Mind Over Matter in Sports
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This project will explore the power of the mind over the body. We will test if pre-conditioning athletes with mental information can affect their performance in a race.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that participants who were pre-conditioned mentally, that they would be able to run faster, will actually be able to finish the race in a shorter time.
Method & Materials
You will have 30 long distance runners between ages 15 to 18 years run 3 laps around a track. You will divide them into 3 groups and give each group different pre-conditioning information. You will measure the time taken by the athletes to complete the 3 laps with a stopwatch.
You will need a running track, a stopwatch, and 30 bottles of water sweetened with syrup.
Results
The results showed that the participants that were told that the water will improve their performance actually took a shorter time to run the laps and the participants who were informed that the water will worsen their performance took longer to finish the 3 laps.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how powerful the mind can be in affecting physical performance.
Also Consider
Experiment variations could include informing the participants that music will alter their running performance and then a similar test can be conducted. The experiment can also be repeated to compare cycling instead of running speeds.
Full project details
You can find additional information and details for this science fair project here. Have fun exploring!Related videos
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