{"id":1413,"date":"2019-12-11T18:07:28","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T18:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vpms1.humber.smartmanagedservers.com\/sweatmag\/?p=1413"},"modified":"2022-11-17T21:35:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T21:35:18","slug":"turning-up-the-volume-on-music-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/sweatmag\/turning-up-the-volume-on-music-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Up the Volume on Music Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Zainab Zaman
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It\u2019s almost impossible to walk into a gym and not see the majority of people wearing headphones. Music has such a massive impact and in the world of sports, it\u2019s often used by athletes before a game, event or match. Angelii Mercurius, a Kinesiology student and basketball player from University of Guelph-Humber, is a perfect example. He is always boosting up and getting ready to win, by listening to his collection of intense, vigorous tracks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you listen to something aggressive you get pumped up in a sense before a game. For example I play basketball and soccer, so I have to be intense and focused,\u201d Mercurius says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music is constantly used as a source of motivation whether it\u2019s used during a workout or after a victory win. The question is whether or not a certain song or tune can enhance your athletic skills psychologically. After years of research  dating back to 1977 at London\u2019s Brunel University, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a leader in sport psychology and the effects of music, concluded that the right music does have a huge role on exercise and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four decades later, a new study from the University of British Columbia, shows the study of musical time, and more specifically, examines the aspects of production and experience of musical rhythm, effectiveness, and periodicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Nathan Hesselink, an ethnomusicology professor at the UBC, shows in his study the features of perceived qualities of music, while participants listen to short recordings of music and evaluate their emotional effects. The study also shows how a certain beat can enhance performance during a high intensity training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hesselink believes that higher heart rates may stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by a phenomenon called \u2018entrainment. He says \u201centrainment is the ability to synchronize to a certain beat which has a lot of applications to sports,\u201d he added. \u201cMusic does raise the confidence level, however my main research focus has been the idea called entrainment. It comes from cognitive science. Basically scientists have discovered that it is kind of an innate feature of humankind that we have the ability to identify a regular beat in a sound stream that could be music, bird calls or nature sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, research conducted by Karageorghis, is summarized into four main points. First, music can distract you from feeling exhausted. Second, music can be used as a legal stimulant. Third, a certain beat or harmony synchronized with human movement increases arousal. Lastly, the cultural impact of music and personal taste affects performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music can trigger a range of emotions and lift your spirits, but when it comes to determination and focus in training a certain beat or rhythm plays a huge role. Amy-Clements Cortes, a music therapist, psychotherapist and music professor from University of Toronto, says \u201cyou know that some music \u2026 that is a set at a slower tempo will encourage different activities, right? You\u2019re not going to listen to a very slow ballad if you\u2019re trying to run on the track.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When it comes to music in sports, often motivational music has the ultimate power to boost athletes during a workout.  \u201cMusical preference is very unique to an individual, so just because I like a certain style of music doesn\u2019t mean that you will like it, often at times the most motivating music is music that is preferred whether its classical, rap or hip hop, it tends to be more effective when its applicable to the person,\u201d says Cortes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For what experts in these fields may say are too distinct from what coaches in the OCAA have to say. \u201cI don\u2019t mind my athletes playing music as a warm up before a game, but during practices that\u2019s a no because you need them to be mentally focused,\u201d says Mostafa Babouli, Sheridan Davis Campus Facility Coordinator and Soccer Coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the next time you need to get pumped up or cooled down, music can set the mood says music theory experts and phycologists.\u201cMusic makes you feel good and, in the zone, I enjoy using big headphones at the gym so that I can focus on the beat,\u201d says Shevon Noel, a national basketball player at Humber College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To go beyond the effects of music in sports, Dr. Hesselink explains that music can enhance our stamina and allow \u201cdancers to be able to dance for two to three hours at high levels of intensity. Of course, it\u2019s not sports, but the music is still there and without it there\u2019s no way that they can keep up their energy and move beyond their normal limits. \u2026 In the past, a form of Thai kick boxing in Thailand allowed a small orchestra to play music during the bout and it would increase intensity or decrease intensity depending on how the fight was going.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Humber Hawk Shayan Haque. Photo by Zainab Zaman. <\/em><\/strong>

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Music has a huge role when it comes to impacting people both socially and individually, the study led by the UBC and Music theory professor Dr. \u00c8ve Poudrier, has examined the benefits of music that is relevant to sports. \u201cMusic is a mood enhancer, it can benefit you positively or negatively,\u201d she added \u201cMusic also heightens your arousal and the benefits of arousal, in the context of action, is that it would give you a higher engagement and performance in repetitive activities, when you are listening to preferred music. \u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Every team has a boosting method before a game, whether it\u2019s a chant, push ups or having a conversation. Regardless of the positive effects of music, studies show how athletes indulge in music and motivate themselves with a certain rhythm or beat. \u201cWorking with a music therapist or coach can help performance anxiety. Think about the Raptors and the anxiety they felt at their final game. Music can be used to help decrease and manage the feeling of anxiety and that\u2019s something that athlete should definitely tap into,\u201d  says Cortes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows how nonactive people can use music as an enhancer that helps them enjoy a workout and try harder physically in high intensity level training. It also shows how fast paced music is related with heightened arousal and speed for routine tasks \u201cwhen training for sports, music is a short-term benefit so it\u2019s better to listen to music when doing a task,\u201d says Poudrier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athletes tend to forget about the potential pitfalls of music. However, when combining a specific genre into a rigorous workout, athletes can use the connection as a stimulant. \u201cMusic is a nonpharmacological treatment without the side effects and a medium that is available to everyone and its free, Music right now is accessible and relatively low in cost,\u201d says Cortes. For example, athletes can boost up before a game by listening to a powerful song which will inspire them. \u201cSomething fast paced, like Rapp or Hip-hop gets you focused and also increases your intensity before a game,\u201d says Mercurius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n