seen and heard how everyone has an opinion on how a ball ought to have been tackled be it in cricket, hockey, tennis or football. Of course, it’s easier for an outsider to state but actually if the same person would be playing- they might commit the same mistakes and not realise it. Why? Because the ‘I’ is attached to it- we tend to justify, and make ourselves look much better. So the trick is to remove the ‘I’. I’ve actually tried analysing with my players as a ‘third person’ and they end up giving a lot of valuable insights to themselves. No harm in trying right?

                The other important recipe is to be ‘in the present’ – not past or future. For this we have to quieten our monkey-mind, and meditation is one of the tested technique for ages! Meditation has varied meanings depending on the School of Thought. For eg., Indian Tradition views it as ‘going within’ whereas ‘Zen’ looks at it as focused attention in every activity. The common factor for both schools is ‘being in the present’. Great to use both to go inward and stay aware the entire day or as long as the game lasts- I know it’s not easy but this is exactly what is required in Sport. The calmness one sees in Dhoni in immense pressure situations is astounding. That’s what is required at the highest level of the game. His success talks of  how important it is to be calm and focused, thereby rightly earning the title ‘Mr. Cool’. This calmness would not only help him but it would also frazzle the opponent- so the advantage is dual. The minute the opposition knows your shaking or jittery- you’ve given them an unrequited advantage, and their self-confidence will tremendously improve. In fact, Matthew Hayden- one of Australia’s cricketing greats has attributed his cricketing success to his disciplined effort of meditating everyday which sharpens his focus while batting. In fact, he is the Coach of the West Australian Cricket Team (WACA) and is imbibing the culture into the young WA team.

One of the most celebrated martial artists- Bruce Lee’s views on detachment is apt to be brought in here:

"About four years of hard training in the art of gung fu, I began to understand and felt the principle of gentleness - the art of neutralizing the effect of the opponent's effort and minimizing expenditure of one's energy. All these must be done in calmness and without striving. It sounded simple, but in actual application it was difficult. The moment I engaged in combat with an opponent, my mind was completely perturbed and unstable. Especially after a series of exchanging blows and kicks, all my theory of gentleness was gone. My only one thought left was somehow or another I must beat him and win.

My instructor Professor Yip Man, head of the Wing Chun School, would come up to me and say, "Loong (Bruce's Chinese name), relax and calm your mind. Forget about yourself and follow the opponent's movement. Let your mind, the basic reality, do the counter-movement without any interfering deliberation. Above all, learn the art of detachment."

That was it! I must relax. However, right there I had already done something contradictory, against my will. That was when I said I must relax, the demand for effort in "must" was already inconsistent with the effortless in "relax". When my acute self-consciousness grew to what the psychologists called "double-blind" type, my instructor would again approach me and say, "Loong, preserve yourself by following the natural bends of things and don't interfere. Remember never to assert yourself against nature: never be in frontal opposition to any problem, but control it by swinging with it. Don't practice this week. Go home and think about it."

                A number of techniques are available to quieten the mind- we need to pick that which resonates to us. Here, some of the following to go ‘inside’:

-         Focusing on breath
-          Letting go of thoughts (dealing with them later)
-          Watching in Sakshi-witness mode and just observing thoughts- no chasing, justifying
-          Sanctioning that ‘I will stay focused or meditate for 10 mins’
-          Bring down clouds of Silence
-          Climb into the Cloud of Peace, Silence (which ever word resonates)
-          Entering the Realm of Silence
-          Invoking one’s God, Master, Guru, Light (recall Milkha Singh praying before every event in the movie ‘Bhaag Milka Bhaag’)

One cannot afford to lose focus while competing- the key is stay ‘in the here and now’- not past or future. Only by being focused can one give 100% to the game, and this comes by practising. Our intention – ‘Sankalp’ is very important in this regard- we have to find ways to meditate, focus, stay in the zone etc. I personally find it easier after Intending or making the ‘Sankalp’ to meditate and then focus on breathing; it’s like telling the mind- ‘this is what I want’. What we focus, tends to grow. So, we if can develop the art of focusing and blocking of distractions during meditation- its bound to come helpful in pressure situations.

At the highest level of competition where most are near-equal in skills- the mind plays a crucial role and exactly why it needs to be trained. Players need to ‘watch themselves’- what affects you and at which stage..? Are you getting angry, irritated and what do you do? We need to learn to use the ‘energy’ effectively – like Gilchrist and few other fast bowlers says- ‘I play better when I get angry’. There is no point getting angry and losing your wicket or peace of mind.  A cricketer remarked how he got agitated when the opponents sledged, lost his focus and his century. In fact, he said: “they wanted to break my focus, and I treated them by losing focus and my wicket’. This is where visualization is essential – to mentally prepare oneself for the challenges one might encounter during the day or competition. I normally get Players visualize and see that they can handle any challenging situation. May it could be used along with chakras if they’re happy with it.

