Music

Music is a very important part of human culture and has been present throughout human existence. Music is often associated with emotions or feelings, which is why it is so powerful and influential. With respect to sport performance, music is often used as a psych-up technique (or a way in which to relax) and can have a tremendous impact on mood. If you choose your tune wisely it can have a very potent effect on how you play the game.

The key is to know what mood, or energy level, allows you to play at your best. This is different for each athlete and may depend on the sport or position that you play. For example, a golfer likely will require a very different energy level to play at his or her best than, say, a rugby player. Similarly, a quarterback will require a different energy level than an offensive lineman.

When you want to positively influence your performance you need to choose music that creates the mood you desire. The problem however, is that often athletes choose music to keep them in the mood they are in, and this may not be ideal for performance. For example, when we are excited or agitated, we tend to choose music with a fast, heavy beat, which reinforces our excitement. On the flip side, when we are more relaxed or mellow, we tend to choose music with a slower, softer tempo. If the state you are creating with your choice of tunes is not helping you perform in the ‘zone’, then you need to choose music that will.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to listen to music and keep track of how each tune makes you feel, and then deliberately prepare a compilation of songs that will help optimize your personal performance. Be sure that you select each song for a reason, not just because you think it’s a good pump-up song or is a popular song typically associated with sports. Have these songs at the ready in your portable media player so that you can access them easily to help get you in the zone.