Mindfulness And Sport Performance – Performing At Your Best
By Nina Zammit, sport psychology practitioner
In recent years, the word “mindfulness” has become part of everyday life. People practice mindfulness in schools, workplaces, therapy settings, and even large companies such as Google. One area where mindfulness is showing great potential is sport and performance.
Athletes are constantly dealing with pressure, expectations, mistakes, competition, and distractions. Mindfulness can help athletes stay focused, calm, and mentally strong during these challenges. Research and experience show that mindfulness can improve wellbeing, reduce stress, and support better performance. However, there are also many misunderstandings about what mindfulness actually is.
In this article, we will explore what mindfulness means, clear up some common myths, look at how it can help in sport, and learn a simple practice you can start using today.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a state of awareness that every person already has. Just as we can feel calm, excited, tired, or stressed, we can also experience moments of mindfulness. Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity, and without judging what is happening.
Most of the time, our minds are either in the past or in the future. Imagine making a cup of tea while thinking about homework, yesterday’s training session, or what might happen next week. Your body is in the kitchen, but your mind is somewhere else. When we are mindful, we bring our attention back to what is happening right now. We might notice:
the warmth of the cup in our hands
the smell of the tea
the sound of birds outside
or the feeling of our feet on the floor
This does not mean it is wrong to think about the future or reflect on the past. Planning and learning are important. The problem comes when we become stuck in constant thinking and stop fully experiencing life as it is happening. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and feeling disconnected. Mindfulness also involves the attitude we bring to the moment. Sometimes we are physically present, but mentally wishing things were different. For example, you might be walking outside on a beautiful day but thinking, *“I wish I had something better to do,” or “I need this moment to be different.” Mindfulness teaches us to pause, accept the moment as it is, and become curious about our experience instead of constantly resisting it.
Mindfulness in sport
So how does mindfulness help athletes? In sport, focus is everything. The moment your attention drifts away from what is happening, performance often suffers. You lose flow, miss important information, and become caught in distractions or emotions. Mindfulness helps athletes notice what is happening internally, such as thoughts, emotions, pressure, frustration, without being completely controlled by them. Imagine a tennis player who misses an important shot.
Scenario one
The player starts replaying the mistake in their head: “I’m terrible.”, “Why do I always mess up?”, “I’m going to lose.” The player becomes trapped in self-criticism and frustration. Their attention is no longer on the game but on their thoughts.
Scenario two
The player notices feelings of anger and disappointment beginning to rise. They recognise the urge to criticise themselves. Instead of getting lost in these thoughts, they pause and reconnect with the present moment. They feel their feet on the ground, notice the warmth of the sun, hear the sounds around the court, and take three slow, deep breaths. The thoughts may still appear, but the player does not feed them. They gently return their attention to the body and the game.
This athlete is much more prepared to continue with clarity and focus. They are responding to the moment instead of reacting automatically. Mindfulness does not remove pressure or difficult emotions. It helps athletes stay steady in the middle of them.
Common myths about mindfulness
Myth 1: Mindfulness means having no thoughts
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings. Mindfulness is not about getting rid of thoughts. The mind naturally produces thoughts, just as the ears naturally hear sounds. Instead, mindfulness teaches us to notice thoughts without automatically following them. We learn to observe our thinking rather than becoming completely caught up in it.
Myth 2: Mindfulness means sitting still with your eyes closed
Although meditation can help develop mindfulness, mindfulness is not limited to formal practice. You can practice mindfulness while: walking, training,eating, listening to someone, or even brushing your teeth. Mindfulness is about how you pay attention during everyday life.
Myth 3: Mindfulness is passive
Actually, mindfulness takes courage and effort. When we stay present with difficult feelings instead of escaping them, we are breaking old habits. We stop automatically reacting to every thought, emotion, or impulse. Mindfulness creates space between what we feel and how we respond. From this space, we can make clearer and wiser decisions.
A simple mindfulness practice you can try today
One of the simplest mindfulness practices is learning to pause. Choose a regular moment during your day, such as when you wake up, before sleep, after school, or before training.
Place one hand just above your belly button and notice your breathing. Take a few slower, longer exhales. Then silently label the breath: “Breathing in.”, “Breathing out.”
Give your full attention to the breath for one minute. Thoughts will appear, this is completely normal. When you notice your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to the breath. Every time you do this, you are strengthening your “mindfulness muscle.”
Over time, mindfulness can help you:
feel calmer under pressure
become less controlled by emotions
improve concentration
develop a stronger connection with yourself
In sport, this can mean performing with greater clarity, resilience, and confidence not because challenges disappear, but because you learn how to meet them differently.
About the author:
Nina Zammit is a sport psychology practitioner at Move and is a yoga instructor and mindfulness teacher. She specialised her research on breathing techniques for health and sport performance and currently applies techniques to children, youth and adults.