One way to go ‘within’ could be to slowly remove our sense perception first by closing eyes, feeling how one’s body rests, then listening to sounds, focusing on breath, thoughts and eventually going deeper. What I mean to say is let it be gradual and unforced- and importantly ‘intend for what we truly want’. Gradually, it becomes easier to stay focused, blocking out distractions. The aim is to find and stay in one’s centre as long as possible and then it becomes a habit no matter what the situation. Imagine having the calmness of a Monk when everything around is against you! Key to this is being a ‘Sakshi’- witness mode every minute, which  brings in 'detachment' to some degree. The movie Karate Kid also shows how one can see one’s reflection in water only after the water has settled, and later Jackie Chan goes on to explain how one can subconsciously dictate the opponent by being ‘still and calm’- that’s the level of centeredness one should obtain. Not surprisingly, Bruce Lee stressed the importance of ‘flow’ in one of his videos as, ‘be like the flowing water my friend’. This is what is called the ‘Zone’ in Sport where one feels its poetry- like the way Federer makes tennis look- so eloquent and easy but there is immense practice behind it!

To sum up, first one has to ‘go within’ and detach, get aware of what is happening to oneself, figure which stage of competition does one lose focus, and what would help. Then practising to bring back one’s attention to the ‘here and now’ by any chosen method, ensuring one stays calm and focused in pressure situations which in turn provides greater chances of success! It's not easy but practice on and off the field takes you closer to your 'zone'!

The following quote by Bruce Lee emphasizes 'Mindfulness' quite aptly!

" No matter what you want to do, don't be nervous

(you should not let your muscles nor your mind be effected by nerves).

Just keep calm.

No illusion and no imagination,

but to apprehend the actual situation you are in and find a way to deal with it.

No excessive action is needed. Just keep your body and mind relaxed

to deal with the outside emergency."

 Hope I have managed to implant the seed of mindfulness in you'll- much needed for success in not just sport

but every facet of Life! 

http://www.timescrest.com/sports/courting-the-closet-10666

Courting the closet

Prajwal Hegde | July 6, 2013


My Quotes in the Article

Sports psychologist Dr Chaitanya Sridhar noted that professional sport is often linked to strength and masculinity, supposed male traits, because of which there is little inclusiveness when a gay male athlete expresses his sexuality. When a male athlete - the supposed embodiment of physical character - says he's gay, it's perceived as a sign of weakness, turning a much-hyped notion on its head.

Dr Sridhar says, "Sports binds male athletes by the culture of machoism, where they are expected to look and sound strong. " She highlighted that a large chunk of the sports market - fans, connoisseurs and critics - are male. The female segment, though rapidly growing, is still miniscule in comparison. She stressed that heterosexual men lacked practice coping with sexual preferences that were removed from the stereotype and were easily alarmed by such choices. It isn't uncommon for men to ridicule friends or associates who may be gay.

The Psyche of the Flying Sikh- Milkha Singh

Watched the much awaited ‘Bhaag Milka Bhaag’ and it left me on a high! Kudos to Mehra’s team for the way they have portrayed the character - Milka Singh. Not only did Farhan Akhtar do justice to Milka Singh but the message goes much beyond Sport! I was watching the movie thinking it covers the major tenets of Psychology that needs to embed into the psyche of every athlete. Not just in Sport but every arena of life requires motivation, dedication, passion and goals to accomplish; else we just go on living like we have an eternity to pursue our dreams.

                One of the most outstanding people in athletics of India is Sir Milkha Singh. He represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Thereafter, he won gold medals at the 1958 Asian Games. He progressed to win a gold medal in the 400m competition at the 1958 Cardiff Commonwealth Games, making him the first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games from independent India. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he finished second in all of his 400m races prior to the final, improving his time on each occasion. In the final, Milkha Singh went off the blocks and took an early lead. He slowed a bit midway into the race and the others overtook him there. He increased his pace and gave his best in the last lap but finished fourth by just 0.1 second in the heart breaking final. However, his effort did not go in vain as Milkha's agonisingly close finish at Olympic glory in Rome, brought his countrymen the belief ‘we can' and the gold, nearly half a century later, through  Abhinav Bindra.

                It all started when Milka Singh- a fresh recruit at EME Centre, Secunderabad, heard an announcement one night in 1951: ‘Tomorrow, there will be a cross country race’. He recalls after making it to the Elite 10, “I was moved to tears by the thought that from being nobody the night before, I had become somebody”. “Havaldar Gurdev Singh charted my climb to the top,” the mentor quick to spot his protege's potential.

