IN THE NEWS:
Olympic athletes' self-talk
When you watched the London Olympics on television, you might have seen athletes talking to themselves before their big moment. Self-talk is a common tactic that sportsmen and sportswomen use to pump themselves up.
One example from the past is Misty Hyman (above), the American swimmer who won the gold medal for the 200-metre butterfly stroke in the 2000 Olympics. In an interview with sports psychologist JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Hyman said, "When standing on the blocks, I just said to myself, OK, I'm going to do a 200 butterfly, and I've done a million 200 butterflies in my life. I have been training for this and I know exactly what I need to do. I remember being able to feel every cell in my body and be completely present. Things felt like they were in slow motion. I dove in the water and it just clicked. I felt more power than ever before."
Olympic athletes' self-talk
Picture: SCOTT G
When you watched the London Olympics on television, you might have seen athletes talking to themselves before their big moment. Self-talk is a common tactic that sportsmen and sportswomen use to pump themselves up.
One example from the past is Misty Hyman (above), the American swimmer who won the gold medal for the 200-metre butterfly stroke in the 2000 Olympics. In an interview with sports psychologist JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Hyman said, "When standing on the blocks, I just said to myself, OK, I'm going to do a 200 butterfly, and I've done a million 200 butterflies in my life. I have been training for this and I know exactly what I need to do. I remember being able to feel every cell in my body and be completely present. Things felt like they were in slow motion. I dove in the water and it just clicked. I felt more power than ever before."
