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From the latest episode of TVB program "Vital Lifeline" that aired on 2026/2/17. Pick Chinese (Simplified) in CC and use Auto-translate.
最強生命線｜心房顫動治療首重預防中風 偶發性增診斷難度｜醫療｜治療｜無綫新聞｜TVB News
https://youtu.be/feUvAXRPboQ?t=599
Athletes are easily distracted by internal thoughts and external environmental factors during competition. Mindfulness training emphasizes focusing on the present moment, non-judgment, and acceptance, thus improving concentration and emotional management. Self-talk and mental rehearsal can also enhance performance, preventing lapses in accuracy due to excessive desire to win or fear of losing.
11:24 Mindfulness Training Concept
11:31 Methods to Improve Concentration
12:14 Mindfulness Training Content
12:51 Self-Talk Techniques
13:36 Mental Rehearsal Methods)
Full Transcript:
Janette Tsang: Hello, Henry. I know professional athletes need to maintain focus at all times. What factors can cause them to become distracted?
Henry Li: In a competition setting, athletes may be distracted by both internal and external factors. Internal factors might include their own thinking, their judgment, or concerns about injuries. External factors might include people and the environment; people could be teammates, coaches, spectators, or opponents. Distractions can be pleasant and positive, not necessarily negative, but they can all potentially cause an athlete to lose focus from the current task. As for external factors, the environment could be the local conditions, temperature, instructions from the referee, or other factors related to the venue. These are all external factors that can distract an athlete's attention.
Janette Tsang: Regarding maintaining focus, I know that yoga often involves meditation and sitting meditation, which is said to help with concentration. Does sports psychology have similar concepts?
Henry Li: In recent years, sports psychology has advocated mindfulness training, hoping to help athletes improve their focus and make them more aware that their attention might be drawn away from their current task. Having a specific focus allows them to quickly refocus on their task.
Janette Tsang: Could you share some examples from sports, such as distraction in fencing?
Henry Li: During a match, referee decisions or environmental factors might cause him to feel that things are not going as expected, leading to distraction. The goal is to help him recognize his distraction earlier through mindfulness training and then use methods to refocus his attention on what he should be concentrating on at that moment, such as how to strike the next point.
Janette Tsang: So what exactly does mindfulness training entail, and how can it be done?
Henry Li: In sports psychology, we sometimes conduct mindfulness training with athletes to help them experience... focusing on the present moment's bodily sensations, and then after a period of consistent training and practice (potentially a longer period), the goal is for the athlete to better understand concepts like non-judgment and acceptance. This is the desired effect of mindfulness training.
Janette Tsang: To improve an athlete's mental well-being, besides mindfulness training's ability to improve focus, sometimes talking to oneself to motivate oneself can also be helpful. Is that the case?
Henry Li: These are some commonly used psychological techniques, including self-talk, self-suggestion, or mental rehearsal. These are all good methods and not difficult to learn. For example, self-talk can provide guidance, reminding oneself to focus on technique and tactics. It can be a self-reminder, or it can be motivational, an emotional encouragement to oneself. "I've faced even the toughest challenges before; I can do it this time." This might not be specifically about tactics or technique, but it can be an emotional boost. This type of self-talk is helpful.
Another method is mental rehearsal. We might mentally visualize the actions or tasks we're about to perform. We encourage athletes to include not only visual effects, but also muscular sensations, emotional responses, and even sound effects in the mental rehearsal. This will be more effective. We can imagine that in individual or non-contact sports where there's less interaction with opponents, this type of mental rehearsal method may be used more frequently.
Janette Tsang: However, some people might use a reverse psychology approach—that is, using something negative to motivate themselves. Is that effective?
Henry Li: Some people like to use this method, perhaps due to their upbringing or environment; they're used to using this to push themselves. There may not be concrete data to support this, but experience tells us that it can be effective to some extent.
Janette Tsang: Returning to the topic of competition, everyone has some degree of competitiveness, but the more you want to win, the less likely you are to win. How does psychology explain this?
Henry Li: We see how athletes approach the competition. Most people want to win, but strictly speaking, wanting to win doesn't guarantee victory. If we use the concept of contemplation, the more focused you are on the task, the more any thought can help you focus. In terms of task performance, the more effective the performance, the better. However, there's sometimes a misconception or blind spot. Some athletes, or some individuals, don't just want to win; they're also afraid of losing. This is human nature. But if they unconsciously amplify their fear of losing, they might have more concerns and unconsciously fall into a perfectionist mindset. They won't easily accept their small mistakes, and magnifying these mistakes can affect them and distract them, preventing them from focusing on the unfinished competition. This is what sometimes happens: the more they want to win, the more it hinders them or prevents them from achieving a smooth, unnatural performance.
Janette Tsang: Speaking of the desire to win, how does a person's competitive attitude affect their athletic performance?
Henry Li: We see some athletes, or some individuals may be more self-focused. Some athletes are more task-oriented. An athlete with strong self-focus might be more easily engaged in the competition because they want to win and enjoy being stronger and better than others. On the other hand, some athletes may be more task-oriented. They love the sport, the task, and the precise execution of the movements. They may not be as focused on winning or losing, but rather on achieving the task more precisely. For athletes with different personalities, we need to set different goals for them—task-oriented goals, such as how to achieve greater precision in tactics and techniques. This might make it easier for them to engage in the competition and the situation.
Janette Tsang: I understand, thank you very much for sharing today.)