Determined to be the best and realising his talent as a sprinter, the jawan took to training five hours every day. He says, “Discipline. You have to be disciplined if you want to be world class’. Guided and motivated by his coach Havaldar Gurdev Singh, he left it to the elements to hone his craft -- running on the hills, the sands of the Yamuna river, and against the speed of a metre gauge train. “I'd race against the metre-gauge trains that criss-crossed Secunderabad localities such as Bolarum and Cavalry Barracks”. Legend has it that so intense was his training that very often he vomited blood and would collapse in exhaustion.

Forty years on, that failure in Rome still haunts him. After clocking a world record 45.8 seconds in one of the 400 metres preliminaries in France, Milkha Singh finished fourth in a photofinish in the Olympics final. The favourite for gold had missed the bronze by a fraction. .... "Since it was a photofinish, the announcements were held up. The suspense was excruciating. I knew what my fatal error was:  After running perilously fast in lane five, I slowed down at 250 metres. I could not cover the lost ground after that -- and that cost me the race." "After the death of my parents, that is my worst memory," says Singh, "I kept crying for days." Dejected by his defeat, he made up his mind to give up sport. It was after much persuasion that he took to athletics again. Two years later, Milkha Singh won two medals at the 1962 Asian Games.

Subsequently, he earned the `title' of the "Flying Sikh" from General Ayub Khan after defeating Abdul Khaliq, Asia’s celebrated runner in year 1962 in the Indo-Pak meet at Lahore. The whole stadium was packed to see the key contest between two of Asia's finest runners. Milkha Singh outran Abdul Khaliq of Pakistan, in the 200 metres. It was said that Milkha did not run the race but he flew, hence the title. The movie has captured it very well with the General applauding him, “tum bhaag nahi teh, oudd rahe the’.

The movie depicts the story of Milkha Singh, an orphaned Sikh refugee from Pakistan who grew up to join the Army and became India’s prized track and field possession. It also tells the story of Milkha Singh who, at the 1960 Rome Olympics, looked back for a split-second and heartbreakingly lost the bronze medal and the Olympic glory. Yet, he did what no other Indian had done- instilling the hope in Indians and rightly became a legend. More interestingly, it uses Milkha Singh as a metaphor to tell another story — the story of India. This intent is embedded in Joshi’s dialogue. He gets Farhan Akhtar to scream for all to hear: “Milkha Singh ban gaya India”. The message I took from this was ‘nothing is impossible, if only you set your heart and soul on it’.

For Akhtar, whose been training akin to a professional athlete, the training gave him insights into the ‘mind of the athlete’. In an interview, he remarked: “When you look at an athlete entering a stadium in any sport they look like they own the place. This state of mind, this swagger, can only come from your self-belief as an athlete, and the self-belief comes from hard training. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as energetic and strong and optimistic as I felt during the making of this film.” Farhan rightly acknowledged hard-work but not everyone who works hard has the same kind of ‘self-belief’, and if that essential ingredient is missing- all the hard work goes down the drain.

Akhtar further adds, “When you come into the final 100m or so, your brain begins to feel like it’s going to blow up. Every part of your mind and body is telling you to just stop; your legs have packed up. I have no idea how athletes speed through that final section.” Guess, that’s where professional athletes know they have to push themselves beyond everything in the final lap as it’s what they’ve worked for; the trick though is to train your mind much in advance along with the physical!

                
The movie doesn’t simply tell the story of one of India’s finest athletes but also addresses some of the challenges in Indian Sport.  The turning point for me was when he walks up to the Coach in the flight and asks for the world record for 400 metres, just after failing to Qualify at the Melbourne Olympics. Recall reading in ‘The Winning Way’ by Anitha and Harsha Bhogle how we need to learn lessons from failure and not let it define us. We all berate ourselves upon failing in a particular task/challenge but we’re doomed if we choose to brood on it, instead of moving on. Icons from any field have made it big by rising from failure every time. I tell the athletes to see the wonderful lessons failure teaches us, especially in practice and smaller competitions- so it does not repeat at major competitions!

Remember hearing or reading that Milka Singh lost the Medal because he ‘turned’ to see how far others were, and ended up losing the race. After researching on every aspect about Milka Singh, I did not see any explanation given by the former athlete himself. The movie has dealt with a metaphysical aspect where Farhan makes peace with his past, and flies the race beating Pakistan’s favourite in Pakistan. We’re not sure whether it was the nerves of competing at the highest level which athletes normally encounter or to see where his opponents were or the past or something else?  We are but human after all, yet as I was watching the movie yesterday, was just thinking ‘only if the buried memory had been dealt with earlier’, it probably would have been history! It just goes on to emphasise the ‘power of the mind’ which every athlete needs to train- be it thoughts about our past or a particular opponent!

