The mental preparation of a professional athlete: Alberto Bona at the Lausanne event La tête du sportif

On Thursday, May 25, the conference La tête du sportif (“The mind of a sportsman”) was held in Lausanne (Switzerland): organised by the Swiss French-speaking medical association Le Réseau Santé & Sport – founded over 20 years ago, also thanks to the support of IBSA (today a Platinum Sponsor) – the event was dedicated to the health and mental preparation of sportsmen.

During the conference, the project Sailing into the Future. Together was presented, as part of an event dedicated to the mental and physical health of athletes, which was attended by more than 80 professionals in the sector, including sports doctors, physiotherapists and opinion leaders.

The day also offered the opportunity to stimulate an interesting debate on the role of the mind to achieve optimal performance, as well as on the management of the stress and traumas that athletes can experience during their path. At the end of the day, Alberto Bona – skipper of the Class40 IBSA – shared his experience in preparing to sail solo for long periods of time and in extreme conditions.

Alberto explained how mental preparation is a key element, one that – in preparation for a regatta – goes hand in hand with physical training: “Mental preparation is a domain where I have applied myself a lot in my experience as a professional athlete, also being supported – especially in the last year – by several professional figures who could help me in this study”, said Alberto. “Considering that in major sports projects like ours and in high-level competitions pressure and stress can become an actual obstacle, and prevent us from giving 100%, it is essential to work on different levels to train and race without being overwhelmed by our surroundings”.

Working on concentration, stress management and the improvement of self-awareness helps the athlete achieve a more effective performance, while also saving time and energy, both of which are essential when facing long and demanding tests, like the ones Alberto is used to.

“When we talk about mental strength”, continued Bona continued, “we usually think of the mind, but I believe that the energy and motivation we need to perform reside rather in the unconscious, in our irrational part, in the stomach, where we really find the strength and power that we need and with which we feed our mind. This is why I wanted to learn how to channel these energies efficiently: to always be able to make the most of my entire physical and mental strength”.

During the event, also Fabio Bernardi, Senior Marketing & Sales Manager of IBSA Swiss, gave his contribution, speaking about the genesis of the project Sailing into the Future. Together.The event was broad and wide-ranging, and allowed the project to be made known to a very specialized public.