You can't improve sports performance without making an effort. If the body and mind are willing, there are plenty of ways to take your game to the highest level. Advancements in training techniques, nutrition, video technology and treatment of injuries can all help you reach peak performance.
Shape Up
Getting into peak physical condition is a great way to improve performance, be it bulking up in the weight room for contact sports or tuning up your cardiovascular system for events that require endurance. Some sports require brute strength and maximum size and others require speed, flexibility and agility, so training needs to be tailored accordingly. Every athlete benefits from a solid core -- the abdominal area, hips and lower back. Strengthening the core helps the upper and lower body work in tandem.
Well Being
Proper nutrition and rest are vital toward improving your performance in sports. Athletes should eat plenty of complex carbohydrates, which provide energy to the body. Pasta, rice, beans, fruits and vegetables are smart choices. According to Fitness.gov, consuming carbohydrates produces glycogen, which helps strengthen muscles. Sleeping eight or nine hours a night also helps your body recover from physical exertion and keeps you alert during competition.
Positive Attitude
Getting your body and mind to work together is a natural pairing in maximum sports performance. Baseball great Babe Ruth once said, "It's hard to beat someone who won't quit," and those words still ring true. Visualizing success in sports is the first step toward attaining it. You've likely heard the term, "Fear of Failure," and it's a common trait. Athletes who are mentally adverse to batting with the bases loaded in a close game, swimming the final lap of a relay race or skating in on the goalie in a hockey shootout are not going to reach peak performance. Mentally visualizing success is the best way to get your mind in the game. Physical and mental errors are common and lingering on one mistake is sure to lead to another -- so it's important to create a detailed image in your mind of how you would like your performance to improve.
Video
Reviewing your own mechanics and execution on videotape can make you aware of details in your performance that could use improvement. Identifying problems in real time can only go so far. By studying video, you can slow down, rewind or fast-forward the tape to discover areas of your performance that need modification. And reviewing video again after the adjustment has been made provides the positive re-enforcement needed to keep improving.
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