Demystifying Mental Toughness: Recent Episodes
David Charlton
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
To end a recent series on the coach-athlete relationship, in this bonus episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton is joined by Dr John Perry, Head of Department of PE and Sports Sciences at the University of Limerick, researcher, former coach and performance analyst, to explore how coaches can better support athletes through the lens of mental toughness. The conversation explores why coaches have such a powerful influence on athletes' habits and environments, how agency and behavioural standards can strengthen control, and why confidence should come from within rather than being outsourced to results, selection or feedback. They also discuss how coaches can create challenging environments that encourage growth without fear, why mistakes should be accepted as part of development, and why commitment is often misunderstood as a character issue rather than a cognitive skill linked to attention and focus. This is a rich, thought-provoking episode for coaches, parents and athletes who want to understand how to create environments that develop stronger, more self-aware and resilient performers.
Key Takeaways
· Great coaching helps athletes develop agency by focusing on behaviours, habits and standards they can control.
· True confidence is stable and internal, it should not depend on results, selection decisions or external praise.
· Commitment is often misunderstood; many so-called commitment errors are actually cognitive errors linked to attention and focus.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship:
Ep311 – Learning Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep310 - Risk Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep309 - Interpersonal Confidence: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep308 – Confidence in Ability – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep307 - Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Connect with Dr John Perry
· University of Limerick Profile
In this episode David concludes the eight-part series exploring the coach–athlete relationship by focusing on a powerful concept within the Challenge pillar of the 4Cs model of Mental Toughness, learning orientation. Learning orientation reflects how willing athletes and coaches are to reflect on mistakes, setbacks and difficult experiences in order to improve. Without this mindset, progress in sport can stall and with it, challenges become powerful opportunities for development. David explores a common dynamic where a coach has a high learning orientation but the athlete struggles to reflect on mistakes. For some athletes, errors can feel threatening to their confidence, which may lead them to avoid reflection, become defensive, or withdraw after setbacks. Drawing on Sophia Jowett's 3 + 1 Cs model of the coach–athlete relationship; closeness, commitment, complementarity and co-orientation. David explains how coaches can create psychologically safe environments where learning becomes easier and less emotionally threatening. The episode also provides practical strategies for coaches including normalising mistakes, using structured reflection questions, encouraging perspective and introducing simple review routines. Ultimately, learning orientation acts as the engine that drives long-term development in sport, helping athletes turn setbacks into valuable lessons that strengthen confidence, control, commitment and their ability to embrace challenges.
Key Takeaways
· Learning orientation helps athletes turn mistakes, setbacks and challenges into opportunities for development.
· Athletes low in learning orientation may avoid reflection because mistakes feel threatening to their confidence.
· Coaches can support learning by normalising mistakes, guiding structured reflections and creating psychologically safe environments.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship:
Ep310 - Risk Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep309 - Interpersonal Confidence: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep308 – Confidence in Ability – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep307 - Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Description
Today, David Charlton explores another dynamic within the coach–athlete relationship: differences in risk orientation (a sub-measure of Mental Toughness). He discusses a common scenario in sport, a coach who prefers structure, routine and predictability working alongside an athlete who thrives on experimentation, creativity and challenge. While structured environments can provide stability and clarity, athletes high in risk orientation often crave variety, stimulation and opportunities to explore different solutions. When these two approaches collide, tension can emerge. The athlete may feel restricted or bored, while the coach may view experimentation as reckless or unpredictable. Drawing on Sophia Jowett's 3 + 1 Cs model of the coach–athlete relationship; closeness, commitment, complementarity and co-orientation. David explains how coaches can balance structure with controlled variety so that creative athletes stay engaged while maintaining clarity and purpose within training. The episode highlights how strong relationships, open communication and thoughtful session design can help coaches channel adventurous mindsets into productive performance environments where curiosity and learning are encouraged rather than suppressed.
Key Takeaways
· Risk orientation reflects how comfortable individuals are with uncertainty, experimentation and challenge.
· When coaches prefer structure and athletes crave variety, training environments can feel restrictive or chaotic depending on one's perspective.
· Balancing structure with opportunities for creativity and exploration keeps high-risk-orientation athletes engaged and developing.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship:
Ep309 – Interpersonal Confidence – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep308 – Confidence in Ability – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep307 - Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton explores an often overlooked aspect of confidence in sport, interpersonal confidence. He discussed a common dynamic seen in sporting environments: a coach with very high interpersonal confidence working alongside an athlete who struggles to speak up. Highly confident coaches often communicate clearly and persuasively. They lead conversations, provide direction and bring strong conviction to their coaching. Yet when this confidence dominates the interaction, quieter athletes can become increasingly passive, hesitant and disengaged. Using Sophia Jowett's 3 + 1 Cs model of the coach–athlete relationship; closeness, commitment, complementarity and co-orientation, David explains how coaches can create environments where athletes feel psychologically safe to contribute their ideas and ask questions. He argues great coaching creates space for an athlete's voice to be heard.
Key Takeaways
· Confidence in sport is not just about performance, it also includes interpersonal confidence and the ability to communicate.
· When coaches dominate conversations, quieter athletes can become passive and disengaged.
· Creating psychological safety through listening, open questions and patience allows athletes to develop the confidence to contribute.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship:
Ep308 – Confidence in Ability – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep307 - Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Today, David Charlton explores a powerful but often misunderstood dynamic in sport: the highly confident coach working with an athlete who lacks confidence in their ability. At first glance, this combination might appear positive. A confident leader should inspire belief and clarity. However, when the balance isn't right, the relationship can unintentionally increase anxiety, self‑doubt and disengagement for the athlete. Drawing on Albert Bandura's concept of self‑efficacy and Sophia Jowett's 3+1 Cs coach–athlete relationship model (closeness, commitment, complementarity and co‑orientation), David explains why perception inside the relationship is crucial. Low‑confidence athletes often interpret blunt feedback or high standards as confirmation that they are not good enough. Without awareness, confident coaching can therefore widen the psychological gap rather than close it. David shares practical ways coaches can adapt their approach to create psychologically safe environments where confidence can grow. From shifting towards process goals and asking better questions, to recognising quiet athletes and building ownership, this episode offers practical strategies for coaches who want to support athletes more effectively. Ultimately, great coaching combines high standards with empathy, awareness and strong relationships so athletes feel safe to try, safe to fail and supported to learn.
Key Takeaways
· Confidence from a coach doesn't automatically create confidence in an athlete, without awareness it can increase anxiety.
· Low self‑efficacy athletes often interpret criticism as proof they don't belong, which can lead to avoidance and disengagement.
· Strong coach–athlete relationships built on trust, communication and psychological safety help confidence grow.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series on the coach-athlete relationship and it's connection with Mental Toughness:
Ep307 - Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In part 4 of this mini-series, David Charlton explores a challenging but common sport dynamic: the high achievement-oriented athlete working with a low achievement-oriented coach.
The athlete is organised, early, diligent, and constantly looking for ways to improvetechnical work, gym work, extras, metrics, and a "leave no stone unturned" mindset. But the coach may appear distracted, rushed, inconsistent, late, or disorganised and may find structured goal-setting and CPD stressful.
When those worlds don't align, athletes can feel unsupported, unwanted, and even inadequate, despite doing "everything right". They may also become vulnerable to overworking, anxiety, and neglecting recovery especially if they're known as the "postman" who always delivers!
Drawing on Sophia Jowett's coach–athlete relationship framework (closeness, commitment, complementarity and co-orientation), David explains how misalignment often comes down to unclear expectations and poor communication not a lack of care.
The episode finishes by linking the dynamic to Peter Clough's 4Cs: confidence, control, challenge and commitment and offers practical ways both coach and athlete can meet halfway through recognition, structure, boundaries, and honest conversations.
Key Takeaways
· Misalignment is the issue: clarity and communication are more effective than blame
· High-achieving athletes need boundaries recovery and priorities protect long-term performance
· Small structure matters: simple session aims, feedback and recognition build confidence
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship:
Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep303: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You Think the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep293: Stuart Barnes - High Challenge, High Support: Mental Toughness in Cricket
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode (part 3) of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David Charlton continues his solo series exploring the 4Cs of Mental Toughness through the coach–athlete relationship lens.
The focus this week is Commitment, specifically Goal Orientation, and a common challenge in sport: the mismatch between a highly goal-oriented coach and an athlete who feels overwhelmed, anxious or uncomfortable when targets are discussed.
While goal-driven coaches bring structure, clarity and high standards, some athletes experience goals as pressure rather than motivation. Fear of judgement, developing brains, and low confidence can lead to avoidance, distraction or even self-sabotage.
Drawing on research from Professor Sophia Jowett and the 4Cs model of Mental Toughness, this episode explores how coaches can create shared ownership of goals, strengthen the relationship, and build confidence through simple, process-focused targets.
Listeners will learn practical ways to support athletes by improving self-awareness, simplifying goal setting, and creating a learning environment that prioritises progress over pressure.
When goals are built together rather than imposed, athletes feel more confident, more in control, and more committed to their development.
Key Takeaways
· Process goals increase confidence by focusing attention on controllable behaviours
· Shared ownership of goals strengthens trust, motivation and commitment
· Intrinsic motivation supports long-term development, enjoyment and wellbeing
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship:
Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep303: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You Think the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep302: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You React the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep293: Stuart Barnes - High Challenge, High Support: Mental Toughness in Cricket
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David Charlton continues in part two of his solo series exploring the 4Cs of Mental Toughness through the coach–athlete relationship lens.
The focus this week is Emotional Control and a common but misunderstood dynamic in sport: the emotionally reactive coach and the calm, composed athlete.
While passion and intensity are often seen as leadership qualities, strong emotional reactions, sarcasm or outcome-focused language can unintentionally create a fear-based environment. When athletes feel judged or humiliated, the brain's threat system activates, reducing attention, decision-making and learning.
At the same time, athletes who regulate their emotions well are often misunderstood. Calm behaviour can be interpreted as a lack of care or motivation, leading to unnecessary conflict.
Drawing on research around the coach–athlete relationship and youth brain development, this episode explains how emotional climate shapes confidence, creativity and long-term engagement in sport.
Listeners will also learn a simple framework for understanding emotional intensity and regulation, along with practical strategies for improving communication and psychological safety.
Key Takeaways
- Fear and public criticism trigger threat responses that reduce learning and decision-making
- Calm athletes often care deeply, emotional control is a coping style, not disengagement
- Performance improves when coaches combine passion with emotional regulation and relational awareness
If you enjoyed this episode, check out part one of my mini-series and our previous podcasts on all things mental toughness:
Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently
Ep303: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You Think the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep302: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You React the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep293: Stuart Barnes - High Challenge, High Support: Mental Toughness in Cricket
Ep249: Edward Hall - Workplace Collaboration in Team Sports Coaching Environments
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David begins a new eight-part solo series exploring how mental toughness shapes the coach–athlete relationship in sport.
Today's focus is Life Control — a part of mental toughness that influences whether people feel able to shape what happens to them, or whether life simply "happens" to them.
David explores one of the most common and frustrating mismatches in sport: the high life-control coach and the low life-control athlete. High-life control coaches are driven, organised and solution-focused. They believe effort changes outcomes. Low life -control athletes, often younger or more emotionally sensitive, experience sport as something that happens to them. Their confidence fluctuates, motivation comes and goes, and excuses become a way of protecting self-esteem.
What looks like laziness or lack of commitment from the outside is often helplessness on the inside. This episode shows how this clash creates tension and how, when handled well, it can become one of the most powerful developmental partnerships in sport. David also draws on research from Sophia Jowett on the coach–athlete relationship, highlighting how closeness, commitment, complementarity and shared understanding allow athletes to grow in confidence and responsibility.
Key Takeaways
- High and low life control are not "good" or "bad" they are different ways of responding to pressure
- Low life-control athletes are often emotionally sensitive, creative and adaptable.
- Coaches who provide structure, chunking and emotional safety help these athletes thrive.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out our previous podcasts on all things mental toughness:
Ep302: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You React the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep293: Stuart Barnes - High Challenge, High Support: Mental Toughness in Cricket
Ep249: Edward Hall - Workplace Collaboration in Team Sports Coaching Environments
Ep201: Dr John Perry and Doug Strycharczyk – Even The Mentally Tough Can Find Things A Struggle Without Self Awareness
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In part 2, David Charlton is again joined by Doug Strycharczyk from AQR International to explore how mental toughness shapes the way we make decisions especially when information is incomplete and pressure is high.
Doug explains that confidence is not just about believing in your skills, but also about having the interpersonal confidence to work with others, challenge ideas, and avoid the trap of groupthink. In teams and organisations, those with higher interpersonal confidence are more likely to think divergently, question assumptions, and protect ethical decision-making rather than simply follow the crowd.
The conversation then moves into "challenge" and its two key components: risk orientation and learning orientation. Some people are naturally willing to step into uncertainty, but what really separates high performers is whether they learn from what happens next.
Doug also introduces the idea of mental toughness as an enabler not an outcome. It helps explain why we behave the way we do, so that we can optimise rather than try to change who we are.
For athletes, coaches, and leaders, this episode reinforces why self-awareness, reflection, and purposeful practice sit at the heart of long-term performance.
Key Takeaways
· Confidence is both personal and interpersonal it affects how well we think and how well we collaborate.
· Risk-taking without learning leads nowhere growth comes from reflecting on what didn't work.
· Mental toughness isn't about being "better" it's about understanding yourself well enough to optimise performance.
DISCLAIMER: David committed a schoolboy error! Sincere apologies for the poor sound quality in parts!
If you enjoyed this episode, check out our previous podcasts on all things mental toughness:
Ep302: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You React the Way You Do Under Pressure
Ep242: Doug Strycharczyk - What Is The Difference Between Mental Toughness And Resilience
Ep201: Dr John Perry and Doug Strycharczyk – Even The Mentally Tough Can Find Things A Struggle Without Self Awareness
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Connect with Doug Strycharczyk:
· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougstrycharczyk/
· Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In Episode 302 (Part 1) David Charlton is joined once again by Doug Strycharczyk, CEO of AQR International, to explore how mental toughness shapes our decision-making under pressure.
Drawing on over 30 years of research and applied practice, Doug breaks down the 4C's model of mental toughness and focuses specifically on Control and Commitment, two components that heavily influence how athletes, students, and performers respond when it really matters.
A central theme of this conversation is that mental toughness is not judgemental. High or low scores on any dimension are not "good" or "bad"; instead, they represent different default responses. For example, high life control often shows up as a strong can-do attitude, while lower life control can reflect a more cautious, reflective approach, both of which can be highly effective depending on the situation.
Doug also unpacks emotional control, explaining why routines (think Jonny Wilkinson or Cristiano Ronaldo have used) help performers stay focused under pressure. The discussion then moves into commitment, exploring the difference between goal orientation (sense of purpose) and achievement orientation (emotional drive to achieve), and why curiosity can actually be a hidden strength for those lower in achievement orientation.
Throughout the episode, listeners are encouraged to develop self-awareness, manage their mental and emotional reserves, and recognise their own default responses, whether in sport, the workplace or in everyday life. This episode sets the foundation for a deeper understanding of performance psychology and why one size never fits all.
Key Takeaways
· Mental toughness is neutral, not judgemental. Different responses to pressure can all be effective success depends on matching your response to the situation, not forcing a single "ideal" mindset.
· Self-awareness creates better decisions under pressure. Understanding your default response (freeze, rush, over-analyse) gives you the option to pause, reset, and choose a more helpful behaviour.
· Manage your mental and emotional reserves. Lower energy makes even simple tasks feel overwhelming. Breaking tasks down, resting, and refuelling are performance strategies, not weaknesses.
DISCLAIMER: David committed a schoolboy error! Sincere apologies for the poor sound quality in parts!
If you enjoyed this episode, check out our previous podcasts on all things mental toughness:
Ep242: Doug Strycharczyk - What Is The Difference Between Mental Toughness And Resilience
Ep201: Dr John Perry and Doug Strycharczyk – Even The Mentally Tough Can Find Things A Struggle Without Self Awareness
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Connect with Doug Strycharczyk:
· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougstrycharczyk/
· Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Happy New Year! This special compilation episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness brings together powerful reflections from multiple experts across sport, performance, and personal development. Rather than offering quick fixes, this episode invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with what truly underpins sustainable performance: self-awareness, authenticity, focus, and self-trust.
A recurring theme throughout the episode is the importance of the internal narrative. The conversations we have with ourselves shape confidence, behaviour, and decision-making under pressure. Listeners are encouraged to question unhelpful self-talk, recognise vulnerability as a strength, and understand that mental toughness is not about being "bulletproof", but about knowing yourself and responding wisely.
The episode also explores the value of building a support network a "board of directors" made up of real or imagined mentors who guide thinking, perspective, and behaviour. Alongside this, the myth of multitasking is challenged, reinforcing the power of focus, presence, and committing fully to the one thing that matters most.
Fear, mistakes, motivation, and setbacks are reframed not as barriers, but as essential ingredients for growth. Listeners are reminded that action often comes before motivation, progress is rarely linear, and joy and creativity are vital for long-term engagement in sport and life.
This episode is a timely reminder that mental toughness is human, flexible, and deeply personal and that rediscovering enjoyment, trust, and purpose is just as important as striving for results.
Key Takeaways
- You are the thinker, not the thought, self-talk can be shaped and trained
- Mental toughness exists on a spectrum; sensitivity is not weakness
- Authenticity matters more than approval or fitting in
- Build a "board of directors" to guide perspective and decision-making
- Multitasking is a myth, focus deeply on one thing at a time
- Fear can be used as fuel when recognised and harnessed
- Motivation is cyclical; action often comes before motivation
- Vulnerability and self-compassion support long-term performance
- Mistakes and setbacks are essential for learning and growth
- Joy, creativity, and presence reconnect performers with why they started
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Improve Your Mental Toughness as Relayed in Episode 301
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep028: Peter Clough MBE – Why is Mental Toughness Important?
Ep035: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don't Just Survive 2021
Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep068: Andrew Nicholson – How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep098: Jon Bartlett – Do You Know Your Why?
In this milestone episode #300 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton is joined by former Newcastle United defender and current Assistant Loans Manager Peter Ramage. In the second part of our conversation Peter shares powerful insights into what truly drives progression and resilience in young footballers.
Peter discusses the importance of personal responsibility in career development highlighting how top performers take ownership of their learning, habits, and mindset. Through examples such as golfer Matthew Fitzpatrick and Harry Kane, he explains why success is never defined solely by minutes played, but by growth, adaptation, and the ability to fight for a place.
A major theme throughout the conversation is the redefinition of success on loan spells. Peter emphasises that adversity, periods of not playing, dealing with pressure, or competing for a spot is often the very challenge that shapes long-term success. He also explores the dangers of external hype, the importance of staying grounded, and the value of breaking performance down into controllable actions.
Listeners gain a behind-the-scenes look at loan player support, including emotional wellbeing, communication, and the powerful role of peer-to-peer mentoring. Peter also reinforces that speaking up and asking for help is not weakness, it's a critical part of thriving in football.
Key Takeaways
- Success Isn't Linear: Loan spells and tough periods are vital learning experiences, not signs of failure.
- Take Responsibility: Growth accelerates when players own their development, behaviours, and mindset.
- Stay Grounded & Speak Up: Managing hype, living in the present, and asking for support are essential parts of sustaining performance.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out our previous blogs and podcasts on all things football, mental toughness and player development.
For more on all things football or soccer psychology, check out these resources:
Ep299: Emotional Flexibility & Adaptability: Inside the Minds of Professional Footballers on Loan with Peter Ramage
Ep086: David Charlton - Observations: How to Learn from Setbacks
Blog: The Psychology of Loan Moves: How Football Coaches Can Build Mentally Tough & Adaptable Young Players
Blog: 5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
Research Review: When the Dream Ends: What Academy Release Really Does to Young Footballers
Soccer Psychology and Mental Skills for Football Library of Resources
Connect with Peter Ramage
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, host David Charlton is joined by former professional footballer and coach, and current Assistant Loans Manager at Newcastle United, Peter Ramage, who pulls back the curtain on what it's really like for young players when they go out on loan.
We talk about the often-unseen side of the loan pathway: adapting to new environments, dealing with being away from family, handling uncertainty and change, and the social-media comparison trap that many players fall into. Peter provides real world insight from his time at clubs like Newcastle United and Crystal Palace and how versatility and flexibility becomes a mindset, not just a tactical attribute, and how building relationships and trust with teammates and coaches is absolutely key.
Whether you're a footballer, coach or parent, this conversation throws light on how mental toughness emerges from more than just performance. It's about mindset, adaptation, presence and communication. We also tie this back to themes we've covered before such as the 4 C's model of mental toughness (control, commitment, challenge, confidence) and creating psychologically safe and growth-focussed environments.
Key Takeaways
- Adaptability is everything – Being able to thrive when you're out of your comfort zone (new club, new role) is a super-power.
- Comparison is the silent pressure – Young players often measure themselves against highlight reels on social media; learning to focus on your journey matters.
- Relationships build the foundation of success – Trusting teammates, coaches and the environment gives you the mental platform to perform and grow.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out our previous blogs and podcasts on all things football, mental toughness and player development.
For more on all things football or soccer psychology, check out these resources:
Podcast Ep151 - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Podcast Ep173 - How To Deal With Other People In Professional Football #BITESIZE
Blog: The Psychology of Loan Moves: How Football Coaches Can Build Mentally Tough & Adaptable Young Players
Blog: Footballers are People, Like You and Me
Blog: Do You Start Matches with a ONE-NIL DOWN Mindset?
Book Review: Soccer Tough 1 and 2 with Dan Abrahams
Connect with Peter Ramage
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In the second part of our conversation David Charlton speaks with endurance athlete, coach, and world record holder Pierce Showe, who completed 153 consecutive half marathons to raise awareness about health and nutrition. Together, they explore what it really means to run your race in sport, business, and life.
Pierce shares his philosophy of focusing on your own journey, avoiding the comparison trap, and finding strength through faith and purpose. He also talks about how goal setting and discipline form the foundation for consistent growth and long-term success, lessons that resonate far beyond running.
If you've ever struggled with comparison, motivation, or the post-goal "what's next?" feeling, this conversation will inspire you to stay consistent, stay grounded, and stay faithful to your process.
Key Takeaways
Run your race – Focus on being better than you were yesterday, not on others' achievements.
You're capable of more than you think – True growth comes through daily discipline and consistency.
Faith and purpose fuel resilience – When your identity isn't tied to performance, you find freedom and deeper motivation.
Listeners and Viewers to the full conversation will receive inspiring lessons on endurance, focus, and belief.
Feel Free to Tune In!
For more on this topic, check out these resources:
Ep297: Pierce Showe - How Endurance Challenges Build Mental Toughness
Ep002: Steve Judge - How to Deal with Adversity
Blog: Developing Mental Toughness in Young Athletes: Coaching Lessons from Ultra Running
Blog: Run Your Race: Coaching Young Athletes to Build Mental Toughness, Faith, and Consistency
Book Review: Chasing Excellence – Lessons for Young Athletes on Building a Winning Mindset
Documentary Review: Running for Good: Lessons from Fiona Oakes for Young Athletes
Connect with Pierce Showe
· Website
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this powerful episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David sits down with endurance athlete, coach, and world record holder, Pierce Showe. From a lacrosse player to completing gruelling 200-mile ultra marathons, Pierce shares his journey of developing resilience, faith, and belief through extreme endurance.
Pierce opens up about how early life challenges shaped his hunger for growth, the defining moment that unlocked his belief system, and why mental toughness isn't something you're born with and it's built through hardship, practice, and reflection.
He and David also explore the psychology of endurance, how to manage setbacks mid-race, and how techniques like segmentation and staying present can help athletes, business professionals, and anyone facing adversity stay composed under pressure.
Key Takeaways
Mental Toughness is Built, Not Born: It grows through consistent exposure to challenge and reflection.
Segment the Impossible: Break big goals into smaller, achievable chunks, focusing only on the next step.
Reset and Reframe: When things fall apart, rest, refuel, and reset your mindset. This can change everything.
Listeners and Viewers to the full conversation will receive inspiring lessons on endurance, mindset, and belief.
Enjoy Tuning In!
For more on this topic, check out these resources:
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley - How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Ep214: Ellen McDermott – How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Blog: Developing Mental Toughness in Young Athletes: Coaching Lessons from Ultra Running
Blog: Coach Development – Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Conversations With Kids – Grit and Determination
Connect with Pierce Showe
· Website
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In the second part of our conversation, David Charlton talks with anxiety and fear coach Matt Young about why emotional control and emotional mastery is the key to lasting confidence and calmness under pressure.
Matt challenges the common idea that we can only manage our emotions. Instead, he explains how emotions like anxiety, fear, or procrastination are learned traits that serve a purpose. By understanding why they appear, athletes and coaches can start to take ownership and use their emotions intentionally rather than reactively.
Drawing parallels between sport and everyday life, Matt and David explore how to create a personal emotional playbook, a structured process for handling stress, setbacks, and performance pressure. From dealing with being dropped from a team to managing social comparison and jealousy, Matt outlines a practical roadmap built on three pillars:
Key Takeaways – The 3 Pillars
- Take Ownership: True change starts with personal ownership, looking inward instead of blaming others helps you regain control and create emotional stability, regardless of circumstances.
- Develop Emotional Control: Move beyond "managing" emotions to mastering them. Learn to enhance confidence, calm, and self-connection so emotions serve you rather than control you.
- Shape Your Environment: Surround yourself with growth-minded people and positive influences. The right environment accelerates emotional mastery and supports sustained mental resilience.
Listeners and Viewers will come away with a different lens on mental toughness, one rooted in emotional mastery, self-awareness, and daily process habits that promote confidence and resilience. Enjoy Tuning In!
For more on this topic, check out these resources:
Blog - Why Emotional Control Matters in Youth Sport
Blog - Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Ep295: Matt Young - How Emotional Control Builds Resilience and Freedom in Sport
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Conversations With Kids - Emotional Control in Sport
Conversations With Kids - Helping Young Athletes Thrive Under Pressure
Connect with Matt Young
· Website
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David Charlton speaks with Matt Young, an anxiety and fear coach and former professional footballer, about how emotional control can help athletes and coaches achieve lasting freedom and confidence, on and off the pitch.
Matt shares how his playing career at Southampton and other clubs exposed deep insecurities and a constant need to control outcomes including; selection, performance, and judgment from others. That same drive for control, he explains, often leads athletes into anxiety, superstition, and burnout. True freedom, he argues, comes from looking at emotional control differently, not trying to control everything around you.
The conversation explores how many athletes mask vulnerability, hide behind their sporting identity, and only seek help when things "break down." Matt advocates for a proactive approach, helping clubs and athletes emotionally prepare in the same way they prepare physically and tactically. He also shares what sets top performers apart; urgency, emotional awareness, and consistency in pursuing growth rather than waiting for crises to act.
If you're an athlete, coach, or parent, this episode offers powerful insights on emotional mastery, identity, and resilience, key ingredients for sustained performance and wellbeing.
Key Takeaways
-
Emotional Control Beats External Control - True confidence doesn't come from trying to control every situation, opponent, or outcome. It comes from mastering your internal state, your emotions, thoughts, and reactions so that you can stay composed and perform freely, no matter what's happening around you.
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Masks and Identities Can Limit Growth - Many athletes hide behind their sporting identity or project confidence to cover insecurities. Over time, this emotional masking can lead to anxiety, burnout, and confusion about who they are beyond sport. Building emotional awareness helps athletes reconnect with who they are, not just what they do.
-
Be Proactive, Not Reactive with Mental Skills - Too many athletes wait until they're struggling before seeking help. Matt encourages a proactive approach developing emotional resilience and mental fitness before challenges hit. Just like a physical MOT, regular emotional check-ins can prevent breakdowns and keep performance consistent.
This episode is packed with insights for athletes, coaches, and parents of young athletes about the importance of emotional control and emotional mastery for better more consistent performances and enhanced well-being.
For more on this topic, check out these resources:
Blog - Confidence Under Pressure: The 3-Second Reset Technique
Blog: - Control Your Thoughts on the Golf Course
Ep167 Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE
Ep280 Colm O'Donoghue - How To Help A Golfer Who Struggles Playing Strokeplay
Conversations With Kids - How to Help Kids Stay Calm Under Pressure
Conversations With Kids - Helping Young Athletes Thrive Under Pressure
Connect with Matt Young
· Website
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
High performance in cricket and sport in general is about far more than technical ability. In this episode of The Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I’m joined by Stuart Barnes, Bowling Coach at Warwickshire County Cricket Club, for the second part of our conversation. Together we explore the unique pressures cricketers face and how coaches and psychologists can work hand in hand to support player growth, confidence, and resilience.
The Player at the Centre
Stuart highlights the importance of a joined-up approach between coaches, psychologists, and teammates, with the athlete always at the centre. Players often need space to talk, offload, and process challenges. Stuart shares how his own journey as a “failed professional cricketer” shaped his empathy and perspective, allowing him to connect with players authentically.
Slowing the Game Down Under Pressure
Cricket is both a team and an individual sport, making the psychological demands unique. Stuart describes how small pauses, two to five seconds between deliveries help bowlers reset, design a plan, and avoid rushing into a threat mindset. He shares practical questions bowlers can ask themselves in pressure moments to regain clarity, confidence, and control.
Handling Selection Pressures
One of the toughest realities in professional cricket is being dropped. Stuart emphasises the value of focusing only on what players can control; fitness, preparation, mindset, and energy in the dressing room. He describes these as the “free stuff” that costs nothing but adds significant value to team culture.
Key Takeaways
- Slow the world down – Use strategies to pause, reset, and regain focus under pressure.
- Keep growing – There is no standing still; consistent small improvements matter.
- Build belief through actions – Confidence grows when you fulfil your daily commitments to yourself.
This episode is packed with insights for cricketers, coaches, and parents of young athletes about the importance of mental toughness, supportive environments, and developing confidence from within.
For more on this topic, check out these resources:
- Sports Psychology for Cricket Players
· Ep 293: Stuart Barnes: How Cricket Coaches Build Mental Toughness: High Challenge, High Support
- Ep 115 - Jeremy Snape: Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket
· Blog Mental Preparation for Bowlers in Cricket
· Blog: Thriving Under Pressure: Mental Toughness Lessons from Cricket Coaching
Connect with Stuart Barnes
· Website
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I’m joined by Stuart Barnes, Bowling Coach at Warwickshire County Cricket Club. With over 27 years of coaching experience, Stuart shares fascinating insights into the demands of elite cricket, the brutal nature of today’s schedules, and the importance of balancing challenge with support.
We dive into how coaches can help players thrive under pressure, the role of self-awareness and process, and why some athletes fear success. Stuart also discusses the fine line between surviving and thriving in professional sport—and what coaches and athletes alike can do to stay grounded, resilient, and ready to perform.
If you’re a cricket coach, player, or parent, you’ll take away practical ideas for building mental toughness, staying adaptable, and managing the pressures of high-performance sport.
For more on this topic, check out these resources:
- Sports Psychology for Cricket Players
- Podcast Ep 115 - Jeremy Snape: Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket
· Blog Mental Preparation for Bowlers in Cricket
Key Takeaways
- The brutal reality of elite schedules – how constant travel and games affect both players and coaches.
- High challenge, high support coaching – why asking deeper questions and showing empathy helps athletes grow.
- Process over outcome – why elite performers focus on their routines, not just results.
- Self-awareness as a competitive edge – how slowing things down and resetting builds resilience.
- Fear of success – why some players avoid growth to escape heightened expectations.
- The power of anchors – small rituals that help athletes enter their performance state under pressure.
