Athletes receive 'gold medal' counseling
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Korean rhythmic gymnast star Son Yeon-jae aims to win her country’s first gold in the sport at the Incheon Asian Games, which will kick off Friday. / Yonhap
This is the final in a series of interviews with Korean national athletes and coaches preparing for the Incheon Asian Games. — ED.
By Kim Jae-heun
Korean rhythmic gymnast star Son Yeon-jae has a routine to wrap up her day. It’s not a secret exercise at gym or a massage to help ease her physical fatigue.
Every night, the 20-year-old promising gymnast repeatedly imagines herself carrying out her routines in a detail and winning gold at the Incheon Asian Games.
For her, such imagery training is critical to stay in the right frame of mind ahead of a big competition.
“Mental training helps players concentrate and train harder before a competition,” said Cho Soo-kyung, Son’s personal sports psychologist. “Players are human too, so they sometimes get carried away when unexpected social factors or relationship problems take place.”
But Cho said each athlete must follow his or her own mental training program, because they have different personalities and also compete in different sports under different circumstances.
Cho also took a very careful stance about Son, refusing to elaborate more about her program, saying it could reveal the star’s weakness.
According to the official from Son’s management company IB Worldwide, Son has been taking counseling for four years, including during the 2012 London Olympics.
“Son probably knows herself better that counseling does not provide any tangible result. But she has been getting the counseling because she thinks it is helpful not only in competition but also in her daily life,” said an official from the firm.
Most athletes, like Son, have regularly received help from a professional counselor. Ahead of the Asiad, the Taereung National Training Center has also hired a sports psychologist for the athletes.
“I visit Taereung every Thursday,” said a counselor, who refused to reveal his name. “Before, technical skills and physical strength were considered the most important elements to enhance athletic performance. Now, sports science has developed and proved that an unstable mental status could lead to unwanted outcome.”
He said athletes also need regular counseling as a number of them are concerned about their life after retirement.
“Many players want to talk to me due to the uncertainty in their future after retirement. A test known as strong examination is based on globally certified theories and it suggests suitable jobs for athletes, considering their characteristics,” said the counselor.
National team coaches also speak highly of such mental training and counseling program for their athletes, which they believe help improve athletic performance.
“Athletes in the past had limited options to release stress by such ways as shouting. But now, players can control their mind through counseling. Psychological stability is critical for a desirable result, especially at the international level,” a coach said, on condition of anonymity.
Kim Jae-heun is a Korea Times intern.