Amsterdam Movement Sciences

The Art of Mental Recovery in Sport The high demands of (elite) sport cause significant physical and mental strain. It has, however, been suggested that excessive strain in athletes is not necessarily caused by high demands, but rather caused by a lack of recovery (underrecovery). While physical recovery strategies are well-researched in sport, research shows that our knowledge about the mental side of recovery is still limited. Yet, recent studies have pointed toward the important role of mental recovery experiences, such as being able to switch off from sport, for athletes’ recovery. In this colloquium, dr. Yannick Balk will provide an overview of the theoretical and empirical foundations of optimal mental recovery in sport as well as practical recommendations to enhance mental recovery.
About the speaker: Yannick Balk was appointed assistant professor of Sport Psychology at the University of Amsterdam in 2018, just before completing his PhD entitled ‘Faster, higher, stronger: Demands, resources, and recovery as determinants of elite athletes’ well-being'. In his research, he primarily focuses on the role of mental effort and recovery in elite sport. He received the Sportinnovator grant from ZonMw for the development of an innovative chatbot to improve recovery self-regulation and well-being of (young) athletes. Next to his academic work, Yannick has just started working as Head of Mindset at Team DSM where he is responsible for the mental skills development of all professional cyclists.
Zoomlink: https://vu-live.zoom.us/j/99199287120?pwd=Vmc3bDlGcmRoMmt2RVVhTjhWeVJQdz09 Meeting ID: 991 9928 7120 Passcode: 251738