- Lessons from failure – why comfort is the enemy of growth, and failure can be the gateway to long-term success.
Connect with Stuart Barnes
· Website
Connect with David Charlton
· Sign Up To The Mental Edge
· Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Today’s episode is the second part of my discussion with Gayatri Bhushan, co-founder of Mind Matter Performance. We go onto continue to explore the importance of being curious and open to learn about the experiences of others in sport. Gayatri goes onto share further insights from India and the Middle East, where cultural, social, and gender barriers can put limits on opportunities for different athletes, participants and coaches.
Key Learning Points:
· The discussion highlighted the significant impact of Premier League Football in India, with personal stories illustrating the feeling of belonging that fans can feel.
· Challenges in sports accessibility in India are apparent, including socio-economic barriers, gender disparities, and cultural norms.
· Sunil Chhetri's unfulfilled potential due to bureaucratic hurdles, underscored questionable policies and procedures.
· Sport can transform the lives of families.
Connect with Gayatri Bhushan
Mind Matter Performance Website
Connect with David Charlton
The Mental Edge with David Charlton
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience For All Athletes and Participants
Ep291: Gayatri Bhushan - From India to the Premier League, Sport Psychology, Belonging & Barriers
Ep290: Gordon MacLelland - Stop Focusing On Results: Developing Life Skills Through Sport
Ep287: Duncan O’Brien - Is A Blame Culture In Team Sports Helpful For Performance?
Ep286: Nathan Sherratt - How To Understand Neurodiversity Better In Football Refereeing
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
Join us for an inspiring episode as we welcome Gayatri Bhushan, HCPC-registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, who shares her deeply personal journey into the world of sports psychology. Born in India and now based in New Delhi, Gayatri reflects on her early years as a national-level 400-metre athlete and the pivotal challenges she faced, from performance pressures to the lack of mental health support. Her story of searching for guidance—often in vain—sparked a passion for ensuring no athlete is left without support, especially young girls navigating the complex intersection of sport and well-being.
Having studied at Loughborough University and worked with Premier League clubs in London, Gayatri discusses the profound impact of being immersed in diverse sporting environments. She highlights the crucial role of equality, diversity, and inclusion in building mental toughness, emphasising that access to psychological support should not be a privilege but a right for all athletes. Tune in to gain insight into the challenges, learnings, and the ongoing journey toward a more inclusive and resilient sporting world.
Key Learning Points:
· The implementation of regulations and standards to protect the title of Sport Psychologist in India is important.
· Advocate for more inclusive and diverse staffing policies in sports organisations to improve relatability and representation.
· Encourage athletes to be comfortable in their own skin and not suppress their emotions and cultural identity.
Connect with Gayatri Bhushan
Mind Matter Performance Website
Connect with David Charlton
The Mental Edge with David Charlton
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience For All Athletes and Participants
Ep290: Gordon MacLelland - Stop Focusing On Results: Developing Life Skills Through Sport
Ep287: Duncan O’Brien - Is A Blame Culture In Team Sports Helpful For Performance?
Ep286: Nathan Sherratt - How To Understand Neurodiversity Better In Football Refereeing
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
In the second part of a dialog with Parents in Sport founder, Gordon MacLelland, the conversation goes onto discuss the importance of resilience and normalising failure in sports when communicating with children. Such discussions between parents, coaches and children can help kids develop positive coping mechanisms. David and Gordon also touched on the potential risks of early specialisation in sports at a young age, such as burnout, overuse injuries and the potential to drop out from the sport altogether. The benefits of diversifying sports participation and the importance of developing multifaceted kids were also talked about.
Key Learning Points:
· Seek to focus on long-term development, such as aspects of mental toughness and resilience, rather than just results and outcomes.
· Get to know yourself as a parent as well as your child, seeking to improve your self-awareness.
· Understand what burnout in sport symptoms are for your children.
· Encourage regular check-ins between coaches/organisations and parents to manage expectations.
· Explore ways to better support and train coaches and volunteers in sports clubs to have more effective conversations with parents.
Connect with Gordon MacLelland
Parents In Sport Website
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Useful Youth Sport Psychology Resource
Youth Sport Motivation Checklist
Parental Sport Motivation Checklist
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience For Children
Ep289: Gordon MacLelland – How To Support Children To Enjoy A Positive Relationship With Sport
Ep288: Duncan O’Brien - How To Overcome Intense Emotions From Football
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Ep280: Colm O'Donoghue - How To Help A Young Golfer Who Struggles Playing Strokeplay
Ep279: Ger Fitzgerald - How To Help A Young Cricketer Overcome Selection Difficulties
Relevant Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience For Children
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog - 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog - 5 Tips for Parents to Help their Children Perform with Confidence
Blog – How to Help Young Footballers Find the Zone
Blog – How do You Give a Young Golfer Self Confidence
Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents
Stuart Brown PHD – Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul
Susan Jackson, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Flow In Sports
In episode 289 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, the founder of Parents in Sport, Gordon MacLelland, shared his journey from having a promising sports career, to coaching and teaching to supporting parenting in sports. He emphasized the importance of understanding individual children's motivations when considering their sporting experience. Also highlighted were the challenges of balancing fun and competitive pressures. The conversation underscored the importance of self-awareness as a parent and being an intentional in the love and support that you offer your children, as a parent in sports, whilst accepting that you and your child are human.
Additionally, David and Gordon stress the benefits of participating in sports on child’s character and mental toughness development, over winning, and the need for realistic expectations.
Key Learning Points:
· Understand your child's motivations for playing sports and why they do it.
· Have regular check-ins with your child to understand how their motivations may change over time.
· Avoid asking questions like "Did you win?" or "Were you the best?" and instead focus on character traits with questions such as “When were you brave?” or statements “I noticed how you bounced back positively after your team lost the first goal by the way you were calling for the ball.
· Be mindful of the timing and approach when having difficult conversations with your child about their sports performance.
· Recognize that success in sports should not be solely defined by performance outcomes, and focus on the wider benefits of participation.
Connect with Gordon MacLelland
Parents In Sport Website
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Useful Youth Sport Psychology Resource
Youth Sport Motivation Checklist
Parental Sport Motivation Checklist
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience For Children
Ep288: Duncan O’Brien - How To Overcome Intense Emotions From Football
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Ep280: Colm O'Donoghue - How To Help A Young Golfer Who Struggles Playing Strokeplay
Ep279: Ger Fitzgerald - How To Help A Young Cricketer Overcome Selection Difficulties
Ep233: David Charlton - How To Help A Young Footballer Overcome Fear
Relevant Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience For Children
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog - 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog - 5 Tips for Parents to Help their Children Perform with Confidence
Blog – How to Help Young Footballers Find the Zone
Blog – How do You Give a Young Golfer Self Confidence
Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents
In a continuation of last week’s conversation, David Charlton and Duncan O'Brien discuss the impact of shame on athletes, particularly footballers. Self-esteem, the self-recognition of multiple-selves and self-compassion are also features of the conversation. They go on to discuss the impact of poor performances on an athletes’ mood. Solutions to shift perspective are discussed to aid the understanding of sport coaches and parents to support athletes effectively. They also touch on other strong emotions, such as anger and how to harness it.
Key Learning Points:
· Explore ways to normalise emotions and have open conversations about them.
· Developing an openness to learn more about yourself, your athletes or children is vital.
· Understanding and connect with the state of being at you best can transform your mindset.
· Potential dynamics where an athletic identity can become entangled with self-esteem and confidence resulting in negative mental health implications should be considered.
· Athletes should be aware of their own triggers and to have strategies for managing anger effectively.
Connect with Duncan O’Brien
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep287: Duncan O’Brien - Is A Blame Culture In Team Sports Helpful For Performance?
Ep286: Nathan Sherratt - How To Understand Neurodiversity Better In Football Refereeing
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall – Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
David Charlton and Duncan O'Brien discuss the emotional challenges in football, focusing on blame, shame, guilt, and anger in this week’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness. Duncan, influenced by Brene Brown's work, emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and collaboration in coaching. He highlights the need for coaches to create supportive yet challenging environments, using tools like Clean Language to foster self-awareness and resilience. They explore how emotions like shame can manifest in players, affecting their performance and behaviour. The conversation underscores the significance of coaches communicating effectively and setting clear expectations to help players navigate stress and criticism, ultimately fostering a more supportive and effective coaching dynamic.
Key Learning Points:
· Explore using clean language techniques in football coaching to help players develop self-awareness.
· Encourage players to ask questions of each other rather than giving direct orders or criticism during challenging situations.
· Educate coaches and players on the difference between shame and guilt, and how to address feelings of shame in a constructive way.
· Mistakes are common in football and pointing the fingers, blaming can lead to guilt, impacting players' confidence and bravery.
· Vulnerability is essential to encourage courageous behaviours and collaboration, however it is dependent on the relationship and trust developed between coaches and players.
Connect with Duncan O’Brien
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep286: Nathan Sherratt - How To Understand Neurodiversity Better In Football Refereeing
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall – Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
Today, the conversation delves into the experiences of a neurodiverse referee, referee educator and coach, Nathan Sherratt, the owner of The Third Team. We discuss the challenges faced in education, the workplace, and on the pitch, highlighting the importance of structure and accountability. David and Nathan also emphasise the need for understanding and support, particularly from clubs, organisations and governing bodies such as the FA, to better accommodate neurodivergent individuals in sports. Nathan goes on to share personal strategies for managing sensory challenges and the significance of self-care, including physical activities like walking and golf. The importance of continuous learning, adaptability, and the value of support networks in achieving success is also a feature of the episode.
Key Learning Points:
· Explore ways to manage the sensory challenges, such as the cold weather or noisy crowds.
· Neurodiverse traits can change over time.
· Every individual’s experience of living with autism is different.
· Adapting the use of comms kits in professional games and the difficulty of managing multiple conversations simultaneously should be considered by the FA when thinking about supporting Neurodiverse referees and assistant referees.
· It is important for governing bodies to invest in supporting and educating people who are neurodiverse to future-proof specific individuals in sports.
Connect with Nathan Sherratt
Website - The Third Team
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep285: Adam Batstone - Football Coaches: How To Help Neurodiverse Players Thrive
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall – Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
In today’s episode David Charlton and his colleague Adam Batstone emphasised the importance of psychological support in football and sport coaching with children. They particularly acknowledged the need to foster rapport with parents to address their concerns about disclosing their child's challenges. David and Adam highlighted the need for adaptability in coaching methods, especially for neurodivergent children, who may require more personalised approaches. They discussed strategies like framing sessions, providing clear routines, and using non-confrontational prompts to maintain engagement. The conversation also touched on the significance of life skills development beyond football, noting that coaches can help children build resilience and emotional flexibility, crucial for their future success in various fields.
Key Learning Points:
· Seek to explore ways to incorporate more flexibility and adaptability in training sessions to better accommodate neurodivergent players.
· Develop strategies to build trust with parents, encouraging them to openly share information about their child's needs.
· Provide training for coaches on recognizing and supporting neurodivergent behaviours, and implementing effective intervention techniques.
· Investigate the feasibility of creating designated "safe spaces" within the training environment for players to self-regulate when needed.
· Factor in the psychological planning of training sessions to consider the emotional responses of players.
· Utilise additional coaching resources to provide one-on-one support for players who may need it during sessions.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall – Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
Podcast Episodes To Help Children Have A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep074: David Charlton – How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident?
Ep112: David Charlton – How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete
Ep217: Chris Cook – How A Marginal Gains Approach Can Help You Perform Better
Resources To Help Children Have A Positive Sporting Experience
Helping Young Athletes Manage Emotions
Does Your Child Worry Too Much About What Others Think?
My Child Can’t Find “The Zone”
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
David Charlton introduces the next phase of the "Demystifying Mental Toughness" podcast, where episodes will address various contemporary issues, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly for underrepresented groups like BAME athletes and neurodivergent individuals. The podcast will also discuss the impact of social media and the problematic cultures of blaming and shaming in sports. David emphasizes the importance of recognizing individual differences and avoiding stereotyping, advocating for a more inclusive and supportive approach to enhance the everyone’s overall sporting experience.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall – Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Encourage A Positive Sporting Experience
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
Today, the case study that David Charlton and his colleague Colm O’Donoghue discuss is connected to a 16-year-old swimmer who spends a lot of time online checking his rivals out, be that on social media or reviewing stats and results. The implication is that his motivation and focus when training fluctuates and negative emotions such as jealousy and anxiety are triggered. As well, potential challenges with his own self-esteem and how he feels about himself can be evident.
David and Colm offer some ideas to shift his focus so that he is able to enhance his motivation and feel better in himself.
Key Learning Points:
- Social comparison theory, proposed by Leon Festinger, suggests that individuals evaluate their own abilities, opinions, and accomplishments by comparing themselves to other people. This theory suggests that we have an natural drive to evaluate ourselves, and social comparison is a primary method we use to do so.
- Develop a pre-race routine to get into the right mindset, consider when you want to be online and not especially as the race draws closer.
- Set SMART goals focused on personal improvement.
- Review your emotional experience and self-talk when your online, how does it make your feel? What are you telling yourself about situations that you come across?
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Help Children Have A Positive Sporting Experience
Ep074: David Charlton – How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident?
Ep112: David Charlton – How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete
Ep217: Chris Cook – How A Marginal Gains Approach Can Help You Perform Better
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Resources To Help Children Have A Positive Sporting Experience
Helping Young Athletes Manage Emotions
Does Your Child Worry Too Much About What Others Think?
My Child Can’t Find “The Zone”
In this episode, David Charlton and his colleague Colm O’Donoghue discussed a case study of a 12-year-old tennis player who struggled with her emotions on the court. She often became overwhelmed by with anger and frustration or disappointment after making mistakes or losing points, leading to a loss of focus, poor performance and less enjoyment. Her parents also found it very difficult to watch her play and contain themselves as a result too. David and Colm go on to offer some advice for managing these strong emotional responses so that she can perform better and enjoy her tennis more.
Key Learning Points:
· Improving her emotional regulation is key to her success and enjoyment.
· Find ways to focus on the present such as breathing techniques can be useful.
· David emphasizes the importance of consistent practice and viewing breathing as a life skill.
· Seeing the alignment of the parasympathetic nervous system as a vital component in playing your best by strategically finding ways to slow down can be helpful.
· Plan B thinking by using visualisation, where she sees herself making mistakes and feels the emotions that comes with this, then recovering more positively can help her improve her composure in difficult moments.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Help You Regulate Your Emotions
Ep071 - James Lau: Mastering The Mental Side Of Tennis
Ep232 – Andy Elleray - How To Remain Composed As a Goalkeeper Under Pressure
Ep256 – David Charlton - The Immature Brain: How To Help An Emotional Child
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Resources To Support Tennis Players Perform Better
How To Regain Momentum In Tennis So That You Win More Matches
How to Let Go of Mistakes when Playing Tennis
How Tennis Players Can Stay Confident Under Pressure
Does the perfect golf swing exist? NO. Does the perfect golf swing equal lower scores in golf? NO – Yet many golfers continue to strive to attain the “perfect swing.” This is the topic of conversation today, where David and colleague Colm O’Donoghue talk about the problem with this approach and the implications for your golf game. They also share some advice on what you could consider doing to improve your scores and your enjoyment of the game.
Key Learning Points:
-
Studies suggest that the variation in technique between low handicap amateurs and professional golfers is similar.
-
Consider how you practice your golf, if you practice solely in a technical manner it is likely to tie you up in knots and show in your golf scores.
-
Split your practice into technical, performance, process and creative practice.
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Do you ever consider how you can access a flow state and what a flow state is for you on the golf course?
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Help Golfers Improve Their Scores
Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep089: Will Shaw – How To Transfer Your Golfing Skills To The Course
Ep101: Compilation – 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Golfers, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Resources To Support Golfers So That They Score Better
Frequently Asked Questions on Golf Psychology and Golf Mental Skills
Golf Psychology and Mental Skills for Golf Library
8 Better Ways to Practice to Your Golf
Do You Obsess over the Perfect Golf Swing?
Are You Missing Shots Before You’ve Started Your Swing
David Charlton hosts the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast with his colleague and a fellow competitive amateur golfer, Colm O’Donoghue today. Colm discusses his journey from playing golf as a child to returning to the sport in his mid-20s, driven by an interest in the psychological aspects of golf. He shares his struggles with perfectionism and the importance of maintaining a present-focused mindset. Together they talk about a case study of a young golfer, who excels in match play but struggles with stroke play due to focusing too much on the score. Colm and David emphasize the importance of a pre-shot routine in maintaining his focus and staying present, which can help manage his arousal levels, in turn, lowering his scores.
Key Learning Points:
· Trying to play perfect golf and focusing too much on the score can impact enjoyment of the sport.
· Colm explains the difference between match play and stroke play, emphasizing the reset nature of match play and the need to focus on the process in stroke play.
· Self-awareness is critical, recognising and being able to reset when you are ahead of yourself and predicting future holes, shots or score and identifying when you are stuck in the past, dwelling on mistakes.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes To Help Golfers Focus On The Process
Ep243 David Charlton - How I Would Help Rory McIlroy Win The British Open
Ep099 Trevor Jones - How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep167 Karl Morris - How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Golfers, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Resources To Support Golfers So That They Focus Better
Frequently Asked Questions on Golf Psychology and Golf Mental Skills
Golf Psychology and Mental Skills for Golf Library
Control Your Thoughts on the Golf Course
Play Your Best Golf More Often
Today, in episode #279 David and Gerard discuss the challenges faced by a 12-year-old cricketer named Amir (pseudonym), who is a leg spinner struggling with inconsistent selection due to the club's preference for pace bowling. Amir's fluctuating motivation and confidence, as well as the potential for dropping out of cricket are attributed to poor communication from coaches and his own difficulty in expressing frustrations.
Key Learning Points:
· Helping the cricketer develop psychological flexibility to separate his self-worth from the selection decisions made by the coaches is key.
· Encourage the cricketer to focus on the controllables, such as his attitude, effort, and the key ingredients that make up a good performance, rather than the uncontrollable factors like the perfect delivery.
· Coaches should consider carefully how they communicate to prevent young cricketers and athletes from feeling undervalued and potentially quitting the sport.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes Related To The Youth Sport Experience
Ep176 Camilla Knight: How To Help Enhance The Psychological Wellbeing Of Children In Sport #BITESIZE
Ep168 - Andrew Simpson: How To Navigate Youth Sports So That Children Enjoy The Experience More
Ep141 -David Charlton: How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Resources To Support Cricketers So That They Play With Confidence
Cricket Psychology Library
7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Bowl Every Delivery
Make Bowling Simple by Avoiding these 3 Common Mental Game Errors
In today’s episode, #278 David and Gerard discuss the impact of a shouty coach on an 18-year-old rugby player named Tom (pseudonym). They explore how such coaching styles can lead to self-doubt, low self-esteem, and increased self-criticism, affecting both on-field performance and confidence levels. They emphasize the importance of coaches fostering a supportive environment where players can express themselves freely.
Key Learning Points:
· The conversation highlights the broader issue of youth sports participation and the need for a supportive coaching culture.
· Develop standardised behaviour routines for young athletes, focusing on the attributes of their favourite players (e.g., work rate, commitment, shooting of Ronaldo).
· Ask the athlete questions to understand their perspective on what behaviours mean to them personally (eg. work rate and commitment). Often a coaches’ or parents’ interpretation can be very different.
· Focus on solutions to help young footballers and athletes manage their emotions effectively.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes Related To The Youth Sport Experience
Ep055: Natalie Henderson, John Fletcher & James Maurice – How to Develop Mental Strength in Young Athletes
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep074: David Charlton – How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
In episode #277 David and Gerard Fitzgerald discussed how to help shift the focus of an extra competitive footballer or athlete, using the example of a boy named Joe who hates losing. Key points included the importance of harnessing anger positively, as seen with Wayne Rooney's iconic goal in 2005 for Manchester United versus Newcastle United. They also share the need to normalise emotional responses like anger where footballers may kick out, tackle over aggressively, shout at team-mates or display poor body language. Parents and coaches are advised to avoid adding to the child's stress and activating their sympathetic nervous system anymore by shouting and yelling at them, instead helping them regulate emotions.
Key Learning Points:
· Develop standardised behaviour routines for young footballers, focusing on the attributes of their favourite players (e.g., work rate, commitment, shooting of Ronaldo).
· Ask the athlete questions to understand their perspective on what behaviours (work rate, commitment) mean to them as often a coach or parents’ interpretation can be very different.
· Accept and seek to understand individual perspectives, traits and subsequent behaviours without being overly judgemental.
· Focus on solutions to help young footballers and athletes manage their emotions effectively.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes Related To The Youth Sport Experience
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Helpful Resources For Young Football and Soccer Players, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Frequently Asked Questions - Goalkeeping Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions - Football Psychology
Ep276: How To Help A Footballer Who Focuses Too Much On Other People
Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Today marks the start of an 8-episode series where David Charlton is joined by a colleague. Gerard Fitzgerald features in this episode, as well as the next 3 episodes. They go on to discuss a case study of a young female footballer, 11 years old with a pseudonym name called Carly who is a sensitive soul who worries too much about other people (team-mates specifically in this case).
We go on to normalise emotional sensitivity in young athletes, highlighting that it can be a strength if managed properly. We also talk about the challenges of emotional sensitivity where young athletes often face mental drain and self-doubt. David and Gerard then go on to share some advice for parents and coaches to manage emotionally sensitive players who can focus too much on their team-mates.
Key Learning Points:
· Explore ways to normalize the emotional experiences of young athletes and help them manage the mental demands of the sport.
· Develop strategies to shift the focus from negative self-criticism and comparison to a more positive, responsibility-based approach.
· The conversation explores how a neutral third party can provide a fresh perspective and help both parents and children understand each other better.
· Constant comparison to teammates can lead to self-doubt and criticism in young athletes and footballers.
· The discussion concludes with a reminder that the win-at-all-costs attitude can sometimes drive young athletes away from sport emphasising the need for fun and enjoyment.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes Related To The Youth Sport Experience
Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep141: David Charlton – How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Soccer and Football Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
After a short break from creating and broadcasting episodes of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, in episode #275, David discusses a change in format to the podcast for the rest of 2025. He also highlights the benefits of having a support system and the benefits of reading and acting on advice from The 12 Week Year, book written by Brian F Moran and Michael Lemmington.
Key Learning Points:
· Taking a break can revive our motivation and creativity similar to the power of periodisation in sport or strength training.
· The next episode will be published on Friday 04 April.
· An 8-week series of episodes focusing on the youth sport experience will follow.
· David’s Irish based colleagues Gerard Fitzgerald and Colm O’Donoghue will provide support for David in these episodes sharing their perspective.
· Challenges that youth athletes, sporting parents and youth coaches regularly come across will be a feature of our discussions.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes Related To The Youth Sport Experience
Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep141: David Charlton – How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Conversations With Kids Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
In this week’s episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast #274, we focus in on the control and challenge measures from Professor Peter Clough’s 4C’s model of Mental Toughness. David highlights how US tennis player Danielle Collins' managed fans heckling at the Australian Open to aid her performance. Insightful guests, Sport Psychologists, World Champion Athletes and Olympians also offer tips: where they focus on self-care for perfectionists, emphasise why getting clarity on your "why" is important, stressing present-moment awareness and a lot more.
Key Learning Points:
· Incorporate self-care practices, such as taking breaks from screens, doing breathwork, or a gratitude practice to aid your emotional control.
· Danielle Collins showed a degree of emotional control and a sense of humour to turn negative fan comments into motivation, rather than letting them affect her performance.
· Many driven athletes can take things too seriously impacting their emotional control and ability to challenge themself.
· Play the observation game to improve your awareness of behaviours that you carry out, focusing on your reactions, inadvertently the outcome can then be improved performance.
· To help children in sort, parents should lead with love and care, avoiding pointing out flaws, focusing on positive reinforcement.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help You Improve Your Control and Challenge Levels as Relayed in Episode 274
Ep172: Brandon Epstein – Working With Your Subconscious Mind To Achieve Better Results
Ep168: Andrew Simpson – How To Navigate Youth Sports So That Children Enjoy The Experience More
Ep162: Sun Sachs & Ed Gibbins: How to Find a Flow State to Improve Your Performance
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep083: Billy Schwer – Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer
Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Other Valuable Resources To Help You Improve Your Control and Challenge Levels
Challenge Podcasts
Bravery Podcasts
Emotional Control Podcasts
Emotional Control Blogs
Emotional Intelligence Blogs
Emotional Regulation Blogs
The "Demystifying Mental Toughness" podcast episode #273, hosted by David Charlton, features insights from various team sports coaches and athletes, on commitment and confidence. Key points include the importance of individual motivation in team sports, maintaining a balance in life, and the necessity of standing out in training and matches. Guests emphasize the need for authenticity and surrounding oneself with positive influences, as well as many other great points.
Key Learning Points:
· Prioritize your own performances and progress, saying no to activities that are incompatible with your development.
· A combination of confidence and commitment characteristics can lead to optimistic and challenging goal-setting.
· To overcome fear and procrastination you could chunk down, planning goals in small steps towards your larger goals.
· Cultivate a brave and determined mindset when it comes to goal-setting, where failure is not an option.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help You Improve Your Commitment and Confidence Levels as Relayed in Episode 273
Ep104: Seb De Chaves – The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep091: Jarrod Leathem - How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Ep077: Danny Thomas – Before, During and After Professional Football
Ep072 Tom Jones: Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Ep043: Jamie Forrester – Thriving in Professional Football
Ep029: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Ep018: Kieron Brady – From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Ep007: Toby Flood – How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Ep003: Peter Ramage – Developing a Premier League Mindset
Other Valuable Resources To Improve Your You Improve Your Commitment and Confidence Levels
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
Today’s podcast episode #272, focuses on helping coaches develop themselves and improve their relationships with their athletes, in turn, positively influencing performances. Many different guests from the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast emphasize the following points when considering self-improvement: sport coaches should be open-minded, focus on continuous learning and film themselves frequently. In developing their athletes: the importance of high support in coaching, understanding athletes have lives outside of sport, adapting their communication to athletes different learning styles and process-oriented coaching are also touched on, as well as a lot more.
Key Learning Points:
· Develop a psychosocial plan for your athletes/players and consider how to deliver it in a language they can understand and engage with.
· As a coach, start where you are, considering your skills and personality and look to make the environment better.
· When coaching focus on developing all aspects, including the psychological, biomechanical, technical and tactical, to help athletes fall in love with their role.
· When coaching film yourself regularly and review the footage to understand how you are interacting with athletes/players.
· Focus on the process, not just the outcome, and help athletes stay committed to the process, especially under pressure.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant Podcast Episodes To You Help You Become A Better Sport Coach as Relayed in Episode 272
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall – Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep209: Felix Lehmann – How To Create Better Decision Makers On The Football Pitch
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep165: Andy Elleray – How To Master the Mental Challenges Goalkeeping Throws at You
EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep096: Gary Curneen – Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls – How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep087: Carl Bell – From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Other Valuable Resources To Improve Your Level Of Sport Coaching
Podcasts for Sport Coach Development
Cricket Psychology Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Soccer Psychology Resources
Happy New Year! Why not make 2025 one of your best years to date? To do so if you focus some attention on improving your mental toughness by creating better routines and habits you can give yourself a great chance.
In this NEW episode, a number of our excellent guests offer many helpful and inspiring suggestions. Points of note relate to understanding the stories that you tell yourself about certain situations, events and abilities, how to find your passion and purpose, being authentic and true to yourself, considering who you surround yourself with and many more things.
Key Learning Points:
· Reflect on your own narrative and find ways to make it more empowering.
· Create a real and imaginary "board of directors" of mentors and inspirational figures to provide guidance.
· Identify your routines and habits, how you spend your time, and make relevant adjustments.
· Embrace fear and use it as a tool for growth.
· Identify and manage your character traits that can hold you back.
· Prioritise personal development and spend time working on yourself.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Improve Your Mental Toughness as Relayed in Episode 271
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep028: Peter Clough MBE – Why is Mental Toughness Important?
Ep035: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep068: Andrew Nicholson – How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep098: Jon Bartlett – Do You Know Your Why?
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep213: Sandro Forte – How To Set Yourself Up For Success In 2024?
Ep250: Ruth Chiles and Alessia Bruno Optimising Your Potential By Understanding Your Nervous System Better
Other Valuable Resources To Improve Your Mental Toughness
Resilience in Sport Blogs
Resilience in Sport Podcasts
Mental Toughness in Sport Podcasts
Mental Toughness in Sport Blogs
In today’s podcast episode #270, many of our fabulous guests share some tips so that you can build your mental fortitude and consistently perform well in 2025. Key points relate to rest, recovery and well-being where they identify; managing fatigue, nasal breathing, the importance of rest days, nutrition, hydration, cold water and much more to ensure you attack the new year. If you’re looking to get into good habits and maintain optimal well-being and performance this podcast episode is a must to listen to.
Key Learning Points:
· Identify the types of fatigue that you are susceptible to and develop a plan to address it.
· Keep a training diary to track how you are feeling day-to-day.
· Ensure you are taking regular rest days and incorporating activities to nurture your well-being.
· The importance of staying hydrated cannot be understated.
· Incorporate cold exposure, such as cold showers, to aid recovery.
· Circadian rhythms and the importance of sleep for growth and regeneration should be factored in.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Build Your Mental Fortitude as Relayed in Episode 270
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep046: Kate Mackay – Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep210: Anna Parker-Naples - Why Breathwork is so Powerful - Sports Psychology
Ep214: Ellen McDermott – How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley – How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Other Valuable Resources To Build Your Mental Fortitude
Resilience in Sport Blogs
Resilience in Sport Podcasts
Mental Toughness in Sport Podcasts
Confidence in Sport Blogs
Mental Health Blogs
In episode #269 David addresses the question, “What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist” for the final time as this episode marks the end of an 8 part series. This time he focuses on the following statements “Performance Enhancement: The sports psychologist will help you identify and overcome mental barriers that may be hindering your performance” and “Feedback and Reflection: Expect regular discussions about your progress, experiences in training or competition, and adjustments to your mental training plan.”
David highlights that a high percentage of athletes who contact sports psychologists are reactive often acting on emotion seeking to deal with challenges they are going through. Whilst proactive clients, especially top performing elite athletes, contact sports psychologists when they are in a good place, seeking continuous improvement and looking to embrace a marginal gains approach. He concludes by encouraging listeners to reflect on their 2024 achievements, failures, and lessons learned, offering a blog post with additional questions for self-analysis so that you can make 2025 a great year.
Key Learning Points
- One typical challenge athletes bring to sports psychologists, link to not performing at the level that they train at, which can be caused by the need for social approval, perfectionist tendencies, questionable culture and processes at a club or organisation, with fear then kicking in for the athlete.
- Sharing surprising statistics about elite athletes such as Harry Kane’s goal scoring success rate and Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross accuracy can help perfectionists recognise how many times elite performers do actually miss or fail, forcing athletes to revisit their own expectations.
- He shares a case study of a proactive top cricketer who used detailed performance profiling to benchmark and measure progress, therefore challenging them to get out of their comfort zone.
- A skill of a sports psychologist is to ask athletes great questions so that they go on to assess how they can continually strive to improve their methods and performance levels.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Performances Next Year
Ep264: David Charlton - How to Enhance Focus, Motivation and Confidence
Ep260: David Charlton - What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist
Ep144: Jon Watkins – Mental Strength: What You Can Learn About Resilience From The Special Forces
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep086: David Charlton – Observations: How to Learn from Setbacks
Relevant Blogs and Resources To Help You Make Next Year a Great Year
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: What Did You Learn From Last Year?
