What you do at halftime makes a considerable difference in your second-half performance. Most times, players are just sitting around or doing light warmups, waiting for the game to restart. But what if there were some mental techniques that you could do to boost your performance in the second half?

Many professional and collegiate football teams practice mindfulness training, like the Seattle Seahawks and the University of Miami. Mindfulness and meditation have been found and used to optimize and maximize athletic performance.

Are mindfulness and meditation the key to athletic excellence? It looks like the answer is yes based on this mindfulness study.

Mindfulness Study

The researchers wanted to see how to improve the performance of competitive men’s soccer players at the start of the second half. They noticed that a player’s total distance and speed were diminished within the first 15 minutes of second-half play. Seventeen participants completed a mindfulness exercise after the first half. So instead of sitting around drinking water or stretching, they had the players listen to an audio clip about travel.

However, before the study, they took cognitive and memory tests, salivary cortisol, and blood lactate levels and evaluated mental fatigue. They were all measured before the game and at halftime to see how well and if the technique would work.

As a result, the mindfulness training enhanced the player’s performance in the first 15 minutes of the second half. It boosted mental acuity, reflexes, reaction time, and accuracy. They also experienced less fatigue. In addition, the researchers’ samples showed reduced cortisol levels.

Scientists conclude that athletes could maintain or even improve their performance by using mindful mental recovery strategies to reinvigorate their cognitive demands that help replenish physical strength.

Here are some ways to incorporate halftime mindfulness practices.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises
2. Body Scanning
3. Muscle Relaxation
4. Sport-Specific Visualization Techniques
5. Music

How Does It Work?

Anxiety, nervousness, and emotions interfere with physical performance. The more relaxed your mind is, the longer you can play and the more focused you will be. The mind definitely affects your physical potential.

In addition, meditation and mindfulness help you stay in the flow or zone state of mind. Also known as the theta brain. Theta brain activity is significantly increased during mindfulness and meditation. It is the state between being awake and asleep. The reason it is the way you get into your zone state of mind.

Mindfulness and meditation also improve the connection between all the pathways and networks in your brain.

Here Are a Few Mindfulness Routines

The mindful meditation routine you choose depends on your sport. For example, Focused Attention Meditation (FAM) requires the athlete to focus on a specific object. This type of training is great for golfers, archers, and gymnastics.

The other is Open Awareness Meditation (OAM). OAM instead requires players to concentrate and hone-in on everything that is happening around them. All their experiences need to be non-judgmental and relaxed. OAM is excellent for sports like soccer, volleyball, baseball, football, etc.

Here is a sample FAM training session.

And one for OAM Training.

There are many mindful meditation techniques you can do. FAM and OAM are just a few examples. Understand when you are in the “zone,” you will perform and play at your best and highest potential.

The relationship between mindfulness/meditation and performance is new and making significant strides that are positively working to boost an athlete’s performance. So far, researchers can confirm that mindfulness enhances self-confidence and the flow/zone state. Also, it reduces sports and personal anxieties.

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Or does it?

The most legendary athletes in American sports history are also some of the most tenacious, determined individuals we’ve ever witnessed.

Yes, there are several highly accomplished athletes with physical abilities the ordinary human being cannot fathom.

I mean, why else does social media call 26-year-old NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmp0 the “Greek Freak?”

Giannis dunked on the whole Raptors defense 😂 pic.twitter.com/RhLdB0ML4k

— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) January 2, 2018

If you watch him and feel discouraged, don’t be.

Many athletes, both in college and in professional leagues, have their careers because they grinded their way to the top.

Here are a few:

Tom Brady

The seven-time Super Bowl champion has played in the NFL since 2000, despite being written off by many teams, scouts, and pundits when the New England Patriots selected him in the sixth round of the draft more than two decades ago.

