The 8 Benefits of Mindfulness for Coaches and Athletes

August 13, 2023

PCA National Advisory Board Member Dacher Keltner is a Psychology Professor and the Director of the Greater Good Science Center (@GreaterGoodSC) at UC-Berkeley. Keltner is most famous in the sports world for his study on NBA teams, when he identified a link between positive, supportive ‘touching’ (such as high-fives) and success on the court. Keltner is also a published author, most recently publishing The Power Paradox.

According to Keltner, mindfulness is acknowledging, rather than reacting, to things that come through your mind. Essentially, mindfulness is just letting thoughts be thoughts rather than letting thoughts define who you are. This can help with nervousness or anxiety, as well as help people move on from mistakes.

The data shows that when people act mindfully (as Keltner describes above), there are the following benefits to using mindfulness as a tool:

  1. Improve brain function
  2. Improved immunity to sickness
  3. Heart functionality improves
  4. Anxiety goes down
  5. Likelihood of depression decreases
  6. More likely to be optimistic
  7. Perform better in school
  8. Handle difficult challenges more effectively

Read more articles at positivecoach.org

 

2022 Positive Coaching Alliance Logo

About Positive Coaching Alliance

PCA’s vision is to build a world where every child benefits from a positive youth sports experience with a coach who inspires them to become the best version of themselves in the game and in life. PCA trains coaches and partners with youth sports organizations, parents, sports leaders, and communities to make youth sports more positive, equitable, and accessible to all kids regardless of social or economic circumstances. For more information, go to positivecoach.org >
Tags in this article

Mental Health Coach, Parent Positive Coaching Alliance