If you are an athlete then practicing your technique can help you cover a lot of ground when time comes for competitions. But that’s just one part of what makes a champion. There are many components that make a champion and one of the most important one is BODY LANGUAGE. That’s correct, Body Language is a component that most athletes forget about but is very important when it comes to fostering a Champion Mindset.
We have all heard of the phrase, “If you want to to be a CHAMPION, you have to act like one.” So how do you ‘act like a champion’? Well the simplest way is, you have to “Walk Like a Champion”. When we say you have to walk like a champion, we mainly mean you have to control your Body Language. The way we carry ourselves in pressure situations can affect the way our mind processes them. With a confident stride you can give your mind the boost it needs to bring its A-Game.
Technical training can only get you so far when it comes to competitions scenarios. It is in such tough situations when our mind can be weakest if we do not train it to be better. Body language is another component that can help you gain confidence in a tough situation. It can also make you lose faith in yourself and accept defeat before the game is over. Our physical and mental state of being can change in an instance just by the way we carry ourselves.
Different Types of Body Language
There are many ways in which one can express their moods through their body language. You can use different body gestures, facial expressions, multiple mannerisms and movements your body makes. It is through these that you communicate through your body and the message sent can be read by everyone around you and have an impact on their brain.
Facial Expression
A famous Latin priest once said, “The face is the mirror of the mind, and the eyes, without speaking a word, confess the secrets of the heart.” He was dead on point when he said it. Our facial expression can express every emotion, sometimes even spontaneously, without us wanting it to.
For example when we go out to meet our friends, we usually greet them with a big smile on our face. This expression is not one we intend on but it appears on our face because of the joy we feel when catching up with friends. Just like this, the expression on our face can show disappointment and defeat after a bad shot. This can happen even if we have just started our practice session or match. Some people have extremely emotive faces, whereas others do not. But having control over your facial expressions is a trait that everyone should have and practice.
Gestures
Another very important and major way through which we express our emotions in a moment. The manner in which we move our hands, legs and torso in a situation can express how excited or uninterested we are towards an activity. Everyone has a pattern they follow, it can be called their personal ‘style’. A persons’ style or swagger, in more modern terms, are all combinations of their personal gestures.
If we were to explain this with an example relevant to shooters, it would go as follows – If you are excited for a practice session after a long break, like a lockdown, then you would reach the range with your body emoting excited and happy gestures. You will be pumped up and full of energy, making your gestures big and positive. The gestures you emote will eventually boost your confidence and you will have a productive practice session.
On the other hand, if you are nervous about a match you will emote very different gestures. You may not have a bounce in your walk and your pace may be slow. Your hands may not be relaxed and free but stiff and tense. These gestures will clearly show your nervousness and may end up creating doubts in your mind. Such gestures may end up having a negative effect on your overall attitude for the day. This can result in you second guessing yourself and you may have a bad match despite regular practice.
Stance
When we stand in a position we take up a stance that can emote what we are feeling. The manner in which we place our hands, legs, head and torso in a particular situation can convey our true feelings. Our stance can say many things like, “I am confident today” or “I am feeling tired today” or “I am worried right now”. We don’t need words to express such emotions because it can simply be said and understood by our stance.
A good example for this would be right before or after a practice session or a match. The way we stand or sit in front of our lane, assemble our rifle/pistol, the manner in which we put on our gear and the stride of our walk can tell alot about how confident we are. If we are very clumsy with our equipment and keep dropping and stumbling during prep-time it conveys that we may be nervous. However, if we have a straight back and move in a cautious and calculated manner without making much fuss it conveys that you know what you are doing and that you are confident.
Similarly the manner in which you act after a practice session or match can be very telling as well. If you have a smile on your face and move swiftly after a match you emit confidence and satisfaction. Whereas if you slouch and have a frown on your face you tell everyone that you’re sad and unhappy. If you have a defeated and defensive stance you may feel like your match has gone worse than reality. This can blow things out of proportion and prevent you from learning from your mistakes.
But why is body language so important?
There has been a lot of research related to the multiple effects body language has on us. A Harvard Professor, who also conducted a TED Talk in 2012, Amy Cuddy says that our body language can shape who we are. According to her research, carrying powerful poses can have a powerful impact on you. Amy believes that powerful poses can bring your confidence because they make you feel better. This can help you achieve your goals, push yourself to do better and overall become more successful.
So how can we promote confidence from within? It is well known that the testosterone hormone is very important in both men and women. This is because it helps increase muscle mass, stamina, energy and promotes a confident mood. On the other hand cortisol is a hormone responsible for muscle loss and increases anxiety. This is the opposite of what we want as shooters in a match situation. This is where Amy Cuddy’s research comes in because she wanted to know whether a person’s body language can promote the production of testosterone and reduce the production of cortisol.
The ‘Power Pose’ Experiment
To determine this she conducted a study by dividing her test subjects into two groups. One was told to hold a “Power Pose” for two minutes and the other was told to hold a “Lower Power Pose”. The result of this study is all the evidence you need to believe in the POWER OF BODY LANGUAGE.
Let’s discuss the results of the group that was told to hold a ‘Low Power Pose’. It showed that after holding this pose for just 2 minutes, this group experienced a 10% increase in Cortisol levels and a 10% decrease in testosterone levels. This resulted in a lot of behavioural changes as well. Next came the result of the group who held the ‘Power Pose’ for 2 minutes. This group saw a 25% decrease in Cortisol levels and a whopping 20% increase in testosterone levels. As we can see, this proves the benefit of a powerful and confident stance even for a short duration of time.
There were some amazing behavioural changes that were seen as well. Such as, the group who took the ‘Power Pose’ were seen to assert more confidence and their reaction to stress was much less. This meant that those in the “Low Power Pose” felt weaker, less confident and more susceptible to stress. They were seen to literally shrink, make themselves smaller in pressure and stressful situations. This clearly proves that holding a confident stance and portraying positive body language can make you feel confident and more capable. This will result in you handling stressful situations with self confidence and certainty.
‘Power Pose’
Now what exactly is a power pose and how can one do it? Are there more things you can do to improve your body language and make it more positive? The answer to these questions will now be answered. There are many types of power poses one can do just before a stressful situation to gain a boost of confidence.
- The first one is most common. In this power pose you have to first stand in front of the thing that intimidates you the most. For shooters it can be very useful to do this right at your match lane. Then you put your hands on your hips, puff out your chest and keep your chin up. Fill your lungs with air and breathe deeply. You have to act like you are a champion and you are not afraid of anything that can happen during the match.
- The second power pose you can take is a victory pose. All you have to do is raise your hands in victory ‘V’ pose. Your chest should be puffed and chin high. You can also have a big smile on your face. Smiling has great benefits. It was seen that if athletes smile instead of grimacing in tough or serious situations then you are more likely to succeed in your task.
- The last thing that we want to talk about is ‘Walking like a Champion”. Walking like a champion is not very hard. All you have to do is walk with a straight back and not slouch in any way. Be confident in your strides with your hands on your side and a smile on your face. Shooters should practice doing this and so that they get it right during matches. “Walking like a Champion” can instantly boost your confidence and make you believe that you can handle anything that comes your way in the match.
Now that we have had a long discussion about what body language is and how important it is, it is most important that you practice what you have learnt. Practice makes perfect and every shooter should practice positive and confident body language even during practice sessions. This will help you understand the power of Body Language and convert non believers into regular practitioners.
If you like this article on Body Language and think that this is something all of your friends, shooters and non-shooters, should know about , do share our article. Comment below how you felt after doing a “Power Pose” or after “Walking like a Champion”.
Keep Growing Shooters.