What is the optimal fighting state and how to enter it: 4 techniques from a psychologist

What is important to win at competitions? Of course, talent, a well-built training process and liters of sweat spilled during it. But this is not enough. Fear, tension and past negative experiences can prevent you from realizing what you have planned.

By the way, this applies not only to sports achievements. To the advice that follows below, it is worth listening to and businessmen, and musicians, and even teachers – everyone who will have to perform a fateful act of demonstrating their talents. In general, it’s about psychological preparation. What is important to know?

psychologist, candidate of psychological sciences

The task of psychological preparation of an athlete is to enter an optimal fighting state. It is interesting that everyone will have their own ways of achieving it. It depends on the peculiarities of character. Someone needs to cheer up, and someone, on the contrary, to calm down. What is this state and how to create it?

Optimal Combat State (OCS) is essentially a feeling of inspiration. It is made up of physical, emotional and mental components. It is in this state that an athlete performs at his or her highest level. OBS is based on past successful experiences from similar situations.

A psychologist helps to find the right way to get into it, because there are a lot of individual moments. In case you want to do without a specialist, catch a review of techniques.

1. autotraining

This methodology is the application of muscle relaxation, self-injury and autodidactics. The athlete programs the body to the attitudes he or she instills in himself or herself. How does it work? The technique switches the body from a tense state to a relaxed state.

Previously, autotraining was used frequently. However, now it is unpopular. Why? It helps a small number of people. Of course, it is important to tell yourself: “I am strong”, “I can cope”. But it doesn’t work for all athletes. There are more effective exercises.

2. Yerkes-Dodson Law

Two American psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson derived an important rule. They found out that the best results are achieved with medium intensity of motivation. What does this mean? Strong desire increases tension. As a result, you lose.

If an athlete is too strongly focused on winning, it is important for him to lower the bar in time, to stop giving the goal so much importance. Realize that defeat is not the end of the world. There will still be chances.

Based on this conclusion, many effective techniques have emerged. It is important to remove attitudes like, “I’m not ready”, “Someone is better”, “I don’t have perfect form”. It is important to set adequate goals. For example, it is important to plan not a complete victory, but (for the time being) to get into the top five.

3. ideomotor training

This is an active representation of actually performed motor skills. Technique helps to accelerate improvement.

It is important for the athlete to visualize all his actions in detail. Not from the outside, but as if he is living it right now. For example, a soccer player should feel the impact on the ball with all muscle groups. At the same time should be involved and breathing. Such synchronization involves the active work of the brain. Scientifically proven, the technique has the same effect as normal training.

This is the main secret. If an athlete trains together with ideomotor training, he will perform better than his competitors.

4. Important rituals

Athletes are superstitious people. Even the most titled ones believe in some of their rituals. And this is normal. Why? These things are a set-up for success. They’re already part of the neural connection. For everything to go smoothly, it’s better to follow them.

Before the start, it is necessary to talk through all the points that will be needed in the process. When an athlete focuses all his attention on the goal, he forgets about the means of achieving it. Concentration can not be simultaneously on two objects. That means the athlete will lose.

The second important point is to focus on the process, not the result. This will allow you to be as concentrated as possible.

Now do you understand why most of these tips will not only work for athletes? An optimal fighting state is something that is important for everyone to learn how to create and regulate. After all, everyone has moments when they need to summon all of their knowledge, skills, and will to show what they can do.