Wakeboarding

The Benefits of Sports and Meditation

2006-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Sports and Meditation
by: John Kortex

So your looking at a big at bat or a long field goal and the team is depending on you. If you hit the ball and get on base, your team will win. If you miss the kick, your team will lose. Do you think taking a few seconds before the game and meditating will do anything for you? Some people may laugh at you when you do this. Those people would be wrong because it’s no different than concentrating. Matter of fact the two tend to cross over and you do not even know it.

People meditate for several reasons. Mostly people meditate for inner strength and to gain some kind of peace with whatever they are trying to focus on. Sports are no different in this respect. If you take time to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses you will find yourself succeeding more often than not.

Meditating is a good method to get rid of all your bad habits, including slumps. I am not saying you will bat 1.000 in your church’s softball league, but I am saying it will make you more confident and self assured.

You will find yourself returning to meditate time and again because chances are you will never find the perfect game we all strive for. That is ok because you will find out so many other things about yourself. Most of the time you will find your eating and sleeping habits become more rounded which in turn will prepare you for whatever sport you so desire, and when you are prepared you will excel.

There's More To Sports Eyewear Than Meets The Eye - Part Two: Maximising Performance

2006-09-01T08:55:00.001-07:00

There's More To Sports Eyewear Than Meets The Eye - Part Two: Maximising Performance
by: Rachel Roberts

The difference between winning and losing in sport is often marginal and we are all searching for that edge, whether you are off piste or on the track, optimal visual performance is crucial.

As a sports person or athlete wishing to excel in your chosen field you require peak performance from your entire body including your eyes. Using appropriate eyewear with the correct tint can help maximise your visual performance by eliminating harmful ultra-violet (UV) light, reducing glare and increasing contrast. All these factors work together to reduce distractions and enhance performance. With sports participation becoming more and more popular the demand for expertise in sports vision is increasing.

Maximise Performance

The use of different coloured lens tints to maximise visual performance during sport is becoming increasingly popular. Lens tints work by filtering out certain colours allowing you to see the most important things! Depending on your sport certain lens tints are more appropriate than others.

Golfers may find that grey or grey-green lenses make it easier to outline the course and give definition to course objects such as the flag and ball. This colour lens is great for all weather use as overall colour perception is unchanged. Photochromic lenses are also great for golf. These are lenses which darken in bright light and are useful when moving from light to shade. Photochromic lenses are also useful for any outdoor sport when the weather is partly cloudy and partly sunny.

Amber tints effectively block blue light and enhance contrast and depth in low light conditions such as early morning light, twilight or rainy days. Amber as well as rose tints are great for winter sports as they enhance the grey shadows on the ski slopes. This allows you to ‘read’ the slope better and anticipate ridges and bumps in the snow. In very bright and sunny ski conditions, however, polarised lenses are the perfect choice to reduce the reflected glare. A popular compromise is to have amber or rose tinted goggles for dull days and a second pair of polarised sports sunglasses for use on those perfect skiing days!

Tennis players may find that yellow tints enhance the contrast between the court and the yellow ball. The enhanced visual acuity provided by yellow tints also makes them an ideal lens for driving. Another high contrast lens tint is orange. This tint is perfect for general wear and variable light conditions.

Many manufacturers have developed interchangable lens systems which allows you to put different lenses into the same frames. Depending on the weather conditions and the sport you are participating in, the ideal lens can be inserted quickly and easily into your chosen frame. This is a cost effective way of increasing your eyewear options.

The choice of combinations of lenses, designs and styles is seemingly endless. It is, however, worth investing some time and thought into your specific needs. Ideally, if you are serious about your sport, you should seek some advice from a professional. Some Optometrists are now specialising in sports vision and would be best placed to offer specific advice. At the very least always insist on one hundred percent UV protection and consider the demands of your sport.

We all wear sport specific footwear, now’s the time to start thinking about sport specific eyewear!

