1. What makes mental (positive) imagery so powerful? How does it affect performance? Discuss the techniques used by the Chinese table tennis players. What did they do that made them so successful?
Mental imagery is powerful because it allows for illusory visual patterns to cooperate with a coexisting perceptual stimulus to enhance sensory performance and to be fully focused. As Terry state that one of the reasons mental imagery is influential is, “that the human brain cannot distinguish between a vividly imagined experience and a real experience.” (Orlick, 2016)
Mental Imagery increases mindfulness of competitive cues that can contribute to quicker decision making and improved execution of individual or team strategies. Orlick implies, that
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Like mental imagery, self-hypnosis is self-induced, and is made up of self-suggestion. Self-hypnosis allows the mind to be re-programmed to recognize distractions, whether internal (anxiety, fear of failure, pressure of expectations) or from the environment (crowd noise, other competitors, weather conditions). In sports, we tend to interpret the body and mind as two separate things to improve upon, in self-hypnosis they come together naturally as one. When engaging in self-hypnosis, you are empowering yourself with the ability to put your mind where you want it, when you want it there, for as long as you want it there. Self-hypnosis being a very powerful tool can lasting positive effects on …show more content…
Describe the Zen experience. What is the goal of Zen? How does Zen experience relate to performance and the pursuit of excellence? Have you ever experienced a Zen experience?
Zen is to be fully connected and to become one with and inseparable from the core of what you are pursuing. Terry infers that in order to achieve Zen “The goal is to be all there; totally present; fully absorbed in the moment; one with your body, task, performance, experience, and surroundings.” In order to achieve a state of peak performance where actions are instinctive, intuitive and natural, Terry states that Zen can never be forced and it allows for excellence to occur naturally and effortlessly.
The Zen experience relates to the pursuit of excellence by reiterating the need of being fully focused helping athletes and teams develop better results in training and performance. The state of experiencing Zen supports the individual through uniting the mind and the body to attain a relaxed state of concentration. Orlick emphasizes the importance of a positive and fully connected focus and believes it is the most important element of excellence. That is why he places focus at the center of the wheel of excellence. It is your foundation, your center and the source of your personal
Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel describes the ritualistic arts of discipline and focus that the Zen religion focuses around. In this book, Herrigel describes many aspects of how archery is, in fact, not a sport, but an art form, and is very spiritual to those in the east. The process he describes shows how he overcame his initial inhibitions and began to look toward new ways of seeing and understanding. In the beginning of the book, Herrigel tells us that he is writing about a ritual and religious practice, “whose aim consists in hitting a spiritual goal, so that fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.” (Herrigel p. 4).
Suzuki, D.T. An introduction to Zen Buddhism. Ed. Christmas Humphreys; fwd. C.G. Jung. London: Rider, 1983.
Zen Buddhism teaches of a concept called wu-nien, or “no-thought”. This of course is not a literal absence of thought, but it is rather a detachment from the thou...
Practicing meditation daily or before a game builds mental strength. Scientists have proven that meditation improves many cognitive functions not only in athletes, but in everyday life, “Emerging scientific literature further suggests that mindfulness meditation is a productive method for improving self awareness” (David and Hayes 198) Another way that athletes can mentally prepare themselves is by visualizing the outcome that they would like before an event. This makes that outcome seem more realistic to them and closer in reach. This is called imagery. “Imagery has been described as a mental event that recreates actual experience and is frequently adopted by athletes as a covert rehearsal technique to aid both motoric and psychological performance.” (Parker et al. 22) . If you go into a game or match with the mindset that you are going to lose, you will not play to the best of your
Buddhism is able to inform its followers on the constant changes of life and how one may take advantage of those changes for the better without telling them how to live their lives. Through the practice of meditation and other basic principles Buddhism allows its followers to take a step back from reality. Meditation allows is users to work on the mind during that drop from reality. One of the main focuses of Buddhism is the promotion of developing the mind into a more positive one. Buddhism often teaches the characteristics of calmness, and awareness of ones surroundings. Furthermore, Buddh...
Understanding the brain and the different signs will help acknowledge the issues within a person to help them cope with the issue. It is important for one to be aware of their selves and their reactions/behaviors. On the other hand, the studies address the different types of mediation and possible consequences. When introducing a specific technique, there are always pros and cons, and people that are for or against the matter. Meditation is known as healing of the body and/or mind and can be religious. Those different types were address and justified for the understanding of the use for the
begins to practice these techniques, there is a noticeable change in behavior for the better. Studies have shown that in partaking in mindfulness there are positive cognitive effects on oneself such as, reducing life stress, positive benefits on rehabilitation, and anxiety. These researches all provide consistent and valid evidence supporting the claim that mindfulness does have positive effects on athletes.
