Page 22 - AASP Spring Newsletter 2015

What Suring Can Teach Us about

Mindful-Acceptance-Commitment

Karen Costello, M.A., Argosy University, on behalf of the AASP Performance Psychology

Committee

elite surfer. MAC appears to be a model Mindfulness is deined as an “openhearted,

that many competitive and big wave moment-to-moment non-judgemental

surfers have been practicing for years.
awareness” (Kabat-Zinn, 2005, p. 24,

Karen
as cited by Kashdan & Ciarrochi, 2013).

During PST, athlete develop awareness

MAC vs. PST
as to whether their thoughts are helping COSTELLO

While traditional change-based or harming and in the case of the latter,

psychological skills training (PST) has they are taught to revise those thoughts to

be more productive. For the professional Recently, the idea of incorporating sport
been the mainstay for training athletes,
surfer, this evaluation of self-talk may psychology into the ield of professional
an alternative method of training called
lead to overthinking or “trying too hard.” suring has taken hold. Some of the
Mindful-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC)
Simply being aware of the thought and
has emerged in the last ten years. In psychological processes that can hamper

essence, PST promotes the theory that then redirecting attention to the task the ultimate outcome of the professional

optimal performance occurs when at hand or where the focus needs to be surfer include anxiety, focusing on a range

in the moment clears the mind. Sport of possible outcomes, and the inability
athletes develop the ability to control
psychologists propose seeking the state to narrow focus on the right target in
their internal states such as thoughts,
of FLOW to reach optimal performance.
emotions, and sensations. However, MAC the right moment. The consequences of
Further, elite athletes have reported that a
proposes an entirely different perspective being distracted by ineffective thoughts

by suggesting that optimal performance critical factor in reaching low is to focus can mean life or death to a surfer.

does not require the reduction or control on the present moment and a narrow form

of concentration on a task.
of internal states, but rather the practice
However, elite surfers may be ahead of
of non-judging (effective or ineffective
the game when it comes to practicing
thoughts), in-the-moment awareness,
Mental Challenges in Competitive Suring Mindful-Acceptance-Commitment
acceptance of one’s internal state and
and Big Wave Suring
values, attentional focus on task-relevant (MAC). The nature of the sport calls on

cues, and behaviors that will enhance In competitive suring, the Association of the competitor to become “one with the

ocean.” The ability to tune into all of one’s
and support the athletic endeavor at Suring Professionals (ASP) states that
senses and actually develop conscious
hand.
six judges will score each wave that the
life dedication and commitment to the
surfer rides during the heats (normally 20
ocean is imperative to the success of the

AASP Newsletter // Spring 2015 // What Suring Can Teach Us about Mindful-Acceptance-Commitment

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