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including VALUES LIST
David Charlton, Sport Psychologist: Why I Do What I Do
In today’s episode David explores the importance of confidentiality when working as a Sport Psychologist when supporting clients. He discusses how various environments, such as cafes, public spaces, and formal meeting rooms, can impact a client's comfort and confidentiality. He also emphasizes the need for tailored settings, considering factors like social anxiety, neurodiversity, and the client's familiarity with the space. The episode also covers the ethical considerations in working with athletes, including transparency with coaches, the involvement of parents with young clients, and the use of well-known names. David underlines the significance of confidentiality in building trust and facilitating effective behaviour change development.
Key Learning Points:
· Reminding yourself who is your client when you work as a Sport Psychologist is important especially in organisational settings or when supporting children.
· Obtain written consent when using well-known names or client reviews for marketing purposes.
· Establish clear processes when working with clients in an organisational setting.
· When training to become a fully accredited sports psychologist the importance of maintaining ethical practices is covered in depth.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Understanding of Sports Psychology
Ep260: David Charlton - What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall - Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help Your Understanding of Sports Psychology
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: How to Stay Calm as a Coach in Big Matches
Blog: 5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
In episode #267 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David discusses the role of a Sport Psychologist in helping coaches manage anxiety. He differentiates between state anxiety, which occurs in specific situations, and trait anxiety, a personality trait influenced by factors such as childhood, genetics, trauma and environment.
David goes on to share to insights to aid the understanding of coaches on the topic, with some solutions discussed too.
Key Learning Points:
· State anxiety can be managed through understanding triggers and subsequent thoughts, and behaviours.
· Trait anxiety may require referrals to clinical or counselling psychologists.
· Understanding and managing bodily experiences of anxiety, such as heart racing and tension, can help coaches navigate their emotions better.
· Techniques associated with Self-Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness can help coaches stay present and manage their anxieties better.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Coaching Methods
Ep266: David Charlton - How to Help Sports Coaches Cope With Pressure and Stress Better
Ep265: David Charlton - How to Help Sports Coaches Self Regulate Their Emotions
Ep260: David Charlton - What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall - Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Improve Coaching Methods
Stress, Appraisal, and Coping Book : Lazarus PhD, Richard S., Susan Folkman PhD
Online Course for Sports Coaches developed by Professor Sophia Jowett – Empowering the athlete: The coach-athlete partnership
Anxiety and panic attacks - Mind
The Mental Edge - Enhancing Coach-Athlete Relations
Blog: How to Stay Calm as a Coach in Big Matches
Blog: Helping Confident Coaches Progress
Today David considers the statement: “Coping strategies: You’ll develop tools to manage pressure and stress” where he focuses on supporting coaches to improve themselves, and in turn, improve their athletes. This is a continuation of his examination into ChatGPT and its response to the question “What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist.”
David shares many insightful thoughts about the topic to be able to support coaches. With some great questions for coaches to ask themselves.
Key Learning Points:
- How do you want your athletes to behave around your club?
- Do you as a coach help your athletes mind and body to work in harmony?
- How can you activate your parasympathetic nervous system more to influence your athletes?
- Coach pressures come from managing athletes, senior management, coaching colleagues, sport science staff and parents goals, expectations and personalities and much more.
- Fear can play a big part and influence coaches; fear of failure, fear of judgement, fear of pain, fear of regret and fear of rejection.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Coaching Methods
Ep265: David Charlton - How to Help Sports Coaches Self Regulate Their Emotions
Ep264: David Charlton- How to Enhance Focus, Motivation and Confidence
Ep260: David Charlton - What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall - Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Improve Coaching Methods
Stress, Appraisal, and Coping Book : Lazarus PhD, Richard S., Susan Folkman PhD
Online Course for Sports Coaches developed by Professor Sophia Jowett – Empowering the athlete: The coach-athlete partnership
The Mental Edge - Enhancing Coach-Athlete Relations
Blog: How to Stay Calm as a Coach in Big Matches
Blog: Helping Confident Coaches Progress
Professor Sophia Jowett’s has conducted a lot of research into understanding the interpersonal dynamics between coaches and athletes and is instrumental in raising awareness and changing attitudes around the reciprocity of the relationship and the importance of relational qualities including mutual trust, respect, appreciation, commitment, loyalty, co-operation and collaboration.
In today’s episode, part 4 of David’s investigation into ChatGPT’s and its response to the question “What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist” he goes on to discuss supporting a coach who receives negative feedback from athletes or players. The aim is to aid your understanding of applying psychological skills training (PST) techniques such as self- talk, relaxation and visualisation to improve the quality of the coach-athlete relationship, and in turn, positively impact both coaches’ and athletes’ performance and wellbeing. There are connections between the points discussed and Jowett’s work. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Coaches can benefit from being supported by Sport Psychologists too, not just athletes.
- As a coach understanding your own emotions and why they occur can benefit your relationships with athletes or players.
- When you experience negative emotions as a coach does your self-talk become judgemental?
- Instructional self-talk can benefit coaches to manage situations better.
- Allowing your self some space to breathe as a coach is useful and can help your behaviour management, as can improving your visualisation skills.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Understanding of Sports Psychology
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep180: David Charlton – How To Work With Team Units To Improve Culture In Teams
Ep209: Felix Lehmann – How To Create Better Decision Makers On The Football Pitch
Ep249: Dr Edward Hall - Understanding Workplace Collaboration In Coaching In Team Sports
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Improve Coach Athlete Relationships
Online Course for Sports Coaches developed by Professor Sophia Jowett – Empowering the athlete: The coach-athlete partnership
The Mental Edge - Enhancing Coach-Athlete Relations
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: How to Stay Calm as a Coach in Big Matches
Blog: Helping Confident Coaches Progress
Ensuring that your focus is placed on helpful things, that you stay motivated during difficult times and that your confidence levels remain steady and intact even when you lose form are seen as vitally important components being a top class athlete.
In today’s episode, part 3 of David’s investigation into ChatGPT’s and its response to the question “What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist” he goes on to share with you some helpful tools that you can help athletes in this context.
Key Learning Points:
- Enhancing focus is a skill that can be developed by understanding aspects that are out of your control and to be able to shift your attention purposefully on helpful things/processes that are within your control.
- A great question to aid your motivation is to go back to the question from time to time – Why do I play my sport?
- To maintain steady levels of confidence, recognising where you gain confidence from is key.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Understanding of Sports Psychology
Ep261: David Charlton - Why Are The Sporting Goals That You Set Yourself Not Helping You
Ep260 - David Charlton - What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist
Ep160: Brian Hemmings – Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You
Ep146: John Nassoori – What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Enhance Focus, Motivation and Confidence
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Performance Profile for Long Term Goals
Performance Profiling: When You’re Looking For A Quick Boost
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
Welcome to episode #263 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast. This week’s episode features lessons from the world of business and entrepreneurship as well as the military. Psychological well-being, mental health, mental fitness and self care are key topics that are highlighted.
Enjoy!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Other Valuable Resources
Sports Psychology Case Studies
Resilience in Sport Blogs
Performance Anxiety Blogs
Communication Skills Blogs
Mental Health Blogs
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 263
- Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?
- Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
- Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
- Ep132: Kevin Stansfield – How Lessons from Golf can help with Game of Business
- Ep133: Christina Flach – Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
- EP138: Nick Littlehales - Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
- Ep139: Steve Beharall – Steve Beharall’s Journey from Football Coach to CEO
- Ep143: Lesley Thomas - How Your Money Mindset Influences Your Behaviour
- Ep114: Tim Bradshaw – Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
- Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
- Ep144: Jon Watkins - Mental Strength: What You Can Learn About Resilience From The Special Forces
In episode #262 of Demystifying Mental Toughness due to unforeseen circumstances David includes a large number of inspiring take home messages from guests that originated in episode 100 of the podcast. The takeaways that you will hear relate to the development of mental toughness, how you can deal better with stress and adversity. Coping with trauma and mental health challenges are also key features. Enjoy!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 262
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk - The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep028: Peter Clough MBE - Why is Mental Toughness Important?
Ep035: Dr John Perry - Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep011: Dave Algeo – Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep098: Jon Bartlett - Do You Know Your Why?
Ep046: Kate Mackay – Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty - ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep022: Robbie Thompson – How to Feel More Confident
Ep019: Paul Smith – 5000 Consecutive Days Running and Counting
Ep048: Natalie Hurdley – How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlift
In part 2 of David’s exploration surrounding ChatGPT’s and its response to the question What Can I Expect When Working With A Sport Psychologist, David explores the complexities of goal setting.
ChatGPT suggests setting SMART goals for performance and psychological well-being are part of working with a Sports Psychologist, which he is in agreement with. However, David points out that not all Sports Psychology practitioners are comfortable addressing psychological well-being. He goes on to emphasize the importance of goal ownership, discuss athlete’s tendencies to set goals, and the distinction between outcome, performance, and process goals as well as a lot more.
Key Learning Points:
- Goals are more powerful when they align with your personal core values.
- Management of the number of goals you set is important to avoid overwhelm.
- Tools such as the MTQ Plus (Mental Toughness Questionnaire) can assist Sports Psychologists and Coaches to recognise if athletes naturally set goals or not.
- An athlete who sets goals and an athlete who doesn’t set goals should be supported differently.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Understanding of Goal Setting
Ep217: Chris Cook - How A Marginal Gains Approach Can Help You Perform Better
Ep213: Sandro Forte – How To Set Yourself Up For Success In 2024?
Ep134: David Charlton – Observations: 3 Things That Stop You Achieving Your Goals
Ep098: Jon Bartlett – Do You Know Your Why?
Ep021: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Set Better Goals
Blog: How to Find Your Why
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: What Did You Learn From Last Year?
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including VALUES LIST
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Today David starts the first of a series of episodes where he looks into ChatGPT’s explanations about the field of sport psychology and adds further detail to help inform you.
ChatGPT states “working with a sport psychologist can offer a range of benefits and experiences. Here’s what you might expect: 1. Assessment - Initial sessions often involve assessments to understand your mental skills, strengths, and areas for improvement.” David goes on to add the following points to this explanation.
Key Learning Points:
- When assessing a client needs it is important to consider a range of factors.
- One tool David uses is the Sport-Clinical Intake Protocol (SCIP) which helps practitioners gain extensive information about the client's life within and outside of their sport.
- Factors that it takes into account include (1) the presenting problem, (2) life and athletic history, (3) social support, (4) health status, (5) important life events, (6) changes prior to the onset of the presenting problem, and (7) details of the presenting problem.
- David explains that quick fixes are not his preferred method and that to creating lasting change multiple sessions are required, varying in length and format depending on the client's needs and the sport.
- He also highlights the importance of context and the flexibility required when working in team settings, such as football, cricket or rugby clubs, where interactions can be brief and informal on occasions.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Sports Psychology Knowledge
Ep253: David Charlton - You MUST get up at 4am to be a SUCCESS
Ep219: Brian Hemmings – Golfers: How To Improve Your Putting With A Quiet Eye Approach #BITESIZE
Ep169: Professor Adam Nicholls – How To Perform Under Pressure Close To Your Best #BITESIZE
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Understand More About Sports Psychology
Blog: Motivation vs Commitment | There is a big difference
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Helpful Sports Psychology Resources That Can Help You Improve Your Approach
Driscolls Model of Reflection
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Performance Profile for Long Term Goals
Performance Profiling: When You’re Looking For A Quick Boost
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
In episode 259 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David discusses why thinking that you must feel confident to perform well is unhelpful. He uses getting in an ice bath as an analogy to illustrate the mindset of athletes who believe they must feel confident to perform well. He argues that this belief is unrealistic due to the unpredictable nature of sports. David references Novak Djokovic's admission of getting ahead of himself, highlighting that even top athletes experience doubts. He emphasizes that emotions fluctuate, and athletes often have negative thoughts, with 80% of our daily thoughts being negative. David concludes that acceptance of varying emotions and performance is crucial, as athletes can still excel despite feeling anxious or tired.
Key Learning Points:
- Athletes have a tendency to draw on past experiences of feeling confident to predict future success.
- The average person has around 70,000-80,000 thoughts per day, with about 80% of them being negative, making it unrealistic to think positive all of the time.
- How many times have you played well after a poor warm up or following a disappointing last performance.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Confidence
Ep251: David Charlton - How To View Big Events As A Challenge
Ep248: Trevor Jones - Embracing Fear And The Dreaded Yips
Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf
Ep110: Dan Steele – How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Relevant Resources To Help You Improve Your Confidence
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
A common goal when supporting attacking football or soccer players, is overcoming mental blocks when dribbling with the ball in football. This is the topic David discusses in this week’s Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast. He goes on to share’s 3 tips to help attacking players overcome such issues with anxiety and confidence, tension, and the tendency to play it safe.
Key Learning Points:
- Elite Professional footballers are not immune to mental blocks.
- Keeping a journal, noting down positive moments on the ball, how you think, feel and act can help you recreate the movements in your mind.
- Use your time online wisely, study the best dribblers such as Messi and Neymar and practice these skills to build muscle memory.
- Visualise yourself ahead of matches and training to mentally prepare yourself for different situations to reduce the fear of failure.
- Childlike feelings that link to playfulness and fun when playing can benefit you.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Football and soccer blogs to browse:
- Football Psychology Tips: Where Do You Place Your Attention?
- Why Football Can Improve The Mental Toughness Of Your Children?
- Sports Coach Psychology Tips: How to Stay Calm as a Coach in Big Matches
- Soccer Psychology Tips: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
- 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Football and soccer podcasts to listen to:
- How To Help Footballers Ensure That They Keep Their Foot On The Pedal When Their Team Is Winning
- How To Help Footballers Play To Their Optimum In Big Matches
- How To Help Footballers Manage Their Expectations
- How To Help Footballers Who Struggle With Fear Of Failure
- How To Help Footballers Who Put Too Much Pressure On Themselves
In episode 257 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David discusses pre-shot routines in sport. With an emphasis on golf, and the importance of a personalised routine to enhance performance. Key elements include the decision making process, assessing one's state of mind, taking practice swings in a purposeful way, visualizing the shot, focusing on the target, focusing your attention ahead of execution and the use of trigger words.
Key Learning Points:
- Write down key steps of your personal pre-shot routine to improve your understanding.
- Routines need practice and rehearsal if you are going to take them into competitive environments successfully.
- Using trigger words that direct your attention towards timing can be beneficial like "smooth swing", "commit" or “trust” to enhance focus.
- As humans we can get comfortable quickly therefore adjusting your approach from time to time is important to guard against complacency and to improve focus
- The approach discussed is applicable to various sports, not just golf.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Golf Related Podcasts
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep101: Compilation – 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep118: Dr Bob Winters – How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges
To Listen to Other Podcasts to Help You Improve Your Decision Making
Ep254: David Charlton - How Can I Perform Better More Consistently?
Ep250: Ruth Chiles and Alessia Bruno – Optimising Your Potential By Understanding Your Nervous System Better
Ep210: Anna Parker-Naples – Why Breathwork is so Powerful
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help Your Judgement
Blog: Motivation vs Commitment | There is a big difference
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Helpful Resources To Help Your Decision Making
Driscolls Model of Reflection
Performance Profiling: When You’re Looking For A Quick Boost
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
In this podcast episode, David focuses on the emotional control aspect of mental toughness. Where he discusses the emotional states that children may experience before and during competitions and matches. He shares a personal story about his son's first competitive league football match, highlighting the typical nervousness and arousal levels children and parents experience.
David also emphasises the fact children have an immature brain and draws on psychological research which highlights the need for parents and coaches to adopt a calm, patient and supportive approach, recognising they act as a role model and that children easily pick up on their behaviours and reactions.
Key Learning Points:
- It’s important for parents, parent-coaches and coaches to reflect and recognise the emotional state and arousal levels their children and players experience before and during competitive events and matches, as well as their own levels of arousal and how this can impact their children and players.
- It’s possible to consider ways to make the experience calmer for children, listening to their needs and wishes before and during competitions and matches.
- For some children, allowing them to use electronic devices, bringing a comfort item in the car, or avoiding discussions about their sport can be useful ideas.
- Arguably, focusing on highlighting your child's strengths and positive experiences when providing advice or support is more beneficial before and during a match, than overwhelming them with too much information, especially negatives.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help Children In Sport
Ep250: Ruth Chiles and Alessia Bruno - Optimising Your Potential By Understanding Your Nervous System Better
Ep176: Prof Camilla Knight - How To Help Enhance The Psychological Wellbeing Of Children In Sport #BITESIZE
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Blogs And Case Studies To Support Children In Sport
Blog 3 Tips to Help Children Enjoy Their Sport
Blog: Pre Match Tips for Parents
Blog: How does Counselling work in Professional Sport?
Blog: 5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
Case Study: How to Cope with Performance Anxiety in Gymnastics
Case Study: Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome His Fears
Relevant Resources in Supporting Sporting Children
Sports Psychology Resources for Youth Sport (Blogs, Podcasts, Video's)
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Child and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Parent Motivation for Sport Quiz
In episode 255 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David discusses the fear of rejection, particularly in the context of how it can hinder sport performance. He shares personal experiences of overcoming this fear, emphasizing its prevalence in sports and life. David offers three tips to manage the fear of rejection; 1) viewing it as part of the game, 2) practicing self-compassion, and 3) recognizing that rejection does not define your identity.
Key Learning Points:
- The fear of rejection can link to a fear of being rejected by new teammates, a fear of being rejected by a coach (being dropped, substituted, criticised, asked to play a different position or released)
- With rejection come difficult and uncomfortable emotions that people experience.
- Fear of rejection can manifest itself physically in our body and is different for everybody.
- It can mess with our decision making, rhythm and motor skills.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Overcome Fear
Ep252: David Charlton - Helping Out Of Contract Professional Footballers
Ep248: Trevor Jones - Embracing Fear And The Dreaded Yips
Ep250: Ruth Chiles and Alessia Bruno - Optimising Your Potential By Understanding Your Nervous System Better
Ep210: Anna Parker-Naples – Why Breathwork is so Powerful
Ep207: Nicole Posner - And Breathe: How To Prevent, Manage and Master Difficult Conversations
Relevant Resources to Help You Overcome Fear
Blog: 3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes
Blog: 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
The Mental Edge – How to Assert Yourself so That Other People Don’t Throw You Off Your Game
The Mental Edge – How to Improve The Skills of Team Captains
Do you welcome challenges and see them as an opportunity to learn? Or do you rarely adapt your routines and fall into the trap of making the same mistakes?
In order to make performance break throughs or simply perform at a more consistent level it’s important to see yourself as a “learner.” To look in the mirror and assess the decisions that you are making. To do so working on your mental game and seeking the support of a well qualified Sport Psychologist can hugely help you.
Key Learning Points:
- When evaluating your performances looking at things holistically, considering all angles (technical, tactical, social, lifestyle, physical and psychological) is essential.
- The psychological side underpins all of the decisions that we make in each area.
- How important is the psychological side for you to perform better, more consistently?
- People often don’t work with a Sport Psychologist because they get comfortable working in certain ways, fear of the unknown or a lack of education on how we can help.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Perform Better
Ep253: David Charlton - You MUST get up at 4am to be a SUCCESS
Ep250: Ruth Chiles and Alessia Bruno - Optimising Your Potential By Understanding Your Nervous System Better
Ep214: Ellen McDermott – How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep213: Sandro Forte – How To Set Yourself Up For Success In 2024?
Ep210: Anna Parker-Naples – Why Breathwork is so Powerful
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Perform Better
Blog: Motivation vs Commitment | There is a big difference
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Helpful Resources To Help You Perform Better
Driscolls Model of Reflection
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Performance Profile for Long Term Goals
Performance Profiling: When You’re Looking For A Quick Boost
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
If you were to get up at 4am every morning, never had a day off and dedicated your life to one cause or goal would you be fully effective?
David Charlton goes on to discuss how working hard means different things to different people. How overworking can equal poor decision making. He goes on to share the importance of self-care and being proactive about taking breaks to help people maintain perspective.
Key Learning Points:
- Commitment is a big factor in being mentally tough though has its downsides.
- Motivational quotes, short videos and reels created by influencers can be very unhelpful and can be taken out of context by some people lessening their chances of reaching their goals.
- As a sport psychologist you can be equally effective supporting athletes and coaches working in their sporting environment as you can away from it.
- If you’d like to take David up on the offer of hiking a hill in the Lake District and discussing how you can improve your chances of success feel free to email info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Be More Successful in the Long Term
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep214: Ellen McDermott - How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley - How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Succeed
Blog: Motivation vs Commitment | There is a big difference
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Helpful Resources To Help You Be Successful
Driscolls Model of Reflection
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Performance Profile for Long Term Goals
Performance Profiling: When You’re Looking For A Quick Boost
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
You MUST get up at 4am to be a SUCCESS
David Charlton
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Inspiring Sporting Excellence Ltd
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/demystifying-mental-toughness-podcast/
https://demystifyingmentaltoughness.libsyn.com/rss
David Charlton discusses the psychological impact on professional footballers who are out of contract, a common issue in the summer months. These players face financial and emotional uncertainty, often without support from their former clubs. The loss of identity and routine can lead to a grief cycle, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. David emphasises how a Sports Psychologist can help professional footballers in these circumstances setting new goals, processing difficult emotions and providing a listening ear.
Key Learning Points:
- Self-esteem and self-confidence can be impacted greatly when professional footballers are released.
- Often players are treated poorly by clubs and communication is lacking.
- In such situations it’s often the case that mental toughness is developed through experience.
- The grief cycle is similar to an emotional rollercoaster that many professional football players experience with no set pattern.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
The Olympics in Paris has recently finished and produced some remarkable performances from many different athletes. Yet for some this Olympics was underwhelming where they may have come away with many “what if” thoughts. In today’s short solo episode I discuss preparation for big events like the Olympics and the importance of a challenge mindset for you to perform well.
Key Learning Points:
- Adopting a threat mindset will ensure that it is much harder for athletes to succeed in big events.
- A threat mindset is when fear of failure, fear of not being perfect or fear of success can interrupt an athlete’s flow.
- Mental preparation is key, where athletes should plan ahead and get clear on how they can help themselves get their mind and body ready to compete in the hours, days and weeks building up to big events or matches.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Olympics Related Podcasts To Help You Perform At Your Best
Ep110: Dan Steele - How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Prepare Well
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep214: Ellen McDermott - How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley - How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Prepare for Big Events Better
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
In today’s episode I welcomed Ruth Chiles and Dr Alessia Bruno back on the show, where they discuss helping individuals achieve their hidden potential. They do by using brainspotting, a powerful approach that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms.
In our conversation we go on to chat about secure early attachment and its impact on brain development, intergenerational transmission of traits and how it relates to performance issues, emotional regulation is widely talked about too and how you can incorporate awareness of your nervous system through focused exercises and routines. The challenges of pressure and perfectionism with athletes and performers were touched on too, with a focus on the importance of trust, creativity, and joy in what we choose to take part in.
Key Learning Points
- Parents' emotional regulation impacts children's brain development.
- Parents' legacy of trauma is passed down to child through their nervous system.
- Attachment and attunement are crucial for performance, as underlying issues can impact current trauma and developmental trauma.
- Child's brain development is discussed, including prefrontal cortex and autonomic nervous system.
- Coaches can help athletes by teaching them techniques to be present in their body during training and competitive events.
- Coaches should prioritize supporting and developing individuals, not just focusing on the performer or athlete.
Connect with Alessia Bruno and Ruth Chiles
Alessia Bruno Website
Ruth Chiles Website
Ruth Chiles on YouTube
The Flow Model Program
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help You Optimise Your Potential
Ep012: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Ep170: David Charlton - How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach
Relevant Blogs To Help You Reach Your Potential
Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent
Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Overcoming Perfectionism Blogs
Optimising Your Potential Blogs
Today’s conversation revolves around the challenges of collaboration in coaching in team sports. Where Assistant Professor Dr Edward Hall and I discuss research and practical applications. Points that we touch on include coaches' relationships, preparation and planning in order to foster a culture of trust, loyalty, and accountability.
Key Learning Points:
Winning is hugely important in a high performance context and is a huge driver when designing training sessions and creating key performance indicators.
There is a huge need for coaches to work together collectively to achieve organisational goals, parking their own ego’s and motivations.
Coaches can fear competition, limited job opportunities, job safety and short-term contracts, which go on to lead in Machiavellian behaviours.
Preparation is key to collective work, with a cyclical approach to planning and preparation helpful.
Sport coaches should be careful, prudent, and honest in their deliberations before and after practice to maximize athlete engagement and performance.
Connect with Edward Hall
Edward Hall @ Northumbria University
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Podcasts To Help Sport Coaches
Ep248: David Charlton Gets Grilled By Tom Jones
Ep227: David Charlton - How To Improve Football Coaches And Player Relationships
Ep224: Aaron Walsh - How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure
Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls – How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Relevant Helpful Resources To Improve Sport Coaches
Self Determination Theory Website with Deci And Ryan
Task-Oriented vs People-Oriented Leadership Styles: Characteristics, Advantages and Disadvantages
Blog – Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
The “yips” is a word that strikes fear into many golfers, cricketers, darts players and many other performers. With the yips, comes huge emotional and physiological responses. Lack of enjoyment, and often thoughts about and decisions to quit your chosen sport or pastime. It doesn’t have to be that way however as Trevor Jones a PGA Professional Golf Coach and Mental Performance Coach and I discuss in this episode. We go on to talk about leaning into your fears, embracing discomfort, Acceptance Commitment Therapy or Training (ACT) and mindfulness to help golfers and performers.
Key Learning Points:
- The yips is a significant problem which can escape into other areas of your sport and life.
- The practice of "dropping anchor" remaining still for extended periods can help you remain present.
- Consider what values would make enduring discomfort worthwhile as motivation to regularly practice exercises of this type.
- Explore ways of incorporating mindfulness techniques into other areas of your life to build mental flexibility.
- The still lake exercise is a helpful technique to find flow.
Connect with Trevor Jones
Watch Professor Steven C Hayes discussing performance psychology from an ACT perspective with Trevor Jones
Website | Aware Performance Group LLC
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen To Golf or Yips Related Podcast Episodes To Help You
Ep012: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep156: Ruth Chiles - There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
In today’s episode, I chat with Tom Jones, the founder of Cricket Coach 365 and the University of Manchester Men’s Cricket First Team Coach. Tom goes on to ask me many questions about mental toughness, the role of the environment, how we can help cricketers play to the best of their ability more often and a whole lot more. By listening to this episode you’ll learn more about how I work as a Sports Psychologist, and my thoughts on how cricket coaches can better support their players.
Key Learning Points:
- As a coaches seek to understand your players have environmental preferences that help or hinder their focus and concentration.
- Music can be a positive warm up tool for some cricketers however individual needs should be respected.
- Coaches should tread with caution when you mention the words “YOU MUST WORK HARD.”
- All players are coachable despite what many people assume.
- Playing and coaching cricket is awash with changing emotions that can have a huge influence on decision making.
Connect with Tom Jones
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Relevant podcasts with a focus in cricket
Ep072: Tom Jones – Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Ep091: Jarrod Leathem – How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Ep221: Jeremy Snape – How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On #BITESIZE
For More Resources for Cricketers
Blog - Make Bowling Simple by Avoiding these 3 Common Mental Game Errors
Blog - Being an Intelligent Batsman can be a Problem
Blog - Batting with a Quiet Mind
Emma Raducanu is a great example of someone whose career was on an upward trajectory, after winning the US Open tennis championship in 2021, aged 18 years old. Since then, her career has been dogged with setbacks and challenges. At Wimbledon this year it was nice to see her perform near to her potential reaching the last 16. Without knowing the detail of what has happened in Emma’s world since her big breakthrough I discuss as a Sport Psychologist the types things we may look at to help athletes such as Emma to rekindle their love for the sport and navigate the challenges that inevitably occur. You’ll note in the episode people are complex and supporting athletes in this way can be multifaceted with their unique experiences, personality, environmental preferences, support network and culture of the sport shaping our support.
Key Learning Points:
- When success arrives an athlete’s personal identity can shift a great deal.
- High and rigid expectations can cause athletes challenges as they come to terms with success.
- Self-esteem and mental health challenges can occur for some athletes when they don’t perform to the standards that they expect of themselves.
- Sports psychologist often use counselling style approaches to help athletes process difficult experiences and emotions associated with them.
- Clean language is a helpful too for practitioners to use during this process.
- Shifting expectations and talk of outcomes to small process goals can be beneficial for athletes to stay grounded and remain present.
- Visualisation can be a useful tool in rekindling thoughts and feelings associated with being in love with your sport.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Related resources to help you navigate the challenges that sport provides.
Podcast Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Podcast Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Podcast Ep186: David Charlton – Intrinsic or Extrinsic Goals: Do You Set Goals That Harm Your Performances?
Blog: Are you Motivated or Committed
Blog: Developing your Mental Game in your Downtime
Blog: How to Set Goals for Netball Success
During the Wimbledon tennis tournament this week there will many players who are faced with great opportunities to win matches yet will struggle to close out victory. Future thoughts will fill their head about the draw in the next round or the importance of the next point. Their attention may also flit into the past where they replay key points from other matches that they have played that didn’t go their way.
In today’s episode I talk about fear of success, a common challenge not only for tennis players but for cricketers, footballers, golfers and many other athletes. I go on to share some strategies that can help you.
Key Learning Points:
- Future thoughts about success take you away from the present moment or “The zone”.
- Thinking about past events or predicting the future is OK, it proves that you are human.
- The key is recognising your thoughts and accepting them, not allowing them to consume you so that you end up in “judgement mode”.
- Judgement mode can see athletes get caught out reading too much into their thoughts.
- Negative thoughts about past situations and thoughts where you try to predict the future can easily turn into tension and naturally rhythm and timing disappears.
- Even top athletes like Djokovic don’t remain present all of the time, however they have great processes and routines to overcome such situations.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Related Resources to help you manage your emotions better
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Podcast Ep 081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Mental Edge - How You Can Learn Ways To Perform Better Under Pressure
Mental Edge - How To Cope Better With Pressure When You Execute Your Skills
Blog: Do You Overthink When You Compete?
Blog: 3 Ways to use Visualisation so that You are Mentally Prepared to Win
Currently the European Football Championships are taking place and there has been a lot of talk in the media and with fans about some of England’s footballers playing out of position. With many venting their frustration!
In today’s episode I offer my thoughts as a sport psychologist on the challenges of playing out of position as a player, I talk about the relationship with elements of mental toughness such as confidence in ability, interpersonal confidence, risk orientation and emotional control. I also go on to offer some ideas for players to consider when they are placed in this situation and for coaches to think about when selecting certain players to play in unfamiliar roles. It’s not straightforward for some players as you’ll hear in this episode when I talk about the complexities to consider!
Key Learning Points:
- The football or soccer player who is confident in their ability will react to situations without hesitation, seeing and having a feeling of what they wish to do and then executing accordingly.
- When playing out of position learning new ways of playing, being faced with new situations, different opponents, areas of the pitch you aren’t used to playing equals more conscious thoughts are required impacting on how instinctive players will be.
- Some people are more prone to take risks as part of their personality some are more likely to play things safe, this should be factored in when considering whether someone is likely to succeed when playing out of position.
- Emotional control is a characteristic that comes naturally to some people and can aid performance, however it can also be difficult for coaches to fully understand you as a player if you fall into this category and are good at hiding your feelings and emotions.
- Interpersonal confidence can play a part in the coach-player relationship impacting how well the coach can help players integrate into new positions.
- As a footballer, when playing new positions - do you say to yourself in situations; “I can”, “This is easy”, “I love playing …” or is it more of a challenge where you say to yourself “this is a struggle”, “I can’t do…”, “I want to do … but”, “I need to be doing… but”
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Football and soccer blogs to browse:
- Football Psychology Tips: Where Do You Place Your Attention?
