Have you ever noticed that your best shots happen when you’re not overthinking? It turns out, you’re not alone. Many players find that their performance improves when they rely on instinct rather than conscious thought. Let's explore why this happens and how you can harness this phenomenon to improve your game.
The Experience of Not Overthinking
A football player shared their experience on a forum:
“I guess it's some sort of overthinking mechanism. For years when I played as an attacking midfielder, I would concentrate on the goal and exactly where I wanted to place the ball when I shot. Occasionally, I'd score a nice goal, but it wasn't really consistent.
A couple of days ago, I went for practice by myself early in the morning and didn’t really have the mental capacity to think before I shot the ball. Voila! The shots were incredible. I realised that when I leave my mind blank and just let my body follow through in a natural motion, the ball gets hit hard and consistently in the right place without going over the bar.”
Common Experiences Among Athletes
This experience is echoed by many others:
u/RagazziBubatz: “Every long-range banger I’ve ever scored was pure instinct. It’s almost like I moved on my own. Watch me try it on purpose and I shoot terribly.”
u/archie93hmfc: “It’s the same in every sport I play. Football is my main sport and I agree, you play best when you don’t consciously think about it. If you play golf, tennis, etc., it’s the same and there are a lot of sports psychology books about it.”
u/Nervous-Canary-2625: “If you’re any good, playing without thinking makes you play better in every department, not just shooting.”
The Psychology Behind It
The phenomenon you’re experiencing can be explained by sports psychology. As u/mahnkee pointed out, Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" describes two modes of cognition: a slower, analytical mode and a faster, instinctual mode. With repetition, actions that are initially learned through slow thinking can become instinctual, freeing up your brain to make strategic decisions during a game.
Professional coaches also recognise this:
u/Yyrkroon: “The ability to go into the instinctual mode or flow state (which can be learned/improved) is one of the differences between players at a high level. Players can nail passes and shots all day long, but put them in an artificial scenario and they choke.”
For more insights on achieving a flow state in sports, check out this video.
Practical Advice
u/tommycahil1995 adds a personal touch: “When I’m in a competitive environment, I don’t think and I play much better. I do things regularly that I could never pull off in training. Thoughts creep in, and I play worse. After playing for 20 years, most of it is instinctive, and you’ll find yourself admiring things you did because you think, ‘Where did that come from?’”
u/NerdEmoji emphasises the importance of muscle memory: “You train so that when it counts, your body can just do what it’s supposed to do. Keep training like you are, and it’s going to be effortless in game situations too.”
Additional Research on Instinctive Play
Research into the concept of "flow" or being "in the zone" supports the idea that athletes perform best when they are not consciously overthinking their actions. According to a study published in the Frontiers in Psychology, athletes in a flow state experience improved performance due to a harmonious interaction between their skills and the challenges they face. This state allows for heightened focus and optimal functioning.
Moreover, sports psychologist Dr. Josephine Perry explains that the ability to switch off conscious thought and rely on instinct is a key differentiator between elite and amateur athletes. This concept is further explored in her book, I Can: The Teenage Athlete's Guide to Mental Fitness.
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