Using hypnosis for Sports training. 

Firstly hypnosis with athletes does not include treatment of serious psychological problems. Hypnosis can help athletes develop correct techniques, build the concentration, confidence, and willpower essential for maximum performance. The characteristics of hypnosis, such as relaxation, focus, suggestibility and so on, enable it to make a major impact in developing mental training skills for athletes. It is important to note that sports hypnosis deals with the mind and not the actual physical techniques of the sport; this is the job of the coach. For example, taking a free kick, the coach will have passed on the correct techniques for this, and the sports hypnotherapist develops the focus and confidence within the player. 

Easing out tension. 

The value of relieving the mental and physical tension of athletes and promoting relaxation is widely recognized. Relaxation and stress reduction are keys not only to top athletic performance but also to good health and well-being. 

Hypnotic relaxation: So how do you relax athletes? For a group situation you simply get them all to lie or sit where they can be comfortable. Progressive relation techniques are administered, after 10 to 15 minutes the team will be in a light hypnotic trance. Once here the coach can suggest achieving suitable goals, team spirit and self-confidence. Because the team are in a light trance these suggestion will be taken on board and acted upon. What is the value of this relaxed state, it is not just relaxation, imagery can be used, ego-enhancement, goal setting, pain alleviation, and controlling performance arousal and focus. When the body and the mind is relaxed, the athlete is able to imagine a perfect performance, to set appropriate goals, and to learn to affect levels of arousal. Athletes who learn to do their stretches in a light trance find they achieve flexibility rapidly and thoroughly and are much less susceptible to injury. 

Imagining the perfect performance:

Imagery when used with emotion is helpful in controlling anxiety states (or arousal); facilitating relaxation; improving self confidence and motivation; facilitating performance in many other ways. Many athletes use these methods; look at Jack Nicklaus the golfer for example. In addition to the above uses of imagery there are several other benefits such as controlling emotions, focusing energy and increasing self-confidence and awareness. It is important to point out the imagery can be used as is used by athletes everyday however imagery while used with a trance is far more beneficial. While in trance there are four important pillars if you like for this:

How vividly did they see?
How vividly did they hear?
How much did they feel kinesthetically?
How much emotion did they sense?

Goal Setting: 

Be it winning a county championship, an All Ireland it does not matter, people who set goals tend to achieve them. Setting goals and expecting their achievement, developing memories of the future, revising goals, sharing goals all benefit individual performance and team performance. Goals attained in hypnosis are more challenging and more appropriate. It is like as if the right brain and the unconscious have a clearer idea of the capabilities than the conscious left-brain. 

Optimizing Arousal levels. 

Be it footballers, Karate students whatever type of athlete it does not matter, all athletes will never forget the time they won man of the match, ran the fastest race or won every fight leading to a national title. This is termed being in the zone, performing mentally and physically to near perfection. Being in the zone is related to the level of arousal; the energy of tension the athlete feels. Then this arousal or tension is too high the athlete makes mistakes and performance deteriorates. When arousal is too low, things do not come together and performance falls. Using hypnosis in different ways helps athletes learn to control tension and get into their zone. 

Eliminating distractions. 
The ability to eliminate distractions, to concentrate on the relevant aspects of a situation, and to block out the irrelevant is a critical part for the footballer or athlete in any discipline. Taking a free kick is such an example, all you want to see is the ball and the posts, not the crowd behind the posts jeering. Using hypnosis here offers a distinct advantage. 

Easing Pain

Most athletes are familiar with the ability of a football player to continue playing even though injured. Often the athlete does not feel the pain of an injury until after the excitement of the game. The ability of the mind to control the degree of suffering from an injury is an example of its power. What hypnosis does is to tap into this power to reduce the suffering from an injury. 

Self-Healing. 

The original use of the hypnotic trance was for healing. Hypnosis has the ability to accelerate healing however rarely tapped into in sports. Perhaps this caused by the lack of information about hypnosis. Hypnosis is a force that should be used more frequently and effectively used in healing. There have been numerous studies done and they all report excellent results using hypnosis for the self-healing. 

In conclusion an athlete is more than a bunch of muscles. Hypnosis allows teams, individuals to harness the power of the mind. It is now mainstream, a modern training technique used by top professionals, it is not the submissive state that has been portrayed in movies and misunderstood by the public. It can help you sharpen your mental focus, relax your body, visualize success, stimulate healing, and control your emotions during training or when facing an important competition. Sport Hypnosis is a guide to that special psychological realm and the higher performance athletes aspire to.