- Why Football Can Improve The Mental Toughness Of Your Children?
- Sports Coach Psychology Tips: How to Stay Calm as a Coach in Big Matches
- Soccer Psychology Tips: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
- 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Football and soccer podcasts to listen to:
- How To Help Footballers Ensure That They Keep Their Foot On The Pedal When Their Team Is Winning
- How To Help Footballers Play To Their Optimum In Big Matches
- How To Help Footballers Manage Their Expectations
- How To Help Footballers Who Struggle With Fear Of Failure
- How To Help Footballers Who Put Too Much Pressure On Themselves
On Sunday June 16th at Pinehurst Golf Course in North Carolina, Rory McIlroy had a great opportunity to win the US Open and break his 10 year major trophy drought. Sadly, it didn’t happen for him and two missed short putts on holes 16 and 18 in the final round cost him the win. Bryson DeChambeau went on to be the victor.
In today’s episode I offer my thoughts as a sport psychologist on Rory’s misfortunate and share some ideas on how I would help him win the British Open at Royal Troon in one month’s time.
Key Learning Points:
- When we’re under pressure it’s normal to feel uncomfortable.
- Feeling uncomfortable can mean different things to different people, for some it means butterflies in the stomach and for others it means an overactive imagination.
- Trying to get to the point of feeling confident is over-rated and unrealistic in some situations.
- Helping Rory get comfortable being uncomfortable would be something that I would train.
- Mindfulness is a skill that can be developed that can help athletes manage their arousal levels.
- Pro-active visualisation, pre-empting difficult situations, shots and emotions at Royal Troon would be something that I would advise.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Golf Related Podcasts To Help You Manage Your Emotions
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep101: Compilation – 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep167: Karl Morris - How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE
Ep241: Dr Bob Winters - How To Cultivate A Limitless Mindset #BITESIZE
For More Golf Related Resources so You Can Deal With Pressure Better
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
We’re now 4 years on since the creation of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast therefore David Charlton the host of the podcast made the decision to go back to basics and share an important message busting a myth that exists, that resilience and mental toughness are the same concepts.
Today, we go back to the very start of the podcast, where well respected pioneer in the field, Doug Strycharczyk, shares his insights into the differences between mental toughness and resilience in this BITE-SIZED episode taken from the hugely popular episode #1. David also encourages you to learn more about your own mental toughness and highlights the importance of self-awareness.
Key Learning Points:
- With the wrong attitude you won’t use your skills and abilities well.
- Peter Clough recognised that four key psychological constructs; control, commitment, challenge and confidence (4C’s) are at the heart of mental toughness.
- Resilience and mental toughness are very different concepts.
- The textbook definition of resilience is “the ability to recover from a situation”, therefore describing your reaction to something that happens.
- Mental toughness offers a wider explanation of how we cope with different situations.
- “Resilience is the element that helps you to survive however mental toughness is the element that enables you to thrive, to make the most of the situation area and come out, hopefully with a bit of a smile on your face.”
Connect with Doug Strycharczyk:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougstrycharczyk/
Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk
https://aqrinternational.co.uk/
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes Explaining Mental Toughness
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep028: Peter Clough MBE – Why is Mental Toughness Important?
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep201: Dr John Perry and Doug Strycharczyk – Even The Mentally Tough Can Find Things A Struggle Without Self Awareness
Other Useful Resources
Blog - 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
In this BITE-SIZED episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, Dr. Bob Winters, an internationally recognised sport psychologist who has supported US Men’s and Women’s Open Golf Champions and many other elite professional athletes across a variety of sports joins me. He goes on to tell me about how champions think and cultivating a limitless mindset by the way that you think.
Key Learning Points:
- How good would you be if you didn’t know how good you could be?
- How good would you be if you were unrealistic in your thinking?
- Champions are great at not thinking realistically.
- Conditional confidence comes from outcomes and results not deep internal confidence.
- Do you still walk, talk and act like a champion when you play like a chump?
Connect with Dr Bob Winters
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Golf Related Podcasts
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep101: Compilation – 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep118: Dr Bob Winters – How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges
To Listen to Other Podcasts to Help You Create a Limitless Mindset
Ep213: Sandro Forte – How To Set Yourself Up For Success In 2024?
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley – How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Ep217: Chris Cook - How A Marginal Gains Approach Can Help You Perform Better #BITESIZE
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Psychology of Golf Library
Other helpful resources to help you learn how to perform better
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Why do athletes work with a Sports Psychologist? One of the biggest reasons is that they struggle to transfer their skills from training to competitive situations. Which provides the topic for today’s episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast.
Former professional basketball player and author Dre Baldwin goes on to tell me his thoughts on why athletes can struggle to compete as well as they practice. We also share some useful ideas and strategies to help you.
Enjoy tuning in!
Key Takeaways include:
- Getting used to trusting your skills in live uncontrolled situations is crucial for success.
- Understanding that you must respond instinctively to the randomness that sport throws at you is important too.
- You will get beaten and fail often, this is ok, you’ll survive and will learn as a result.
- Any amount of thinking is overthinking when you are performing.
- Fear of trying to be perfect breeds tension and causes your rhythm and timing to go out of sync.
- Consider the key ingredients of a great performance, aspects that are within your control and strive to repeat them time and again.
Connect with Dre Baldwin:
YouTube
Website
Connect with David Charlton:
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep 039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep088: Dre Baldwin – How To Play As Well As You Practice
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep209: Felix Lehmann - How To Create Better Decision Makers On The Football Pitch
Ep221: Jeremy Snape - How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On #BITESIZE
Cricket is a unique sport where despite being a team sport it can also be argued to be an individual sport. One of the biggest challenges is batting and dealing with the aftermath of low scores and the walk of shame. In this BITE-SIZED episode, Tom Jones, a highly qualified youth cricket coach and owner of Cricket Coach 365 and I discuss mental toughness when batting and offer you advice on how to deal with the pressures that you will likely face.
Key Learning Points:
- As a batter the walk to and from the wicket can be difficult for youngsters especially when they haven’t performed well.
- The ability to come to recognise that you will fail more than you will succeed can help you.
- When batting understanding what is within your control and what is outside of your control is useful.
- The closest parallel to batting when you get out, is missing a penalty in football, in a penalty shootout.
- Catastrophizing as a batter when you perform poorly is very easy – why not ask yourself the question how can I have a positive influence on the rest of the game?
Connect with Tom Jones
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant podcasts with a focus in cricket
Ep072: Tom Jones – Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Ep091: Jarrod Leathem – How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Ep221: Jeremy Snape – How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On #BITESIZE
Relevant podcasts to help you deal with pressure
Ep169: Professor Adam Nicholls - How To Perform Under Pressure Close To Your Best #BITESIZE
Ep219: Brian Hemmings - Golfers: How To Improve Your Putting With A Quiet Eye Approach #BITESIZE
Ep224: Aaron Walsh – How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure #BITESIZE
For More Resources for Cricketers
Blog - Make Bowling Simple by Avoiding these 3 Common Mental Game Errors
Blog - Being an Intelligent Batsman can be a Problem
Blog - Batting with a Quiet Mind
Penny Mallory was the first woman to drive in the world rally championships. On her way to do so she showed immense commitment to her craft and made lots of sacrifices in pursuit of success. In this bite-sized episode she goes on to share her secrets and the mentality that took her to the top of her sport. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Takeaways:
- Ambition requires personal sacrifices.
- Taking risks are necessary to achieve your dreams.
- There is often a price to pay for committing yourself to your craft.
- If you set aside 10 minutes each day to work on a particular area in 5 years you would accumulate over 304 hours worth of practice.
- Where do you waste time when you don’t need to?
- How do you stay energised and refreshed?
Connect with Penny Mallory
Website
Penny’s Book - World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour: Adopt a winning mindset to get what you want
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes To Improve Your Commitment Levels
Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep214: Ellen McDermott – How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley – How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Do you ever believe you are your thoughts? Do you often take your thoughts way too seriously? If so you’ll enjoy today's podcast episode as my guest, Keagen Hadley author of Torn: Overcoming the Psychological Challenges Post-ACL Injury talks about using Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a potentially helpful solution. Specifically we discuss cognitive defusion as a way to help you create distance from your thoughts.
Key Learning Points:
- Cognitive Fusion is concerned with the mess our thoughts in relation to our identity can have where our thoughts can often dominate our reality.
- Examples include; “I am broken”, “I am rubbish…”
- Mastering cognitive defusion can help you create distance from your thoughts and see things from a fresh perspective.
- Cognitive defusion goes on to promote psychological flexibility and empowers you to relate to your situation and thought processes with greater openness and adaptability.
- One approach you could take to help you is to smile at yourself and your situation as it can help you make peace and shift your perspective.
- When you perform and see red mist, slowing down, taking a slow walk can also be a useful way to take the sting out of the situation.
Connect with Keagan Hadley
Website
BOOK: Torn Overcoming Psychological Challenges Post ACL
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes
Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE
Ep236: Dr James Hegarty - How To Use ACT and Mindfulness When You’ve Got Lots Of Time To Think #BITESIZE
In different sports such as golf and cricket, athletes can be placed in situations where they have a lot of thinking time. Too much thinking time for some! Due to their high level of motivation, focus of attention, fatigue, emotions and many other factors this thinking time can create havoc in their minds. As a result, indecision, fear and self-doubt can take over.
In today’s episode, Dr James Hegarty, co-author of the book ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment shares some ideas on how athletes can help themselves so that they don’t view this thinking time as a negative and are effective in how they get mentally ready. Psychological flexibility is at the heart of our discussion.
Key Learning Points:
- All athletes can get caught out thinking ahead predicting future events.
- As humans, athletes also can easily dwell on past mistakes.
- Developing psychological flexibility is a hugely beneficial skill to have in your armoury as an athlete.
- Athletes should practice basic mindfulness of the breath to build a foundation.
- Cricketers can focus on sensations of the sun or cold wind on their face after dropping a catch to refocus.
- Mindfulness allows athletes to step away from over-analysing mistakes and get their head back in the game.
- My challenge for May 2024 is to see if I can dial in and be mindful at least 100 times per golf round of golf I play! I’ll report on how I get on.
Connect with Dr James Hegarty
Website
Email: james@hegartyconsulting.co.nz
Book – ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes
Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE
Many athletes, golfers or people in everyday life take their thoughts too seriously. They then get caught up overthinking and it causes havoc with their decision making. In golfing terms, paralysis by analysis can take over, when the pressure is on and the result is often poor shots and missed putts. And lots of frustration!
In this episode, Trevor Jones a PGA Professional Golf Coach and Mental Performance Coach and I chat about this topic where he shares as a coach how he uses Acceptance Commitment Therapy or Training (ACT) to help golfers and other athletes deal with these challenges.
Key Learning Points:
- Feeling confident on every shot is unrealistic.
- All humans experience self-doubt.
- We all can get ahead of ourselves or get caught out dwelling on past mistakes.
- Nurturing psychological flexibility is very helpful tool to have in your toolkit.
- A challenge for you, seek to integrate mindfulness into your everyday life.
Connect with Trevor Jones
Watch Professor Steven C Hayes discussing performance psychology from an ACT perspective with Trevor Jones
Website | Aware Performance Group LLC
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen To Golf Related Podcast Episodes To Help You
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf
Ep228: Gio Valiante – Lessons From Overconfident Golfers That Can Help You Perform Better
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
EP136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women’s Football and Bouncing Back Stronger
How often in sport do you see an athlete make the wrong decision under pressure? Often I’d say! Even at the highest level in elite professional sport. Indecision, overthinking, paralysis by analysis, having too much time to think of the consequences, a lack of trust in skills or fear are often the reasons for poor decision making.
In this short bite-sized episode, Paul Phillips an author and culture developer and I discuss overthinking in sport where we share some helpful tips so that you can deal better with pressure in the moment.
Key Learning Points:
- Helping athletes generate behaviours before thoughts and emotions is a helpful skill.
- James Clear’s two-minute rule in the book Atomic Habits is a useful approach to take when you are feeling indecisive.
- In rugby the size of an opponent can trigger fear responses, overthinking and poor decision making.
- Visual, kinaesthetic and auditory cues and triggers are helpful in overcoming fear,
- Using metaphors such as images of animals or superhero’s is a helpful trigger for adults and children.
- Spending time with process training, practicing and rehearsing pre-shot and pre-performance routines are hugely beneficial.
Connect with Paul Phillips
Book: How to Create Culture: In Rugby Union
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Podcasts To Help Overthinkers
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep221: Jeremy Snape - How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On
Ep224: Aaron Walsh - How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure
Helpful Resources For The Overthinker
Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch
Blog - Do You Start Matches with a ONE-NIL DOWN Mindset?
Blog - 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Bowl Every Delivery
Blog - Is Your Head Focused On The Right Things
How to Trust Your Skills When You’re a Goalkeeper
In the last of this 3 part series created for parents of young adults and kids who play football or soccer I discuss how fear can wreck a youngsters fun and enjoyment on the pitch. Common responses to fear before matches include performance anxiety, physical sickness, feigning injury and refusing to play. It’s a hugely difficult challenge to navigate as a parent therefore I share a tool connected with mindfulness which can help ease the young footballer’s anxieties.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Relevant Resources To Help Parents
Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist – For Kids
Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist - For Parents
Football or Soccer Coach Motivation Checklist – For Parents who coach
Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents
What is the most mentally challenging position on the football or soccer pitch? Many people would argue it’s the goalkeeper. Common psychological challenges goalkeepers face include; coping with mistakes and bouncing back strongly, dealing with tough and physical opponents, playing the ball out from the back with their feet in uncomfortable situations, communicating effectively with team-mates, selection issues and dealing with time on the bench.
Today, Andy Elleray, an author and goalkeeping coach, who has worked for clubs such as Chelsea and Bristol Rovers tells me about mental toughness and how it applies to goalkeeping sharing some advice, I also provide a suggestion on how goalkeepers can help themselves remain calm and composed when faced with difficulties on the pitch.
Key Learnings
- All goalkeepers make mistakes.
- Being able to accepts making mistakes and move on is a skill that goalkeepers can develop.
- Helping goalkeepers master the controllables is essential.
- Trigger words or physical triggers (using sweat bands or super-hero bands) can help goalkeepers move on more quickly from mistakes.
- Try the calm and composed face exercise to help you.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Any Elleray
Website
Twitter: @andyelleray / @lilys_goal
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep08: Brendan Pearson - Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement
Ep087: Carl Bell – From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Ep165: Andy Elleray - How To Master the Mental Challenges Goalkeeping Throws at You
Other Valuable Football or Soccer Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers
Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents
Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology
In the second of 3 episodes created for parents of young people who play football I carry on the conversation about enjoyment on the football pitch. Where on this occasion I introduce the relationship between enjoyment in football, the impact of playing poorly, performance levels and self-esteem. I go on to discuss what self esteem is, what you could expect from someone with high self-esteem and factors that can contribute to low self-esteem. In addition, I touch on life control and “having a can-do attitude”, a measure of mental toughness that is connected with self-esteem, and the complexities surrounding self-esteem at a young age. You can also expect some helpful advice on how to help young footballers who face this challenge and struggle with feelings of low self-esteem.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Today, with my colleague Dr Alessia Bruno we discuss the downsides to perfectionism and how many athletes can get obsessed by their sports, training harder and harder, pushing themselves to the limit. The result can then be burnout, playing in fear or a lack of enjoyment. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points
- Sport can be seen as a job by perfectionist athletes.
- When searching to get better, the perfectionist can lose the ability to perform with freedom and trust.
- Physically the perfectionist athlete can become tense and rigid losing control of their fine motor skills, rhythm and timing.
- Striving for perfection can lead to loss of enjoyment.
- Visualisation is a great tool when trying to reconnect with the fun and playful part of your personality.
Connect with Alessia Bruno
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help Perfectionist Athletes
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Ep170: David Charlton - How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach
Relevant Blogs To Help You Deal Better With Perfectionism
Perfectionism Blogs
5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Are You A Rugby Player With Perfectionist Tendencies?
How to Trust Your Skills When You’re a Goalkeeper
How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure
This is the first of 3 episodes created for parents of kids who play football with their enjoyment and the possibility of quitting playing football the topic I discuss today. When thoughts of quitting are considered, it can be very challenging for some parents to navigate as they try to decide the best route to take despite different pressures associated with the decision. Therefore, I share some resources that you can use to better understand why you want your kid to play football and also why they want to play football too. Using the resources can be a helpful way of processing your thoughts and feelings as a parent, as well as, opening up conversations with your children. This can then go on to better inform any decisions that you decide to make.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Relevant Resources To Help Parents
Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist – For Kids
Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist - For Parents
Football or Soccer Coach Motivation Checklist – For Parents who coach
Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents
A lot of golfers lack confidence and trust in their ability to execute shots and putts and shoot the scores that they are capable of. As a result, they often cause themselves problems by the decisions that they make. Common things I notice are over practicing, reactively practicing, an over reliance on YouTube coaching and a quick fix mentality. On the course they are then guilty of overthinking, complicating the game with too many swing thoughts, trying to control their swing, temper tantrums and a lot more…
In today’s short bite-sized episode well renowned Performance Psychologist to many PGA tour players Gio Valiante talks about over-confident and cavalier golfers and the challenges that they can face. However, as most golfers or athletes who contact Sport Psychologists are bringing problems to overcome, David challenges you to learn some lessons from the overconfident golfer.
Key Learning Points:
- An over-confident golfer is likely to take risks.
- Cavalier golfers will trust their technique and swing automatically with a quiet mind.
- Bodily tension and heart rate will be reduced in the over-confident golfers.
- For golfers lacking in confidence, you could recognise that your thoughts, moods, physiology, behaviours, and values are all interconnected, and that changing one, changes others, and ultimately could lead to better golf without changing your technique.
Connect with Gio Valiante
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep160: Brian Hemmings – Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You
Ep167: Karl Morris - How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE
Ep226: Dan Steele - Helping Athletes Who Have Strong Physiological Responses To Fear #BITESIZE
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
A football coaches role is multi-faceted from being knowledgeable about tactics and technical aspects of the game to being well versed in their understanding of physical attributes and diet. Psycho-social aspects also form a big part of the role too. Developing, managing and disciplining players whilst trying to get the best out of them, day in day out is far from an easy job. This forms the motivation behind this podcast episode, the last of a 3-part series aimed to support football coaches. You’ll hear me discuss self-determination theory and the importance of being connected to each other as a coach/player, player and coach personality types as well as social and task leadership.
Enjoy tuning in!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Relevant Helpful Resources To Improve Football Coach Player Relationships
Self Determination Theory Website with Deci And Ryan
Task-Oriented vs People-Oriented Leadership Styles: Characteristics, Advantages and Disadvantages
Football or Soccer Coach Motivation Checklist
Football Player Motivation Checklist
Fear is evident in every sport and affects athletes and performers differently. From overthinking to strong physiological responses in an athlete’s body. Decision making is then naturally impeded, impacting performance levels.
In today’s episode an inspirational Olympian, Dan Steele offers insights into how he dealt with an accident whilst competing in bobsleigh and then managed to head back up the mountain to compete again despite losing control of his thoughts and having serious doubts and fears about dying. David Charlton then goes on to share a strategy that you can use to reduce any physiological responses that you have to fear and quieten your mind in the process too.
Key Takeaways include:
- Death often crossed your mind in bobsleigh as it was like riding a crazy rollercoaster.
- All athletes get scared; fear is unavoidable and part of sport and life.
- Fear has an essential role to play in our survival.
- When frightened or scared an athletes breathing is likely to increase, as does their heart rate, peripheral blood vessels in the skin constrict, whereas central blood vessels around vital organs dilate to flood them with oxygen and nutrients. Muscles are pumped with blood and can become tighter too impacting on motor skills.
Connect with Dan Steele:
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help You Cope Better With Fear
Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep115: Jeremy Snape – Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket
Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Ep148: Derek Tate – How to Build Your Mental Toughness Through Skiing
Ep222: Ruth Chiles - How To Help Athletes Who Freeze Under Pressure #BITESIZE
Other Relevant Blogs And Resources To Help You Reduce Your Fear Responses
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Attunement Repair Exercise
It’s very easy as a football coach to offer short snippets of praise such as “great goal” or “good pass.” However, is this actually helpful for the footballer? In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, the second of a 6 part series I argue that yes it is helpful, especially for those players who gain confidence from coach praise and compliments. However, if you as a coach challenge yourself to offer players more in terms of process driven praise and feedback you can enhance their learning so much more and shift their focus on to more helpful things. Feel free to tune in, where I’ll encourage you to think about what helpful emotions and actions you are looking for your players to experience in different situations and how you can help them.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
In episode #224 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I share part of a conversation with Aaron Walsh a Mental Performance Coach with many Elite Professional Rugby Players. We discuss whether elite professional rugby union players view mental toughness as something that they can develop, our role as Sports Psychology practitioners in measuring performance as well as coaches influence in the development of psychological characteristics and skills.
Key Learning Points:
- Educating people in sport on the integration of Sports Psychology and Mental Skills is very important.
- Creativity is essential to thrive as a Sports Psychology Practitioner or Mental Performance Coach.
- Measuring the impact of our work as a practitioner is vital when working in a team setting.
- Many players hate Mondays after a poor performance where they are often shamed in front of others or video footage is taken and critiqued in an unhelpful manner.
Connect with Aaron Walsh
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep104: Seb De Chaves - The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep127: Paul Trainor - The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League
EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch
Blog - Are you a Rugby Player who Focuses Too Much on the Opposition
Blog - Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches
Blog - Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources
In and around most football clubs you’ll hear statements like “this is a MUST win game today,” “we HAVE to get 3 points today” or “great GOAL”. It’s common and very natural to be talking like this, to be talking about outcomes and results - though is it helpful?
This is what I unpick in today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, the 1st of a new 6 part series where I share some thoughts on why we may fall into the trap of talking so much about outcomes and results. I also look to challenge football and soccer coaches to consider the emotions and subsequent behaviours that are associated with such outcome talk for themselves and for their players.
Enjoy tuning in!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Hypoarousal – what is it in a performance context? It is our freeze response, when our mind and body shuts down when we are faced with significant pressure, at least in our own minds.
In today’s episode I discuss with Ruth Chiles, author of The Focal Dystonia Cure how athletes and performers who experience this freeze response can help themselves. Ruth goes on to share some practical tips that can hugely benefit many people.
Key Learnings
- Brainspotting an approach developed by a New York psychologist called David Grand helps to rewire parts of the brain so that people can respond differently in specific situations.
- In a performance context, we spend a lot of time in survival mode which can impede fluidity, enlarge muscles and inhibit your fine motor skills.
- Practicing interoceptive awareness exercises can be very helpful for self-regulation.
- Centering practices can calm our nervous system.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Ruth Chiles
Website
Book: The Focal Dystonia Cure: Powerful and Definitive Practices to Completely Heal Yourself
Ruth Chiles on Facebook
Ruth Chiles on YouTube
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep142: Alessia Bruno - Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Relevant Blogs
Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent
Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
In today episode, I'm joined by former international cricketer and Senior Leadership Coach, Jeremy Snape. Jeremy and I discuss pressure, where he explains why our brains can be hijacked and hinder our performance. He also shares some great advice on using pre-shot or pre-performance routines as a way of mentally preparing yourself to execute your skills.
Key Learning Points:
- Our brains are built for safety.
- Seek to focus on your body, breathing and self-talk to help you stay in the moment.
- Understanding how you can remain calm and instinctive will help you perform at your best under pressure.
- To slow yourself down and focus on the “next ball only” is a helpful psychological approach.
Connect with Jeremy Snape
Website
Inside The Mind of Champions Podcast
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcasts
Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Ep091: Jarrod Leathem – How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Ep 081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep115: Jeremy Snape – Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket
Ep219: Brian Hemmings - Golfers: How To Improve Your Putting With A Quiet Eye Approach #BITESIZE
For More Resources for Cricketers
Blog - Make Bowling Simple by Avoiding these 3 Common Mental Game Errors
Blog - 5 Tips if you fall into the TRYING TOO HARD TRAP when bowling
Blog - Mental Preparation for Bowlers in Cricket
Blog - Being an Intelligent Batsman can be a Problem
Blog - Batting with a Quiet Mind
In today’s short episode, Dr Paul Gorczynski who has worked with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shares his knowledge of mental health literacy in particular offering some excellent advice for decision makers in organisations who are looking to develop and implement mental health literacy strategies.
Key Learnings
- Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and understanding of mental health. It can play a part in helping people to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness.
- Mental health literacy involves understanding causes and risk factors, and signposting to appropriate resources and support.
- In organisations mental health literacy projects can help to shift cultures in relation to how mental health is viewed.
- Incorporating mental health literacy into the values and mission of organisations can take time.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Dr Paul Gorczynski
Website
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Ep159: Dr Andrew Shafic – How To Prevent Burnout In Elite Professional Football To Maximise Performance
Ep177: Lisa Avery – How to Help Young People Develop a “Can Do” Attitude
Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes
Ep207: Nicole Posner – And Breathe: How To Prevent, Manage and Master Difficult Conversations
Relevant Blogs
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - Creating a Mentally Healthy Sporting Environment
Blog - Life After Professional Sport and its Challenges
Many golfers get drawn into overthinking situations and overanalysing technique which leads to indecision and a lack of trust in putts and shots. Overtime, some players can then become overly anxious and nervous trying to control their movements and misplacing their focus. When putting this can be a big issue for many golfers especially when faced with short putts.
In today’s short bite-sized episode Dr Brian Hemmings shares with you a very helpful and solution-based approach that can make sure that you don’t fall into this trap when he talks about quiet eye training.
Key Learning Points:
- A large part of a sports psychologist’s role in helping golfers is developing positive relationships.
- Quiet eye training is very helpful for improving short putting.
- Where do you focus when putting? At the target or on your hands or putter?
- Keeping your eyes on the back of the ball past impact is an important factor in good putting.
Connect with Dr Brian Hemmings
Website
Golf Psychology Coaching Certificate - PROMO CODE - David Charlton
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep118: Dr Bob Winters – How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges
Ep160: Brian Hemmings – Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You
Ep167: Karl Morris - How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
In today’s short BITE sized episode HCPC Registered Sport Psychologist, Michael Caulfield tells me about the challenges and pressures that elite professional football brings whether you are a manager or player. He shares his thoughts on what mental toughness is in this environment as well as offering insights into his role as a Sport Psychologist when working with and supporting managers in the English Premier League.
Key Learning Points:
- Rejection and dealing with losses can be uncomfortable yet is something that we all face.
- Mental toughness in elite professional football comes in two forms: off the pitch – and being able to deal with the scrutiny and immense criticism that will come your way. On the pitch it is to have the courage to still want the ball when you or your team is having a difficult time.
- When working with big names being comfortable in your own skin is essential.
Connect with Michael Caulfield:
Email: michael@justcaulfield.com
Michael Caulfield on X
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Ep146: John Nassoori – What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Ep151: Compilation – Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Ep188: Gary Curneen – Helping Soccer Coaches Reflect On Their Approach #BITESIZE
Ep209: Felix Lehmann – How To Create Better Decision Makers On The Football Pitch
Other Valuable Soccer or Football Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers
Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents
Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology
Marginal gains is an approach that was created by Dave Brailsford with British Cycling which led to many years of success. It’s an holistic approach where you can reflect on your habits and behaviours, looking for small 1% improvements to ensure you give yourself a better chance of success.
In this short episode double Olympian and now, a motivational speaker and executive coach Chris Cook tells me about his experience of implementing a marginal gains approach. The emotion associated with such innovation and the results too.
Key Learning Points:
- How can I swim 2 lengths of the pool faster was a question Chris often asked himself with the help of a Sports Psychologist.
- It helped him simplify his approach and question why he did what he did on a daily basis.
- Being triggered by something often is caused by some sort of inner conflict. Seek to explore it.
Connect with Chris Cook
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Relevant Episodes to Improve Your Rest and Recovery
Ep110: Dan Steele - How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep213: Sandro Forte - How To Set Yourself Up For Success In 2024?
Ep214: Ellen McDermott - How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley - How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Other helpful resources to help you learn how to perform better
Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach
Blog: Do You Really Want to Succeed
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Commitment is the ability to make and keep our promises which some people can find difficult. Especially as our journeys are often littered with challenges whether that is injuries, loss of form, loss of confidence or technical difficulties. In these moments, some athletes work harder but not smarter. Some cultures promote this “you’ve just got to work harder” attitude too and ignore the importance of rest and recovery.
Therefore, this short bite sized episode, is all about educating you on why rest and recovery can aid your performances. Where well-esteemed strength and conditioning coach, Nick Grantham, talks about rest and recovery and how you can go about prioritising methods to help you stay in peak condition in the long term and be able to keep those promises that you made to yourself.
Essential Learning Points
- In team sports an individual’s needs can sometimes be overlooked.
- It’s important to understand if your recover strategies are working for you.
- Coaches should prioritise athlete input and collaboration for optimal performance.
- Providing athletes with autonomy in recovery choices can increase motivation and self-belief.
- Nick developed the Recovery Pyramid with Mark Jarvis to provide a logical structure for recovery interventions in sports.
Connect with Nick Grantham
Book - The Strength and Conditioning Bible
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Relevant Episodes to Improve Your Rest and Recovery
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep214: Ellen McDermott - How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep215: Fenwick Ridley - How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny
Other Helpful Resources
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
On this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David talks to Team GB Ice Swimmer, and Owner of H2O Trails, Fenwick Ridley. We chat about ice swimming and mental toughness, cold water immersion and it’s effects on the mind and body. How cold water can have a positive impact on mental health and help you embrace the feelings of discomfort.
Feel free to tune in!
Key Learning Points:
- Mental Toughness comes from someone who has got very specific attributes including perseverance and a high level of focus. As well as a balanced perception, understanding that it's going to be okay and I've got the right tools with me to do whatever you want to do.
- Reading the body's signals is vitally important when you are an ice swimmer. Understanding your hydration, fuel, sleep, stress and recovery.
- Cold water is great at tackling inflammation and improving mental health.
- Ice swimming can be very peaceful.
- It’s very easy to get in your own way, cold water can help you overcome your inner voice.
- Cold water helps you get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Connect with Fenwick Ridley
Fenwick Ridley - Instagram
H2O Trails Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep214: Ellen McDermott - How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance
Ep213: Sandro Forte – How To Set Yourself Up For Success In 2024?
Ep210: Anna Parker-Naples - Why Breathwork is so Powerful
Ep185: Mark Bennett MBE: Commitment: Leisure Athletes vs Performance Athletes #BITESIZE
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Relevant Resources on Breathwork, Relaxation and Deliberate Cold Water Immersion
International Ice Swimming
Website: Dr Susanna Soeberg - The Soeberg Institute
Video: Professor Andrew Huberman and Dr Susanna Soeberg: How to Use Cold & Heat Exposure to Improve Your Health
Video: Novak Djokovic and Wim Hof discuss Cold Therapy and Breathing Exercises
Video: Fenwick Ridley | 5 Degrees and Below
In this episode, Ellen McDermott an Elite Professional Cyclist and Performance Nutritionist, shares her journey from novice to becoming an elite professional cyclist, taking part in the 2023 World Gravel Championships in Italy. She discussed challenges that she has faced and how she has dealt with them. She also shares why a well thought out nutritional plan is vital to optimise your performance and recovery. We talk about ideas that can aid your knowledge on nutrition for endurance sports, as well as other sports too.
Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Ellen’s typical training week at present is between 20-25 hours.
- The use of isotonic gels for endurance sports is explained to optimise performance.
