| | | FITNESS | | | | | 'Sports people have to go through change every day. |
| 1 | | | 'I always use a special pair of thin leather | | | | | Their environment is constantly changing - different |
| | | gloves and I have a lucky T-shirt that I | | | | | crowds, pitches, climate, food and so on. In the middle |
| | | wear even if it's dirty. I don't speak to | | | | | of such instability, a strong fixed routine gives order |
| | | anyone in the morning. I get myself totally | | | 45 | | to something which is otherwise out of their control.' |
| 5 | | focused from the minute I get out of bed. 'I | | 6 | | | How well such a ritual works can depend on how |
| | | Just before we start, I tape the helmets of the rest of | | | | | it was developed in the first place. 'With recrea- |
| | | the crew.' Is this the leader of some bizarre cult? Is | | | | | tional athletes, it's usually trial and error,' says |
| | | he suffering from some form of obsession, perhaps? | | | | | Shambrook. 'An amateur golfer might waggle his |
| | | No - it's Sean Olsson, driver of the British bronze | | | 50 | | club three times and then hit a great shot. So he |
| 10 | | medal-winning bobsleigh team talking about his | | | | | repeats it to try to repeat the success - it's not very |
| | | pre-race preparations at the last Winter Olympics. | | | | | refined.' Top athletes, on the other hand, have |
| 2 | | | And this behaviour is not unusual. In fact, the | | | | | incredibly refined rituals to get them into the right |
| | | sporting world is well-known for its rituals and | | | | | state of mind. 'These rituals are a sort of mental |
| | | superstitions. It is not surprising - weeks and | | | 55 | | warm-up, just as a physical warm-up prepares the |
| 15 | | months of preparation and training, yet everything | | | | | body,' says Shambrook. 'Once the pre-performance |
| | | hangs on that single fleeting performance. Athletes | | | | | ritual is complete, it acts as a mental trigger that |
| | | will do anything and everything they can to get a | | | | | says "Time to perform",' he explains. 'Once you |
| | | leading edge. | | | | | cross that line onto the pitch, it is the signal that this |
| 3 | | | 'If a player eats a particular food, or prepares in a | | | 60 | | is where the work starts.' |
| 20 | | certain way, and he is successful, he'll ask himself: | | 7 | | | Rituals and talismans may help to increase self- |
| | | "What did I do to run such a great race or score such | | | | | confidence, but can they go too far? Tennis star |
| | | a great goal?" The behaviour is associated with | | | | | Goran Ivanisevic's ritual involves not touching his |
| | | winning in his mind, so he repeats it and it becomes | | | | | head or facial hair during a tennis tournament, |
| | | a ritual,' says Chris Humpage, a performance | | | 65 | | listening to two specific Croatian songs every |
| 25 | | consultant who works with athletes of all levels. It is | | | | | morning before leaving the house, and using the |
| | | said that Newcastle striker Alan Shearer once raised | | | | | showers in the locker room in a particular order. |
| | | his right arm after scoring a goal, and it turned out | | 8 | | | 'If superstitious behaviour becomes obsessive, or |
| | | to be the start of a great goal-scoring run for him. | | | | | separate from the pre-performance ritual, it can be a |
| | | Now he does it every time he scores. | | | 70 | | potential [id:3383],' says Shambrook. 'It puts |
| 4 | 30 | | But do such rituals work? Sports scientists have | | | | | performance at risk. What happens if, for example a |
| | | been researching this for years and there's no right | | | | | lucky vest goes missing just before a game?' |
| | | answer. Of course, sporting success comes down to | | 9 | | | Chris Waddle is one footballer who has put his |
| | | more than the order in which you put on your boots | | | | | superstitions in perspective. After being injured |
| | | - but training isn't just about reaching your physical | | | 75 | | when his hair was short and again when it was long, |
| 35 | | peak, or perfecting your technique, it's also about | | | | | he had a short-on-top, long-at-the-back cut to hold |
| | | your mental state. Sports psychologists talk of | | | | | off injury. When he was injured again, he became |
| | | getting into the 'zone' - when mind and body are | | | | | sceptical. 'If you win, it's not because you put your |
| | | optimally prepared. | | | | | left boot on before the right one.' Couldn't agree |
| 5 | | | Dr Christopher Shambrook, sports psychologist | | | 80 | | more Chris. Still just in case … |
| 40 | | and co-author of The Mental Game Plansays: | | |