Also, it’s amazing how Milka Singh is at first extrinsically motivated and that pushes him to excel in the race, and later it’s more internal. In fact, he manages to finish the first Army race despite a stomach catch just by focusing on milk- and chanting ‘dudh’ till the fag end. Next, he realizes that the ‘India Blazer’ gets more respect, and he wants one. Beating all odds, even being beaten up by insecure ‘senior Indian players’, he goes on to break the National record with bruised, bleeding legs! Failure at Melbourne Olympics makes him a much more disciplined and hungry athlete- this is where motivation was internalised. In fact, his eyes were never off his goal- so immersed was he in it. He used to run at night to ensure he doesn’t miss on training-  determination is the key for success. One cannot hope success will just fall at their feet. This raw passion, dedication and hard-work are what take an ordinary person to the heights of pinnacle. Blood dripping and you still persevere. If we falter at the drop of the hat, there is no way things will just happen. No one ever said it is easy to reach the top but when you do- it conveys everything you’ve done to reach it!

The girl in Australia distracts him but he learns from his mistake, and aims to break the world record. Thereafter, the only thought running in his mind is to break the record. Interestingly, he even declines the ‘top swimmer’s’ interest and says, ‘yeh meri khudh se ladayi hai’ (this is my personal battle). A pressing issue today is how young athletes get distracted and lose focus on their goal and sometimes it is too late to make a way back. Agree an athlete gives up a socially enjoyable life and it’s difficult while others their age are having fun but they also get a lot more respect and adulation for their achievements! One question which I feel everyone ought to ask is ‘what do I want’ and ‘why am I training so hard’- definitely not to kill time right?!  Eyes on goal and the feeling of accomplishment is what drives an athlete.

The support network of the athlete is also extremely important- and this is portrayed by the Coaches, his sister and the supposed lover (whose role was dampened i feel)! Love the beautiful way in which the Mentors- two coaches groom the young athlete, clearly depicting how important a Coach is to an athlete. The chamata (slap) he gets from his first Coach when he tries on the Senior Indian’s Blazer might have physically hurt but what he says is truly inspiring, ‘you’ll have to beat the likes of this guy to represent India and only then can you get the blazer’. Recall a former Basketball Player who was struggling due to missing the first conditioning camp saying how the ‘Indian jersey’ was very important. We got her to keep it in Mind when she did challenging practices, pushing herself when her teammates were much ahead. The ‘Indian Jersey’ not only ensured her a place in the Indian Team but she went on to have a great tournament too. That ‘junoon’- raw passion is a must to achieve but even before that is having a ‘clear goal’.

Also, goals need to be modified and upgraded, else staleness and mediocrity will creep in. If an athlete is already a National Champion- he/she ought to be aiming higher than staying a National Champion. Unfortunately, as Mr. Nobbs- the recently sacked Hockey Coach said, ‘some are just happy being an Olympian’. I have seen top athletes aiming only to qualify at Olympics or other International Meets, then what? We have to get ourselves out of this mediocrity trap to really make it at a World Level. Why have we stopped dreaming big or setting challenging goals? I think we just keep looking at the past or generalise it as, ‘Indians can only go up to this level’. I got irked when a layman commented, ‘India will never reach anywhere in World Sport... Look at ‘X’, he’s nothing compared to an International star’. I said, ‘he’s at least trying his best to get to his best potential, and this will inspire the younger generation’. What we aspire will determine the effort and motivation required to reach the goal; else we’ll end up a lost potential or a mediocre.

The finale of the movie was Milka Singh’s rebirth in Pakistan after visiting his home-town which resulted in the integration with his scarred inner child; thereby dealing with his traumatic past. Yet, to come up to the highest glory despite such a tragic past is a magnificent feat in itself.  The mind-set and clarity just before this race where they show him visualising how he covers the entire track in a milli-second (in the mind) talks about methods used by most Olympic medallists to clear it first in the mind- a very powerful technique to convince your mind and self. It aids in believing ‘I can’. Salute the Fighting Spirit of Milka Singh, and hope his dream of India winning gold  in Athletes at the Olympics is realised very soon.
The need of the hour for India and Indian sports is to recognise the making of champions like Milka Singh- it takes time, humungous effort, passion, sweat, blood, discipline, belief in self, dedication and much, much more to become a legend. A wonderful way to inspire today’s youth- who believe in quick-fixes! Salute Milka Singh for what he’s done and wish this instils hope in many more champions.