- Managing the intensity of training and executing a recovery strategy is vital in endurance sports.
- Understanding where your inner voices is directing you is a helpful skill to master.
- A mentally tough cyclist can command the space in a bike race. They wouldn’t get bullied and would also make clear decisions during the race to benefit their performance.
- GAA, football and rugby players should consider how they keep hydrated and learn more about carbohydrates to improve their energy levels when they perform.
Connect with Ellen MCDermott
Ellen McDermott Performance Nutrition Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To listen to relevant podcast episodes
Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Ep048: Natalie Hurdley – How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlifting
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep110: Dan Steele – How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Other Helpful Resources
Blog: Do You Really Want to Succeed
Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog: Coach Development - Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Today, in our first episode of 2024 I am joined by Sandro Forte, an inspirational professional speaker, author and successful entrepreneur. We discuss Sandro’s view on success and how to go about setting your goals for 2024. He also shares with you how to view obstacles and challenges this coming year, as well as sharing how he copes with his “little voice” and overthinking.
Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Success is relative and can mean different things to different people. It's about achieving outcomes, not necessarily extraordinary ones.
- Focus on the process, not the outcome. Outcomes take care of themselves when you get the process right.
- Use "goal cards" to write down goals in present tense as if already achieved. This trains the subconscious mind.
- Avoid the "discouragement club" - people who give reasons not to do things.
- Mental toughness can be learned through repetition and discipline.
Connect with Sandro Forte
Sandro Forte Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To listen to relevant podcast episodes that link to goal setting
Ep098: Jon Bartlett – Do You Know Your Why?
Ep134: David Charlton - Observations: 3 Things That Stop You Achieving Your Goals
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep144: Jon Watkins – Mental Strength: What You Can Learn About Resilience From The Special Forces
Ep206: David Charlton - How To Help Footballers Play To Their Optimum In Big Matches
Relevant blogs and resources to help you achieve your ambitions
Blog: How to Find Your Why
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: What Did You Learn From Last Year?
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including VALUES LIST
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Welcome to episode #212 of Demystifying Mental Toughness! This is the second part of two specially created episodes over the festive period to show our gratitude to our fantastic guests in 2023. The episode is hugely insightful where a number of our guests from this year, share many fantastic takeaways. The messages come from different angles where sports psychologists, mental performance coaches, executive coaches, sports coaches and a brainspotting practitioner go on to discuss dealing with focal dystonia, how to find a flow state, how to create high performance cultures, how to reflect on your performances and much more.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 212
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Ep160: Brian Hemmings – Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep162: Sun Sachs & Ed Gibbins: How to Find a Flow State to Improve Your Performance
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep168: Andrew Simpson - How To Navigate Youth Sports So That Children Enjoy The Experience More
Ep172: Brandon Epstein - Working With Your Subconscious Mind To Achieve Better Results
Ep199 Audrie Woodhouse – Leadership: How To Mentally Prepare Yourself For Public Speaking
Ep203: Jack Sunderland - How Boxing Can Help You Build Up Your Levels Of Resilience
Ep209: Felix Lehmann - How To Create Better Decision Makers On The Football Pitch
Other Valuable Resources
Sports Psychology Case Studies
Confidence in Sport Blogs
Emotional Control Blogs
Fear of Failure Blogs
Perfectionism Blogs
Performance Anxiety Blogs
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Welcome to episode #211 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. Today we bring you the 1st of 2 compilation episodes over the festive period. The key takeaways from this episode come from the worlds of sport, business and healthcare. Mental health, burnout, injury recovery, managing difficult conversations and motivation were topics that were unpicked. Enjoy listening to the excellent insights!
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 211
Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Ep159: Dr Andrew Shafic - How To Prevent Burnout In Elite Professional Football To Maximise Performance
Ep171: David Lindsay - How To Raise Your Levels Of Vitality
Ep177: Lisa Avery - How to Help Young People Develop a “Can Do” Attitude
Ep197: Nick Jonsson – Mental Health: How To Overcome Executive Loneliness
Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby - Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes
Ep207: Nicole Posner - And Breathe: How To Prevent, Manage and Master Difficult Conversations
Ep210: Anna Parker-Naples - Why Breathwork is so Powerful
Other Valuable Resources
Sports Psychology Case Studies
Resilience in Sport Blogs
Communication Skills Blogs
Mental Health Blogs
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Have you ever thought about whether you breathe properly? Or do you take breathing for granted as something that we as living humans do automatically?
Today’s podcast episode will be a big help to you should you wish to know more about breathwork, where the founder of Influential Breathwork, Anna Parker-Naples and I discuss how our breathing patterns impact our mind and body. Performance and mental health benefits are also debated as is the use of deliberate cold immersion.
Feel free to tune in!
Key Learning Points:
- Simple changes to how we breathe can fundamentally change our health.
- A lot of people breath from their upper chest rather than from their diaphragm and stomach.
- Posture can impact our breathing.
- Our lifestyles today have a significant impact on our stress levels.
- Breathing can help us release and let go of some of the things in our bodies that we hold on to.
- With informed breathwork and cold water immersion people notice that their energy levels are much better.
- Check out the work of Dr Susanna Soeberg for the intricacies of cold water therapy.
Connect with Anna Parker-Naples
Anna Parker Naples Influential Breathwork Website
Books written by Anna Parker-Naples
Podcast with Impact: How to Start and Launch Your Podcast Properly
Get Visible: How to have more impact, influence and income
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Ep197: Nick Jonsson – Mental Health: How To Overcome Executive Loneliness
Relevant Resources on Breathwork, Relaxation and Deliberate Cold Water Immersion
Blog: Why you should meditate to improve your sport performance
Website: Dr Susanna Soeberg - The Soeberg Institute
Video: Professor Andrew Huberman and Dr Susanna Soeberg: How to Use Cold & Heat Exposure to Improve Your Health
Video: Novak Djokovic and Wim Hof discuss Cold Therapy and Breathing Exercises
The Wim Hof Podcast
Website - H2O Trails
Mental toughness development is all about helping people deal with pressure better. In general, you’ll see sports psychology practitioners advocate psychological skills training to create better decision makers in this regards. Our toolkit includes visualisation, cognitive restructuring, strategic goal setting, relaxation and sports hypnosis.
In today’s episode however I introduce a relatively new concept, cognitive skills training where Felix Lehmann, a UEFA B Certified Football Coach and co-founder of Cognigoals discusses how our brains can be trained systematically. We discuss 3 main elements to cognitive skills training; authentic two-footedness, game intelligence and creativity. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- When there's pressure on football players from opponents, with little space or time, players use their strong foot because it feels better, cognitive training seeks to change this.
- We help create new comfort zones for the weak foot with systematic training.
- Game intelligence in football describes the ability to act appropriately and generate optimal solutions in different game situations.
- If a football players cognitive flexibility has improved, as well as their inhibitory control and working memory, they will be able to perceive and process information a lot quicker.
- Self-awareness is critical for players, “as a coach I want football players to be able to observe themselves better.”
- Adaptability is a secret weapon for football players, every game situation is different, so you have to adapt the best that you can. Therefore, cognitive training focuses on this where exercises and patterns that we use change regularly.
Connect with Felix Lehmann
Felix Lehmann on LinkedIn
Felix Lehmann on X
COGNIGOALS Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Relevant Soccer Related Podcast Episodes
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep146: John Nassoori – What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Ep188: Gary Curneen – Helping Soccer Coaches Reflect On Their Approach #BITESIZE
Ep193: Dan Abrahams – How to Help Footballers Get Out Of Their Own Way #BITESIZE
Other Valuable Soccer or Football Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers
Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents
Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology
Today, in the last of this 10-part series for footballer or soccer players, coaches and parents, I talk more about managing expectations, this time when your team is winning comfortably. Many players are guilty of taking their foot off the pedal, going into protect mode individually and collectively when this happens. I share why, because your attention is misdirected. Also, highlighted are ways in which you can redirect your focus so that you finish a match strongly and seek to dominate your opponent’s regardless of the scoreline.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
In business and sporting organisations conflict is widespread and there is a need for leaders and managers to be able to prevent, manage and master difficult conversations to improve the overall culture. As a result, people then feel more respected and valued, job satisfaction improves, as well as performance and the mental health of those involved.
Today’s episode looks to help you in this respect where author and conflict crisis consultant, Nicole Posner, helps you understand the psychology behind difficult conversations and why we avoid them. She discusses what creates and drives conflict and offers some tools to better deal with conflict.
Feel free to tune in!
Key Learning Points:
- Fear can take over where we fear losing control, fear the confrontation or fear being judged.
- Our brain often goes into protect mode when we are faced with difficult conversations.
- Power dynamics play a huge role in conflict management.
- Unresolved conflict can play a part in mental health challenges for some people.
- Improving your self-awareness and emotional intelligence is paramount in conflict management and resolution.
- When giving feedback, being curious is a great tool to use as is listening attentively.
- By simply making time for small talk, you take a proactive approach in preventing difficult conversations.
Connect with Nicole Posner
Nicole Posner Conflict Crisis Consultant Website
Book written by Nicole Posner
And Breathe...: Prevent, Manage and Master Difficult Leadership Conversations in Business and Beyond!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep041: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep120: David Charlton - Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Ep199 Audrie Woodhouse – Leadership: How To Mentally Prepare Yourself For Public Speaking
Ep201 Dr John Perry and Doug Strycharczyk - Even The Mentally Tough Can Find Things A Struggle Without Self Awareness
Relevant Resources to Promote Positive Cultures
Blog: 3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes
Blog: 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
The Mental Edge - How to Assert Yourself so That Other People Don’t Throw You Off Your Game
The Mental Edge - How to Improve The Skills of Team Captains
In episode 206, I add a further step to what I discussed in the previous episode, 204, when I talked about managing expectations. The situation I consider is big matches when football and soccer players can be guilty of focusing too much on opponents. The key message I look to spread includes how you can set process goals to shift your expectations away from your opponent’s actions. To focusing on you and how you can make your opponent’s life very difficult so that they don’t enjoy playing against you. Enjoy tuning in!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Today's podcast episode looks at how we as Sports Psychologists support injured athletes.
My guest, Dr Carl Bescoby, the Injury Psychologist, goes on to share his knowledge in our discussion about the psychological and emotional difficulties that athletes can face, especially in the case of long-term injuries. Strategies to help athletes during the rehabilitation process, as well as, how they can help themselves become psychologically ready to return to sport are highlighted.
Key Learning Points:
- The cultural side of some sports can contribute to some injuries, eg. playing through the pain barrier to remain in the team.
- When is an athlete psychologically ready to return to the sport should be considered by coaching staff.
- Suffering long-term injuries can be very difficult where athletes feel many different emotions similar to grieving such as shock, denial, anger, low mood, depression and acceptance in no particular order.
- Loss of identity can impact many athletes as they come to terms with their injury.
- It’s important to give athletes space to process difficult emotions and normalise the process, as a practitioner.
- Visualisation is one strategy that can help athletes return to their sport with their confidence intact.
Connect with Dr Carl Bescoby
The Injury Psychologist Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To listen to relevant podcast episodes that link to Mental Health
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
Ep136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women’s Football and Bouncing Back Stronger
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
A phrase you often hear from football managers, coaches and pundits is that football and soccer players “need to manage their expectations.” You also hear that playing “expectation free” is a good thing so that you can play your football with freedom. In episode 204, the 8th of our 10-part series this is the theme that I discuss where I go on to give you some advice on how you can manage your expectations as a football or soccer player. Enjoy tuning in!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Episode 203 of The Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast features Jack Sunderland, a former professional boxer, currently a boxing coach and entrepreneur. Jack goes on to tell me all about the mental and physical challenges that come with the boxing. We also talk about how he helps the local community in West Yorkshire with the social enterprise, The Training Cave, that he founded and runs from a boxing gym in Batley, near Leeds. We talk about nerves, different psychological challenges that boxers come up against, the difficulties a build up to a fight causes and much more.
Key Learning Points:
- The benefits of taking part in boxing include; increased confidence and self-esteem, self-discipline, and resilience.
- To get to the top of the sport it requires a lot of dedication and commitment, you have to be selfish with your time and your life.
- Breaks are important after training intensely for fights.
- Preparing yourself physically and mentally for challenges and difficulties is hugely important in combat sports.
- Be careful how much attention you pay your opponent.
Connect with Jack Sunderland
Jack Sunderland on LinkedIn
Jack Sunderland – The Training Cave Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep 065 Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep 081: Stuart Wade - Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep 083: Billy Schwer – Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer
Other Useful Resources
Blog – Do you focus too much on your opponent before or during a boxing match?
Blog – How to Quieten the Mind when Fighting
Blog – 3 Ways to use Visualisation so that You are Mentally Prepared to Win
In episode 202, the 7th of our 10-part series I build on the previous episode, and again I look to help the footballer who places too much attention on outcomes and results. As a result, fear of failure then becomes a big challenge for you to overcome. One of the answers in my eyes is to shift your focus towards the “key ingredients” that make up your best performances as I go on to share. Enjoy tuning in!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Today’s episode is a special, landmark episode as we enter the 200’s! As a result, I decided to clip out some bite-sized bits from previous episodes featuring 3 leading authorities in the mental toughness domain; Dr John Perry, Professor Peter Clough MBE and Doug Strycharczyk, who go onto share their thoughts about the importance of self-awareness whether you are a mentally tough or mentally sensitive individual.
Their insights come from years of applied work and academic research across sport, education, business and health domains. Enjoy!
Key Learning Points:
- Developing self-awareness is very difficult for some people.
- You can develop yourself through reflection, enhancing your self-awareness, whereby you then go on to try out new things, you learn from different situations, you understand why you felt that way and why you reacted why you did in certain situations.
- The key driver in the development of mental toughness is self-awareness.
- Learning about our mental toughness can enable us to understand more about our mental approach in specific situations. Self-awareness then allows us to make the necessary changes to our approach so that we can perform better or improve our psychological well-being.
Connect with Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry
Doug Strycharczyk | LinkedIn
John Perry | LinkedIn
AQR International Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Handouts to compliment this episode:
Understand your Mental Toughness tendencies
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep28: Prof Peter Clough – Why is Mental Toughness Important
Ep35: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk & Dr John Perry – What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Today I go on to discuss a very common challenge many football or soccer players find a problem. It’s their focus, specifically when too much attention is placed on outcomes and results. What then often happens is, football or soccer players then put too much pressure on themselves. On the pitch, spectators or coaches will then notice a player who doesn’t assert him or herself on a game, someone who often hides in the background and doesn’t perform freely. I also share some thoughts on how to overcome this inner battle. Enjoy tuning in!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
In today's episode Audrie Woodhouse, who was a fabulous actress and performer and now a successful coach and speaking consultant, shares some great ideas when it comes down to communication skills and public speaking, especially when we consider the key elements of leadership communication. This episode is also a very helpful episode for those who dread speaking or performing and who let their inner chatter get out of control and end up getting very nervous. Managing state, speech preparation and mental preparation as well as channelling your focus are features of what we discuss.
Enjoy!
Key Learning Points:
- Understanding yourself better, what it is you're passionate about and what you want to say to the world when you speak is essential.
- A speaking coach helps you write your own story so that you speak with your true authentic voice.
- Politicians are under an awful lot of pressure, they have advisors, speech writers and communication strategists to help them come up with the right things to say however, that approach is not always effective.
- Using your breath is key to managing your psychological state before you speak.
- Body language is an important part of building rapport when you speak in public.
Connect with Audrie Woodhouse
Audrie Woodhouse Honestly Speaking Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To listen to relevant podcast episodes that link to improving your communication skills
Ep197: Nick Jonsson – Mental Health: How To Overcome Executive Loneliness
Ep139: Steve Beharall – Steve Beharall’s Journey from Football Coach to CEO
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Ep120: David Charlton – Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Other Useful Resources linked to developing your communication skills
The Mental Edge - How to Assert Yourself so That Other People Don’t Throw You Off Your Game
The Mental Edge - How to Improve The Skills of Team Captains
eBlog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Some days as a footballer, for a variety of reasons you may feel flat and approach a match out of sync mentally and physically. So what should you do on these days?
In today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness the 5th of a 10 part series for football enthusiasts, I share some ideas. We’ll look at how you can rouse yourself, how you can use willpower and your actions and not just rely of your coach or gaffer to inspire you.
Enjoy!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
“It’s lonely at the top” - this is a comment many business leaders in organisations admit where trusted relationships, can often prove sparse. In sport, for coaches and athletes this can also be the case the higher you go up the success ladder.
These statements inform episode #197 where the author of the book Executive Loneliness, and Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Executives’ Global Network, Singapore, Nick Jonsson tells me about his experiences as well as sharing what he found when he researched this topic for his book. We end up discussing the power of talking about the challenges that you face, the benefits of peer support and how difficult it can be to share your vulnerabilities. In addition self-care and how you can learn to look after yourself better so that your mental and physical health, and in turn your performance levels do not deteriorate are talking points.
Key Learning Points:
- Many executives suffer from smiling depression where they put up a beautiful facade of what life really is like. Behind the scenes, it's not the real truth and they're not being their authentic self. This then becomes very tiring and painful.
- Some executives often don’t want to bother their boss, HR team or even their partner at home as it is very difficult for them to have these types of conversations discussing emotional issues they may be facing.
- Individual and peer support can be very powerful for executives.
- The commitment shown by executives, if they are not self-aware, can be harmful to their physical and emotional health, where burnout can become a big factor and unhelpful habits often then creep into our lives.
- On a scale of 1-10 how important is self-care to you?
Connect with Nick Jonsson
Executives’ Global Network Website
BOOK: Executive Loneliness
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To listen to relevant podcast episodes that link to Mental Health
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep158: Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Whether you play football at grassroots or in the Champions League one thing is for certain you will be criticised by someone. It may be a team-mate or coach trying to drive up standards. Or it may be a friend, a partner or one of the many keyboard warriors out there who offend you.
Many factors can influence how you take and then respond to such criticism, as I talk about in today’s episode, the 4th of a 10 part series for football enthusiasts. You’ll also hear me share some advice so that you don’t get overcome with emotion and react accordingly.
Enjoy!
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Ideally, we’d be able to recognise the need for toughness when we train and play sport and be able to switch it on and off as we please. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case as Clinical Psychologist and author, Amy Izycky, confirms when she talks about how extreme versions of toughness, mental toughness and resilience can be counter-productive.
In today's short BITE-SIZED episode taken from episode #065, Amy and I go on to discuss the word “Toughness” where we weigh up the pros and cons of being tough in a sporting environment and how our personality traits can then seep into our lives and impact our mental health.
Key Learning Points:
- Some sports take pride in promoting themselves as “tough” sports where only the strongest physically and mentally can survive.
- Sport teaches us certain personality traits such as focus, commitment, discipline and aggression which can be very positive traits, though taken too far they can have a negative impact on a person’s mental health.
- Being able to switch anger and aggression on and off in sport is a skill which can be difficult to master.
- Extreme versions of toughness and resilience can be damaging on a person’s life.
- Clinical psychologists are interested in supporting athletes who operate at the extreme end of needing “control” or the extreme versions of ”toughness”.
- Sports Psychologists are concerned with optimising performance and proactively maintaining and enhancing psychological wellbeing.
- As a Sports Psychologist we are able to identify if there are any mental health concerns which link to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and addiction. We then signpost onto mental health specialists such as clinical and counselling psychologists.
- It’s important to do your homework when gaining support for your mental health or sporting mindset to ensure that the practitioner is suitably qualified and accredited to organisations such as the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Connect with Amy Izycky
Website
BOOK: Skewed to the Right, Sport, Mental Health and Vulnerability
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To listen to relevant podcast episodes that link to mental health
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Footballers - how do you view the coach or manager asking you to play out of position? Negatively as a threat or positively as a challenge? In today’s episode, the 3rd of a 10 part series, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on why some footballers gravitate to the negative side and how they can help themselves, their team-mates, coach and club better.
Your perception of your situation is one avenue I explore, alongside judgement, and how you judge yourself or others. Ego is another area as well as how a person with a threat mindset approaches this situation. The solutions, relate to adopting a challenge mindset, seeing playing out of position as a learning experience and trying to keep your sense of humour.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
In today’s short bite sized episode, taken from episode #093 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I was joined by prominent Sports Psychologist, Dan Abrahams. We discussed why athletes can struggle to repeat their training performances in competitive matches and events. Dan goes on to share his thoughts why this is the case, some tools he uses to help clients and specifically the concept of a game face which arguably every athlete or player should have in their toolkit.
Key Learning Points:
- Competitive events and matches can mean different things to different athletes with a range of responses such as: playing in an inhibited way, having a rise in intensity levels or displaying a drop off in intensity.
- Unhelpful thoughts, feelings and emotions can often be present for athletes.
- “I’ve got to perform”, “I must…” language often fuels pressure.
- Getting comfortable being uncomfortable is very helpful.
- A game face is a practical solution which takes into account sports psychology theories such as self efficacy theory and the individual zone of optimal functioning.
Connect with Dan Abrahams
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
It is common for footballers or soccer players to have different values and ideas about the game than their coaches. On occasions, this can result in relationship challenges, where some players feel like they have been treated unfairly. On the pitch their application and effort in training and in matches, can slowly dwindle, often without them realising. Before they know it, they are only giving 70% of their full capacity. Away from football this can take a toll and negatively impact their day to day lives, mood and relationships with loved ones and friends too.
What’s the answer? Many of these footballers or soccer players can get caught out focusing on external factors outside of their control. This episode, is set up to help you if this situation sounds familiar, where I share a few ideas on how to place your attention on helpful things so that you give yourself the best chance of turning things around.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
In today’s short bite sized episode, I chat with Dr Jim Afremow, the co-author of The Leaders Mind. Jim shares with you his thoughts about the field of sport psychology to improve your understanding on what we can offer as practitioners. He also touches on the crossover-between supporting people with performance issues as well as mental health concerns, working with youngsters and the fact mental skills, as is the case with mental toughness can be learned with good support and guidance.
Key Takeaways include:
- Without taking care of your mental health, you’ll find it difficult to perform at your best consistently.
- Too many people leave their mindset to chance, sports psychology bridges this gap with proactive support.
- Many people believe that you’re either born with confidence or you’re not which is incorrect. Mental skills training can help you improve your confidence levels. be developed and improved upon.
Connect with Dr Jim Afremow:
Website
Connect with Phil White:
Website
Book
The Leaders Mind
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Podcast episodes to improve your approach to playing sport or coaching
Ep 061: Paul Lyons – Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness
Ep 084: Dr Jim Afremow and Phil White – Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep 121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Relevant blogs to help you improve your approach
Blog – 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence under Pressure
Blog: 3 Tips to Help You Overcome Setbacks
Blog: Coach Development – Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Sport Specific Resources from our Sports Psychology library to help you
Soccer or Football Psychology Resources
Hockey Psychology Resources
Rugby Psychology Resources
Many footballers are driven to improve. They strive day in, day out, to get better. They sleep, eat and breathe football. Football is on their brain 24 hours per day. However, noticeably many footballers spend a lot of time thinking about the technical and tactical side of the game. They’ll spend countless hours refining their touch. Improving the passing, shooting or positioning. The gym might also be a place they enjoy going to, pushing and strengthening their body.
Yet, their mental game often gets left to chance. My advice in today’s episode is to be curious about your mental game and mindset. By doing so, it can often, surprisingly, make a huge difference and elevate your performances and enjoyment to a new level.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches
Most people at some point experience demotivation, where they lack interest and enthusiasm about something that they have once really enjoyed. This episode #189 is for you if you have reached that point, or if you are experiencing a loss of form or a performance plateau.
Today, I share an approach which is connected to goal-setting and performance profiling and often yields positive outcomes, where athletes frequently feel a lot better about their situation and experience being re-energised as a result.
Enjoy!
Key Learning Points
- On performing at your best some great questions to ask yourself include: What do I think about? What emotions do I experience? What will other people notice in my actions and behaviours?
- Aim to note down 25 qualities that are associated with your best performances, then whittle the list down to the 5 most impactful, that can help you turn around your form or the situation that you find yourself in.
- Goal setting can be an overwhelming process for some people.
- Use a SMART approach when creating action plans for the 5 most impactful areas.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Podcast episodes to improve your approach to playing sport or coaching
Ep021: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Ep 084: Dr Jim Afremow and Phil White – Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep086: David Charlton: Observations – How to Learn From Setbacks
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Relevant blogs to help you improve your approach
Blog: Steps To Form A Habit That Actually Sticks
Blog: 6 Reasons Why Goal Setting Doesn't Work
Blog: How to Find Your Why
Blog: 3 Tips to Help You Overcome Setbacks
Blog: Coach Development – Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Helpful resources to aid your development
Driscolls Model of Reflection
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Performance Profile for Long Term Goals
Performance Profiling: When You’re Looking For A Quick Boost
Motivation for Sport Quiz
In today’s bite sized episode, I was joined by the author of the Modern Soccer coach series Gary Curneen, where he opened up on an expensive mistake he made on his coaching journey. He also talks a lot about humility and the importance of integrating the psychological side of the game better. This episode is for coaches, especially those who are confident in their ability as you’ll note when I share my thoughts at the end and ask you to reflect on your approach.
Key Learning Points:
- At present for soccer or football coaches there's more pressure, many distractions and a lot of information to decipher through.
- The psychological and emotional elements to football can be overlooked however are vital components and crossover to technical, tactical, physical and lifestyle.
- Showing humility as a coach is a skill that everyone can benefit from.
- Appreciating that individual players preferences and personal situations can influence their numbers and therefore their mindset moving forwards.
Connect with Gary Curneen
Modern Soccer Coach Website
Modern Soccer Coach Podcast
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Soccer Related Podcast Episodes
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep096: Gary Curneen – Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep146: John Nassoori – What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Other Valuable Soccer or Football Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers
Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents
Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology
Are you one of those people who sets goals for yourself, but you get frustrated at not achieving them? Or perhaps you’re a coach or teacher who notices some of your athletes often display a negative, “can’t do” attitude towards things that you ask them to do.
In this short solo episode, I discuss the way that we view our ability goes on to underpin two different achievement goal states; task and ego involvement. Task and ego involvement, play a large part in how we view success and whether we get caught in the trap of comparing ourselves to others as I discuss. This episode I’m hoping will shed some light on answering the questions above so that you can set better goals for yourself. As well as helping coaches, teachers and parents create more of a task/mastery involved climate.
Key Learning Points
- Our perceptions of competence can define how we view success.
- Many strikers in football judge past performances and their capacity to score or perform relative to others.
- Subconscious habits in relation to our goal orientations as well as the wider motivational climate play a big part in how we set goals.
- Task orientation is associated with a wide range of benefits; including positive thoughts, moods and emotions as well as “can do” behaviours.
- Ego orientation is associated with neutral or negative thinking and emotions and lower mood especially when task goals are overlooked.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Relevant Podcast Episodes to Help Your Commitment Levels
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep 154: David Charlton - How Do I Go About Controlling The Controllables To Help My Sport Performance?
Ep186: David Charlton - Intrinsic or Extrinsic Goals: Do You Set Goals That Harm Your Performances?
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources to Boost Your Commitment
Blog: Focusing on the Process as a Team
Blog: Why You Should Stop Setting SMART Goals
Blog: Steps To Form A Habit That Actually Sticks
Blog: How to Set Goals for Netball Success?
Blog: 6 Reasons Why Goal Setting Doesn't Work
Commitment, a measure of mental toughness is largely about making promises to yourself and then going on to follow through with those promises, without being sidetracked or derailed. As a Sports Psychologist I note that a lot of people are highly driven and could be argued to be goal setters. Regularly setting goals and striving to attain them. Yet, they aren’t shown what are helpful goals and they don’t question whether the goals that they set are going to be beneficial for their performance or well-being.
In this solo episode I unpick this, where I ask you to consider your goals, are they intrinsic or extrinsic? Are they helping you get to where you want to get to? Do you feel good, as a result of your goals? This episode should appeal to coaches, parents, teachers and athletes themselves.
Key Learning Points
- Check out the work of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan prominent US based psychologists and the founders of Self Determination Theory.
- Deci and Ryan’s work on Self-determination Theory suggests that as humans we have three innate psychological needs that are the origin for self-motivation. These are autonomy, competence and relatedness.
- It can be argued that intrinsic goals are motivated by internal reasons or basic psychological needs, such as feelings of competence or relatedness.
- One example of an intrinsically motivated goal in a sporting context includes a goalkeeper who is having difficulties dealing with crosses. The goal then is to improve this aspect of the goalkeeper’s game, where the goalkeeper tries to see the situation as a challenge that can be overcome or a learning point, if they want to perform better for the team.
- Extrinsic goals, go on to satisfy external reasons and usually depend on external approval from others, rewards or avoiding punishments.
- Examples of extrinsic motivation driven goals include: The young goalkeeper who is told by their dad if you play well today, you’ll get a bottle of prime after the match or a cricketer who is told by his coach in a grumpy manner that he or she needs to improve their skillset, and learn to master a new shot for the new season.
- A person’s self-motivation and commitment levels, as well as their results are affected differently by the two kinds of goals that they set.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Relevant Podcast Episodes to Help Your Commitment Levels
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep021: Steve Hackney – How To Reach Your Full Potential
Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Ep141: David Charlton – How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources to Boost Your Commitment
Blog: Focusing on the Process as a Team
Blog: Focus on the Process
Blog: Why You Should Stop Setting SMART Goals
Blog: Cricket Psychology Tips: Control the Controllables
4 Steps To Form A Habit That Actually Sticks
Our guide to checking if your goals are intrinsically driven.
Self Determination Theory Website
Commitment, setting goals and delivering on your promises without being derailed, is an important ingredient of Mental Toughness. In this BITESIZED episode leading Performance Coach, Mark Bennett MBE and I go on to discuss the differences in commitment levels between leisure and performance athletes. Mark goes on to share suggestions for coaches so that they can get the best out of their athletes.
Key Learning Points:
- Technical ability, physicality or skill doesn’t define a leisure or performance athlete, it is their attitude and daily behaviours.
- Whether they are supervised or unsupervised, a performance athlete is somebody that will do what they need to do to be the best they can be.
- The performance athlete will ask themselves important questions daily such as; “What’s my plan for the week ahead?” “How much sleep do I need?” “What am I going to eat tomorrow?” “What do I need to do?“
- High performance coaches, continually look at the everyday behaviours of their athletes and don’t overly concern themselves of the athlete’s technical ability.
- Coaches will seek to understand the athlete as a person, their personality, preferred environment and habits, to understand where their mindset currently is and what their commitment is to their goals and objectives.
Connect with Mark Bennett MBE
LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook
Performance Development Systems, PDS Coaching Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Related Podcast Episodes
- Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
- Ep140: Chris Cook - How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
- EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
- Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
- Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Other Resources to Help You
Blog: Developing your Mental Game in your Downtime
Blog: Training Hard Vs Training Smart | I Must Work Harder
Blog: Are you Motivated or Committed
Blog: 4 Steps To Form A Habit That Actually Sticks
Blog: Why You Should Stop Setting SMART Goals
Rest and recovery is hugely important for us all, especially highly motivated and driven people. In this bitesized episode, I chat with Nick Littlehales, a Sleep Coach to many elite sports performers. Nick and I discuss sleep trackers and the upside to using them. He also talks about orthosomnia, which describes individuals who become overly concerned or obsessed with tracking their sleep, resulting in heightened anxiety towards their sleeping patterns.
Key Learning Points:
- Orthosomnia refers to a situation where people rely heavily on sleep tracking technology and aim to achieve perfect sleep.
- This can lead to stress and anxiety, similar to the athlete who tracks too complex or unhelpful data when they perform.
- Maintaining a balanced approach to sleep tracking is essential.
