On Episode 14 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, sports psychologist and martial arts master Chris Shen explored the topics of mental health in athletes, his long martial arts journey and the psychology behind returning from injuries or a mistake in a particular match.
In the fun but detailed discussion, meditation before a game was one of the many topics that Shen explored, with a focus on its effectiveness and the best time to do it.
“I absolutely love this practice. I recognise that everybody is different, so not all athletes or sports people will enjoy the same particular mental habit,” he said.
“Regardless of the actual sport, when I’m working with a team in a competition, I will run a group mindfulness session in the pregame for 5 to 6 minutes.
“I always prefer athletes doing it pregame before any coaches address or individual preparation.”
Shen expanded on the importance of staying calm and in control before playing a sport.
“Mindfulness is just an attention oriented form of meditation based on centuries old practices that enables people to interrupt the chaos of the real world. Also enables them to calm themselves, focus, and then be able to prepare and listen to the coaches and so forth.” he said.
“Any way of creating calm and relaxation, which enables you to focus, can be very powerful.”
Sports psychology plays a crucial role in football, particularly at the semi-professional and professional levels, where the mental side of the game can often determine performance.
Understanding how athletes think, focus, and recover mentally is just as important as physical preparation in achieving success on the pitch.
Click hear the full interview with Chris Shen, on Episode 14 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.
