Neuroscience plays an important role in sport, since the mental and psychological aspect of an athlete's preparation is increasingly influential. The brain is essential for high performance.
A high-level athlete needs, apart from optimal physical condition, great mental and psychological preparation. For this reason,
Neuroscience is used in high-level competition sport to understand the relationships between the brain and the motor possibilities of our body. Or to understand the impact of various factors on motor learning, such as fatigue, thirst, anxiety or sleep.
Neuroscience takes on importance in sport
Neuroscience helps an athlete to be better able to face decisive situations in a competition, especially in important situations. In addition, it allows us to understand the relationships between the brain and the motor choices of an athlete’s body. The Bankinter Innovation Foundation is organising a Future Trends Forum on Neuroscience.
This science can provide information about how the brain acts in physical activity or how to coordinate the body’s movements effectively.
It should not be forgotten that the frontal lobes and the cerebellum are essential in sport, which is responsible, among other things, for mechanizing the complex sequences of sport-specific movements. So the more it develops, the easier it will be to control the muscle fibers necessary at all times. The fear of failure and learning can completely obstruct a sport.
In sports such as tennis, cognitive abilities and the management of emotions play a very important role in achieving high performance. The clear example that Neuroscience is very important in this sport is in the Spanish tennis player,
Mirror neurons
Mirror neurons are essential in sports activity, as they are activated when we perform a specific action or see another person do that action. They allow you to make the actions or emotions of others your own.
For example, in the initial phase of learning in football, thanks to mirror neurons, the coach can show the players how to perform a movement. These neurons also make players synchronize with the rest of the players in team sports by observing their behavior. Will Neuroscience increase its importance in sport in the coming years?
