It is not uncommon to see players glancing at their phones during sessions. The immediate thing that they will do is they lose focus on their practices as their focus will automatically be drawn towards what has reached them over the mobile phones. Photo Fitintennis.com[/caption]
At the outset of this particular article, let me inform the readers that this writer, as a coach with almost 30 years’ experience, and, more importantly, as the father of a teenager, has a love-hate relationship with mobile phones.
All coaches and I are very sure that all parents will instantly understand the position of this writer immediately.
With the fact that the generation that this writer grew up in not having mobile phones, and having managed quite well --by being professionals as well as parents before a generation which does not like to do anything at all without the use of the mobile phone--, it irritates this writer no end seeing players and teenagers always scrolling through their phones and pressing some button or the other.
But in the interests of fairness, this writer will do his best to present a balanced argument for and against the use of mobile phones in sports.
Modern era
In the modern era, the mobile phone has become an extension of the hand itself. As with any technology, the mobile phone is useful when it is used properly. But when it is abused, it becomes harmful. Therefore, first let us examine the dangers of having and using mobile phones during practice sessions. If players want to reach a high level in their chosen sport, it is vital that players have that necessary dedication, commitment, and hard work towards achieving their goals. In trying to do so, the most important thing that the players need to do is that they need to make sure that their practices are at the premium quality.
It is not uncommon to see players glancing at their phones during sessions. The immediate thing that they will do is they lose focus on their practices as their focus will automatically be drawn towards what has reached them over the mobile phones. If you check your phone after drills, your focus wanders from tennis to friends, movies, and games. With this kind of attitude, you will mix great drills with poor activities. This is not how professional players’ practice. Remember what you do during a training session is what you will copy during the match. Because, at the end of the day, “every practice is a match, and every match becomes a practice”.
Protecting your eyes and controlling feelings
Every game is about “eye-hand coordination”. In other words, the better your eyes are “working”, the better and quicker your hands will respond to any situation. Therefore, the fact that the player should keep the eye rested as much as possible is an important factor as any, for any game situation.
By using mobile phones, the players are “tiring” their eyes out a lot. This is because of the fact that when players keep looking at their mobile screens, the rays from the screen would automatically tire their optic nerves out. This can be gauged from the fact that workers who are sat in front of their computer screens all day long tire their eyes more than their counterparts who are engaged in physical activities for their livelihood. Therefore, the use of the mobile phones during sessions has a detrimental impact on the quality of their sessions.
Secondly the quality of any session depends on the ability of the player to control their emotions from outside influences and be fully focused on the activity in hand. This is totally defeated by the use of the mobile phones during a session.
As mentioned earlier, a player’s focus is immediately drawn towards the particular activity which has been mentioned on the screen of the phone that the player has been looking at. This in turn means that the player’s focus and emotional control is now drawn towards that particular activity and is aligned with same
In other words, the player’s emotional control is now decided by not the session that the player is taking part in, but by the activity mentioned on the phone screen. This would mean an immediate loss of quality for the session that the player is taking part in. As such it has a very material and detrimental impact on the session.
Should they be banned?
Then the question arises as to if mobile phones should banned TOTALLY from a session. Whilst on the evidence of the above discussion, it would be tempting to immediately agree and say ‘yes’, the reality is not so simple. Some players tend to have a need to use their mobile during given periods of time. When it is totally banned, it has been found that certain people tend to have withdrawal symptoms because of this action.
In the research paper presented on “Smartphone Restriction and Its Effect on Subjective Withdrawal Related Scores” jointly by Tine A. Eide, Sarah H. Aarestad, Cecilie S. Andreassen, Robert M. Bilder, and Ståle Pallesen, it is mentioned that, “Excessive smartphone use has been associated with a number of negative consequences for the individual and the environment. Some similarities can be observed between excessive smartphone usage and several behavioural addictions, and continual usage constitutes one of several characteristics included in addiction. In the extreme high end of the distribution of smartphone usage, smartphone restriction might be expected to elicit negative effects for individuals.”
Conclusion
As such it can be inferred perfectly from the above discussion that while mobile phones are detrimental to the quality of the session, they cannot be totally banned from the session as well. Therefore, it is up to the user itself to make sure that they are used judiciously.
Next week this discussion will be geared towards, through gritted teeth, to the advantage of using mobile phones in sports.