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A trick that can improve performance in sports has been named
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
To increase their productivity and show the best result in competitions, athletes can resort to a little trick - to squeeze the left palm into a fist. However, as scientists emphasize, this is relevant only for those whose leading side of the body is the right.
Experts from Germany have come to the conclusion that if an athlete clenches his hand into a fist or squeezes a small ball in it before the start, he can improve his results.
To confirm their theory, scientists conducted experiments involving professional judoists, football players and badminton players.
Athletes with a dominant right side of the body, squeezing the ball in their hand before the competition, were less nervous and behaved more calmly, relying on the capabilities of their own body and experience. Experts explain this by the fact that a simple movement activated certain areas of the brain.
Experts say that for skilled athletes with a lot of experience, movements that have been honed over years of training (movement in boxing, hitting a ball or swinging a racket) become habitual and do not require the participation of consciousness in this process.
However, before important competitions, a person still begins to get nervous and think over every move, delving into the process itself. This becomes a certain obstacle that prevents a good athlete from relying on his capabilities and the skills he has developed over many years, brought to automatism.
"Although it may seem paradoxical, overthinking can have a negative impact on performance. Thoughts "override" the internal focus on motor skills. Usually, the best results are shown by those athletes who rely on their own skills, developed over many years of practice, as well as those who can trust their body as much as possible," says Jurgen Beckmann, the lead author of the study. "For example, a gymnast's conscious attempt to maintain balance will lead to the opposite effect."
The ball squeezing method is unlikely to help athletes whose activities depend on strength and endurance, such as weightlifters or marathon runners, the authors note. However, athletes whose technique is based on precision and coordination of movements, such as football players or golfers, may well practice such stimulation.