What is the thought pattern of an athlete? Is there anything special or unique that goes on in the mind of an athlete, that doesn’t happen in the average person’s mind? These are questions that are very difficult to answer. Every athlete thinks differently, learns differently, and is motivated in different ways. But maybe there is something dealing with the mind of an athlete that separates them from the rest of civilization.
The power of thought is an incredible force that controls our actions and emotions. Often these thoughts can lead to distractions, suffering, and stress. However, many forms of meditation ease and diminish the negative ideas that humans face. Meditation has been practiced since ancient times and has a variety of different approaches and methods, but I will focus on what has helped me the most in my life, Zen meditation. As an individual who battles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive thoughts daily, conscious-altering methods such as meditation have allowed me to escape my compulsive and frightening thoughts and relax my body
In The Effects of Mental Imagery on Athletic Performance, Anne Plessinger describes mental imagery as the imagining of the execution of an action without actually performing the action. Plessinger also explains that mental imagery not only includes visual senses, but also auditory, olfactory and kinesthetic senses (4). Studies have demonstrated that mental imagery prior to athletic performance leads to better results than the execution of the action alone. Plessinger describes an experiment that consisted of a control group and an imagery group who were told to complete specific golf skills. It was concluded that the imagery group performed better because they had higher goals and expectations of themselves (4).
been referred to as ‘moving Zen’. “Ai”- come together or to harmonize “Ki”- the spirit of
Zen Buddhism is a combination of Indian and Chinese thought process revolving around the world as it is and the discipline of finding enlightenment. The idea of enlightenment or Satori as the Japanese called it was the central point of Buddhism The Chinese had several ways of looking at the things that were contradicted by Indian lifestyles and thus you have the creation of Zen Buddhism. The Chinese weren’t as philosophically minded as their Indian counterparts, rather looking at things in a very practical way. The Chinese were always devoted to world affairs, but always kept touch of reality. The Chinese weren’t looking for God, or answers from a higher source, looking within for the answers. This is one way the Zen Buddhism was greatly different from most other religions was its emphasis on asking questions and seeking answers thought the use of meditation. The monks that followed Zen Buddhists weren’t asked to recite group prayer or any other deeds of piety, but rather just ask questions and seek answers. The basis of Zen Buddhism also puts an unprecedented emphasis on community. A monk of any level, or the master of of a Monastery all have the same role in community and work together on all levels. No matter how mundane the work might be, the group emphasis rules above all thus creating every man equal. Zen teachings believe in handling a thing rather than an abstraction and this is an example of this. Rather than asking a god figure, or waiting for god’s intervention, Buddhist monks believe in asking the question to themselves or to a higher monk where they can get a grounded answer, although it was usually cryptic.
The essence of Zen is to see into the nature of one’s being. Due to the egotistical nature of humans, achieving this is not as simple as it seems. Humans also constantly go into new situations or events with predispositions and concepts that cloud the mind and prevent it from being open. The mind is also generally imbued with thoughts of the self. All day, humans are constantly talking to themselves, thinking about how a certain situation will affect them or what they need to do next in order to benefit themselves. Instead, Zen teaches to strip away this egotistical bondage with the self in order to see the raw nature of one’s being‒it is in this that one consummates a true open mind. This then relates to many Christian traditions, including Jesus’ core teaching of giving up everything and following him. Humans must give up their egos in order to follow the teachings of Christ and find their true natures.
...ompetition environment. There is increasing recognition by the sports community that supporting athlete mental health is a vital aspect of competitive performance, and is as integral to success as the athlete’s physical abilities. The profession of sports psychology provides a very meaningful contribution to help facilitate athlete wellbeing and maximize the psychological skills required to compete at the highest level of competition.
How can Yoga and Meditation help shape our future life? Most of us are looking for fulfillment in our lives. We are living in a world that conditions us to believe that outer subjects can give us what we want. Yet again and again our experiences show us that nothing external can completely fulfill the human’s need within for "something more." Most of the time, however, we find ourselves dreaming about something, which always seems to lie just beyond our reach. We are caught up in doing rather than being in action and awareness. It is hard for us to imagine a circumstance of complete calmness and repose in which thoughts and feelings cease to dance in eternal motion. Yet it is through such tranquility’s circumstance that it is impossible to achieve a level of joy and understanding we can feel. Yoga is a simple process of reversing the ordinary outward flow of energy and consciousness, but it requires Meditation in order to practicing. In this paper will be written about concept of yoga and meditation, purpose of yoga and meditation, and benefit of yoga and meditation.