最強生命線｜心房顫動治療首重預防中風 偶發性增診斷難度｜醫療｜治療｜無綫新聞｜TVB News
https://youtu.be/feUvAXRPboQ?t=599
(Section 2: Sports Psychology and Mindfulness Training
Athletes are easily distracted by internal thoughts and external environmental factors during competition. Mindfulness training emphasizes focusing on the present moment, non-judgment, and acceptance, thus improving concentration and emotional management. Self-talk and mental rehearsal can also enhance performance, preventing lapses in accuracy due to excessive desire to win or fear of losing.
11:24 Mindfulness Training Concept
11:31 Methods to Improve Concentration
12:14 Mindfulness Training Content
12:51 Self-Talk Techniques
13:36 Mental Rehearsal Methods)
Full Transcript:
(Janette Tsang: Many people have experienced this: they perform well in training, but fail to reach their full potential in actual competition. The more they try to avoid mistakes, the more likely they are to make them. Why is this? Today, we've invited sports psychologist Henry Li from the Hong Kong Sports Institute to explain how mindfulness training can help athletes.
Janette Tsang: Hello, Henry. I know professional athletes need to maintain focus at all times. What factors can cause them to become distracted?
Henry Li: In a competition setting, athletes may be distracted by both internal and external factors. Internal factors might include their own thinking, their judgment, or concerns about injuries. External factors might include people and the environment; people could be teammates, coaches, spectators, or opponents. Distractions can be pleasant and positive, not necessarily negative, but they can all potentially cause an athlete to lose focus from the current task. As for external factors, the environment could be the local conditions, temperature, instructions from the referee, or other factors related to the venue. These are all external factors that can distract an athlete's attention.
Janette Tsang: Regarding maintaining focus, I know that yoga often involves meditation and sitting meditation, which is said to help with concentration. Does sports psychology have similar concepts?
Henry Li: In recent years, sports psychology has advocated mindfulness training, hoping to help athletes improve their focus and make them more aware that their attention might be drawn away from their current task. Having a specific focus allows them to quickly refocus on their task.
Janette Tsang: Could you share some examples from sports, such as distraction in fencing?
Henry Li: During a match, referee decisions or environmental factors might cause him to feel that things are not going as expected, leading to distraction. The goal is to help him recognize his distraction earlier through mindfulness training and then use methods to refocus his attention on what he should be concentrating on at that moment, such as how to strike the next point.
Janette Tsang: So what exactly does mindfulness training entail, and how can it be done?
Henry Li: In sports psychology, we sometimes conduct mindfulness training with athletes to help them experience... focusing on the present moment's bodily sensations, and then after a period of consistent training and practice (potentially a longer period), the goal is for the athlete to better understand concepts like non-judgment and acceptance. This is the desired effect of mindfulness training.
Janette Tsang: To improve an athlete's mental well-being, besides mindfulness training's ability to improve focus, sometimes talking to oneself to motivate oneself can also be helpful. Is that the case?
Henry Li: These are some commonly used psychological techniques, including self-talk, self-suggestion, or mental rehearsal. These are all good methods and not difficult to learn. For example, self-talk can provide guidance, reminding oneself to focus on technique and tactics. It can be a self-reminder, or it can be motivational, an emotional encouragement to oneself. "I've faced even the toughest challenges before; I can do it this time." This might not be specifically about tactics or technique, but it can be an emotional boost. This type of self-talk is helpful.
Another method is mental rehearsal. We might mentally visualize the actions or tasks we're about to perform. We encourage athletes to include not only visual effects, but also muscular sensations, emotional responses, and even sound effects in the mental rehearsal. This will be more effective. We can imagine that in individual or non-contact sports where there's less interaction with opponents, this type of mental rehearsal method may be used more frequently.
Janette Tsang: However, some people might use a reverse psychology approach—that is, using something negative to motivate themselves. Is that effective?
Henry Li: Some people like to use this method, perhaps due to their upbringing or environment; they're used to using this to push themselves. There may not be concrete data to support this, but experience tells us that it can be effective to some extent.
Janette Tsang: Returning to the topic of competition, everyone has some degree of competitiveness, but the more you want to win, the less likely you are to win. How does psychology explain this?
Henry Li: We see how athletes approach the competition. Most people want to win, but strictly speaking, wanting to win doesn't guarantee victory. If we use the concept of contemplation, the more focused you are on the task, the more any thought can help you focus. In terms of task performance, the more effective the performance, the better. However, there's sometimes a misconception or blind spot. Some athletes, or some individuals, don't just want to win; they're also afraid of losing. This is human nature. But if they unconsciously amplify their fear of losing, they might have more concerns and unconsciously fall into a perfectionist mindset. They won't easily accept their small mistakes, and magnifying these mistakes can affect them and distract them, preventing them from focusing on the unfinished competition. This is what sometimes happens: the more they want to win, the more it hinders them or prevents them from achieving a smooth, unnatural performance.
Janette Tsang: Speaking of the desire to win, how does a person's competitive attitude affect their athletic performance?
Henry Li: We see some athletes, or some individuals may be more self-focused. Some athletes are more task-oriented. An athlete with strong self-focus might be more easily engaged in the competition because they want to win and enjoy being stronger and better than others. On the other hand, some athletes may be more task-oriented. They love the sport, the task, and the precise execution of the movements. They may not be as focused on winning or losing, but rather on achieving the task more precisely. For athletes with different personalities, we need to set different goals for them—task-oriented goals, such as how to achieve greater precision in tactics and techniques. This might make it easier for them to engage in the competition and the situation.
Janette Tsang: I understand, thank you very much for sharing today.)
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