Former India skipper and veteran cricketer, MS Dhoni is well known for his ice-cool demeanour. While supporting MFORE- a Non-Profit initiative offering mental conditioning programs, Dhoni said that he has no qualms conceding that he is not immune to pressure and fear.
MFORE is an initiative for mental conditioning program to attain the best performance in sports. The initiative is launched by his former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammate Subramaniam Badrinath along with businessman Saravana Kumar.
“In India, I feel there’s still a huge issue of accepting that there is some weakness when it involves the mental aspects, but we generally term it as mental disease,” Dhoni was quoted as saying during a handout issued by MFORE.
MFORE noted that Dhoni gave these statement while interacting with coaches from various sports during a discussion, which was conducted before the country went into a nationwide lockdown to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nobody really says that, once I attend bat, the first 5 to 10 deliveries my pulse is elevated, I feel the pressure, I feel slightly scared because that’s how everybody feels – the way to deal with that?” the Veteran cricketer asked.
“This could also be a little problem but plenty of times we hesitate to say it to an educator which is why the connection between a player and coach is extremely important to be it any sport,” former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman added.
Emphasizing the importance of a mental conditioning coach, Dhoni said: “Mental conditioning coach should not be the one who comes for 15 days, because once you come for 15 days you are only sharing the experience.
“If the mental conditioning coach is consistent with the player, he can understand what are the areas which are affecting his sport,” Dhoni, the World Cup-winning icon said.
Current India captain Virat Kohli too underlined the significance of a healthy mind as the pivotal to better performance. “I think mental state and mental clarity is that the foremost vital believe life; not just in sports. Badrinath and MFORE helping these cricketers will go an extended way in them understanding themselves better and going out there and performing despite the conditions and situations being difficult for them,” he was quoted as saying during a handout.
MFORE also aims to organise workshops for coaches, preparing them to comprehend the mental side of their players.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also stressed on the importance of discussing mental struggles for sportsperson and seek help if needed.
“Lot of people address skills, discuss the mental aspect of the game. But nobody can really put a roadmap and say what really a cricketer needs mentally,” Ashwin said while lauding Badrinath for the initiative.
“How are you ready to disconnect the mind when you’re playing? These are things that are crucial for any athlete. Your mind constantly cross-questions you and provides negative vibes from inside which is merely natural. So, to be able to create a platform for such people to ask for help is an amazing initiative. I urge people to be more honest about themselves and understand that they have help. Understanding and asking for help by itself is very courageous,” he added.
Dhoni said mental conditioning of coach should be an even fixture with a team player and not just a momentary arrangement.
“Mental conditioning coach should not be the one who comes for 15 days, because once you come for 15 days you’re only sharing the experience. If the mental conditioning coach is consistent with the player, he can understand what are the areas which are affecting his sport,” he said.
Star Sports 1 Tamil is about launching a show ‘Mind Masters by MFORE’ on May 10, where besides Dhoni, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin in conjunction with others will share their idea on mental conditioning and mental skills in sports.