Connect with Nick Littlehales
Website
Book - Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps...and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
Other Helpful Resources
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Supportive coaching is shown to be effective in having a positive influence on an athlete’s development, particularly when athletes are unsure of themselves, are less confident and lack mental toughness.
Feel free to check out today’s solo episode where I discuss compassion, mental toughness and high performance to help with the development of sports coaches and to improve the experience for athletes.
Key Learning Points
- High performing teams such as The Lionesses recognise showing compassion is hugely beneficial to individuals and the team as a whole.
- Fear cultures and giving out “tough love” are thing of the past in miliary circles.
- In elite sport top coaches are well educated and are aware of the need to balance support and challenge with their players.
- Compassion can help us feel safe and protected leaving us better able to learn and develop.
- Sarina Weigman’s response to Lauren James’ red card in a recent World Cup match versus Nigeria is a classic example of compassionate coaching.
- As a coach how do you naturally respond to difficulties or mistakes?
- Dr Kristin Neff has many helpful resources on compassion.
- Google Professor Sophia Jowett’s work on the coach-athlete relationship and the relationship with performance and well-being.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes to Help Sports Coaches
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep180: David Charlton - How To Work With Team Units To Improve Culture In Teams
Ep181:David Charlton - How to Improve Teamwork using a 4Cs Mental Toughness Approach
Ep182: Doug Strycharczyk - An Introduction to Mental Toughness and Psychological Safety #BITESIZE
Other Relevant Resources to Upskill Sports Coaches
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes
Online Course for Sports Coaches developed by Professor Sophia Jowett - Empowering the athlete: The coach-athlete partnership
Dr Kristin Neff's Work on Compassion
Cath Bishop - Compassion can produce better performance – just look at the Lionesses
Today I chat with a leading authority for Mental Toughness, Doug Strycharczyk, where I share a short bite from a conversation that we had about psychological safety and its relationship with Mental Toughness. Doug goes on to introduce psychological safety which is highly relevant for those involved in teams or organisations.
Key Learning Points:
- It’s worth checking out the work of Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson who is an expert on psychological safety.
- Amy Edmondson describes psychological safety as creating a climate where people are encouraged to take risks and that they don't feel the need to censor themselves before talking.
- People are happy to ask questions and make their contributions without fear of criticism.
- A psychologically safe environment nurtures mutual trust, support and respect.
- Leaders are often more mentally tough than many of their employees therefore being self-aware is critical so that they communicate more effectively.
Connect with Doug Strycharczyk:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougstrycharczyk/
Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk
https://aqrinternational.co.uk/
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk & Dr John Perry - What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep179: David Charlton - Great Captains: 8 Mental Toughness Characteristics That Can Inspire Others
Ep180: David Charlton - How To Work With Team Units To Improve Culture In Teams
Other Useful Resources
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog - Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog – How Mentally Healthy is Your Club’s Sporting Environment?
“Teamwork makes the dreamwork” – John C Maxwell. This quote is the motivation behind the latest episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, where I look to challenge your thinking by considering the 3Cs Teamwork Cycle of cooperation, coordination and communication alongside the 4Cs Mental Toughness model created by Professor Peter Clough.
After all, successful teamwork, often gives teams, clubs and organisations a lot better chance of performing well, on a consistent basis, as well as maintaining harmonious relationships. It’s a must listen for coaches looking to challenge their approach and for those involved in team sports.
Key Learning Points
- Co-ordination can improve confidence levels of individuals, as well as collectively in a team. Consideration for coaches is how they plan and prepare their teams, in the build up to matches.
- Optimism and a sense of can do can be the result of meticulous planning and consistent clear messages.
- Commitment levels can also be improved with less likelihood of the group losing sight of their goals.
- As a coach, how often and clearly do you check expectations of your players individually or as a group? Do you encourage players to question you?
- Low interpersonal confidence from players can make it difficult to know if they are clearly understanding coaches’ messages. Especially if the player is able to mask their emotions well with a good poker face.
- Perspective is key for coaches and managers. Are you able to remain calm and contain your emotions allowing you to look at the bigger picture? This will likely harness co-operation in the team.
- Some coaches are great at focusing on solutions not problems do you?
Do you seek to learn from your experiences as a coach with deep reflection? Considering what you say and how you say it in the build up to matches, during matches and afterwards - have you considered how the words that you use and the tone of your voice can influence your players and their willingness to work as a team?
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes to Improve Teamwork
Ep147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep179: David Charlton - Great Captains: 8 Mental Toughness Characteristics That Can Inspire Others
Ep180: David Charlton - How To Work With Team Units To Improve Culture In Teams
Other Relevant Blogs to Benefit Teams
Blog - Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – How Mentally Healthy is Your Club’s Sporting Environment?
Blog – Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Are team development strategies taken seriously in elite sport when viewed from a psycho-social perspective?
This question was the motivation for my solo episode today where I chat about the use of team units and the benefits of working more closely in team units. As I share my thoughts and ideas, I refer to some of the key sub-measures of Mental Toughness from Peter Clough’s 4Cs model.
Key Learning Points
- Purposeful regular team building activities when working with small sub-groups in teams, squads and organisations can have a very positive impact on the overall culture.
- Individuals get to know each other better as people, their background, traits and lifestyle improving emotional intelligence across the group.
- Regular team building activities should include fun and light-hearted activities, team communication, problem solving and trust building activities.
- In mental toughness terms, for goal orientation and achievement orientation, players were hugely motivated to achieve team and individual goals, a high degree of accountability also was evident which then meant not many players got sidetracked from the goals that were set.
- Conflict, and disagreements happened however they was dealt with speedily, resolved and didn’t distract from the collective goals.
- For learning orientation, there were many opportunities afforded to players to realise their full potential, with less blame and fear imposed.
- Closer bonds between players, knowing more about each other as people, helped the group prepare and deal with challenges.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes to Improve Team Culture
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Ep127: Paul Trainor – The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League
EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Other Relevant Blogs to Benefit Teams
Blog - Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – How Mentally Healthy is Your Club’s Sporting Environment?
Blog – Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
What makes a great captain in team sports?
In this week’s short solo episode I elaborate on this question where I focus on the 8 key sub-measures of Mental Toughness from Peter Clough’s 4Cs model sharing my thoughts and ideas, some case studies and tips to help you, your players or students or your children.
Key Learning Points
- When coaches face selection headaches often they choose the player that they trust more, the one who has some captaincy qualities, when dealing with difficult situations and pressure.
- As well as, performing competently on a consistent basis, captains need to be able to inspire confidence in their players, evaluate game plans and be flexible in their approach if circumstances dictate.
- The hallmark of a mentally tough captain is to deal with pressure well, they’ll then make smarter decisions and communicate more effectively with their team-mates, coaches and the referee.
- A captain should be a leader, a skilled communicator, a calm decision maker, and an important link between team and coach.
- To remain calm perhaps create a 20 or 30 second rule, where you allow yourself time to settle, take in the event that has happened and breathe before reacting.
- Encouraging yourself and others with a positive “CAN DO” attitude is essential as a captain.
- When your team is behind in a game or struggling, a captain can really help a team by giving off an air of confidence to team-mates.
- Captains who encourage learning from mistakes and don’t point the finger, playing the blame game can help team-mates play with more freedom.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes to Improve Your Captaincy Skills
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep120: David Charlton – Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE – How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Other Relevant Blogs Benefit Captains
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: 5 Reasons Team Captains Should Work With a Sports Psychologist
Blog: Mental Game of Football: An Error Many Footballers Make
Applicable Mental Edge’s to Stretch You as a Captain
Mental Edge: How to improve the skills of team captains
Mental Edge: Do you leave leadership skills to chance?
Mental Edge: 10 Ways to take responsibility and keep moving forwards
This is a short episode where leadership is the topic that Paula Eddy Wilcox and I discuss, specifically looking at vulnerability in leaders, coaches or managers. From a mental toughness angle this links with a number of the measures from Peter Cloughs 4Cs Model of Mental Toughness. Namely, interpersonal confidence and being comfortable in yourself when you communicate to others, to emotional control where we can choose to or not, express our thoughts and emotions to other people. As well as, risk orientation, where we can decide to stretch ourselves or remain comfortable and learning orientation, where we can look to learn from mistakes. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- One way to explain whether you choose to show your vulnerable side or not is to focus on it from the lens of a P-I-E perspective, Performance, Image and Exposure.
- With 10% performance, 30% image and 60% exposure accounting for this. In terms of exposure, are you putting yourself out there and being vulnerable in a leadership role?
- Be honest about how you are and how you show up. Are you too comfortable in the way you go about things?
- Mentors and coaches can help you get more comfortable with the uncomfortable.
- A fixed mindset can prevent you from showing vulnerability.
- There are links with showing vulnerability and psychological safety.
Connect with Paula Eddy-Wilcox
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Other Useful Resources
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - How to Find Your Why
Blog - Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Vlog - How mental toughness helps us understand psychological safety
In episode #177 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, Lisa Avery, a positive psychology practitioner talks to me about how to help young people flourish using a positive psychology approach. In our conversation we focus on a measure of mental toughness, life control, which links to having a “can do” attitude towards life. We discuss identifying and cultivating positive emotions, character strengths, and virtues that contribute towards a feel good factor and overcoming our negativity bias as well as a lot more.
Key Learning Points:
- Arguably, here in the UK we are behind countries like the USA and Australia in our use of positive psychology approaches when supporting young people.
- We all have a negativity bias in our brains where we are quick to notice the bad stuff not the good.
- In order to get to the point of being comfortable in your own skin, and valuing yourself and your personality traits, you've got to know who you are.
- In schools and colleges the starting point is always to work with the staff, usually the senior leadership team.
- Dr. Susan David speaks about the fact that if you know what your values are, every time you need to make a decision. You should simply ask yourself, “is what I'm about to say or do going to take me closer or further away from where I want to be?”.
- The central framework to positive psychology comes from Dr Martin Seligman’s work. He says that in order to thrive, human beings need positive emotions, a sense of engagement in their work and life, great relationships, a sense of meaning or purpose, and a sense of accomplishment.
- Abraham Maslow states “we either step forwards into growth or step back backwards into safety.”
- Do you focus on the strengths of your kids or their weaknesses? This questionnaire will help you. - https://www.leawaters.com/sbp-quiz
Connect with Lisa Avery
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
5 Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep134: David Charlton – Observations: 3 Things That Stop You Achieving Your Goals
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep098: Jon Bartlett – Do You Know Your Why?
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep021: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
5 Valuable resources that can help you build a “can do” attitude
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance a Values List
Conversations with Kids – Values
Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz for Children
Child and Youth Motivation Quiz for Parents
Performance Profile for Goalkeepers
In today’s episode, I share a short yet very important extract from episode 122, where Professor Camilla Knight chats to me about the wellbeing of sporting children, communication between children and parents, parental stressors, as well as touching on self-care as a parent.
Key Learning Points
- The sporting environment will naturally shape the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of children.
- Understanding what your child's typical behaviours are, is really important to be aware of, as you can then start to notice when their behaviours start to change.
- Regular conversations with children are key, understanding your child as an individual whilst not getting drawn into comparing them to others.
- An exclusive athletic identity too early for children can be detrimental.
- Parents have to deal with their own time and financial stressors which isn’t easy for some.
- It’s vital to recognise that the parent-child relationship is a relationship and that it is bi-directional.
Connect with Professor Camilla Knight
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Podcast episodes related to the youth sport experience
Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep141: David Charlton – How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Blogs and case studies to support kids in sport
Blog 3 Tips to Help Children Enjoy Their Sport
Blog: Pre Match Tips for Parents
Blog: How does Counselling work in Professional Sport?
Blog: 5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
Case Study: How to Cope with Performance Anxiety in Gymnastics
Case Study: Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome His Fears
Further resources for parents
Sports Psychology Resources for Youth Sport (Blogs, Podcasts, Video's)
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Child and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Parent Motivation for Sport Quiz
Episode 175 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast is for athletes, coaches or parents that fall into the trap of spending too much time mind reading others and making faulty assumptions meaning that they struggle to focus on the task in hand and perform to their optimum. Typical behaviours in sport that can be associated with those who look to seek social approach: they often go into their shells, their body language can be poor, they’re communication is often impacted, they don’t like attention and they can let games and matches pass them by.
Key Learning Points:
- Social media use can arguably mean people become very impressionable, at an unconscious level without realising.
- Seeking social approval and fear of failure can complicate our thoughts.
- Judgement mode can be difficult for some people where they often judge themselves and their performances harshly and spend a lot of time thinking about how others will respond to them.
- Being able to accept, that thoughts about what others may be thinking, is normal, can help you.
- Seek to understand why you get drawn into worrying so much about what others think about you when you play. What is it costing you? What are the benefits?
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help Athletes Who Crave Social Approval
Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep095: David Charlton – David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Final Part
Ep112: David Charlton – How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Other Relevant Blogs And Resources To Benefit the Athlete Who Worries About Others
Blog: Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure
Blog: 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: Body Image in Sport
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Criticism is everywhere today, where people often share their opinions of other people very easily despite not knowing the person, online using social media. The criticism often goes too far, especially in a sporting context, when so much emotion is evident. Throw in general criticism on the side of a pitch from spectators, and negative feedback from coaches and team-mates. It really can be tough being involved in sport with no hiding place.
You’ll find some athletes and coaches brush off criticism, others though can find it very difficult to deal with. It can impact their well-being and relationships with other people. Sometimes they’ll respond angrily or in an aggressive manner, in other cases they’ll be overcome with sadness and get very upset.
The key is to take the learning, from criticism, which isn’t easy and is the focus of this bitesize episode, with Professor Paul McGee, one of Europe’s leading speakers and a respected author. He shares some great stories and ideas to help you.
Feel free to tune in!
Key Learning Points:
- A bad game doesn’t mean that you are a bad person.
- Recognise if you become defensive in the face of criticism.
- Acknowledge if your inner dialogue is overly critical and learn to be kinder to yourself.
- Perspective is vital.
Useful Questions To Ask Yourself:
- Would you seek advice from the person who has criticised you?
- Does the person criticising you have your best interests at heart?
- Will I remember this incident in 6 months’ time?
- On a scale of 1-10 how close to death is this situation?
Connect with Paul McGee
The Sumo Guy Website
Books written by Paul McGee
S.U.M.O. Your Relationships: How to Handle Not Strangle the People You Live and Work With
S.U.M.O (Shut Up, Move On): The Straight-Talking Guide to Succeeding in Life
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep041: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep120: David Charlton - Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE - How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Relevant Blogs
Blog: 3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport
Blog: Communicating with children in sport
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes
Blog: 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Other Useful Resources
Conversations with Kids - Dealing with Criticism
Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion
A measure of Mental Toughness is interpersonal confidence, which reflects your ability to deal confidently with challenges from other people. Those with good interpersonal confidence are likely to be better at dealing positively with these situations and with people, tending to be more assertive. They are also more comfortable in social or team settings, especially when mistakes occur or as is often the case, especially in some sports, when criticism is dished out.
Today’s short bite taken from episode 03 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, touches on this topic where current Assistant Player Loans Manager at Newcastle United Football Club, Peter Ramage tells me about some of the situations he came across as a professional footballer, he also shares with you some helpful advice from some of the lessons that he has learned in dealing with others in a football environment. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Dealing with a lack of game time as a young footballer.
- Coping with criticism from teammates, coaches and fans.
- Dealing with being dropped and pushing yourself when you’re a squad player.
- Ideas on how to approach your manager when you are seeking answers or looking to improve.
- It is vitally important to be honest with yourself and take some time to reflect on your approach and mindset.
Connect with Peter Ramage
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep003: Peter Ramage – Developing a Premier League Mindset
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep120: David Charlton - Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate
Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Ep161: Paul Phillips - How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union
Relevant Blogs
Blog: 5 Reasons Team Captains Should Work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog: 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog: Communicating with Children in Sport
Blog: Why You Should Recognise The Power of Your Words
Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes
Valuable Resources
Football or Soccer Psychology Resources
Sports Psychology Case Studies
In today’s episode we look at working with the subconscious mind to improve self-awareness, overcome self-doubt and reduce your chances of choking when performing. My guest, Mental Performance Coach, Brandon Epstein shares his wisdom and gives you some ideas and strategies to keep moving forwards.
Key Learning Points:
- Our subconscious mind can be programmed to help us win or lose.
- A lot of people are unconsciously incompetent, they lack self-awareness and don’t live in the present moment.
- Self-awareness is crucial to be able to grow and overcome performance plateaus.
- Start by asking yourself the question - how does my emotional experience start?
- A lot of athletes crave the feeling of confidence when they perform – it is possible to experience this when working with the subconscious.
- Self-hypnosis can help you reprogram patterns of behaviour that you repeat.
- Understanding your limiting beliefs and changing them is a helpful approach.
- By being proactive and using psychological skills training you can give yourself a better chance of thriving under pressure.
Connect with Brandon Epstein
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Ep012: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep 081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Relevant blogs
Blog: Mental Preparation for Combat Sports
Blog: Would You Like A Secret Weapon in Your Armoury?
Blog: Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Blog: My Child Can’t Find “The Zone”
In episode #171 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness, former Professional Australian Rugby League player and now an inspiring speaker and personal trainer, David Lindsay talks to me about ways you can improve your vitality to improve your chances of success. We also touch on Mental Toughness in a Professional Rugby League as well as discussing the psychological side to martial arts.
Key Learning Points:
- When you are smaller than others learning to play to and improve your strengths is important.
- “The mental game beats the physical game every day.”
- You can control yourself not your opponent, so don’t waste time focusing too much on them.
- Mental Toughness in a Rugby League setting is all about your ability to keep moving forwards despite pressures that exist.
- A bigger picture mentality without too much emotion is necessary to perform at the peak of your powers.
- To psych yourself up, consider energising music or rituals like the All Blacks “Haka.”
- Visualisation and self-talk are other useful tools to improve your energy and intensity levels.
- Ensuring you look after yourself with adequate rest and recovery is essential to raise your vitality.
Connect with David Lindsay
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
5 Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep112: David Charlton – How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete
Ep134: David Charlton - Observations: 3 Things That Stop You Achieving Your Goals
EP138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
4 Relevant blogs
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: Mental Preparation for Combat Sports
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches
3 Valuable resources
Understanding yourself better – The 4Ts. Timing, Thoughts, Tension and Temperature
Combat Sports Psychology Library
Rugby Psychology Library
Supporting athletes with perfectionist tendencies is a large part of our work at Inspiring Sporting Excellence. They often display the following characteristics:
- Difficulties transferring their practice or training to competitive events or matches.
- Trying too hard.
- Focusing intensely on results and outcomes.
- Unable to trust themselves under pressure.
- High, rigid and often unrealistic expectations of themselves and others.
- Impatience and a tendency to demonstrate poor body language in the face of difficulties and for some to give up too easily.
- Being frightened of letting other people down.
- Having brittle confidence.
- Letting their own self-worth and self-esteem be influenced by poor sporting performances.
Additionally, the perfectionist athlete can be very hard on themselves which informs the content in today’s episode where I share a case study and a helpful exercise relating to recovering from mistakes and errors.
Key Learning Points
- When we’re not emotionally involved it’s easier to be kind and compassionate.
- Often athletes find it easier to be kinder to team-mates than themselves when difficulties arise.
- The pressure of being judged and critiqued in sport can impact on an athlete’s ability to deal with mistakes.
- Being kind to yourself as an athlete doesn’t mean that you are going soft.
- Learning how to be more self-compassionate can help you motivate yourself more than fear- based motivational methods.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help Perfectionist Athletes
Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1
Ep130 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
Other Relevant Blogs And Resources To Benefit the Athlete Who Desires To Be Perfect
Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure
5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Are You A Rugby Player With Perfectionist Tendencies?
How to Trust Your Skills When You’re a Goalkeeper
How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure
How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Conversations with Kids - Dealing with Criticism
Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion
One of the hallmarks of Mentally Toughness is the ability to perform well under pressure. Whether you play golf or cricket, or enjoy gymnastics or netball. It’s the same in your job if you have to stand up and deliver presentations at work.
So why do many people struggle with this? Why does thriving under pressure separate the great from the good on occasions?
Many things can prevent people to be able to perform in the manner they’d like to when the pressure is on for a host of reasons, including:
- Performance anxiety
- A failure to learn from past mistakes
- Focusing on the wrong things
- Making practice sessions too comfortable
- Personality traits, for example your Mental Toughness
- Off field pressures
Today’s short bite taken from episode 94 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, touches on this topic where Professor Adam Nicholls shares with you a few ideas to be able to improve the way that you perform under pressure. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Mental Toughness is about an athlete's ability to be able to perform well under pressure, so that their performance is not adversely affected by pressure.
- Typical signs that someone struggles with pressure are that their routines change, that they speed up or slow down or that they fail to carry out tactics and get caught up in emotion.
- Experience is an important factor in making good decisions under pressure.
- Simulating pressure in training and practice is another helpful approach to take.
- Seeking to improve your self-awareness, being open-minded to learn is also essential so that you can make smarter decisions at critical times.
Connect with Adam Nicholls
Book: Psychology in Sports Coaches: Theory and Practice
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
6 Relevant podcast episodes
Ep166: Mark Bennett MBE - How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances
Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls - How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Ep093: Dan Abrahams - How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep091: Jarrod Leathem - How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Ep089: Will Shaw - How To Transfer Your Golfing Skills To The Course
Ep050: Compilation - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
5 Relevant blogs
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog: Mental Preparation for Combat Sports
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 3 Tips to Help You Overcome Setbacks
4 Valuable resources
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Understanding yourself better – The 4Ts. Timing, Thoughts, Tension and Temperature
Understand your mental toughness tendencies
Driscoll’s Model of Reflection
3 Great conversations to have with your kids to help them perform better under pressure
Conversations with Kids – Fixed Mindset
Conversations with Kids – Emotional Rollercoaster
Conversations with Kids – Bravery
Today’s guest, trainer, coach and author Andrew Simpson and I chat about the youth sport experience today for kids, parents and coaches. We discuss pressures on kids, coaching and parental pressures and stressors. We also look at parents who also coach and the difficulties involved in that role, in particular. Common mindset traps kids fall into are also part of the conversation including the perfectionist kid who has high and unrealistic expectations of themselves and others, social comparisons and kids who carry their sporting identity so that it impacts their self-esteem. Parents, and coaches in youth sport and teachers may find this episode helpful.
Key Learning Points
- Two big pressures that a lot of kids put on themselves in sports include trying to please others (coach and parents) through their performances.
- Between 9 and 11 years old children go from focusing on the task at hand to being more aware of others and their thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
- It is easy as a coach to lose sight of why you coach.
- Showing kindness and compassion as a coach and parent is a helpful way to help children regulate their emotions.
- For parents who also coach their children setting boundaries of when you’re a coach and a parent is vital.
- Children can find it difficult to regulate their emotions in sport due to performance demands.
- Parents can consider themselves as role models whilst standing on the sidelines. If they get animated their children may follow suit.
- Bribery when parenting is unhelpful in trying to promote intrinsic motivation.
- Sports are what you do and are not who you are.
Connect with Andrew Simpson
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep154: David Charlton – How Do I Go About Controlling The Controllables To Help My Sport Performance?
Ep145: David Charlton – How Can I Help My Children Who Suffer With Nerves Before They Compete?
Ep141: David Charlton – How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Ep122: Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Relevant Blogs
Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent
Blog: How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete
Blog: How to Help Kids Overcome Performance Anxiety
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Relevant Resources
Sports Psychology Resources for Youth Sport (Blogs, Podcasts, Video's)
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Child and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Parent Motivation for Sport Quiz
In today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness we dip back into the archives and take a short bite from episode 13 where leading performance coach Karl Morris and I chat about emotional control an essential ingredient of Mental Toughness. Karl goes on to share a very simple and effective strategy for those people who find it hard to let go of mistakes, stay calm and level headed. Or the golfer or athlete who gets too excited and finds they can think too far ahead when they’re performing well. It’s a strategy for golfers however if you get creative this concept can be applied to any sport or setting. Enjoy Tuning in!
Key Learning Points
- Play a round of golf and look to observe your behaviour.
- Make a note of your reactions to shots or how you you spend time between shots.
- Why not use a mental scorecard to engage your competitive side by scoring your reactions on the course? Tick if you remained present or cross if you could have handled things better.
- If you train yourself to react well and you go on to swing it well, you start getting very close to playing to your full potential.
- Good players get ahead of themselves, everyone does. However good players are quick at noticing when their mind is stuck in the past or when they get caught trying to predict the future. They are then quick to move on after recognising it.
Connect with Karl Morris
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Relevant Podcast Episodes to Help You Lower Your Scores
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep160: Brian Hemmings - Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You
Blogs To Improve Your Golf
How to Play Great Golf Under Pressure
5 Tips to Help You Perform Fearlessly When You Compete
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
Podcasts to Help You Manage Your Emotions Better
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
EP136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women’s Football and Bouncing Back Stronger
Blogs to Help You Master Your Mind
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Many athletes and coaches understand that one measure of Mental Toughness, COMMITMENT, showing maximum effort, making promises and keeping them, setting goals and not getting to side-tracked is vitally important. What this can also mean is a lot of athletes and coaches get carried away with simply being busy and trying to improve. This often results in performance plateaus.
Why is that? A trap that many people fall into is a failure to learn from mistakes and performances. This challenge is the motivation for creating this episode with leading performance coach, Mark Bennett MBE, where we discuss live decision making from an athlete and coaches’ perspective. We also chat about individual sports and team sports, the differences, working with multi-disciplinary teams, hot and cold review processes and a lot more. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Coaches are a huge influence on how athletes go on to make decisions and reflect on those decisions when they're playing their sport in the moment.
- Helpful processes in decision making link to ensuring emotions are managed, environmental factors are controlled, being able to reflect live whilst understanding how choices in the execution of skills go on to influence the outcome.
- Helpful questions to ask yourself, start with – Am I in an effective state?
- Recognising if your ego gets in the way of your performance is essential for both coaches and athletes.
- Outcomes and too much though on technique can confuse a lot of golfers and impact their performance negatively.
Connect with Mark Bennett MBE
LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook
Performance Development Systems, PDS Coaching Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Related Podcast Episodes
Ep069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Ep086 – David Charlton: Observations – How to Learn From Setbacks
Ep121 – Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep140: Chris Cook - How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep154: David Charlton – How Do I Go About Controlling The Controllables To Help My Sport Performance?
4 resources to read to help you make better decisions
3 Tips to Help You Overcome Setbacks
Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Resilient And Mentally Tough 9 Things You Can Learn From Tiger Woods
Driscolls Model of Reflection
3 Great conversations to have with your kids that relate to reflecting
Conversations with Kids - Values
Conversations with Kids - Emotional Rollercoaster
Conversations with Kids – Sports Coach
Goalkeeping is arguably the most difficult and mentally challenging position on the football or soccer pitch. Common psychological challenges goalkeepers face include; dealing with pressure due to being the last line of defence, coping with mistakes, managing emotions, maintaining focus on the pitch in matches and in training, as well as communicating effectively with team-mates.
In today’s episode Andy Elleray, an author and goalkeeping coach, who has worked for clubs such as Chelsea and Bristol Rovers, and within the female game for the English and Welsh Football Associations joins me and shares some fantastic insights into the demands of goalkeeping as well as highlighting how to deal with the pressures better.
Key Learnings
- You will have difficult periods in your career as a goalkeeper.
- Making mistakes as a goalkeeper is inevitable.
- Goalkeeping coaching can test your communication skills, managing goalkeepers who are the preferred choice and those who are out of the team.
- Helping goalkeepers manage the controllables is important.
- Young goalkeeper’s brain is not fully developed therefore they can experience big emotions as a result of the challenges of the GK role, which they can struggle to deal with.
- Trigger words or physical triggers (using sweat bands or super-hero bands) can help goalkeepers move on more quickly from mistakes.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Any Elleray
Website
Twitter: @andyelleray / @lilys_goal
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep08: Brendan Pearson - Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement
Ep087: Carl Bell – From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep146: John Nassoori – What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Other Valuable Football or Soccer Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers
Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents
Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology
Trauma refers to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience or event that can overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope and potentially cause lasting psychological, emotional and physical effects. In this bitesize episode, my guest, author and motivational speaker Steve Judge tells me about his inspiring journey.
In 2002, Steve was involved in a car crash near Sheffield, crushing both of his legs and very nearly losing his life. The episode highlights how Steve learned to walk again, he also shares some advice on how he picked himself up from rock bottom. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learnings
- Steve highlights how setting short term goals helped him.
- Benchmarking and measuring his progress he found beneficial.
- Being kind to yourself during tough times is important.
- Social support is essential when we suffer difficulties.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Steve Judge
Website
Steve Judge on LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep158: Dr Paul Gorczynski – How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Relevant Blogs
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Bullying – The Dark Side of Sport
Creating a Mentally Healthy Sporting Environment
The “yips” is a term commonly used in golf. It describes sudden and unexplained losses of fine motor skills which impact on putting strokes and golfers chipping action. It is argued that somewhere between 32 and 47% of serious golfers have been affected by the yips at some point. The yips can be a very complex challenge to overcome where many golfers simply change technique and equipment numerous times. Sports psychologists are advocates of the use of hypnosis, relaxation and visualisation techniques, as well as carefully thought out practice routines to help golfers regain confidence and trust in their putting stroke.
In this bitesize episode, my colleague Dr Alessia Bruno tells you more about the yips, what happens in the brain as well as offering you some hope if you experience this debilitating condition, where she refers to techniques such as Brainspotting and EMDR as a way to help you enjoy your golf or sport again.
Key Learning Points:
- The yips is a type of performance anxiety where motor skills are impacted.
- Golfers tend to become very rigid and controlling when performing a skill.
- The yips is a serious problem which can seep into other areas of your sport.
- The yips can cause many athletes to quit their sport.
- When the yips occurs, a fight or flight or freeze response occurs.
- The limbic system is activated when we’re fearful, especially the amygdala.
- Brainspotting and EMDR are techniques that allow us to process the memory without getting activated when we play golf or sport.
Connect with Dr Alessia Bruno
Website
Articles, Videos and Podcasts
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Ep012: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep156: Ruth Chiles - There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Psychology of Golf Library
Further resources on the yips and mental blocks
Yips Podcasts
Mental Blocks Podcasts
Mental Blocks Articles
Today in episode #162 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast I chat with Sun Sachs and Ed Gibbins, owners of Rewire Fitness about flow states. When you have a sense of control, are at peace, have a quiet mind and an inner calmness about you. We discuss the characteristics and importance of flow states, as well as touching on how you can find “flow.”
Key Learning Points:
- Understanding self-care can help perfectionist athletes.
- The perfectionist can be relentless in their pursuit of excellence impacting negatively on their relationships and other areas of their life.
- Taking yourself and situations too seriously can be a trap perfectionists fall into.
- A flow state is where your mind is calm, your awareness is increased and you make quick smart decisions.
- When you are in flow you aren’t thinking about the past or future, it is the here and now.
- A quality of flow is a loss of self-consciousness and a task only focus.
- Visualisation, Mindfulness and Sports Hypnosis are great ways to get into the Flow.
- What is your “flow trigger?” If you haven’t got one, create one!
Connect with Sun Sachs and Ed Gibbins @ Rewire Fitness
Website Instagram
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Flow State Related Podcast Episodes
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep007: Toby Flood – How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Ep063: David Charlton – 7 Reasons Why Golfers Should Visualise
Ep 081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Blogs to read to induce a Flow State
3 Ways to use Visualisation so that You are Mentally Prepared to Win
How to Quieten the Mind when Fighting
My Child Can't Find "The Zone"
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
3 Great conversations to have with your kids that relate with flow states
Conversations with Kids - Relax and Unwind
Conversations with Kids - Gratitude 1
Conversations with Kids – Gratitude 2
In episode #161 I chat with Author, Coach Educator and Performance Rugby Consultant, Paul Phillips. We discuss his experiences of developing high performance cultures in professional rugby. Paul also shares some research on tackling and how to overcome fears with helpful triggers as well as other fascinating insights.
