Training the brain in hyper-competitive South Korea | MINDSET | EP 3

[Music] archery requires mental strength and supreme focus with 27 gold medals South Korea has dominated this sport at the Olympics since the early 80s it's a country known for creating High Achievers and they start young with South Korean schools churning out some of the smartest kids on the planet these students are picking up the spirit of competitiveness by playing badok considered more complex than chess this game has been played in the Korean Peninsula for centuries so whoever captures the most territory on this board with these Stones they win the match and between games I'm going

to ask some of these students just why it's so important to succeed in life so you can see me through the lens yeah yes for in this competitive Nation psychologists and brain trainers are guiding South Koreans like Tess on the pathway to success is it my turn now no it's my turn and you win congratulations so let's meet some of these gurus this is mindset new game [Music] hidden away among the mountains of rural South Korea is one of the world's best archeries over the years athletes from more than 40 countries including national teams have

come here to learn from Kim hung tuck the first coach to Lead South Korea's archery team to Olympic glory is considered a guru archery requires intense training Marksmanship and consistency not to mention the ability to always remain calm Under Pressure how much is archery a psychological sport a mental sport high level saring very cross 1 mm 2 mm decided the gold medal so whose mental is strong is very important in Olympic archery athletes are locked in high pressure Jewels where they compete in best of five sets and fire arrows at a Target 70 M away

technical physical condition everybody e the high level is the same but mental everybody different most AR had very much pressure during the shooting so how to make their positive mind and very important during their practice time to strengthen an Archer's mindset coach Kim uses image training where they visualize the arrow flying through the air and hitting the target such techniques help combat an Affliction called Target Panic where competitors lose their nerve just before firing so Target Panic is it doubt is it fear is it nerves what drives Target Panic Target Panic is during the beginner

they didn't make the good shooting form so after aiming the yellow is no competent but I want I have one method this one I give them to make the sound after drawing start to make a sound Pocus sound not shooting Pocus sound no target pen 100% very easy chance coach Kim's pupils train up to 6 hours a day shooting hundreds of arrows one of them is Deana Al daud a member of Jordan's archery team you want to compete at the Olympic Games and other big competitions how important is getting your mind right to to success

it's it's very important because you we have so many archers me myself included when you're in the practice field you shoot amazing shots and then the minute you go go and transfer onto the shooting field something just clicks and you get nervous and your heartbeat Rises and it's just uh it's one of the most important factors to be able to stay calm stay relaxed um and be able to shoot your shot as you normally would in the practice field and that man over there how much is he a guru for you oh my God he's

my Korean dad um coach Kim has been amazing he has um reignited the fire and the passion gives us our mental training what we should do prior to um heading to the field what we should do once we arrive to the field what to do in practice with mental Imaging and uh visualization um he builds you pure confidence by concentrating on your strength while helping you fix the issues that you need to fix he used the way he looks at archery I think he wants us to enjoy it a lot more than to stress about

it cuz we're all here like stressed and you know nervous and like just want to get to our goals and want to work hard and and he's been in the industry and he's been the coach for so many years I think he just wants to see us maybe come also enjoy it a little bit more I can imagine it can be hard not to stress thatway it is it is very very very difficult but you know we're trying we're trying yeah Diana says it's psychological strength that makes South Korea's archers so formidable you can never

see the emotions on the South Korean Arch you never know what's going on in their mind they just have such a big support team around them I think from coaches to uh mental training uh psychologists and yeah they're just mentally you know they got it they have it down since South Korea made its debut in Olympic archery it's won 2/3 of the gold medals awarded at the games and how's this for a stat the country's female archers have won Gold in the team event at every Olympic ypics since 1988 sports psychologist wungong Tech played a

key role in South Korea success by mentally preparing the archery team for the 2004 Athens Olympics today he's working with some of the country's best female archers in a team coached by three-time Olympic gold medalist Park zung okay the heavy rain makes it hard to see the bullseye but South Korean archers trained for all kinds of weather coaches even use wind and noise machines to prepare them for challenging conditions and those aren't the only devices they use you look like you're getting ready to go to the airport what's in the suitcases what have you got

in there by measuring an athlete's breathing pattern heart rhythm and brain waves Hong trains archers to achieve a calm and relaxed State whatever the conditions fore olyp I have never fired any form of weapon before so I am really quite nervous I just hope it doesn't go over there before leaving the range Professor Hong and Coach Park want me to experience the mental pressure firsthand okay Cal and relax count down okay the target is just a few meters away to a professional Archer this distance would be like swimming in an inflatable Kitty pool shy sh

okay that was terrible that is terrible okay okay you ready okay while I get better thanks to their advice with the bow and arrow in hand the psychological strain weighs on you okay the South Korean archery team has nothing to fear I think I need I think I need 20 more years and then I might be ready for the [Music] Olympics it was really interesting hearing those insights at both archery Rangers because I've got a bit of a confession to make I'm no athlete I can't hit a Target I can't net a basket I can't

kick a goal and that's because I Buckle under the pressure and you know what I know I'm not alone and I'm going to meet a sports psychologist who faced his own challenges on the pitch as a professional footballer but he's using that experience to help young athletes conquer their own demons as a first division footballer with FC Soul yiang Wu dreamt of representing his country but from his first match he struggled with the pressure when he retired from the game he got a PhD in sports psychology then set up a company to help players navigate

the mental challenges of professional sport [Music] for the last six years ye's worked with junior teams teaching them ways to improve their mental Outlook and the value of teamwork ye says such training is beneficial to everyone in Town Soul I'm visiting an academy that offers an increasingly popular service to breed success in children brain training Chuan is one of 4,000 government accredited brain trainers today she's taking these children through a range of cognitive strength exercises this session on Anger Management is designed to teach children how to deal with their emotions one minute they're meditating the

next it's complete chaos So What on earth are these kids doing [Music] yeah like just like that interesting one way to relieve one's stress CH says Brain Training can help counter South Korea's regimented education system in a country which has Rising rates of school bullying and suicide but she says the academy teaches them how to control their own minds in the world's most expensive country to raise a family these brain training sessions can cost over ,000 a year but student Yugi and his mother he say it's worth every [Music] penny think they're coming the staff

at the Brain Training Center they were quite critical of careers hyperco competitive results driven Society where so much emphasis is placed on study and work but by teaching these children anger management and creativity skills are they helping the kids cope with this culture of hyper competitiveness or are they contributing to the problem by giving these kids the edge I don't know one two [Music] three number one back at Kim Hong Tuck's famous Academy his latest class of archers have completed their training they're off to compete at Major International competitions armed with Coach Kim's teachings those

who provide psychological support to some of the world's best hope the mental training doesn't just make them tough athletes but better human beings and that's the end of this edition of mindset if you want to catch one of our earlier episodes go to aj. slm mindset or click on one of these two stories we released earlier thanks for watching