Brady looked nothing like the more physically talented prospects entering the league at the time:

.@TomBrady's infamous NFL combine picture celebrates 20 years this week 🤣 pic.twitter.com/DdXlozxyvR

— ESPN (@espn) February 26, 2020

When you see this photo of arguably the greatest athlete of his generation, feel encouraged. And know that having an indomitable will and A+ work ethic does yield success, in some cases, more so than having sheer talent alone.

It’s frustrating when you’re always hustling, and one of your teammates is dogging it, yet they get the start while you sit on the bench. But if you were to stop working hard, you’d only disappoint and hurt yourself.

You’ve got to remember that you’re out there playing your sport to better yourself. You’re on the team because your coach saw something in you that added value to the team.

A big part of it could have been your dedicated work ethic.

And that work ethic is what fuels you every day to sharpen your abilities (talent). When talent diminishes at a certain point because of age, hard work doesn’t drop off unless you allow it to.

Talent needs hard work to sustain itself over time. College and professional coaches love the raw ability (potential) in a prospect. But they’ll quickly move on if the athlete doesn’t apply the discipline to draw the most out of their gifts.

Serena Williams

At 39-years-old, Williams is still playing professionally.

She’s won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any athlete in pro tennis of the Open Era.

Five to six years ago, Williams withdrew from multiple tournaments because of chronic knee and shoulder injuries. Her career looked finished.

But Williams showed the grit and resolve that carries any athlete a long way, winning the Australian Open in 2017 and breaking the record for all-time singles titles.

And she did it whilst pregnant.

Kobe Bryant

Matt Barnes, who played with Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers for two years, shared a story on his podcast All The Smoke that when Barnes was in college at UCLA, he watched Bryant work out despite nursing a broken right hand at the time.

“I remember the one year he broke his right hand, so he was up at UCLA doing all left-handed workouts,” Barnes said. “That was the year he came back shooting left-handed all the time. He was doing his whole workout left-handed, and I’m like, ‘This dude is a monster.’”

Fans around the league thought Bryant looked like a transcendent player with his ability to be ambidextrous.

But Bryant developed such a skill by working extremely hard, according to Barnes.

So, does hard work really beat talent?

No, hard work should never beat talent because talent never stops working hard.

Talent isn’t enough anymore; it needs to be nurtured to take you where you want to go.

Nurturing means hard work.

Will talent hold you back from partying until two o’clock in the morning when you should be asleep to train hard the next day?

No, that’s discipline.

Is talent what’s keeping you after practice or games to put in extra time in the pool, weight room, or gym?

No, it’s work ethic.

How can you maximize talent with hard work?

Without structure, it isn’t easy to achieve anything. Being successful requires discipline, not just luck.

So consider this:

• Create a list of goals
• Avoid distractions
• Learn from mistakes
• Don’t be afraid to fail

Read More:

• 5 Reasons Why Your Hard Work Isn’t Making You a Better Athlete
• Your Talent Is Nowhere Near As Important As Your Character
• 5 Things Athletes Need to Know About Talent

Negativity can too easily take over. Teammates’ unfiltered commentaries often bring about the team itself, individual members (even worse, that is being divisive), or perhaps even from current events (the Covid-19 factor, etc.).

What do we do if that negativity looms–whether it’s on the game bench, practice bench, or locker room? Answer: Turn the mood around as soon as possible! What you say to yourself and your team really matters. Whether you as the coach, the team captain, or as one of the players, you can make a difference in that collective mindset.

What we say and post on social media are the main channels of making our thoughts known to others. Facebook and Twitter offer a flood gate of unfiltered commentary these days. We have all seen items that are irresponsibly posted with no “filter” or decency-edit. These tendencies can also occur on the team benches, causing the fun to be taken out of the sport.

It’s hard to stay positive at all times, and that mindset isn’t healthy either. Toxic positivity is the assumption, either by one’s self or others, that despite a person’s emotional pain or difficult situation, they should only have a positive mindset at all times. It’s healthy to feel the emotions you have. When you avoid your emotions, you actually cause more harm. Taking the time to understand your emotions is important.

