sports psychology and track article summary

Reaching the zone should be the goal of all athletes.  I myself have been in the zone before and have also incurred defeats at the hands of other athletes being in the zone at that time.  Facing an athlete in the zone is a hard task to overcome.  I have learned from experience that the best way to defeat the zoned athlete in a mile race is to go to the front of the pack and reassert yourself as the most dominate athlete.  To me characteristic Number 2 – Confidence is the key to the zone. It can be quite debilitating to watch another athlete pass you and take control when you feel unbeatable.  In other sports the best way to handle the zoned athlete is to slow down the game.  Make them think.  I used to play squash and table-tennis tournaments and know once a player gets a scoring run on, to slow down the game and do something a little different.  If everything keeps flowing it will be harder to break the zoned athlete.

Today’s elite athletes do not just practice and compete.  There are many other important factors to becoming one of the world’s track stars.  Track athletes not only have to undergo heavy training and competition but also have a healthy diet, knowledge or performance enhancing drugs, use sports biomechanics to help you maximize your performance and help treat injuries before they become debilitating and use sports psychology to become mentally ready for the competition ahead.  All are important and cannot be shrugged off.  Yes, actual running training and competition is the most important part of the sport, but the other factors mentioned are the ones that bring you to the next level of performance that pure training and competition will never get you. The overall best athlete is not the athlete who has the most talent, but the athlete that has talented and is most knowledgeable about their sport.