Music Can Increase Your Athletic Performance

“One more step” is probably what went through Paula Radcliffe’s mind when she was about to win her second gold medal. What’s her secret? You might be asking, well, it’s music. Music can be a powerful tool to use to increase your athletic performance. According to Dr. Costa Karageorghis, fast pace music can benefit athletes when getting ready to compete. Using music for your next college game might give you that boost of adrenaline you need to be at peak performance.

Reggie Theus Jr, a college basketball player who attends CSUN, was interviewed about the music he uses to train. During the interview, he stated, “I listen to a lot of like instrumentals like just beats like no words… The reason I do that is because it allows me to think about what I need to do for the game and not hear anybody else talking to me… it leaves me room in my head to think about the things that I want to think about to prepare myself mentally and physically for the game.”  Music can be so versatile because it can either pump you up with adrenaline or calm your nerves. Music is so powerful that many college teams have bands playing during games to boost their performances. We are all different, so Reggie’s works might not work for you, so you have to find the right genre.

Dr. Costa Karageorghis has studied the effects that music has on athletes for over 25 years. According to Dr. Karageorghis, music can trick your mind into feeling less tired, enhance emotions, and keep you focused. Music can make your body enter a state where everything you are doing becomes natural. Music can not only be used as a personal motivator but can also be used in a group setting. One example of how people can use music to pump up a group is creating a chant and singing it before a game. If you pay attention, college teams always create a chant and sing it as loud as they can before a game to get everyone’s adrenaline going.

Music can be a powerful tool to use to increase your athletic performance. For many athletes, listening to music before or during a game is necessary to maintain their adrenaline levels. According to Dr. Karageorghis, it puts the athlete into a state known as the “flow,” a motivational state where athletes’ bodies are on autopilot. Dr. Karageorghis also stated that “Music can also act as a sedative or a stimulant. Music with a fast tempo can be used to pump you up prior to competition, or slower music can be used to calm your nerves and help you focus. It is considered by some athletes to be a legal drug with no unwanted side effects.”

In conclusion, music can be crucial to listen to for a big game or calming your nerves before one. As an athlete, using anything to make you better is a must, so why not use music next time in the gym. Use genres that you like and the one that gets you the most pumped.

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