Even if you try to stay focused and optimistic before an event, game, or test, it’s hard to “tune out” those who are wired for negativity in their comments.

3 Forms of Negativity To Watch For

• Instead of having fun, the game/sport becomes a chore.
• Constant negativity from the team and coach
• A “courtroom atmosphere” which lacks any emotion

Negativity can’t realistically be penalized when it happens on your own side’s bench and is expressed to each other. But when shouts from one team over another start volleying in the air, the referees in charge are then under the obligation to stem this tide of an abusive situation from getting worse.

Preventively, one strategy with any of one’s own negativity-oriented teammates is to “be on the lookout” audibly for that negative talk, i.e., once it is stated out loud. Then it becomes the right time for you to “do your spin”! Take that person’s negative comment, and counter it with a relevant positive comment. Repeat the strategy comment-for-comment until their ‘negativisms’ stop.

Without getting too scientific, triggering endorphins (the human brain’s pleasure center bio-chemical) is a favorable objective for staying in a positive mindset from the outset. Even if up against challenging odds of winning in a match, spreading the optimism certainly can’t hurt. Conversely, the opposite is quite possible: one or more group members spouting comments that sound like a continuous rainy day forecast. These remarks may not trigger mental depression as much as an annoyance, which tends to put a damper on any rallying moods.

Applied to the many sports, the positive consequences of optimism don’t have to exist as a nauseating cheerfulness when a somber disposition is appropriate. Realistic reactions to external events & game outcomes are more credible toward others than “cheerleading.”

Finding the silver lining can be considered a “soft skill” regarding interactions with others. A valid side-benefit of staying away from negativisms is staying clear of opposition-instigated altercations that could augment violent brawls with physical injuries and property damage.

3 Jobs of Every Coach

Keep negativity out of the locker room, off the bench, out of practice, and absent from game events.

Facilitate the physical development of those on the team without resorting to negative reinforcement.

Gauge the opposing team’s strengths, abilities, and weaknesses (mainly through simple observations and without illicit surveillance) in creating strategies to win the contest matches ethically.

Then tell the team about those factors.

Look out for anger or sadness in yourself and others when you are with the team or group. Outside influences (even current major news events) could trigger an emotion that can distract a team member from the immediate objectives of playing well. Don’t play angry, and don’t play sadly. If you also see these emotions in other team members or groups, say something and try convincing them. It might take a whole conversation to flush out their negativity.

Mixed messages? There will be times when it would be unrealistic after an experience of a loss to be “cheery.” Deaths of loved ones, serious injuries, emergency / catastrophic situations are obvious examples. And if a negative comment does slip out, follow up by balancing it with something more optimistic. Not to sugarcoat a situation but to offer the proper sense of optimism to the listener(s). Walking the walk with talking the talk also helps in your deeds.

Bullying Factor

The most extreme form of negativism on teams (and translatable to corporate committees of groups) is identified as bullying. This oppressiveness comes in at least two common forms: coach bullying and teammate bullying. A third form happens in the form of spectator/fan negatives (derisive remarks, throwing objects, etc.), which have spiraled into assaults and even instances of physical battery.

There are formally established controls in place in the corporate setting and government agency or public sector, originating with the EEOC. Such guidelines provide legal recourse for those who face negativism in the workplace. These protections can (and do) extend to non-business situations such as organized team sports in schools (both public & private systems) and diverse community-based sports leagues.

No coach, teammate, or even an adversary would ever want to know that their negativity (in words or actions) toward another individual had led to that person’s self-harm or even worse. And not uncommonly, this unfortunate scenario of adverse effects from a coach or a teammate has actually happened among teenagers.

