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Olympians, Surgeons And Even Toddlers Have Used This Technique To Improve Their Focus

Professional golfer Alena Sharp started getting “the yips” whenever she would try to putt. She experienced severe anxiety and physical tension that crept up her arms and into her jaw. So she started using a technique called “quiet eye,” which not only improved her aim but also helped her calm her body and mind.

In this episode of our documentary series The Mental Games, we explore what may be happening in the brain during quiet eye. And we learn how everyone, from surgeons to pilots and even toddlers, might benefit from using this technique.


How an Olympic climber manages her anxiety to get in the zone | FiveThirtyEight


How an armless archer trains his brain to win Olympic medals| FiveThirtyEight

 

Michael Tabb is a former video and motion graphics producer at FiveThirtyEight.

Meghan McDonough is a video journalist and FiveThirtyEight contributor.

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