By: Bipin Dani

(Daily Mirror) - For some sportsmen, sex before a match is a complete no-no but many sports stars make sure they have some good sex before a big match or a top race.

Each time there is a World Cup match or an important sports event the myths surrounding ‘pre-match sex’ and the ‘players’ performances’ on the pitch start making a buzz. While some coaches and clubs ban ‘pre-match sex’ for their players, there are some coaches and sportsmen, who openly swear by the power of sex before a big match – first shoot, then score! 

But the million-dollar question still lingers if sex helps or hinders a players’ performance on the field. Team India’s former mental and conditioning coach, Paddy Upton, was not the only one to reveal that he asked celebrated cricket coach Gary Kirsten to allow Team India players to have sex before matches during the 2011 World Cup. 

In his famous book, The Barefoot Coach, Upton reveals that he had suggested to Kirsten to allow Indian players to have sex before matches to relieve stress.

Power and performance well, Upton and Kirsten are not alone. Now, Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKRs) Assistant Coach Abhishek Nayar reveals that ‘sex in cricket is very normal.’ 

Speaking on The Ranveer Show, he said: “It’s normal for anyone to do it. It’s different for everybody. There is this constant fight and conundrum in every cricketer’s mind.” 

“Some people will like it, some will abstain. Some cricketers do believe that their power and focus tend to improve if they don’t have sex while others follow that and end up concluding that nothing has changed for them.” 

“So, this is a very individual thing. There is no thumb rule. The fact is, at different phases in life, different things work. No one is desperate, but sometimes there is so much pressure that you want to chill.”

Sexpert Speak Throwing some light on the issue, India’s renowned sexologist Prakash Kothari favours the idea of players having sex before a match. 

Kothari said: “I know not one, but quite a few athletes who have won gold, hit centuries, or excelled at their sport, just after masturbation or satisfactory sex.” 

Nivedita Rajan, a Consultant Sports Psychologist Adjunct faculty, IIT (Madras) and former national-level basketball player considers the complexity of sports and weighs in the physical, mental, and social demands and the impact it has on players. 

“Indulging in sexual activity with a ‘loved one’ be it a spouse or partner can provide comfort, belongingness, even a sense of security,” Nivedita said.

Many sports coaches and relationship experts firmly believe that the intimate experiences endured can create positivity, provide a relaxed state of mind, and combat anxiety. 

“This could have a positive effect on sports performance,” Nivedita added. A player can go through these personal and intimate experiences during pre-match sex with a spouse, partner, or loved one, but indulging in casual sexual activity may have other psychological impacts.

It is a known and accepted fact across the world that any kind of sexual activity is a very private affair. 

“The indulgence depends purely on a sportsperson's personal preference. It should not be taboo for a sportsperson to practice or indulge in sexual activity. Some players even adopt it as a pre-match routine in the Western world,” she explained. 

Not many people are aware that in major international sports events like the World Cup, Olympics, and Commonwealth Games to name a few, the organising committees have braced themselves for the situations by providing the necessary preventive accessories.

Sports Romp-coms Research also does not support any evidence of uniformity in indulgence in sexual activity. The studies done on the type of sports and sexual indulgence highlight that combat sports require more aggression and frustration. 

For sports requiring higher concentration like archery and shooting it was found that mental concentration and self-control were a prerequisite. 

Hence, athletes resorted to abstinence from sex. “In psychology, we have to answer this question: What happens to an individual when they are deprived? Sex is a basic physiological drive and it can be considered as a basic need along with other needs classified by Maslow in his famous theory of needs,” Nivedita said. 

Sportspersons possess great skills and the ability to switch on and off from situations once they are on the pitch. So, once a basic need is met, it leads to satisfaction, and the urge for that need will cease to exist until the next time. Well, birds do it, bees do it, and even educated fleas do it, so let’s fall in love. And let the game begin! 

"Some cricketers do believe that their power and focus tend to improve if they don't have sex while others follow that and end up concluding that nothing has changed for them. 

So, this is a very individual thing. There is no thumb rule. The fact is, at different phases in life, different things work. No one is desperate, but sometimes there is so much pressure that you want to chill” Abhishek Nayar, KKR’s Assistant Coach said.