The Challenge Of Positivity

You are teaching your team members the “soft skills” of athleticism by example, i.e., the personality traits that go with the “hard skills.” Those teaching points are technical knowledge of the game, its rules and regulations, and optimal conditioning parameters. And while the content examples in this article apply to hockey, this preferable mindset of positivity is the same for every team sport/team environment. What may get shouted in action would only change by the other sports’ unique sets of rules & strategies: “Watch the ball !” “Run it !”. Note that “Ball” and “run” are obvious translations from “puck” and “skate” in the bench-generated expressions.

Forms of Expression

Avoid negative statements, no matter how tempting. Example: One-star player makes a glaring error that they rarely do, and at a critical moment in a critical game. That’s the perfect opportune time to “pile on” the negativity. It might even “slip out” from some folks involved–before it can be filtered/modified with more polite words or stifled by hitting one’s own personal mute button.

Saying nothing is far better because such a “guilty” player would be well aware of their gaffe and need no additional reminders from others. That could be the coach or a savvy teammate.

It is so easy to revert to negativity, audible or visible, i.e., by what you say (or yell) with others present and by your gestures.

Saying something like “Hey, you gave it a try !” sounds positive enough without patronizing. “Hey, you did your best!” may sound trite or exaggerated to that accomplished athlete who wishes they could go back in time to change their erroneous actions.

Positivity can take subtle forms such as a smile, an eye wink, or a mere head nod from the coach over to one or more of the team. So much can be conveyed by so little towards the team!

Here are two “plus-basics” for the team bench of players/participants:

Ask: “Can we win this game? Then say so!”

Direct this to the team in the pre-games: “Be confident in your own abilities, but not overconfident.” Remind the group that their odd-against opponent teams beat many favorites due to an overconfidence factor.

On the Ice

In (hockey) game situations, this means maintaining a steady concentration on puck possession. Some players benefit from the coach’s regular statements to the team on what they should focus on. The successful coaches routinely mix or change the content of the always-positive comments. These comments thus don’t come across as monotonous. They give a “whoop” on a good play by a team member, as should their teammates. Here are a few that I holler out from the blueprint of the goal crease (we don’t have a coach): “Puck possession, guys !” “Skate it (the puck) up” “Talk to each other on the ice !” “Nice play, _____(player’s name) !” When asked during the off-game as to whether or not anyone can hear, I yelled out positive comments; the answers usually heard back are:

• “Yes, definitely.”
• “We can hear you loud and clear at center ice.”
• “I even heard you down by their face-off circle.”
• “They can probably hear you from outside the rink.”

None of these on-ice shout-outs are ever negative in expressed content toward a team member–nor even toward the other team. The content of each shout becomes easy for anyone to figure out. Staying positive in your expressed content greatly helps to avoid bench brawls from starting. We have all seen recordings of when hostile words lead to lost tempers and bodies shoved / punches thrown as many injuries could result in chaos compared to injuries from the actual gameplay.

With all of the above (commentary & mindset), these same concepts apply to the captain of any given team as the coach. There will be times when the coach is either absent by prior necessity or is too far from the center of the action in the arena to be heard or seen by the players on the field. This happens with crowd noise and visual obstructions.

Because of the game-concentration factor (minimize distractions) in any contest situation, it is then for the team captain to shout out those constant reminders, i.e., which are the basics of hockey:

• “puck possession”,
• “heads up (at all times).”
• “watch your back.”
• “take your open shots.”
• “skate it up, ice (when you are open for this).”

These five statements contain probably 90% of what it takes (inaction) to express the positive mindset to victory.

These hockey-specific expressions (above) can be translated to the ball or other sports game objective toward scoring points for any other team sport.

In Closing

You’ll note that the word “don’t” is not found in any of those team-shout expressions. What becomes a focus by the coaches and the team captains (then ultimately to the players themselves) is that their positive mindset helps carry their respective abilities to positive actions. That process leads to the more desirable result of winning in team matches–no matter what the prospective odds of the outcome are before each game.

Read More:

• 5 Coaching Tips from Ted Lasso
• Coaching Tips on Game Days