Athletes can no longer do without sophrologists!

In a competition, mental preparation counts as much as physical preparation!

For a professional sportsman, there are several criteria which can distance them from desired performance: pain or injury, their environment, but also their mind. By mind, we mean stress, negative thoughts, anxiety, fear…

Athletes must manage energy, emotional and psychological discharge, sport tactics, gesture precision…

Among the most popular athletes’ mental preparation techniques there is sophrology!

All these techniques aim to improve a multitude of aspects: attention and concentration, motivation, managing emotions, stress, uncertainty, self-confidence, improved decision-making and communication and group cohesion. But this preparation also concerns physical capacities, such as managing fatigue, pain, suffering and recovery.

Today there are two approaches around mental preparation. One is to work on the athlete’s past – it’s all about understanding the cause of the problems – and the other looks at the present and the future of the sportsman, to develop their mental qualities during competitions.

Sophrologists are increasingly present in the multidisciplinary teams that support athletes, and this, for several years. In France one of the oldest ambassadors of sophrology is the former tennis player Yannick Noah who already practiced sophrology to mentally prepare for his competitions in the 90s. He explains how sophrology allowed him not only to relax but also to anticipate what was going to happen on the court. And of course, that the benefits of the sessions were also felt in his private life!

What about you, have you ever practiced sophrology ? Tell us about your experience in the comments or sure our Facebook page!