Key Learning Points:
- In Rugby at the lower levels fear is very prominent.
- Establishing values and behaviours that are coupled with a vision for the team and club is an essential part of culture development.
- Why can’t we generate behaviours before thoughts and emotions?
- James Clear’s two-minute rule in the book Atomic Habits is a good way to start to develop habitual behaviours.
- The size of the opponent in rugby can be a big factor in activating fear.
- Visual, kinaesthetic and auditory cues and triggers are helpful in dealing with fear when tackling.
- Using metaphors such as images of animals or superhero’s is a helpful trigger for adults and children.
- The development of positive relationships between players and coaches is a hallmark of high performing teams.
- Extrinsic environments are rife largely down to the way messages are communicated from senior staff and coaches in clubs and organisations.
- Too much focus on external factors results in lower emotional control.
Connect with Paul Phillips
Book: How to Create Culture: In Rugby Union
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls – How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Ep104: Seb De Chaves – The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep127: Paul Trainor – The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League
EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Ep153: Rugby Psychology Compilation - 25 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch
Blog - Are You A Rugby Player With Perfectionist Tendencies?
Case Study – Supporting a Rugby Player to Overcome Self-Doubt
Blog - Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources
- Golf Psychology is only for top, elite professionals such as Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm.
- Only work with a Golf Psychologist if you have a problem.
- A Golf Psychologist will fix you in one session.
- Working with a Golf Psychologist will take place on a “couch.”
These statements are all myths that some golfers believe are true yet couldn’t be farther from the truth. The role of a Sport Psychologist who supports golfers is varied. It includes sitting down strategizing and going “deep” at times with the use of psychological skills training. However, it also includes considering more helpful ways to practice and how to manage your time on and off the golf course. Sessions can take place in a club houses, in confidential spaces, on putting greens, chipping greens, driving ranges and on golf courses.
In today’s episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, Dr Brian Hemmings joins me where we discuss his work as a Sports Psychologist in golf, the importance of the relationship between the practitioner, the coach and client, as well as frequent challenges faced by golfers, quiet eye training and a lot more. Enjoy Tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- There is less of a stigma of working with a psychologist in golf than a lot of sports.
- The golf environment is a lovely place to work for a golf psychologist.
- Many golfers lose confidence so quickly when playing competitively.
- The relationship you form with the golfer is critical.
- Experiential knowledge of working with players on putting greens and seeing them behave differently in practice has helped me in my work.
- Expectations that people place on themselves can mean they make golf a lot more difficult than it needs to be.
- Quiet eye training is very helpful for improving short putting.
- Many golfers find transitions very challenging, from the step up to national squads to, turning professional to moving up to the DP World Tour.
Connect with Dr Brian Hemmings
Website
Golf Psychology Coaching Certificate - PROMO CODE - David Charlton
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep068: Andrew Nicholson – How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
Ep089: Will Shaw - How to Transfer Your Golfing Skills to the Course
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep118: Dr Bob Winters – How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
If you’ve got to the point where you’ve experienced physical, emotional and mental exhaustion you may have experienced burnout. This can happen to people who are subjected to high levels of stress and pressure over a sustained period of time. In elite sport prolonged and intense involvement as an athlete, coach or support member can push you in this direction where your motivation and performance levels can naturally decline. In addition, your psychological well-being and mental health can also be a cause for concern where you can lack enjoyment in what you do, become more irritable with others and have difficulty sleeping at night.
In today’s episode Dr. Andrew Shafik, a club doctor at Millwall and Chelsea Football clubs goes on share some fascinating insights where we chat about what players, coaches and support staff, can go on to experience. We also share solutions to some of the challenges that people face.
Key Learnings
- Sports medicine side is connected with understanding injuries and illness. As a doctor of performance medicine, Andrew seeks to work out how we can utilise our experiences of working within a multi-disciplinary team to maximise the performance and well-being of athletes, coaches or staff.
- Sports psychologists can be very helpful in assisting medical staff to manage players to an optimal level during their rehabilitation and recovery.
- Recent research tells us in the NHS, in healthcare settings, one in three practitioners at any one time often experience burnout due to the demands put on them.
- Culture and the environment can play a huge part in burnout and the well-being of staff.
- Your age, stage of career, gender, culture and relationships can impact your mental health.
- Understanding your levels of mental toughness and other characteristics can be helpful from a self-awareness angle and ensure that you make smarter decisions.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Dr. Andrew Shafik
Football Medicine and Performance Association Podcast with Steven Reid
Burnout and well-being in football online event – 06 March 2023
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep158: Dr Paul Gorczynski - How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies
Relevant Blogs
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - Creating a Mentally Healthy Sporting Environment
Blog - Life After Professional Sport and its Challenges
Mental Health in sport is a topic which over the last decade has become more significant and a big talking point with many elite athletes and coaches openly talking about their personal challenges and struggles. Yet do clubs and organisations take their needs seriously? In some cases, this is arguable. Though, thankfully it is changing for the better.
Today’s guest, Dr Paul Gorczynski and I discuss this topic where he talks about his interest in mental health, his research in the development and implementation of mental health literacy strategies. He shares some great advice for decision makers in organisations as well as useful ideas for Sport and Exercise Psychologists who have an interest in mental health and psychological well-being.
Key Learnings
- Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and understanding of mental health, including the ability to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness, understand the causes and risk factors, and know how to access appropriate resources and support.
- Mental Health Literacy projects Paul has been involved with include work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) where he looked at improving diagnosis and treatments for elite athletes and shifting the culture in relation to how mental health was viewed.
- Athletes have a life outside of sport therefore a holistic approach is required.
- As a Sport and Exercise Psychologist it is essential to recognise the limits of what you know and can help someone. Having a clear referral process to more qualified mental health practitioners is essential.
- Helping people in sporting clubs and organisations to engage in open and informed conversations about mental health and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and well-being is a large part of mental health literacy policies.
- Having mental health literacy is important for individuals to take care of their own mental health.
- Mental health literacy can support athletes or coaches who may be struggling with mental health issues. It can also help by increasing awareness and understanding, promoting early intervention and treatment, and improving overall mental health outcomes.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Dr Paul Gorczynski
Website
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Relevant Blogs
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - Creating a Mentally Healthy Sporting Environment
Today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness is where my colleagues at Inspiring Sporting Excellence, Olivia Scott, Aditi Gandhi, Tom Short and Alexandra Harper all share what they feel Sports Psychology is and what Sports Psychology is not. I hope you enjoy listening to their insights and gain a better understanding of the field.
Key Learnings
- Sports Psychology is used to find ways to improve performance.
- Sports Psychologists help people in a proactive way to improve as well as overcoming mental game barriers and blocks.
- It isn’t possible to think positively all of the time.
- In gymnastics mental blocks are common and a large role of a Sports Psychologist is to work with the gymnast and coach to ensure everyone is aligned to the same goal.
- Coaches can benefit from working with Sports Psychologists as they’ll improve their self- awareness, learn new things about themselves and gain new tools to support their gymnasts.
- Backing off from improving skills are important at times despite being very difficult for gymnastics coaches to do.
- Sports Psychology is a process, it’s not a quick fix.
- Many discussions between parents and children about their sport involvement and development often come from a good place but could be timed better, when emotions are less roused.
- In football Sports Psychologists can help coaches improve their players by drawing their awareness to specific aspects of their coaching and behaviour.
- Being a sounding board for coaches is also a key role of a Sports Psychologist.
- Sports Psychology is not the answer to all of your problems.
- Sports Psychology is about helping people with their thoughts, feelings and behaviours so that they can reach their optimum performance levels or enhance well-being.
- The person we work with has the answers within them, it’s our job to draw those answers from them.
- 6 sessions in most cases with a Sports Psychologist will be a big help to clients in reaching their goals.
Connect with David Charlton
The Mental Edge Newsletter
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep062: JJ Vallely - Mastering The Mental Side Of Golf
Ep071: James Lau - Mastering the Mental Side of Tennis
Ep072: Tom Jones - Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Ep146: John Nassoori - What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog: 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog: How does Counselling work in Professional Sport?
What’s the fuss about - Sports Psychology Explained
How Sports Psychology for Children works
Sport Psychology Impact Stories
In mainstream sports psychology when helping individuals to develop their mental toughness and overcome performance challenges sport psychologists are likely to use interventions such as cognitive restructuring, visualisation, goal setting, mindfulness and other relaxation techniques to help athletes. However, when athletes experience trauma and difficulties such as the yips or mental blocks other tools may be required to help them overcome the challenges that they face.
Today I chat with Ruth Chiles, author of The Focal Dystonia Cure, who is a brainspotting practitioner, she goes on to tell you more about focal dystonia and neurological causes of this condition. She also shares some practical tips for those of you who struggle with focal dystonia. This episode is a great listen for those people who suffer from the yips or mental blocks or have experienced trauma in some form.
Key Learnings
- Focal dystonia is a very extreme somatisation in the body of a mental block where the particular movement or a particular part of the body is out of control.
- What is going on in the nervous system sits underneath the body movements, or body blocks.
- Fight and flight responses are when you are highly activated in the nervous system whereas a freeze response is when you experience hyper activation.
- For some people their nervous system has been in a constant state of survival since before child birth. Our very early life history and our attachment to our mother plays a part.
- Brainspotting was developed by a New York psychologist called David Grand where we rewire parts of the brain so that people can respond differently in specific situations.
- We connect to the sub cortex through the body not through the thinking mind.
- When performing we are often in survival mode which can impede fluidity, enlarge muscles and inhibit your fine motor skills.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to The Mental Edge
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Connect with Ruth Chiles
Website
Book: The Focal Dystonia Cure: Powerful and Definitive Practices to Completely Heal Yourself
Ruth Chiles on Facebook
Ruth Chiles on YouTube
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep142: Alessia Bruno - Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Relevant Blogs
Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent
Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Avoiding procrastination and becoming better organised as a young athlete is the topic of today’s short solo episode. In Mental Toughness term’s we’re talking about commitment and sticking to promises as well as life control and having a “can do” attitude. These are much needed skills that many youngsters struggle with, which often means their sporting performance is harmed as well as their self-worth. In this episode, I share 3 ideas to help parents and coaches support children to overcome these challenges.
Key Learnings
- Ask children to write a checklist. Perhaps starting with “3 Things To Do Before training" or "3 things you do in your pre shot routine.” By referring to lists on a regular basis your child's ability to strategise tasks and organise time will improve.
- Consider a child-friendly planner. Purchasing their own planner will help them see that you consider their time valuable, and that being organised is important.
- Establish training and practice routines. Help your child put to one side an extra half hour, scheduling in at an appropriate time for “extras” on a regular basis. Encourage your child to stick to the schedule even when they don't feel like it or if the weather is poor.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep154: David Charlton - How Do I Go About Controlling The Controllables To Help My Sport Performance?
Ep145: David Charlton - How Can I Help My Children Who Suffer With Nerves Before They Compete?
Ep141: David Charlton - How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Ep122: Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep082: David Charlton - Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Relevant Blogs
Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent
Blog: How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete
Blog: How to Help Kids Overcome Performance Anxiety
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
In this short solo episode, I discuss an important component of Mental Toughness – control. In sport, business and in everyday life it can be very easy to get distracted by external factors that are out of your control. I go on to use Andy Murray’s gutsy recent performances at the Australian Open Tennis tournament to illustrate my points sharing an exercise to help you better understand how to go about controlling the controllables and be able to set yourself process goals.
Key Learnings
What factors could Andy Murray control in his tennis match against Roberto Bautista Agut?
Here are some examples; how he placed his focus, his attitude, tactics, body language, self talk, his pre-serve routines and communication with his team and spectators.
What factors were outside of Andy Murray’s control?
His opponent’s tactics, fitness and conditioning, skill level and decision making, scheduling of the match, temperature/weather conditions and umpire calls.
Make success all about the things inside your control and set process goals as a result.
Control the Controllables Handout
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep144: Jon Watkins - Mental Strength: What You Can Learn About Resilience From The Special Forces
Ep135: David Charlton Gets Grilled By Grant Henderson
Ep130: David Charlton - How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – Part 2
Ep125: Jack Hicks-Flynn - How is Psychology used in Professional Football Clubs
Relevant Blogs
Blog: Focusing on the Process as a Team
Blog: Focus on the Process
Blog: Why You Should Stop Setting SMART Goals
Blog: Cricket Psychology Tips: Control the Controllables
Welcome to episode #153 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes! This time the episode is created with rugby enthusiasts in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in rugby union or rugby league, go on to share their key takeaways. As you’ll note the majority of insights are linked to the development of mental tough athletes and helping rugby players reach their potential. The episode is a must listen for rugby coaches, players, parents, sport scientists and those interested in the sport.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 153:
Ep104: Seb De Chaves - The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep127: Paul Trainor – The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League
EP147: Aaron Walsh - The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby
Ep007: Toby Flood – How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Ep021: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Ep029: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls – How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch
Blog - Are you a Rugby Player who Focuses Too Much on the Opposition
Blog - Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches
Blog - Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Welcome to episode #152 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This week we bring to you the 3rd of 4 compilation episodes. The key takeaways from this episode come from the world of business and entrepreneurship and lessons from the military. Mental fitness, mental health, motivation and the importance of sleep were also topics that were unpicked. Enjoy listening to the excellent insights!
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 152
- Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?
- Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
- Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
- Ep132: Kevin Stansfield – How Lessons from Golf can help with Game of Business
- Ep133: Christina Flach – Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
- EP138: Nick Littlehales - Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important
- Ep139: Steve Beharall – Steve Beharall’s Journey from Football Coach to CEO
- Ep143: Lesley Thomas - How Your Money Mindset Influences Your Behaviour
- Ep114: Tim Bradshaw – Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
- Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
- Ep144: Jon Watkins - Mental Strength: What You Can Learn About Resilience From The Special Forces
Other Valuable Resources
Sports Psychology Case Studies
Resilience in Sport Blogs
Performance Anxiety Blogs
Communication Skills Blogs
Mental Health Blogs
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Welcome to episode #151 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part two of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes! This time the episode is created with soccer and football fanatics in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in soccer or football, go on to share their key take home messages. As you’ll note the insights are related to the integration of sports psychology, the development of mental toughness, coach development and a lot more! The episode is a must listen for football or soccer coaches, players, parents, sport scientists and those interested in the sport.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 151:
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Ep125: Jack Hicks-Flynn – How is Psychology used in Professional Football Clubs
EP136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women’s Football and Bouncing Back Stronger
Ep146: John Nassoori - What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?
Ep003: Peter Ramage – Developing a Premier League Mindset
Ep018: Kieron Brady – From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Ep096: Gary Curneen - Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep009: Brendan Pearson – Academy Football Professional Football Injuries and Early Retirement
Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep043: Jamie Forrester – Thriving in Professional Football
Ep087: Carl Bell - From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Ep024: Julian Dowe – Mental Toughness in Professional Football
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep077: Danny Thomas – Before, During and After Professional Football
Other Valuable Football or Soccer Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers
Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents
Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Welcome to episode #150 of Demystifying Mental Toughness!
This is the first part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes. The episode is hugely insightful with a number of our guests to date, sharing many fantastic takeaways. The messages come from different angles where a mental toughness practitioner, mental performance coaches and Olympians discuss mental toughness and horse riding, track and field, bobsleigh, cricket, swimming and skiing. We also have sports psychologists and an occupational therapist who share great insights into elite level golf, gymnastics, the complexities surrounding sport and parenting as well as long term injuries and the subsequent impact on one’s mental health.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 150
Ep109: Maria Jeffers - How to Master the Mental Side of Horse Riding
Ep110: Dan Steele – How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep115: Jeremy Snape – Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket
Ep118: Dr Bob Winters – How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges
Ep119: James Lau - An Applied Sport Psychologist Viewpoint: How to Become an Effective One
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
Ep140: Chris Cook – How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep142: Alessia Bruno - Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?
Ep148: Derek Tate - How to Build Your Mental Toughness Through Skiing
Other Valuable Resources
Sports Psychology Case Studies
Confidence in Sport Blogs
Emotional Control Blogs
Fear of Failure Blogs
Perfectionism Blogs
Performance Anxiety Blogs
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
In this short solo episode, I answer a popular question that we get asked by sporting parents - how do I help my children deal with strong emotions?
When playing sport, children’s lives are littered with challenges and difficulties including; being dropped from squads or teams, losing form or skills, being injured and the recovery period, selection bias, being bullied, being played out of position, and dealing with making mistakes and losing, as well as many more. I go on to share 7 suggestions for parents that you may find helpful.
Key Learnings
- Think about what you want to say.
- Find a quiet moment.
- Find out what they know.
- Share your feelings with your child.
- Tell the truth.
- Say “I don’t know.”
- Take good care of yourself
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep074: David Charlton - How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident?
Ep112: David Charlton - How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep145: David Charlton - How Can I Help My Children Who Suffer With Nerves Before They Compete?
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
5 Tips for Parents To Help Their Children Perform with Confidence
Helping Young Athletes Manage Emotions
Does Your Child Worry Too Much About What Others Think?
My Child Can’t Find “The Zone”
Communicating with Children in Sport
Our guest today is Derek Tate, an experienced ski coach and author. We go on to discuss his book Six Steps for Training the Mind as well as mental toughness in snowsports. Derek goes on to share insights into differences in mindset between recreational and elite skiers, the role of fear, pushing boundaries and comfort zones, the impact of self-talk, getting into a flow state and a whole lot more.
- Fear is a common emotion for both recreational and elite skiers.
- The environment and weather on the slopes changes frequently making for unique challenges.
- Mental toughness when skiing is the ability to navigate, manage and overcome self-doubt, worries, concerns and circumstances that prevent you from succeeding without compromising your well-being.
- If mental skills were trained in the same way as physical skills or technical skills, there’d be a lot more people who are better prepared when skiing.
- Many people are distracted by the conversation they have with themselves.
- Mindfulness meditation and gratitude are very helpful skills skiers can benefit from learning.
- Getting into a flow state is hugely beneficial for your mental health.
Connect with Derek Tate:
Books
Coaching Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep046: Kate Mackay – Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
Ep048: Natalie Hurdley – How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlifting
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep110: Dan Steele – How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep140: Chris Cook - How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Other Useful Resources
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - Coach Development: Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog - Do You Really Want to Succeed
Blog - 12 Reasons Why You Won't Achieve Your Potential - Sports Psychology
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
In episode #147 I chat with Aaron Walsh, a performance coach for the Chiefs rugby team in New Zealand as well as a consultant to many more elite teams including the Scottish Rugby team. We chat about his experiences of supporting elite rugby union players, common challenges that players bring to him, perceptions from players and coaches of working on their mental game. Performance analysis is a topic we touch on too as is culture in elite professional sport.
Key Learning Points:
- We have many amazing athletes who work incredibly hard, I feel it's a tragedy that they're not able to actualise that skill and potential because they don't have the ability to navigate through the emotional and mental side of performance.
- In my philosophy I treat the mental side as a skill that can be developed.
- Why hasn't mental skills been integrated into elite teams is a part of Aaron’s research. The answer is people need educating on the topic.
- How players respond to mistakes and pressure is an integral part of mental skills training.
- Psychological safety and well-being need to be talked about cautiously in elite professional sport.
- Everybody wants to be resilient, but not many know how to build resilience.
Connect with Aaron Walsh
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes
Ep029: Lome Faatau - How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Ep038: Taz Bricknell - Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep104: Seb De Chaves - The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep127: Paul Trainor - The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch
Blog - Are you a Rugby Player who Focuses Too Much on the Opposition
Blog - Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches
Blog - Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources
In today’s episode I chat with John Nassoori, a freelance writer and sports journalist for BBC Sport and The Guardian, in the UK. We go on to discuss his research into football or soccer psychology, at both the elite end and in grassroots football. We chat about perceptions of sports psychology, mental health and mental toughness in football. We also touch on the difference between a sports psychologist and other people who are working in football who often get labelled as sports psychologists. How sports psychology is used currently in football and what the future holds for the domain we also talk about.
What You Will Learn In This Episode:
- That football or soccer psychology is still in its infancy.
- The role of the Sports Psychologist is misunderstood and requires ongoing education to football clubs decision makers, coaching staff and support teams.
- It takes an outlay of £45k+ to gain the necessary qualifications to qualify as a HCPC Registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.
- The term Sport and Exercise Psychologist is a protected term.
- Mind Coaches, Mental Performance Coaches, Clinical or Counselling Psychologists have a role to play in football or soccer however their route to providing support in this environment is different to a Sport and Exercise Psychologist.
- It is important to check out the credentials of anyone practicing psychology whether they are seeking to enhance performance or improve mental health.
- Mental toughness in football is similar to resilience, it’s about helping people withstand pressure.
Connect with John Nassoori:
The Football Psychology Show
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep102: 30 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Soccer
Ep105: Hannah Bromley - Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep111: Michael Caulfield - How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Ep125: Jack Hicks-Flynn - How is Psychology used in Professional Football Clubs
Other Useful Resources
Blog - A Common Mental Game Error Many Footballers Make
Blog 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: Supporting a Professional Footballer during Challenging Times
Case Study - Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome his Fears
Library - Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
In this short solo episode, I answer a question posed by a parent. “How can I help my son, a goalkeeper who gets very grumpy and nervous the evening before a match?” Many children across a range of sports face this challenge, often talking themselves into performing poorly before they go out to play a match or compete. They let nervousness win. Today’s episode is set up to help parents where I share some ideas on how you could adapt your approach so that you help your children.
Key Learning
- Consider if you are providing emotional support or if you are drawn into problem solving?
- Offer your children some space.
- Help your children to find ways to switch off from their sport.
- Be careful not to over-coach your children.
- Consider if practice the day or evening before is fun and relaxing or actually fuelling anxiety and perfectionism.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep008: Brendan Pearson - Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement
Ep074: David Charlton - How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident?
Ep087: Carl Bell - From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Ep112: David Charlon - How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: Pre Match Tips for Parents
Blog: 5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
Blog: How To Overcome Self-Doubt When You’re A Goalkeeper
Blog: Goalkeepers – Does your warm up have to be perfect for you to feel confident
Blog: Do You Focus Too Much on the Opposition as a Goalkeeper
In today’s episode I chat with Jon Watkins a resilience and transformation coach and a former special forces soldier. Jon shares insights into some challenges that he overcame in the military and the importance of mindset. Goal setting is introduced, concepts such as self-leadership, natural resilience, adaptive resilience and psychological safety we also touch on and a lot more. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- The selection process in the special forces produced likeminded mentally and physically robust individuals who shared collective goals and went on to create a fantastic environment to work in.
- Self-leadership was a huge part of the special forces.
- My comfort zone was pushed to its maximum.
- When considering goal setting, relating it back to your values is essential.
- Chunking down your goals is a skill that anyone can develop.
- Mental Toughness is built around that perseverance, never giving up element to it and being disciplined to live through your values.
- Resilience in general is about bouncing back.
- Natural resilience is the resilience that we’re born with.
- Adaptive resilience is heavily influenced by our environment.
Connect with Jon Watkins
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep114: Tim Bradshaw - Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Ep123: Richard Dorney - Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep140: Chris Cook - How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian
Other Useful Resources linked to Resilience
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - How to Find Your Why
Blog - Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog - Resilient and Mentally Tough: 9 Things You Can Learn From Tiger Woods
In today’s episode I chat with the author and the founder of The Money Confidence Academy, Lesley Thomas, where we discuss a subject some people are uncomfortable discussing “money”. Lesley shares valuable insights into our money mindset and how money can impact our self-worth. For psychology practitioners or business professionals we chat about pricing your services and conversations that come with this. We also highlight the relationship between your mental toughness and money.
Key Learning Points:
- A confident relationship with money starts with having a confident relationship with yourself.
- Our relationship with money starts around the age of 7 years old, based on what we hear our parents say about money.
- We often connect our relationship with money with our self-worth.
- When setting goals pure financial goals are not particularly motivating for a lot of people as they don’t create an emotional connection.
- See money as an enabler.
- Social comparison is harmful.
- When pricing your services consider the results that you are bringing for your clients.
Connect with Lesley Thomas:
Website – The Money Confidence Academy
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry - What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox - Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Ep132: Kevin Stansfield - How Lessons from Golf can help with Game of Business
Ep133: Christina Flach - Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
Ep139: Steve Beharall – Steve Beharall’s Journey from Football Coach to CEO
Other Useful Resources
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog - 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
In episode 142 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, Dr Alessia Bruno and David discuss perfectionism in gymnastics as well as across other sports and walks of life. We go on to look at healthy perfectionism, as well as the downsides to the trait where we share some advice for gymnasts, athletes in general, coaches and parents.
Key Learning Points
- Gymnasts are judged on their performances which can go on to impact their self-esteem.
- The intensity of their lives can mean some gymnasts run the risk of burnout.
- Characteristics of rigidity and control can lead people to be more vulnerable to other people's judgments.
- Perfectionist traits can suck the fun out of sport.
- Social approval can be a big problem for some athletes where they spend a lot of time worrying about what others think.
- Striving for perfection can lead to excessive self-criticism.
Connect with Professor Alessia Bruno
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1
Ep130 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: How to Stay Relaxed as a Gymnast When the Pressure is On
Blog: How to Overcome Psychological Blocks in Gymnastics
Blog: Body Image in Sport
Blog: Bullying -The Dark Side of Sport
Gymnastics Psychology Library
In episode 142 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, Dr Alessia Bruno and David discuss perfectionism in gymnastics as well as across other sports and walks of life. We go on to look at healthy perfectionism, as well as the downsides to the trait where we share some advice for gymnasts, athletes in general, coaches and parents.
Key Learning Points
- Gymnasts are judged on their performances which can go on to impact their self-esteem.
- The intensity of their lives can mean some gymnasts run the risk of burnout.
- Characteristics of rigidity and control can lead people to be more vulnerable to other people's judgments.
- Perfectionist traits can suck the fun out of sport.
- Social approval can be a big problem for some athletes where they spend a lot of time worrying about what others think.
- Striving for perfection can lead to excessive self-criticism.
Connect with Professor Alessia Bruno
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1
Ep130 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: How to Stay Relaxed as a Gymnast When the Pressure is On
Blog: How to Overcome Psychological Blocks in Gymnastics
Blog: Body Image in Sport
Blog: Bullying -The Dark Side of Sport
Gymnastics Psychology Library
In this short solo episode, I answer a question posed by a parent. “My son has had a tough time recently and often talks about not wanting to continue with football.”
Sadly, this question appears to be a common one at present and shows no signs of going away potentially down to the pressures placed on children at a young age, both in their sport and education. I do my best to give sporting parents one idea on how you can help them and open up a conversation on the topic.
Key Learning
- Ask your child why they play football or sport.
- Find out what they love about sport.
- Check-in with yourself, why would you like your children to play sport?
- Now check if you share common ground, if there is a big difference in your motivations I’m hoping you’ll question your approach and consider how you communicate with them.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep067: David Charlton - Supporting Children to Transfer their Skills from Training to Competition
Ep074: David Charlton - How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident?
Ep082: David Charlton - Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep085: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 4
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: A Confidence Checklist for Parents
Blog: Pre Match Tips for Parents
Blog: How Do You Give a Young Golfer Self-Confidence?
Blog: 5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Child and Youth Motivation Quiz for Parents
In this episode double Olympian and former Commonwealth champion swimmer, Chris Cook joined me. We discussed his journey to becoming an Olympian and his role now as a motivational speaker and executive coach. Different obstacles that he overcame were also talking points, as were how he sets goals and works to achieve them. Chris also shares many great questions that you can ask yourself and what sports performers can learn from CEOs in the business world.
Key Learning Points:
- Having people that I was accountable to as a child was important.
- My biggest fear was getting to the end of something and realising I hadn’t tried hard enough.
- There were times when I got over-anxious because I wanted it too much.
- I realised to progress I needed to become great the stuff I wasn't good at, goal setting was one thing.
- People in the business world would benefit from looking at how they view their recovery and make necessary changes.
- How can I swim 2 lengths of the pool faster was a question I often asked myself.
- Seeing difficult moments as growth opportunities and being brave enough to face them is vital.
Connect with Chris Cook
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Ep048: Natalie Hurdley – How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlifting
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep110 - Dan Steele - How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Other Helpful Resources
Driscolls Model of Reflection
Blog – Do You Really Want to Succeed
Blog – 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential – Sports Psychology
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
In episode 139 of Demystifying Mental Toughness I had the pleasure of speaking to the head of The Newcastle United Foundation, Steve Beharall. Steve shared his inspiring journey from being a part time football coach to where he is today. Lessons that he has learned, challenges he’s overcome as well as insights into initiatives that the foundation are involved in and what the future holds. Steve also passes on some advice to the future generation of coaches on opportunities for them.
Key Learning Points:
- Whilst as an academy coach at Newcastle United, I realised that all I wanted was to help kids with football.
- When I decided to take a different direction in the Newcastle United Foundation I spent the first three years of my time here working closely with my predecessor learning valuable lessons.
- Since I started we’ve gone from 65 to 240 full time staff and 60 sessional staff.
- In 2022, we've grown the turnover from £3 million to £6 million and expanded on programs, by 80% in the last three years.
- Newcastle United Foundation Case Studies
- NUcastle is an important part of the community and service sector across the North East of England.
- Whether you’re a coach or a leader, relationships have to built on trust, respect and honesty.
- It’s important to be mindful of your mental health.
Connect with Steve Beharall
The Newcastle United Foundation Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep 084: Dr Jim Afremow and Phil White – Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Other Helpful Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Library
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Vlog: How Mental Toughness Helps us Understand Psychological Safety with Doug Strycharczyk
If you’re Mentally Tough you don’t need to sleep you can simply push through… Wrong!
The mentally tough person, as research suggests is more likely to deal with fatigue better than a mentally sensitive person however they do need to sleep. Being committed to your goals, making sacrifices, taking challenges head on and dealing with pressure requires a clear head, focus and perspective, as well as adequate rest and recovery.
In this episode, I chat with Nick Littlehales, a well respected Sleep Coach to many elite sports performers. Nick goes on to share more on the topic of sleep, where he tells you about his experiences supporting Manchester United and Arsenal football clubs, as well as the England National Team. We also touch on other sports and the intricacies that need to be considered when you think of sleep and recovery.
Key Learning Points:
- At Manchester United I was with the club and exploring myths and misunderstandings about sleep, where I looked to redefine their approach to recovery.
- Understanding your sleep chronotype is important.
- Focusing on circadian rhythms can be beneficial.
- Tracking and collecting data can be helpful but it can also cause anxiety and added stress.
- Napping is very helpful to remain fresh and focused, aiding your decision making and recovery.
- Consider your environment and think about light, dark and temperature exposure can improve your sleep quality.
- A message for parents, make sure your kids spend some time outside, away from the tech to improve their sleep quality.
Connect with Nick Littlehales
Website
Book - Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps...and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep137: David Charlton - Mindfulness and ACT in Sport: Helping Athletes Perform Better
Other Helpful Resources
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
In this short solo episode, I explain 5 reasons why you should look in more detail at the use of mindfulness and ACT in sport. How and why this approach goes on to free up mental space in your mind to enable you to perform better. I also summarise how Mindfulness and ACT can be used in harmony to develop a more mentally tough individual.
5 Key Benefits of Mindfulness and ACT
- This approach can help you become a more psychologically flexible person.
