Mind whisperers

MINUTES before Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem made the historic 92.97m throw in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he walked up to his coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, complaining that his calf injury had flared up. Grimacing in pain, Nadeem vainly hoped that his coach, a former national discus thrower, would comfort him and talk of a way around. His dire concern was dismissed in one line: “Kuch nahin hota, tu sher hai” (Don’t worry, you’re a lion).

Speechless, the 6 foot-3 inches athlete from Mian Channu in Pakistan Punjab could not get his run-up right up to the first throw. Swallowed by anxiety, he limped up to his doctor. “The doctor also told me, ‘Tu sher hai’,” the 28-year-old would recount at a felicitation event for Pakistan’s first individual Olympics gold winner since 1988.

The lion in Nadeem did not roar after the gold-winning throw but calmly raised his hands in triumph.

When double Olympics medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar plucked out a bronze from nowhere in the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the first time, journalists tried to know the strategy behind the miracle. India national coach PR Sondhi simply replied, “Rall mill ke ho gya” (Together, we managed).

The metaphorical parlance without psychological insight is unmistakable in the subcontinental underdog story.

Neuroscience and psychology explain this lamb-to-lion transition as a fight-or-flight response — that occurs in reaction to a perceived attack or threat to survival. It is complex but fascinating how the brain sends a signal to release hormones and activates the nervous system, which then primes senses and muscles to perform miracles. In everyday life, its effects are best visible in a sports field, or a jungle.

Subcontinental athletes are remarkable in doing that. Wrestlers Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, boxers Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, shooter Vijay Kumar and shuttler Saina Nehwal’s success in Olympics can largely be attributed to this. Psychologists working with subcontinental athletes find a common trait, that of tremendous fightback qualities.

Many athletes prepare with a mindset of not failing, but winning is an altogether different ballgame, they concur. That is why they look for answers from mental conditioning coaches. They scan the Internet, read books, meditate. Looking for something, someone who could whisper in their ear what their mind is trying to say that they cannot hear and understand. What better way if they could get trained to do that themselves!

Before winning this year’s US Open final, World No. 1 women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka was facing the same predicament. She was missing the gear that could take her to the next level. The Belarussian had lost two Major finals in the run-up to the US Open. In her press conference after the New York win, Sabalenka, who has had a psychologist for five years, said, “Initially, it helped, but then I thought that OK, she (the psychologist) has to fix me, give me an answer. So I wasn’t really taking responsibility for my actions. I was making the same mistake over and over again, and getting upset that it’s not helping.”

The 27-year-old found her answer in a book, a bestseller her friends insisted she should read. Sitting on a beach after her Wimbledon heartbreak, Sabalenka flipped through ‘Into the Magic Shop’, neurosurgeon James R Doty’s quest to discover the mysteries of the brain and secrets of the heart.

“I was just thinking that why would I let my emotions take control over me in those two finals? Going into this final, I decided that I’m going to control my emotions. I’m not going to let them take control over me, it doesn’t matter what happens in the match,” she let out.

In their quest for peak performance, sportspersons are not afraid of trying out different things — as long as they get their answer.

Teenage sensation Manu Bhaker plays the violin, reads the Bhagavad Gita to concentrate. Virat Kohli, in his prime, endorsed ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananda in his quest for fitness and shutting out distractions. Mithali Raj reads to calm her nerves while waiting for her turn to bat. Former New Zealand cricket team captain Kane Williamson says reading is one of his hobbies and he has enjoyed the ‘Jack Reacher Series’ by Lee Child.

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams both recommend the ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle for building mental strength and the ability to focus during matches. Djokovic says he has relied on ‘Light on Yoga’ by BKS Iyengar to practise yoga. His highly sought after gluten-free diet regimen is enlisted in his autobiography, ‘Serve to Win’.

Spaniard David Ferrer reads books because he feels that’s the common trait in all successful people.

Abhinav Bindra’s autobiography, ‘A Shot at History’, is already a bestseller and a guide for many.

Clearly, successful athletes read different books to get desired results, some autobiographical, some motivational or self-help, and some just to switch off. So what do books or mental conditioning coaches actually do that makes them highly sought-after resources away from the sports arena?

Athletes seek answers to optimise their peak performance under trying circumstances. Mental conditioning coaches can help them build resilience. They have the skills to rewire people from negative patterns into positive thoughts, manage stress for a prolonged duration, and visualise success. In short, bring clarity of thought and mind.

South African Paddy Upton is one such mental conditioning coach who has been very successful with Indian athletes. He was with the Indian side when it won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2024 Paris Olympics hockey bronze, and recently, when D Gukesh at 18 became the youngest World Chess Champion in 2024.

Upton told reporters that although Gukesh’s preparation began around six months earlier, during the World Chess Championship, it was not till the 12th round that he talked to Gukesh. “We had prepared in such a way that he does not need to talk to me. He could make his own decisions, analyse the situations and respond objectively.”

Upton rates Rahul Dravid highly in this mental conditioning aspect of the game. However, D Gukesh, he says, has incredible self-awareness: “His ability to recognise his thoughts and manage his mind and his understanding of how to do so.”

In an interview to FIDE, the author of ‘The Barefoot Coach’ summed up the principles of mental coaching: “Chess is different in the sense that mind is the primary performance tool to work with. Fascinatingly, of the 20 sports I have worked in, the principles of mental coaching apply universally. I know nothing about chess, but the principles that apply to chess, apply to life as well. Simple things like when you make a mistake or something goes wrong, can you let go, learn from it and move on? Or do you hang on to it? Make the objectively best move in that moment. If you can do that, moment by moment, then life works, and chess works and everything else works. It’s not that difficult.”

Dronacharya awardee wrestling coach OP Dahiya at Pratap Sports School in Kharkhoda, a SAI Centre of Excellence near Sonepat, says mental conditioning coaches have been helping kids learn from mistakes and build on their strengths. Former India Test captain Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach Dinesh Lad says, “Hundreds of budding cricketers arrive in Mumbai to pursue dreams. Only those who are motivated and know what they want achieve success. When Rohit came, he knew he would play top league cricket.” That’s self-confidence, backed by what Upton insists mental conditioning is all about — clarity of thought and mind.

The learning curve

A Shot at History by Abhinav Bindra

Faster Than Lightning by Usain Bolt

Open by Andre Agassi

The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant

The Boys in the Boat Daniel by James Brown

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Galloway

Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

One Life by Megan Rapinoe

The Race of My Life by Milkha Singh

Results: An Athlete's Devotional by Derick Grant

The Power of Now by  Eckhart Tolle

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

The Art of Captaincy by Mike Brearley

Bhagavad Gita

Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho