Danny Everett, a 1988 Olympic medalist in two events, reported: "Before the finals of the 400 meters in Seoul, I didn't sleep well and I don't remember dreaming of a race or of a winning experience. I dreamt more of my preparation and training for the race. I seem to place more value on hard work and thorough training than just winning. Maybe that's why it shows up in my dreams as just preparing to race. For me, better preparation equals greater confidence."
Research among gymnasts suggests that there is a significant relationship between frequency of dreams and performance success. Some athletes report that they dream of missing the start of a race or getting lost on the course--creating a fear which leads them to avoid such mistakes. This suggests that if athletic dreams do function as a type of mental practice, they mainly act as a means of improving mental toughness.
From a psychological perspective, dreams may organize information relevant to skill development. As 1,500-meter Olympian Jeff Atkinson remarked: "My dreams don't really focus on winning; they are more feeling-oriented. I dream more in emotions than pictures. These feelings could be a big win or a big loss. Sometimes I wake with a feeling of tremendous success--and I have this really supreme feeling all over!"
"Athletes must understand that there's only so much work you can put in, so many hours in a day, so much gas in the tank," says Earl Bell, 1988 Olympic pole vaulter. "And the trick is to keep the quality at a high level, to train efficiently."
PHOTOS (COLOR): In 1987, Ungreleider and his associate, Jacquiline Golding, Ph.D., began a four-year study--using interviews and a 240-item questionaire given to more than 1,200 Olympic athletes returning home from Seoul in 1988--to try and answer some of the quaetions regarding psychological training for competitive sports. They reported their results in Beyond Strength (Brown & Benchmark; 1992), a guide for coahes and sports psychologists alike.
PHOTO (COLOR): A Man Participateing in the High Jump
PHOTO (COLOR): A Man Participateing in the Long Jump
PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): A Man Throwing the Shortput
PHOTO (COLOR): Some Athletes have suggested that we hold two Olympics--one Drug-- Induced for offenders suchas KATRIN KRABBE (Below,left) and the other clean.
BY STEVEN UNGERLEIDER, PH.D.
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