Squeezing a Ball Improves Sports Performance

Audience screams, cheers, and reacts to athletes’ performance; and athletes make mistakes when they think about it.

Photo from Photoxpress

Several athletes in the Olympics perfect their moves over years but they make mistakes on the day of show. It happens to the most of us. We prepare for a long time but on the exact time we should perform, we gag and choke. We make mistakes we have never committed when we are practicing. This is a familiar feeling to athletes because eyes are on them in every sporting event.

The source of the blunder is when athletes started thinking of their own movements instead of relying on their body’s motor capabilities. Overthinking can intervene with concentration and performance of motor tasks.

For the athletes who aren’t used to the pressure of an audience yet, squeezing a ball or clenching a hand may help. According to the new research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, doing so before the competition will activate certain parts of the brain.

But it has to be the left hand. In the study, right handed athletes who squeezed a ball using the left hand have lower chances of choking than right handed athletes who squeezed a ball using the right hand. This may be due to the system of our brain’s supervision, where the right brain controls the left part of our body – the side of the brain that directs automated and instinctive behaviors.

The idea is to distract athletes from thinking. “Athletes usually perform better when they trust their bodies rather than thinking too much about their own actions or what their coaches told them during practice”, said Juergen Beckmann, PhD, chair of sport psychology at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.

This technique may also be applied outside athletics, especially in pressing situations.

Do you think this will work for you?

Sources:
Squeezing a ball before competition may improve performance, study finds; American Psychological Association
Do You Choke Under Pressure? A Routine That May Help; PsychCentral
Sporting skill improved by just a simple squeeze; drbriffa

 

Olympic Sports to Try

Don’t you get curious to try the Olympic sports you don’t know?

Photo from markow76’s flickr

The London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony was relatable. We’ve seen our favorite writers and characters in literature and their colossal contribution as well as the authentic music that resonates classic. They enacted the story of how Britain became Great that it is today. Not only was it visually appearing, but the extravagance was in the familiarity of their ceremony.

Sports can bring the world closer. In the biggest sporting event, the world was tuned in for the sports we love, for the athletes that represent us and for the parade of countries with fancy names. People from different background and budget have the same four years of preparation for this competition. It was a thrill to see how they would amount against each other.

Not all the sports in the Olympics are known to us but we still watch it. After watching these sports and seeing the schedule of the rest of the 2012 Olympics, there is a certain spirit in me that was enflamed too. Suddenly, these sports looked incentive and I’d want to learn the skills in playing it.

Equestrian. The art of horse riding. I’ve tried horse riding before and it was easy; but maybe it was an overestimation because the horse just walked around, I never get to make him run no matter how hard I imitate a horse’s sound in effort to talk to him. And yeah, I want a photo of myself in costume while riding a horse too.

Sailing. I thought sailing was just for relaxation and getaway off the city. I don’t live near the coast and I would like to check this out as I expand my skills to the sea – surfing and diving as well.

Beach Volleyball. Whenever I go to the beach, I do nothing. Those are great moments but I can nest some excitement in it too. It’ll be fun to hit and smash something.

What Olympic sports you’d like to try out? (List of Summer 2012 Olympic Sports)

Big Boys Cry

Here’s something that almost made me cry – toys on the verge of destruction. 

Big Boys Cry. Photo from Cosmopolitan

Yeah, that scene from Toy Story 3 when Woody and his pals already accepted their demise. And then once more was when Andy played with his toys for the last time and gave them away. I mean, all men can relate to that. It’s just so hard to let go of your, um, action figures.

Remember the moment when you received a test sheet, scanned the rest of it and found it to be too long. After you’re done with it, you can already publish it as a book. Just looking ahead of that very long boring test, your eyes could water on its own because like it or not, you have to go through with it.

A guy in the name of Rob Dyrdek spent $700 Million on lottery tickets (paid in cash), on which the jackpot prize was $356 Million. The draw came, numbers arise, and surprise him. He lost. Nobody won on that draw. Talk about slap on the face, that’s worth crying to.

