February 5, 201016 yr Why thinking too much can damage your performance in sports By Fiona Macrae Last updated at 7:51 AM on 05th February 2010 Comments (18) Add to My Stories Handicap: A study of golfers found that the better players used less brainpower If you're struggling to improve your golf swing or strengthen your backhand, it may be that you are giving it too much thought. A study shows that the masters of sport use less grey matter when in action than novices. A group of good golfers were shown pictures of potential shots and asked how they would play them, undergoing brain scans as they responded. The process was repeated with poorer players. With the better players, very little of the brain was lit up except for the areas that deal with choices and consequences. The novices, however, had difficulty filtering out irrelevant information, with lights on all over the brain. They were even using areas that process emotion, according to the Chicago University study. In a similar study, which is still in progress, British researchers are scanning the brains of hockey players. They are being shown video clips of a match and asked to predict where they think the ball will go. Although the study has not officially ended, it already appears that the expert players are better at forecasting. And, like the good golfers, they are using less, not more, brainpower, in the process. Zoe Wimshurst, of Surrey University and a former junior hockey international, is carrying out the study with Brunel University sports scientist Michael Wright. She said: 'Novices are distracted by everything going on around them. The experts are much more able to focus specifically with their eyes, and, in turn, with their brains.' More... John Terry touts his Wembley box for £4,000: Against all rules, sex-shame England captain's VIP seats on offer for cash-in-hand She said that when getting ready to take a shot, the mind of a novice is often overloaded with problems, nerves, fear of failure and even the issue of what to eat that night. The expert players, by contrast, are single-minded and concentrate on the matter in hand. Research from St Andrews University also suggests it is best not to think too much at sport. Golfers who fret about their technique were found to fare far worse on the course than others. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1248668/Too-thinking-damage-performance-sports.html#ixzz0efOkuKW8
February 5, 201016 yr BULL SHIT The only reason I am half decent is football is because I can read the game.
February 5, 201016 yr I was gonna post something about stunting in cheerleading and so on but then I realized I would get the replies of "Cheerleading is not a sport" :disappointed:
February 5, 201016 yr I was gonna post something about stunting in cheerleading and so on but then I realized I would get the replies of "Cheerleading is not a sport" :disappointed: It's a good thing you didn't because cheerleading is NOT a sport! N-O-T-T-Y no no! Notty no! Haha! Hahahahaha! One word: Women. :dozey:
February 5, 201016 yr Thinking is what sports is about, okay, so most people relate sports to being really athletic or whatever but you can't just be buff and expect to be a pro athlete, you have to get your head in the game and....stuff. I play field hockey, and while it's important to be fast and strong or whatever, you also have to be able to think and stay focused on what's happening now and what's about to happen. :uhoh: Maybe for Golf this works but not a sport. IMO golf is a sport. I was gonna post something about stunting in cheerleading and so on but then I realized I would get the replies of "Cheerleading is not a sport" :disappointed: IMO cheerleading is a sport. It's a good thing you didn't because cheerleading is NOT a sport! N-O-T-T-Y no no! Notty no! Haha! Hahahahaha! One word: Women. :dozey: Are you trying to start some sort of sexist argument? Because there's a lot more women on this board than men. :P
February 5, 201016 yr Actually I was being stereotypically sexist for no reason because I was bored. I consider it a sport, if synchronised swimming is an olympic sport, then certainly.
February 6, 201016 yr This is bullshit, if you know your sport you can think of/recall the appropriate action to take a lot quicker than someone who is less experienced. Captain Obvious to the fucking rescue.
February 6, 201016 yr Well I don't think I've addressed just how stupid this is: With the better players, very little of the brain was lit up except for the areas that deal with choices and consequences. That's because they are used to making a good shot, and therefore more confident and don't think about hitting hazards. The novices, however, had difficulty filtering out irrelevant information, with lights on all over the brain. They were even using areas that process emotion, according to the Chicago University study. That's because they are used to screwing it up, and are preparing themselves for hitting the hazards because it doesn't really matter what they do or think, it's most likely going to be the outcome.
Create an account or sign in to comment