We have often seen Chad Le Clos, Katinka Hosszú and lots of the world’s best swimmers listening to music before they climb onto the starting blocks. So how can music help your performance in the pool?
First of all, let’s think about how we feel when we listen to music: the sounds and words conjure up memories and pleasant feelings, but they also help us relax or energise us. All this can be extremely useful when it comes to sporting performance.
Targeted research has shed light on the mental skills and psychological constructs that music enhances.
1. The ability to detach and focus. Music can help us really focus, so that we can concentrate on positive thoughts or important stimuli related to what we were about to take on. But that is not all, music can also be invigorating and make us feel euphoric, which, to some extent, can have a positive impact on performance.
2. Controlling our level of stimulation: following the rhythm of the music we are listening to will help us regulate our level of stimulation as required. Take, for example, an athlete who is about to go to sleep the night before an important swim race. From a physiological viewpoint, listening to relaxing music will help them relax and calm them down so that they can rest properly. In…
