Practical application of mindfulness techniques in sport

Mindfulness has been practiced for millennia. More recently it has gained popularity in the Western world and as a result its application to sport and athletic performance has been of interest. While studies concerned with traditional forms of mental training have shown mixed results on athletic performance, mindfulness has recently emerged as a potentially beneficial tool to enhance the performance of athletes. The aim of this project was to determine whether mindfulness has positive outcomes on athletic performance and the overall wellbeing of athletes and coaches. The methods used to collect the data was a literature review. The tenets of mindfulness that arose from the literature as having a beneficial effect on sport performance and/or wellbeing included flow, deliberate practice, growth mindset and meditation that largely focused on training present moment awareness, focus and concentration. The findings suggest that by increasing focus, concentration and attention, as well as helping athletes reduce stress and anxiety, diminish athletic burnout and improve cognitive function, mindfulness training correlates positively to performance in sport. The difference of mindfulness training approaches in comparison to traditional mental training programs is that it largely focuses on on accepting injury, pain or stress and learning to manage and move past them rather than ignore or block unpleasant experiences. As a result of the findings from the literature review, a practical guide incorporating mindfulness practices into sport was produced. The guide incorporates traditional mindfulness training as well as original exercises developed as a result of the research results, that are intended to be specific to sport and athlete-centered. The guide is intended for use by both coaches and athletes looking to improve wellbeing and performance through improving mental aspects of their train-ing. Although interest in mindfulness practices is rapidly increasing, more work is required to “demystify” and legitimize its application in sport