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Think Like a Champion
By Dennis Flatmeyer
What secret power do professional athletes and Olympians possess that enables them to perform under pressure? Well, the answer, according to psychologists and athletic trainers, is in the brain.
For years, athletes and coaches alike believed that athletic skill and physical training were the two most important factors determining competitive success.
Recent evidence, however, suggests that mental training is actually more critical than athletic ability. Thus, while you may not have been born a champion golfer, you can certainly train yourself to become one by employing the proper mental training.
Take for example, the four-time Olympic gold medal winner in the 200 meter dash, Paul Fisher. Paul was born with a rare neuromuscular disease that prevented him from growing normally. He spent the first five years of his life in a hospital bed, and doctors told his parents that he would probably have to use a wheelchair all his life. Then, in 1988, while watching the Seoul Olympics from his hospital bed, Paul decided that he would one day be an Olympic runner.
Twelve years later, in Sydney, Paul Fisher was standing on the Olympic podium, wearing a gold medal around his neck. When asked about his incredible victory, Paul said, "It was easy, once I made up my mind to do it."
At Haverford University, psychologists monitored ten athletes who were each given the exact same physical training schedule. However, five athletes were also given a mental training schedule, where they practiced meditating and using positive thinking techniques. What did the University discover? The five athletes who prepared mentally and physically performed nearly seventy percent better than the other five athletes!
