Beyond Physical Training

In this article we aim to present some of the ways our application can add to your coaching strategy. Sunbears is a sports app, available on both mobile and computer devices. It allows coaches and players to easily create drills, purchase pre-made sets, schedule customisable training sessions, and monitor progress. We decided to undertake this project as currently, on the market, there are not many apps that provide users with the necessary range of features, thus, diminishing their practicality.

The app has been developed alongside professional coaches, so as to suit the exact needs and requirements to enhance the results of training sessions in a time-saving and cost-effective manner. Having been mentioned in a previous article, we are very dedicated to constant improvement – 'KAIZEN' // 改善 – and maintaining a customer-centred approach in all of our initiatives.

 

Sunbears may help your team, beyond physical training, in mentally preparing for games. Such preparation is particularly important in the case of team sports, where the intensity and abundance of emotions, varying from “anger, to sadness, to joy, to surprise, to fear, and to disappointment”, can greatly influence the performance of athletes (Vallerand and Reid, 1984). We will present how our app can assist you in such sense, along with some essential tips players and coaches shall be well-aware of, drawn from Jensen (2012), Keplinger (2019), and Sport Psychology Today (2012).

DEVELOP A CONSISTENT PRE-GAME ROUTINE

Sunbears can add structure and consistency to your training. It provides features that allow you to plan your practice sessions in advance and share those with all team members. It enables you to track your teams progress and highlights in which areas you might have fallen behind. Additionally, the advanced visualisation features can make it easier to recall your training sessions and be reminded of the effort you put in up until your game, bringing about a sense of confidence and reassurance.

 

FOCUS ON THE GAME RATHER THAN YOUR COMPETITORS 

As humans we tend to compare ourselves quite often to our peers as a natural response to social pressure. This leads to us wearing out, losing our confidence, and setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves. Such behaviours are even more common in highly competitive environments, such as the sports world, where the risk of being overtaken are high, which is perceived as a big threat, thus the perceived need for reassurance. However, is such situations weaknesses are being emphasised more than strengths, which could affect performance during games.

Making use of the data gathered by the app you could more easily become aware of your team’s unique skill-set, providing a direction players could aim towards, instead of comparing themselves to competitors. This way, effort and attention will not be driven away, and the team will not lose track of the targets they need to achieve.

 

FOCUS ON THE PROCESS, NOT THE RESULTS

Thinking too far ahead is likely to cause anxiety and decrease one’s confidence in their own abilities. Not losing focus on your current situation is crucial to moving forward. As mentioned above, Sunbears enables monitoring your team’s progress in time, making it easy to create and adapt strategies adequately, based on past experiences – serving, hence, also as a learning tool. Dedicating yourself to an activity is a never-ending journey of self and collective improvement, however, don’t forget that you are not on your own, and there are always people, resources, tools, and techniques that may help you along the way.

 

HAVE TRUST IN YOURSELF

Some players might lose trust in themselves before important games which can hinder them from giving their best. It is more important to be fully immersed in the game and react promptly instead of thinking about how to apply your skills. Having a clear mind and focusing only on one thought or image can help you achieve ideal results. “The body doesn’t speak English. It speaks imagery!” (Jensen, 2012, 113).

Visualisation is a technique that has been proven to help players achieve an adequate pre-game mindset. Some athletes have mentioned that they try to picture themselves performing various moves and reacting to potential situations that could arise during games. Sunbears can be useful in developing such a technique as it provides advanced features like 3D animation, angle and speed adjustments, as well as precise drawing tools – thus enabling you to form clearer mental images and act upon them.

Thank you for your time and interest in our project! At the moment, the sports available on the app are ice hockey, basketball, football, rugby, and futsal. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time if you have any queries or require assistance with our services. We are looking forward to collaborating with you!

 

REFERENCE LIST

Jensen, P. (2012) The Winning Factor: Inspire Gold-Medal Performance in Your Employees. New York, NY: AMACOM. ISBN: 0814431755

Keplinger, A. (2019) The mental game of hockey [online] available from https://womenshockeylife.com/the-mental-game-of-hockey/

Sport Psychology Today (2012) How to Perform Your Best in Big Games [online] available from http://www.sportpsychologytoday.com/youth-sports-psychology/how-to-perform-your-best-in-big-games/

Sunbears (2020) Features [online] available from https://sunbears.com/

Vallerand, R. J. and Reid, G. (1984) ‘On the causal effects of perceived competence on intrinsic motivation: A test of cognitive evaluation theory’ Journal of Sport Psychology 6, 94-102. DOI: 10.1123/jsp.6.1.94