On July 14th the FISU World University Championship Games will kick off in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany. A team of 85 athletes across 10 sports from New Zealand will compete against the best tertiary students in the world. Globally this is the second largest multi-sport competition after the Olympics with over 10,000 athletes competing.

The performance health team includes myself, two other physiotherapists, two sports physicians and a remote sports psychologist.  Over the past two months we have had countless Zoom meetings, a weekend workshop and endless emails and text messages.  We have personally called almost every athlete in the team to ensure we have a sound understanding of any physical, mental or medical challenges.  The team support staff, led by Chef de Mission Evelyn Williamson from the NZ Olympic Committee have sent out regular communications, newsletters and advice for all involved.

The stage is now set, with the team beginning to make their way to Europe.

For all athletes, physical conditioning and preparation is a given, however the mental preparation is equally important. Self belief, focus and confidence in one’s preparation and ability all have a huge impact on performance.  The health team have focused equally on athlete mental wellbeing as we have on physical injury management.  To borrow from the global sportswear giant, “Anime Sana In Corpore Sano” (ASICS)…a sound mind, in a sound body (in that order).

The book Bounce by Matthew Syed challenges the myth about how so-called high achievers ascend to such superhuman levels.  What is it about an elite athlete mindset and how can we learn from them?

  1. They do not to let self-doubt take over, choosing self-reassured optimism even to the point of being irrational…but they do so with conviction.
  2. They adopt a mindset of growth and improvement through hard work, refusing to believe that talent is what drive success.
  3. They practice with intent, almost seeking out failure in order to overcome weaknesses, instead of simply focusing on what they are good at.

The psyche of an elite athlete has become such a fascination of mine that when watching sport, I often get lost analysing the athletes instead of watching the game.  What is their pre-game ritual, do they appear relaxed or stressed, what is their body language when they lose a point, miss a basket or drop a catch? What happens when they win, or when they lose? I know that while supporting our kiwi athletes in Germany as team physio, I will be watching them intently in the same way.

So next time you watch sport, listen to a valedictory speech, attend a concert of your favourite artist, or even read a book from your favourite author…consider for a moment the mindset of that individual.  Keep in mind that even a small shift of mindset can make a substantial difference to your life.  Deliberately choose optimism over negativity and cynicism.  Maintain a mindset of continued self-improvement.  Finally, practice everything in life with intent, learning from every failure.  I look forward to seeing the New Zealand team punch above its weight once again!

Nb. Written as Health columnist for the Hibiscus Matters.