PS: I know it’s a tad too lengthy but I just didn’t know how to shorten the article anymore!

Mind Matters

So, here I am blogging my first piece on Sport Psychology. Guess, having done it at other avenues, I was somehow waiting for the perfect topic or moment and it finally happened! Honestly, it’s so difficult to separate my life from psychology as ‘the mind’ is in demand every single minute of the day. So, what motivated me?

                Actually while reading a book ‘The Habit of Winning’, the initial chapter dealt with goals and vision, and how without ‘a goal’ we are like water in the ocean without direction, not knowing what we really want. So there I was pondering on my target of ‘100 surya namaskars’ and felt it was a goal to set firmly and work towards. Incidentally, this very morning I achieved it with ‘108’. This surely is not meant to be a blog on pompousness but to me this actually put into perspective a number of things pertaining to psychology and sport psychology. Let’s break it down one by one.

                Of course, I would have fainted or hurt myself if I had attempted this target the first day of practice. Any good athlete who has achieved sporting feats will know the value of Goals. One needs to have a vision- a dream goal, along with appropriate short and long-term goals, which are also achievable in their sporting career. Appropriate short-term and long-term goals are equally essential as they keep us on track. Every day feats need to be acknowledged and applauded as they take us closer to our Dream Goals.

                What I have seen from my work is that many top players in our country do not have a clear goal or at least is very short term; e.g., ‘I want to do well in Nationals’. What does ‘well’ mean?  Our vision will determine how much effort we put in, and it’s extremely important to have a clear Vision. Yeah, it’ll be tough but who said success comes easy!  Even the National Hockey team aimed at ‘Olympic Qualifiers during London Olympics’12. The way they played up to the qualifiers was like a team on a roll; sadly, the tempo dipped after they qualified and performance was surely nowhere good during the Olympics. So what happened? Could be a number of things...  I didn’t work with them after Qualifiers but I always wonder whether the team forgot to modify their vision, since the ‘qualifier target’ was already achieved?

                Also, remember having a discussion with a friend on the importance of ‘pushing self’. In fact, ‘Attitude’ is what makes all the difference. Be it Sport, Fitness, or any aspect of Life- we’ve all witnessed how we either push our limits or decide to back down by our ‘Thought’. For example, the minute I feel I can’t work out beyond 20 minutes today, that’s pretty much how much I end up doing as against a normal 1 hour workout. Bangalore’s current cold weather is not at all helpful to wake up or exercise, in order not to fall into complacency I keep a minimum target of 2 sets every day, and on days when my body is rigid I tell myself- ‘let’s take each set at a time’. Hence, daily goals are extremely essential as well. The day you  push yourself and say ‘yes’ to the challenge, you feel great and over a period of time this attitude is what makes a champion!

Now, how does one develop ‘good attitude’? Recall this dialogue whilst working with Men’s 400mt runners during Busan Asian Games; it was the fag end of the training and this athlete was practically throwing up due to intense workout. He comes to me and says, ‘100% nahi hota madam (can’t give 100%)’. All I could think of and say was ‘just finish this set’ which happened to be the last set. Thankfully, it worked and he finished the training and later said, ‘you were right, it’s not always about 100%’. At that point, it was more essential for him to completing the training, than leaving it unfinished. Subsequently, other aspects can be inculcated into the last and challenging hurdle too.

                The mind listens to what ‘call’ you take- so if you feel you can or can’t- it’s going to obey your decision. Hence, it’s crucial we learn to think of simple strategies that may work for us, especially on days when our motivation is not at its best! Like, Rahul Dravid says, ‘one ball at a time’ than getting bogged down with the target or task at hand!

                On similar lines, an athlete was discussing about how ‘extrinsic motivation drives one intrinsically’.  Extrinsic is external such as trophies, money etc and intrinsic is internal or self-motivation. If we come to think of it, I feel it works both ways. For example, if you are intrinsically motivated- you have a target and push yourself to achieve it for self. It also makes you feel good and you draw applause from others too- i.e., extrinsic. So, though motivated intrinsically it did have an extrinsic element to it. On the other hand, if receiving a trophy or appreciation was the extrinsic motivation- an athlete still pushes self and feels good about having achieved, so there is an intrinsic element to the extrinsic motivation. Coaches, trainers, parents and leaders can look into this aspect and see which type of motivation may work better for an individual, and employ that to bring out the best in the person.

The aim of the article was to provide a brief glimpse of how the mind works, shall be discussing other topics soon. For the time being, good luck in ‘setting targets and pushing self’ :)