Topic:

MINDFULNESS
Study Name: A Case Report On Mindfulness
Training with a Fencing Athlete Who Was Troubled
by an Inability to Perform Well Competitively.

Author: Toshiki Fukuzaki

Department of Clinical Psychology, Tottori University, Japan

Presenting By MD Suhadul Islam

  Purpose: The research aims to explore the effectiveness of
mindfulness training as an alternative to traditional positive thinking
techniques for enhancing athletic performance.

 Preliminaries of the patient (Sample):

- Male Fencing Player, High School Student
- Inability to perform at his previous high level because of
nervousness prior to a bout.
- No Significant Medical history, current illness, or Family
Psychological history
 Issues of the patient: The patient started fencing in elementary school,
participated in numerous competitions, and received several awards. He
faced increased pressure not to lose to opponents, especially after training
camps with advanced players. He tried cognitive coping by thinking
positive. Yet, he was unable stop negative thinking, unable to focus and
perform as before and continue losing games.
 Materials & Analysis:
1. Japanese-language edition of the 30-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-30)
2. Japanese Language edition of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)

- Underwent 3 therapy sessions

#1 Session- He scored 2 points on the GHQ-30, indicating that he has no mental health
problems.
- He scored 52 points on the MAAS.
Then he was introduced with mindfulness instead of cognitive coping (Positive Thinking) &
homework related to mindfulness.

#3 Session- MAAS was re-administered and scored 62 points, up 10 points from #1. His
Homework completion rate was 87.9%.

After the 3rd session, he reported he improved his focus & stopped negative thinking as well as
won against his similar strength opponent. As his issue was solved, the patient discontinued his
therapy session.
 Key
Findings
 Mindfulness intervention improves athletes' performances by helping them stop negative
thinking.

 The Result suggest that traditional positive thinking alone might not enable a player to
successfully enhance their performance.

Limitations
 Subjectivity: The patient's MAAS scores rose as a result of the mindfulness intervention,
and his subjective problems were resolved. However, it is not clear at what degree his
objective performance had improved.

 Instrument Applicability: Although MAAS was used to measure the degree of awareness
and attention to mindfulness, this scale was not specifically intended for use with athletes.
Thank You!