A lot of people have got the mistaken notion that an athlete’s body does all of the work. While this is certainly true to an extent (since nobody has yet figured out how to do a sport psychokinetically), a lot of people would be seriously surprised at how much of an athlete’s mind has got to be dedicated to the game. It is actually a little bit hard to explain, since there also has to be a state of “no mind” that goes along with the mental game that an athlete is playing during their big event. But when you are really in the state that people frequently refer to as being “in the zone,” you really do feel as if you are more along for the ride than anything else.
If you ever listen to interviews with most professional athletes, you will notice that they typically do not have the gift of gab. Most of their mental power is generally concentrated in kinaesthetic awareness, and it shows in how they talk. However, when it comes to getting down to the business on the field, in the water or on the court, the great athletes show where their mental prowess is going- strategy and visualization. A great athlete is a good strategist and a great visualizer. They can literally see themselves doing great things, and then just do them.
But of course, the mind is not the only thing that is important on the field. And if anything, when you are actually “in the moment,” your mind is eerily quiet. And an athlete’s body has got to be trained to a state where they can do what they need to do without having to do any thinking about the component actions involved in it. Their goal has got to be “get to the end zone NOW,” and not “hold the ball with both hands, pivot your hips, and throw your feet forward” to work properly.