Men are taught to not show their weak emotions. Part of masculinity is to hold back tears, an attribute women typically exhibit. So to be a man is to be not a woman. Though, it doesn’t mean that men, over the years, have lost emotions. Men have estrogen as well. It’s undeniable; but denying it is expected of men.

Big boys cry, perhaps not in public but there are instances that can make them cry. Loosing a game of their favorite sports team could do the trick, but also try taking something they treasure so much, be it family, friends, or lunch. Ideally, breaking up with a girl too.

We all have our own story, isn’t it? Actually, there is one thing that can burst me every time. It’s a very horrible experience; I’d want to forget about it; I’d want to get over it; I’d want it to mean nothing. But it just always make me cry – peeling onions.

Remember this episode in friends, where Monica tried to tear up her beau Chandler?

When was the last time you cried or made your man cry?

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Ironing: Sporty and Nifty at last!

Ironing is not boring at all, just make it extreme.

Burnishing an electronically heated flat pan of iron to make your garments unwrinkled – boring! You don’t just stand there. Hey hit-or-miss idea, why not iron your clothes in a zoo, or between pushups, or while hula hooping, or free falling at 53 m/s like this guy.

Photo from slices-of-life.com

Or underwater. Right after you wash it, all the while defying the science of electricity. Just don’t let it dry up.

Photo from flatrock.org.nz

Or even bring your friends, yeah! Ironing sessions, that’s very masculine.

Photo from teara.govt.nz

Or at your wedding? It’s a long day, don’t judge.

Photo from unst.org

Or make James Franco in 127 Hours look lame.

Photo from strangeandweirdhobbies.com

Or while leading a skiing squad.

Photo from awesomeoff.com

Or on the edge of the world. A peaceful place to iron, everybody needs that.

Photo from oddculture.com

If it hasn’t dawned on you, Extreme Ironing is a sport. Yeah it’s a real thing, google it!

How extreme can you iron your clothes?

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Offense Defense: Your Chosen Side?

People can be offensive, defensive or in-betweener.

Photo from photoXpress

Adherence to any of the opposing poles, offense and defense, is revealing to the character of a person. It shows how you approach a challenge. Both sides are used as a tactic to win in situations such as in games or in debates, but is one more advantageous compared to the other?

The aggressive player will choose offense; defense is the strategy of the mire but sure strategist; the safe person will say neither; and the wise man will say it is the combination of both. I’d say a truly prudent contriver will take the situation into account where the offense or defense strategy will depend. We’ll look at examples of the varying situations I’m talking about.

In Sports

For sports, lets say Badminton, you wouldn’t win without attacking. If you’re keen on just receiving and you keep in mind of the best ways to deflect an attack, you keep on scoring by chance. So in these physical sports, offensive is the canny side.

In a mentally dominating sport like chess, defense could be the key. After all, the ultimate goal of the player is defending the king. You actually win the game by having the most robust defense on your king.

In Arguments

Well, it is perhaps inherent and instinctual for each person to want winning an argument. It uplifts the ego, and feeds your pride. But the danger here is that you may keep on pushing your offensive propositions, even after knowing that you are wrong or your argument was weaker compared to the other.

Arguments and discussions are complicated indications. An offensive strategist may resort into fallacies, and actually attack the person of the claim (Ad Hominem). In that way, the argument becomes dangerous because you are attacking the character of the person instead of the arguments itself. Defensive strategists are also susceptible to fallacies, so it is critical to be wary of it.

In Trial

I’m not a law expert but I know offense and defense applies here. This is an example of how these two strategies should depend on the situation. Naturally, the accused would defend his innocence, and the accuser will attack his suspect with valid claims.

 

There is a possibility of a wise man choosing the both sides. You might have heard of the adage “the best defense is a good offense”; and thus masking the intention of offense through hefty defense. This offensive defense style has claimed wild support from business, team coaches and avid players. But there is another end of the combination of two.

In defensive offense, frisky offense is actually done in the name of defense.  You won’t let the opponent have the opportunity to attack you by attacking them first and serially. This is the less humble, more infamous combination; but you as a person will choose which works for you.

What is your chosen side?

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