So scientists say red is a dominant color. Coincidence? Photo: WSL/Cestari
The brain is not a muscle, but when it comes to athletic performance it’s just as important. You probably already realize this. But too often, sportscasters, coaches and armchair surfers hold forth with a lot of empty talk about focus, determination, and drive. Lovely words, but how do athletes achieve that? Like any other aspect of sport, it takes practice and the mastery of a few techniques. Here are a few science-based ways you can attain next-level on fleekness (that’s a word, right?). And do it with your mind.
1. Think Your Way to Being Stronger
You know those times when you’re digging hard, trying to get the most out of your muscles? Whether you’re scratching hard to get out of the impact zone, jumping rope at the gym, or trying a boulder problem at your limit, you can push harder. According to a new study from Denmark, when you’re distracted by thoughts of work or Alana Blanchard, your mind is stealing energy from your muscles. But when you instead focus your mind on the muscles you want to get more from, you’ll fuel them with everything you have. Thinking about your lats or your core while using them will make them work harder.
2. Pump Jaddy’s Playlist
You’ve probably heard that music can help athletic performance (tons of studies support this). Choose something soothing if you need to calm the nerves before taking on big surf. Or something aggro if you want to rip up small waves. Or if you want to be a super chill goofball, listen to whatever the hell Jadson Andre was listening to before his Round 5 heat at this year’s Fiji Pro. (Though, Jaddy did get knocked out by John John Florence right after this interview. Makes you wonder what John John was listening to, huh?)
3. Get Red to Rip
The color red signals dominance among many animals. That’s why some researchers have theorized that athletes wearing red outperform athletes wearing other colors, and that referees are more generous to those in red. If you’re not in a red jersey during a heat, you can still make sure you’ve got some red on your gear: red resin tint, red wetsuit, red leash. And hey, if a red ass helps male monkeys attract mates, then maybe a little red can you get noticed by potential mates, too. They’re more important than judges and referees anyway. Is it possible that red imbues the wearer with increased confidence, and hence, performance? Find out.
Dane Reynolds, getting red to rip. Photo: Surf Ride
4. Visualize Yourself Ripping
Sports psychology literature is rife with studies of how visualization affects performance. Kelly Slater has been known to use it. Shouldn’t you? One of the most famous studies centered on subjects who either practiced shooting free throws or only visualized shooting them. The group who visualized their shots did pretty darn well, leading science-minded folks to put stock in the real-world power of imagination.
Try envisioning yourself nailing a turn the way you’d like to turn. Make it as realistic as possible: Imagine the sun glinting off the lip. Imagine the section starting to stand up. Imagine how you’re going to set up for the turn. How you’ll need to position your body. Imagine the fan of spray as you lay into it.
Make a habit of visualizing these kinds of scenarios. Imagine the difference it could make.
