Abstract
It is said that mental state is an important factor if one is to be a winner in sports. Although mental and
physiological states are related, the relationship between physiological state and sporting performance, especially
in real games, remains unclear. Here, we investigate this relationship for real competition in esports, baseball, and
snowboarding by focusing on the heart rate (HR) as an indicator of mental state. The results show a strong
relationship between sporting performance and HR, such as the huge variation in HR that occurs when the
opponent is a higher-level player, the stable performance that accompanies a stable heart rate regardless of the
situation, and a top player delivering a good performance with a high HR. Further investigation will reveal the
component of the mental state related to performance and will enable us to develop ways of improving athletes’
performance by adjusting their physiological state.
Ken Watanabe, Sports Brain Science Project
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