Famous Sports Celebrities Turn To Hypnosis To Better Their Performance

2006-09-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

Famous Sports Celebrities Turn To Hypnosis To Better Their Performance
by: Terry Doherty

Hypnosis has been used by a number of sportsmen and women over the years to improve their sporting performance. It has been well known that the various techniques used in hypnosis, including NLP and visualizations have positively affected the state of mind and performances of many an experienced player, as well as the amateurs. Though a lot of famous sporting celebrities and athletes have used hypnosis techniques in the past, it is not a very well known fact because of the stigma attached to hypnosis.

Pulp fiction and movies have added fuel to the fire in portraying hypnotherapy as a load of mumbo-jumbo, coupled with Machiavellian hypnotists who are out to control your mind. The truth couldn’t be more different. Over the years researchers have discovered the true potential of hypnosis and recommend it as a one-stop remedy for any malady in life, sporting performance included. A player’s performance in a game is directly related to his/her state of mind; the more confident and calm the subconscious, the better the performance, and vice-versa. Recently ace golfer, Tiger Woods acknowledged the fact that he uses hypnosis and its various techniques to calm his mind before any game. The results of these hypnotherapy sessions are out there for all of us to see. He along with his mental coach Jay Brunza work towards making Tiger Woods’ mind controlled, relaxed and composed. Their one point agenda is to increase Tiger’s concentration and focus, by succeeding in blocking distractions and disturbances. Golf as a game requires a great deal of focus, and if this focus wavers…the game is lost.

Hypnosis works towards recreating images of the perfect move or the perfect stroke required of a player to win a match. The images are visualized by the player in his mind, and repeated over and over, till it has made an imprint in his subconscious. Tennis star, Jimmy Connors is said to have used hypnosis techniques to practice his winning strokes prior to the US Open Championship, which went a long way in sealing his victory at the tournament. Hypnosis also goes a long way in soothing a player’s nerves through calming audios and takes care of the performance anxiety which so many players face before a game. A great sportsperson might fail to leave a mark at a game, if he is anxious and tense. Hypnosis helps them deal with these jitters by smoothening the rough edges of their subconscious mind. Kevin McBride, the celebrated Irish heavyweight boxing champion summons his hypnotist before every game, to get into the right frame of mind. Even golfer Jack Niklaus lauded hypnotherapy and visualization techniques as the sole reason for his improved concentration, which has led him to numerous victories. He says that his game of golf is only 10% physical, and 90% mental; he further adds that he visualizes each of the holes on a course, especially the tough ones and rehearses in his mind the right stroke to master them. He even says that he whenever he plays a shot; he knows exactly the movements he is making and the outcome of each move in his mind, before he hits the shot.

It sounds incredible that hypnosis can help a player in his performance to such an extent. But it is true, and a number of sporting legends owe their pioneering performance to hypnosis. Boxer Ken Norton used hypnosis prior to his penultimate game with Mohammad Ali, where Norton ended up breaking Ali’s jaw; even cyclist Lance Armstrong is said to have used visualization techniques to overcome obstacles.

Getting hurt sucks

2006-06-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

I hurt my back last weekend, landed wrong on one of my landings. It is never fun to fall. Had to go to a chiropractor to get some work done and it helped! I would recommend the process to anyone suffering from back pain.

Los Angeles Chiropractors

We ride

2006-06-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

I ride on Lake Norman, a buddy of mine has a brand new 2006 Mastercraft X2. He just traded in his 2002 X2 on this boat. I am a little out of it this season, as last season I had no health insurance and no parents there to help cover any hospital bills. I was quite the wuss when it came to tryin new things last year. Currently I am working on getting my Tantrum back, landing my backrolls again, next will be to get my front roll and than work on getting the tantrum to revert down. I can easily do it on the trampoline, but moving it to the water might pose a challenge.

We are always looking for new riders if anyone lives in the Charlotte area. Give me an email at Cody139x@gmail.com.

wakeboarding

2006-06-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

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