My body didn't respond to my mind. It was a bad eye-hand coordination day. The task lies in how to make that vital connection, or rather, how to mend it once it has been broken. At the upper echelons of sport, athletes are able to seemingly conquer their mental instabilities and concentrate at very consistent levels. But their methods are at best a combination of varied techniques.
Some athletes purposely divert their attention in order to instill relaxation.
Mark Allen, a champion triathlete, incorporates spiritual retreats as part of his training regimen. Former Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton used transcendental meditation in his playing days. This is the dilemma. And often just as perplexing is the emergence out of a slump. Armed with this knowledge, players and coaches have taken a heightened interest in sports psychology to understand and maximize the role of the mind in athletic excellence.