MANILA, Philippines – As regular sports continue to be on hiatus, Filipino athletes channel their energies to other purposes in order to keep themselves busy and mentally healthy during the pandemic. 

Not only do they get creative in finding ways to train during quarantine, but they also started initiatives to help their local communitiies. 

Irish Magno, the first Filipina boxer to qualify for the Olympics, did not let quarantine restrictions hinder her from losing her fine form as she restored an old punching bag and made a padded wall out of old clothes for training. 

As Magno helps out some families in Baguio, Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifier Eumir Marcial started a donation drive in Cavite. 

Philippine women’s volleyball team setter Jia Morado kept herself busy from the start of the lockdown as she managed to raise P1.7 million for the frontliners’ personal protective equipment and is now active in Solid Seven Academy, which provides free workshops for volleyball coaches. 

According to sports mental skills coach Marcus Manalo, mental flexibility or exploring other identities away from sports is a good way to cope with the effects of the pandemic. 

“Instead of focusing on mental strength now, I think this is focused on mental flexibility and what I mean by that is not just be an athlete. It’s going to be helpful also to be able to adapt and to be able to explore other sides of yourself,” said Manalo in a webinar for sports psychology on the Psychological Association of the Philippines’ Facebook page. 

“And I’m glad to share that some of the athletes that they work with, some were able to plant vegetables and able to explore on cooking and then other skills that they have which I think is simply helpful.” 

Earlier, Manalo talked about the importance of mindfulness and the tools for everyone, especially the athletes, to cope with the stress and anxiety brought about by the pandemic. 

With the postponement of the Olympics and uncertain return of sports, the mental skills coach also emphasizes that it is important to reset goals and expectations for the year to reduce the anxiety. 

“When it comes to goal setting for example, one of the important characteristics of effective goals is to be able to adapt, to adjust your goals and this is the period wherein that’s very applicable,” said Manalo.

“Because you don’t expect that after this quarantine, with regards to physical strength and conditioning, you don’t really expect that you’re going to be much better than before the lockdown.” 

Period of reflection 

In a separate discussion with Far Eastern University (FEU) consultant on the formation of student-athletes Ed Garcia, he talks about the 12 R-steps for helping athletes build resilience during the pandemic. 

He divides the 12 steps into 4 categories, which all focus on the quarantine being a period of reflection.

According to Garcia, even the absence of sports is a challenge for athletes to stay focused, but simple actions such as remembering best moments and identifying points for improvement can motivate them to continue training – even if it means going back to the basics. 

It is also important to reflect on their “whys” of becoming an athlete, which will eventually help them renew their commitment to the sport. 

Manalo also agrees that being in quarantine allows athletes to go back to their core values, as it helps them know more about themselves. 

“It’s also a great time to go back to their core values. There’s really more time to dig deeper and then know more about ourselves and identify or establish shared core values because this is our anchor or  guiding principle during these challenging times,” said Manalo. 

“The question is: ‘What do you stand for in the face of this event?” – Rappler.com