- It helps you gain a bigger picture perspective on life and sport, recognising that perfection does not exist and that mistakes, losses or negative experiences are inevitable.
- Mindfulness and ACT can help you trust your skills more.
- The methods help to decrease your levels of stress.
- Mindfulness and ACT can safeguard you against being bullied.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley - Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
EP136: Charlotte Potts - Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women's Football and Bouncing Back Stronger
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
How to Overcome Mental Challenges When Rock Climbing
How to Play Great Golf Under Pressure
5 Tips to Help You Perform Fearlessly When You Compete
In this short solo episode, I explain 5 reasons why you should look in more detail at the use of mindfulness and ACT in sport. How and why this approach goes on to free up mental space in your mind to enable you to perform better. I also summarise how Mindfulness and ACT can be used in harmony to develop a more mentally tough individual.
5 Key Benefits of Mindfulness and ACT
- This approach can help you become a more psychologically flexible person.
- It helps you gain a bigger picture perspective on life and sport, recognising that perfection does not exist and that mistakes, losses or negative experiences are inevitable.
- Mindfulness and ACT can help you trust your skills more.
- The methods help to decrease your levels of stress.
- Mindfulness and ACT can safeguard you against being bullied.
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley - Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions
EP136: Charlotte Potts - Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women's Football and Bouncing Back Stronger
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?
How to Overcome Mental Challenges When Rock Climbing
How to Play Great Golf Under Pressure
5 Tips to Help You Perform Fearlessly When You Compete
In this episode I was joined by professional footballer Charlotte Potts where we had a deep and fascinating conversation about different challenges that she has faced so far in her life and when playing Professional Women’s Football. We went on to discuss Discrimination, Mental Health and Mindfulness too as well as a whole lot more. It’s well worth a listen!
Key Learning Points:
- Charlotte’s mental health has suffered from time to time therefore she has looked to develop a high degree of self-awareness to help herself.
- Her family was pulled apart when she was young which was difficult for everyone concerned.
- Discrimination exists in football and in life, however progress is being made.
- Mental Toughness in football is about coping with pain and being able to push through barriers.
- Charlotte has an interest in Mindfulness and regularly practices the approach.
- Being able to take a step back has helped her with anger issues.
- Mindfulness has also helped Charlotte see things from a fresh perspective.
Connect with Charlotte Potts
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep105: Hannah Bromley - Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Elite Professional Women’s Football
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Other Helpful Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Library
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: Supporting a Professional Footballer during Challenging Times
Blog: 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Vlog: How Mental Toughness Helps us Understand Psychological Safety with Doug Strycharczyk
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
In this episode I was joined by professional footballer Charlotte Potts where we had a deep and fascinating conversation about different challenges that she has faced so far in her life and when playing Professional Women’s Football. We went on to discuss Discrimination, Mental Health and Mindfulness too as well as a whole lot more. It’s well worth a listen!
Key Learning Points:
- Charlotte’s mental health has suffered from time to time therefore she has looked to develop a high degree of self-awareness to help herself.
- Her family was pulled apart when she was young which was difficult for everyone concerned.
- Discrimination exists in football and in life, however progress is being made.
- Mental Toughness in football is about coping with pain and being able to push through barriers.
- Charlotte has an interest in Mindfulness and regularly practices the approach.
- Being able to take a step back has helped her with anger issues.
- Mindfulness has also helped Charlotte see things from a fresh perspective.
Connect with Charlotte Potts
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep105: Hannah Bromley - Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Elite Professional Women’s Football
Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Other Helpful Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Library
Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: Supporting a Professional Footballer during Challenging Times
Blog: 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Vlog: How Mental Toughness Helps us Understand Psychological Safety with Doug Strycharczyk
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
In today’s episode, I chat with Grant Henderson a former professional rugby player, Chief Operations Officer at The MCG Group and Co-Founder of i3profiling. Grant goes on to ask me many questions about the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast, mental toughness, personality and environment. By listening to the episode you’ll learn more about how I work as a Sports Psychologist, about the complexities that surround sport performance, reaching your potential and a whole lot more.
Key Learning Points:
- Podcasting is a big commitment and has been challenging at times however I really enjoy recording the episodes and the feedback that we get highlights that it makes a positive difference to people’s lives, which is my objective.
- As a Mental Toughness license holder, where I qualified through AQR International’s training. I sometimes use the MTQ Plus psychometric to measure clients Mental Toughness at the start and end of programs.
- Incorporated into some programs are personality assessments too, where I find i3Profiling compliments the MTQ Plus.
- An i3 profile presented in the right way can be a big confidence booster, I particularly like the environmental analysis which looks at task and social leadership styles. This can tell me a lot about how a person should train and mentally prepare themselves.
- Both psychometric and profiling tools aid self-awareness and can be a quick way of finding out about a person’s complexities and save an enormous amount of time in the consultancy process.
- Without self-awareness you’ll continue to make poor decisions and not be as successful and happy as you could be.
- Mental toughness can be a good thing, however even the mentally tough fall into traps, again highlighting the need for self-awareness.
Connect with Grant Henderson
i3 Profiling Website
The MCG Group Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep034 - David Charlton Gets Grilled By Nathan Sherratt
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White – Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry – What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep133: Christina Flach - Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
Other Useful Resources
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog - Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
In today’s episode, I chat with Grant Henderson a former professional rugby player, Chief Operations Officer at The MCG Group and Co-Founder of i3profiling. Grant goes on to ask me many questions about the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast, mental toughness, personality and environment. By listening to the episode you’ll learn more about how I work as a Sports Psychologist, about the complexities that surround sport performance, reaching your potential and a whole lot more.
Key Learning Points:
- Podcasting is a big commitment and has been challenging at times however I really enjoy recording the episodes and the feedback that we get highlights that it makes a positive difference to people’s lives, which is my objective.
- As a Mental Toughness license holder, where I qualified through AQR International’s training. I sometimes use the MTQ Plus psychometric to measure clients Mental Toughness at the start and end of programs.
- Incorporated into some programs are personality assessments too, where I find i3Profiling compliments the MTQ Plus.
- An i3 profile presented in the right way can be a big confidence booster, I particularly like the environmental analysis which looks at task and social leadership styles. This can tell me a lot about how a person should train and mentally prepare themselves.
- Both psychometric and profiling tools aid self-awareness and can be a quick way of finding out about a person’s complexities and save an enormous amount of time in the consultancy process.
- Without self-awareness you’ll continue to make poor decisions and not be as successful and happy as you could be.
- Mental toughness can be a good thing, however even the mentally tough fall into traps, again highlighting the need for self-awareness.
Connect with Grant Henderson
i3 Profiling Website
The MCG Group Website
Connect with David Charlton
Sign Up to Conversations with Kids
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep034 - David Charlton Gets Grilled By Nathan Sherratt
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White – Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry – What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep133: Christina Flach - Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
Other Useful Resources
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog - Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
In this short solo episode, I share 2 short clips from the previous 2 episodes where I chat with Kevin Stansfield and Christina Flach to inspire and motivate you to reflect on your journey. My hope is that you will pick up some nougats of advice from the business world and then go on to adapt your approach and take some action so that you give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals and using the time and resources that you have available much better.
Key Learning Points
- A key question to ask yourself is - HOW CAN I REACH MY POTENTIAL?
-
3 things that stop people from achieving their full potential:
-
Failure to take ownership and be honest with themselves
- Not understanding why you do what you do
- Fear of what may or may not happen if you do or don’t do…
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Ep100: Compilation - 50 Secrets for Optimal Performance and Positive Mental Health
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson - Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep132: Kevin Stansfield - How Lessons from the Great Game of Golf can Help You Win the, Equally Great, Game of Business
Ep133: Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Performance Profile
Blog: For Better Golf Use a Growth Mindset - Sports Psychology
Blog: Coach Development – Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog: Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Blog: How to Find Your Why
In this short solo episode, I share 2 short clips from the previous 2 episodes where I chat with Kevin Stansfield and Christina Flach to inspire and motivate you to reflect on your journey. My hope is that you will pick up some nougats of advice from the business world and then go on to adapt your approach and take some action so that you give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals and using the time and resources that you have available much better.
Key Learning Points
- A key question to ask yourself is - HOW CAN I REACH MY POTENTIAL?
-
3 things that stop people from achieving their full potential:
-
Failure to take ownership and be honest with themselves
- Not understanding why you do what you do
- Fear of what may or may not happen if you do or don’t do…
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Ep100: Compilation - 50 Secrets for Optimal Performance and Positive Mental Health
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson - Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep132: Kevin Stansfield - How Lessons from the Great Game of Golf can Help You Win the, Equally Great, Game of Business
Ep133: Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Performance Profile
Blog: For Better Golf Use a Growth Mindset - Sports Psychology
Blog: Coach Development – Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog: Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Blog: How to Find Your Why
Following on from last week, again we look at what we can learn from the business world, entrepreneurship and sport and how they overlap. Mental Toughness is discussed in different contexts where I chat with Christina Flach, CEO of Pretty Girl Makeup. Christina was married to former Wimbledon champion and professional tennis player Ken Flach who sadly passed away after a brief bout of sepsis in 2018. We also go onto discuss the difficulties faced when you lose a loved one and ways that you can help yourself.
Key Learning Points:
- In business you need to peak a lot longer than a professional athlete does when you look at the life of your career, therefore self-care is vital.
- You'll be a better CEO or entrepreneur if you take time out to relax too.
- Mental Toughness for entrepreneurs is about not giving up and learning from mistakes.
- I learned from being a professional tennis player, goal setting and remaining focused is vital.
- My life is not tragic, focusing on positive memories and things I’m grateful for helps me.
- Ken would want me to live my best life and dreams and be happy, loved and laughing.
- “There are no failures and there are no tragedies.”
Connect with Christina Flach:
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep114: Tim Bradshaw – Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry - What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox - Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Other Useful Resources
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog – 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Following on from last week, again we look at what we can learn from the business world, entrepreneurship and sport and how they overlap. Mental Toughness is discussed in different contexts where I chat with Christina Flach, CEO of Pretty Girl Makeup. Christina was married to former Wimbledon champion and professional tennis player Ken Flach who sadly passed away after a brief bout of sepsis in 2018. We also go onto discuss the difficulties faced when you lose a loved one and ways that you can help yourself.
Key Learning Points:
- In business you need to peak a lot longer than a professional athlete does when you look at the life of your career, therefore self-care is vital.
- You'll be a better CEO or entrepreneur if you take time out to relax too.
- Mental Toughness for entrepreneurs is about not giving up and learning from mistakes.
- I learned from being a professional tennis player, goal setting and remaining focused is vital.
- My life is not tragic, focusing on positive memories and things I’m grateful for helps me.
- Ken would want me to live my best life and dreams and be happy, loved and laughing.
- “There are no failures and there are no tragedies.”
Connect with Christina Flach:
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep114: Tim Bradshaw – Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry - What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox - Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Other Useful Resources
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog – 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
In today’s episode I chat with author and Business Growth Expert Kevin Stansfield where we discuss what the golfer or sports enthusiast can learn from business and what the business owner can learn from golf or sport in general. We discuss Mental Toughness and Resilience in a sporting and business context. Business planning, strategy and goal setting are considered as well as the commitment levels to succeed where Kevin goes on to share some fascinating insights.
Key Learning Points:
- Learning to say no and making sacrifices is essential to be successful.
- Having a resilience and bloody-mindedness to carry on when there are difficulties is essential.
- How clear are your goals?
- To win in sport or business you need to understand the “be”, “do” and “have.”
- Those that concentrate on doing are also known as busy fools.
- Playing to your strengths is a fundamental key.
- Being able to delegate and trust other people is a skill that we can all develop to help us.
Connect with Kevin Stansfield:
Book - The Great Game: How lessons from the great game of golf can help you win the, equally great, game of business
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep011: Dave Algeo – Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep 061: Paul Lyons – Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness
Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry - What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Other Useful Resources
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog - 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
In today’s episode I chat with author and Business Growth Expert Kevin Stansfield where we discuss what the golfer or sports enthusiast can learn from business and what the business owner can learn from golf or sport in general. We discuss Mental Toughness and Resilience in a sporting and business context. Business planning, strategy and goal setting are considered as well as the commitment levels to succeed where Kevin goes on to share some fascinating insights.
Key Learning Points:
- Learning to say no and making sacrifices is essential to be successful.
- Having a resilience and bloody-mindedness to carry on when there are difficulties is essential.
- How clear are your goals?
- To win in sport or business you need to understand the “be”, “do” and “have.”
- Those that concentrate on doing are also known as busy fools.
- Playing to your strengths is a fundamental key.
- Being able to delegate and trust other people is a skill that we can all develop to help us.
Connect with Kevin Stansfield:
Book - The Great Game: How lessons from the great game of golf can help you win the, equally great, game of business
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep011: Dave Algeo – Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep 061: Paul Lyons – Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness
Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry - What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice
Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Other Useful Resources
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog - 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
This episode is the final part of a three-part series where I’ve tried to help people recognise that to develop Mental Toughness it is not simply about “being tough” or “egotistical” there is more to it than that. The series of episodes have looked at self-criticism, which we can all find difficult at different times and in different situations, from a variety of angles. I’ve shared sporting case studies, and why and how having a self-compassionate approach can be helpful.
This time we look at competitiveness and I highlight when things go wrong how hard it is for some people and how they internalise losses. Also featured is an exercise to help you in these circumstances – “How you would treat a friend” which you can apply to yourself so you can move on from defeats in a different manner and sleep a little better that evening!
Key Learning Points
- Competitiveness is a strong desire to be more successful than others.
- People who are competitive dream about winning, they love the feelings of beating rivals.
- Real competitors thrive off pressure in clutch situations. They love the challenge too, for example taking the decisive penalty kick to win a tournament, they’ll out their hand up.
- The downsides of being extremely competitive include jealousy of others, very high emotions in sport and corresponding outbursts.
- A large degree of self-criticism can also be a common behaviour of “the serious competitor” which can work for and against them.
- To counter the self-criticism, self-compassion is a very helpful approach and can help people relax more quickly in emotional circumstances.
- Kristin Neff, who has done extensive research in this area suggests that self-compassion consists of three main elements: kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness.
- Research has shown that most people are kinder to others than they are to themselves. Throw in events or situations that are beyond our control, such as sporting matches and competition – the same is true.
- Then exercise “How you would treat a friend” is a helpful reminder to help you be kinder to yourself, to see things from a fresh perspective as well as helping you look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep129: David Charlton - How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1
Ep130 David Charlton - How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
A Common Mental Game Error Many Footballers Make
Beating Perfectionism as a Goalkeeper
Perfectionism in Cricket
Mental Training Resources for Gymnasts
Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion
Today is the second part of a 3-part series, where I share 2 more clips, this time from former England Cricketer and Senior Leadership Coach, Jeremy Snape and multiple World Champion Martial Artist and Clinical Hypnotherapist, Stuart Wade. Jeremy highlights the importance of the psychological side to sport and Stuart defines Mental Toughness in Combat Sports.
Again, I go on to share a case study and another tool that a lot of my clients have found useful, from compassionate focused therapy to help you or your clients manage the voice in their heads.
Key Learning Points
- Jeremy states “how my biggest opponent wasn’t India, or the crowd or Harbhajan Singh’s doosra, it was actually the voice in my head which was louder than all 100000 people put together.”
- Stuart mentioned how “if you take a good shot, it hurts, immediately we’re hard wired to retreat and protect ourselves and not go forward”
- When we’re activated by fear, it’s similar to the sight of a predator, which goes on to trigger a fear response in the amygdala.
- It then messes with our motor functions, our heart may beat crazy fast, our breathing speeds up and our mind can go into overdrive.
- In this state a lot of people’s thoughts are self-defeating where they get caught in the past thinking about what has happened, and focus on their weaknesses or they flip forward to the future worrying about what may happen, again looking at it from a negative angle.
- Some people get into blame mode too, blaming themselves and have a very harsh thought process.
- Self-compassionate focused therapy and some of the tools from this approach can come to their rescue such as the one I discuss in this episode, when looking at releasing thought balloons.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep129: David Charlton - How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1
Ep115: Jeremy Snape - Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket
Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep072: Tom Jones – Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Ep083: Billy Schwer – Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
3 Ways to use Visualisation so that You are Mentally Prepared to Win
Do you focus too much on your opponent before or during a boxing match?
7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Bowl Every Delivery
Perfectionism in Cricket
Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion
This is a short solo episode and the first of 3 episodes where I share 2 reminders of what Mental Toughness is and apply it to different domains. The first clip is from Mental Toughness pioneer, Doug Strycharczyk which was recorded in our very first episode and the second clip comes from Sebastian De Chavez an elite professional rugby player for Newcastle Falcons who appeared in episode 104.
I then go on to share a case study and one helpful exercise taken from compassionate focused therapy to help people who experience self-criticism and are very hard on themselves off the back of failing or making mistakes in sport or life.
Key Learning Points
- Doug states that Mental Toughness is about “how we respond mentally to things that happen to us.”
- Seb confirms this in a professional rugby setting and considers mental toughness as “being able to get your job done, when things aren’t going your way.”
- In sport when someone makes a mistake, often as an onlooker or spectator we are better placed to say “they’re only human” and display compassion.
- Yet, when we are the culprit making the mistake, we often find displaying self-compassion very tough. For many it is virtually impossible, especially in sport when you and your performances are being judged or at least you think they are. And your emotions are so up and down because you are striving for competence.
- A common thing people get wrong when thinking of being self-compassionate or being kind to yourself is that it equals self-pity or that you are being “soft”.
- Self-compassion doesn’t mean that you are lacking in motivation either.
- Understanding the pain that you are put yourself through by being self-critical is vital and by trying to feel compassionate you can empower yourself to make better decisions.
- Encouraging, loving and supportive language is a much more powerful motivator than negativity and fear which is often a habit a lot of people can slip into, especially in a sporting environment.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep104: Seb De Chaves – The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox - Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog - 5 Coaching Tips To Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog - Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure
Blog - Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog – 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips To Deal With Bullying In Sport
Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion
This is a short solo episode and the first of 3 episodes where I share 2 reminders of what Mental Toughness is and apply it to different domains. The first clip is from Mental Toughness pioneer, Doug Strycharczyk which was recorded in our very first episode and the second clip comes from Sebastian De Chavez an elite professional rugby player for Newcastle Falcons who appeared in episode 104.
I then go on to share a case study and one helpful exercise taken from compassionate focused therapy to help people who experience self-criticism and are very hard on themselves off the back of failing or making mistakes in sport or life.
Key Learning Points
- Doug states that Mental Toughness is about “how we respond mentally to things that happen to us.”
- Seb confirms this in a professional rugby setting and considers mental toughness as “being able to get your job done, when things aren’t going your way.”
- In sport when someone makes a mistake, often as an onlooker or spectator we are better placed to say “they’re only human” and display compassion.
- Yet, when we are the culprit making the mistake, we often find displaying self-compassion very tough. For many it is virtually impossible, especially in sport when you and your performances are being judged or at least you think they are. And your emotions are so up and down because you are striving for competence.
- A common thing people get wrong when thinking of being self-compassionate or being kind to yourself is that it equals self-pity or that you are being “soft”.
- Self-compassion doesn’t mean that you are lacking in motivation either.
- Understanding the pain that you are put yourself through by being self-critical is vital and by trying to feel compassionate you can empower yourself to make better decisions.
- Encouraging, loving and supportive language is a much more powerful motivator than negativity and fear which is often a habit a lot of people can slip into, especially in a sporting environment.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep104: Seb De Chaves – The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox - Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Other Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog - 5 Coaching Tips To Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog - Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure
Blog - Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog – 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips To Deal With Bullying In Sport
Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion
In today’s episode I speak to a well respected leadership coach, The Natural Leadership Coach and host for The Game of Leadership Podcast, Paula Eddy Wilcox. Paula and I discuss how you can regain clarity on your purpose and passion when you’ve lost your way, we chat about vulnerability and how being true to yourself can be frightening, we also touch on links between mental toughness, vulnerability and psychological safety too. It’s a great listen for those interested in leadership, and the business world though it does roll over to life in general and sport too.
Key Learning Points:
- When you face challenges and you come out the other side it’s important to recognise what strengths you used.
- Being around people who are aligned with your values aids your sense of well-being.
- Having the guts to show up as your true self can be daunting.
- Putting yourself out there, showing your true self makes you vulnerable.
- As you get older, a lot of people seem to care less what others think.
- Some elements of Mental Toughness, eg, risk orientation and interpersonal confidence will explain whether you make yourself vulnerable in different situations.
- A fixed mindset can prevent you from showing vulnerability.
- There are links with showing vulnerability and psychological safety.
Connect with Paula Eddy-Wilcox
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep113: Polly Brennan - The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep114: Tim Bradshaw - Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Ep123: Richard Dorney - What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - How to Find Your Why
Blog - Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
In episode #127 I chat with fellow Mental Toughness Licensee, Paul Trainor. Paul is a former professional rugby league player, currently a director for Super League team, Salford Red Devils Rugby League Club and a director for Positive Synergy.
We go on to discuss Mental Toughness in professional rugby league, how Mental Toughness applies to his current role as a director. We also touch on his consultancy work. If you're looking to learn more about Mental Toughness, the 4 C's model and its application, this is a great podcast episode to listen too.
Key Learning Points:
- The definition of mental toughness has changed over the years in Rugby where it was more about bravado, not being seen to be injured, seeing how many knocks you could get through to now where it is viewed as the ability to respond well to challenges that we face in the game, to be fully prepared for the challenges, to have trust in the process and to be able to take risks.
- When injured it’s very important as a player to be honest with yourself and others around you.
- Salford Red Devils reached the Super League Grand Final in 2019 and pride ourselves on the way as a club, both on and off the field that we approach what we do. We have a very strong culture of maximising everything you've got whether it be players on the field or the resources we've got off the field.
- I lead on building future strategy, which looks at developing the next generation of Salford Red Devils players and leaving a legacy in different areas of work. We go into schools and community clubs and are not only concerned about rugby, but we're also doing work around mental toughness, raising achievement and positive mental health.
- Mental toughness is a crucial life skill that we help develop in youngsters.
- Everyone plays a key role in creating culture and the key behaviours that are expected from people.
Connect with Paul Trainor
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes
Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Ep29: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Ep038: Taz Bricknell - Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep104: Seb De Chaves - The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Blog - How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Case Study – Supporting a Professional Rugby Player Rehabilitating from Injury
Blog - 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence Under Pressure
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources
In today's solo episode I talk about golf and what my role as a Sport Psychologist or Golf Performance Psychologist looks like, common challenges that golfers bring to me, difficulties that we experience as Sport Psychologists when working with golfers and a case study to highlight more about my approach to helping golfers shoot lower scores and enjoy the game more. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Typical challenges that golfers bring to me are; hitting the ball well on the range however they’re not able to transfer this on to the golf course and score well, not being able to stay present and convert after good starts, dealing with feeling anxious and slow starts and temper tantrums.
- Generally 6 hours+ support with a golfer can make a huge difference to them.
- Many golfers lack commitment when working with a Golf Psychologist.
- Learning from mistakes is a common difficulty for golfers who simply think that the answer is to try and improve their technique.
- I always ask myself the question, is this tool going to help the golfer attain their goals and shoot lower scores?
- It is possible to break through a glass ceiling and turn 69s into 65s.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep047: David Charlton– Mental Game Tips for Putting
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
Ep118: Dr Bob Winters - How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Case Study – Supporting a Professional Golfer Go Really Low
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
Today I chat with HCPC Registered Sport Psychologist, Jack Hicks- Flynn about his love for the profession. He goes on to offer helpful insights into to the role of a sport psychologist in professional football clubs, drawing on experiences of working as an applied practitioner and a researcher in Southampton FC, Luton Town FC, Portsmouth FC and West Ham United FC.
We go on to discuss the complexity of our role, cultural beliefs in football, common misconceptions about the role of sport psychology, we also chat about interpersonal confidence and the importance of it in a football environment and a lot more.
What You Will Learn In This Episode:
- It is vital to gain a deep understanding of the football club values and culture.
- A sport psychologist spends time on the pitch working collaboratively with coaches to improve players.
- Building relationships with the multi disciplinary team (MDT) is essential.
- Jack highlights the 3 R’S, rapport, relationships and respect as important aspects to succeed in the role.
- He helps players raise their level of self-awareness so that they have the ability to think more flexibly in different situations (psychological flexibility).
- Players have to deal with selection biases, relationships with coaches, parental influences, contractual issues, agents which can have a huge impact on their experience within the sport.
- It’s ok to be vulnerable at times which culturally go against what people consider mental toughness to be.
- Statistics are a vital part of football, tracking distance covered, walking distance etc, however how this is communicated with individual players is vital unless confidence can be eroded.
- It’s worth considering that statistics can provoke comparisons with other players and a level of toxicity.
- Mental health screenings, mental health action plans and a clear referral process is vital in clubs.
Connect with Jack Hicks-Flynn:
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep096: Gary Curneen – Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Ep102: 30 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Soccer
Ep105: Hannah Bromley - Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Ep111: Michael Caulfield - How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Other Useful Resources
Blog - A Common Mental Game Error Many Footballers Make
Blog - Coach Development: Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog - 5 Tips to Help You Perform Fearlessly When You Compete
Case Study - Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome his Fears
Library - Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football
Today's podcast episode looks at long-term serious injuries, the psychological impact and helpful strategies to help you manage your mental health during the rehabilitation process and afterwards. My guest, doctor of occupational therapy, Keagen Hadley has recently released a book called Torn: Overcoming the Psychological Challenges Post-ACL Injury which we go on to discuss too.
Keagen shares his backstory, the motivation behind writing his book, his definition of mental toughness when faced with a long term serious injury, like an ACL. We also chat about Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a potentially helpful solution and much more.
Key Learning Points:
- Keagen didn't intend to write a book initially however he found it became a cathartic process helping him process his thoughts and emotions.
- He personally had two long term ACL injuries which occurred whilst playing American Football, as well as experiencing battles with depression and anxiety.
- Being part of the group was difficult for Keagen when he was injured.
- His identity of who he was shifted hugely.
- Mental toughness in this context is about learning to face and sit with difficult thoughts and emotions.
- Seeking support and discussing your problems is important to process the emotions.
- Acceptance Commitment Therapy helped Keagen greatly during the difficult times and is something he advocates in his work with athletes too.
Connect with Keagen Hadley
Website
BOOK: Torn Overcoming Psychological Challenges Post ACL
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Ep018: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE - Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog – How to Find Your Why
Blog - Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
In today’s episode I speak to Richard Dorney MBE. Richard served in the military for almost 39 years and has a wealth of experience in dealing with high stress situations. He’s now the Director of Strongmind Resiliency Training, a company that works to improve mental health support, trauma management and resilience mainly in public sector organisations exposed to stress and trauma. Richard goes on to share his background and lessons that he’s learned. We discuss resilience development and leadership in the military, Trauma risk management (TRIM) in the military and in healthcare and corporate settings.
Key Learning Points:
- Resilience is not innate, it isn't just something you have, you can develop it.
- The mission comes first in the military.
- There is a focus on the preservation of quality, power and capability. The military does very well in understanding it’s people and their capabilities.
- Leadership in the military is very good, they invest a great deal of time and effort training leaders at every stage of their leadership development.
- Peer support is a vital component when dealing with Trauma.
- A strong mind is about mental resilience, robustness, thinking, attitude and behaviour.
- A fundamental key of a strong mind is self-awareness.
- Psychologically informed, empathetic and compassionate leadership is vital when managing people.
Connect with Richard Dorney MBE
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep113: Polly Brennan - The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Ep114: Tim Bradshaw - Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - How to Find Your Why
Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Today’s guest, Camilla Knight is an associate professor in sports psychology at Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom, and she is an expert in youth sport. One of her key research interests is in understanding the role that parents play in the lives of their young athletes. In episode 122 of Demystifying Mental Toughness we discuss the role of parents in sport, the challenges and stressors that they experience. We also chat about the parent/coach relationship with their children and give you some ideas on how to improve your communication with your children. Coaches and teachers may also find this episode helpful.
Key Learning Points
- By understanding the youth sport experience more we can support young people involved in sport better so that they enjoy it more and have a better chance of achieving their potential.
- It’s easy to separate enjoyment and competing however many children enjoying sport because of the competitive element and want to strive to improve.
- It’s important for parents to recognise why their children take part in sport and reminder themselves from time to time.
- As a parent you invest a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of emotion, it can be a stressful experience for many parents.
- In terms of mental health in children, it’s helpful to notice if your child's typical behaviours go on to change.
- Having open and honest conversations with children is very helpful.
- Knowing as a parent when you are out of sync and what stresses you out and how it shapes your communication with your children is beneficial.
- The parent child relationship is a bi-directional relationship.
- If you’re a parent and coach your children setting some boundaries is helpful for journeys.
Connect with Professor Camilla Knight
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Resources
Sports Psychology Resources for Youth Sport (Blogs, Podcasts, Video's)
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Child and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Parent Motivation for Sport Quiz
Today marks a landmark in the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast where the show has been running for 2 years without missing a week. As a result, 2 very special guests and pioneers in the field Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry join me. Together we discuss the third edition of their book alongside Professor Peter Clough, Developing Mental Toughness, we chat about new developments to the 4C’s Mental Toughness model. Doug and John also share their thoughts on where research and practice is heading sharing insights into Mental Toughness and its relationships with innovation, trust and Mental Health.
Key Learning Points:
- The development of the eight factors in the four Cs Mental Toughness model include the introduction of goal orientation, achievement orientation, risk orientation and learning orientation.
- The eight factor framework for mental toughness has brought a new lens to understanding how other people behave. We've been looking at things like trust, innovation, curiosity and more recently vulnerability.
- Goal orientation is the extent to which you are likely to be motivated by targets.
- Achievement orientation is the extent to which you make sure that you stick in to meet that target or goal.
- Learning orientation links to the question – do you keep making the same mistakes?
- In sport a lot of people struggle with reflection and repeating mistakes. Age may have something to do with this.
- There is potential for developing some really interesting solutions for lots of people through the Mental Toughness lens moving forwards.
- The 4C’s model is sufficiently complex, in that it represents people and the future is very exciting where we have many options to continue on the great work already done.
Connect with Dr John Perry:
Twitter: @johnperry81
Email: John.Perry@mic.ul.ie
Connect with Doug Strycharczyk:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougstrycharczyk/
Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk
https://aqrinternational.co.uk/
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep028: Peter Clough MBE – Why is Mental Toughness Important?
Ep035: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry - Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success
Ep109: Maria Jeffers - How to master the mental side of horse riding
Other Useful Resources
5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog - Mental-Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
In this solo episode I share some ideas for sport coaches so that they help develop mental strength in their athletes and teams. The methods I discuss are in contrast to what some people often consider as the way to develop Mental Strength or Mental Toughness by creating fear cultures, pushing athletes to their limits and dishing out punishments. I’m hopeful this episode will destroy that particular myth where I dig into the importance of social support and the different types of social support you can offer your athletes. Teachers and parents will likely find the insights and case studies helpful too.
Key Learning Points
- As a Sports Psychologist we are often tasked with “fixing” problems that athletes may be experiencing. These problems can be influenced by genetics, the athletes home environment, personality traits, value clashes, parenting, off pitch or course issues, the club or organisations culture. The problems can also be influenced hugely by coaches.
- A coach’s role is multifaceted and complex as are the individuals they work with.
- The benefits of good communication and excellent social support for athletes include fewer burnout symptoms, improved sporting performance, better transitions from junior to adult sport and reduced anxiety.
- Different types of social support include: listening support, emotional support. emotional challenge, reality confirmation support, task appreciation support and task challenge support.
- Consider the age and the experience of the athlete when deciding how much social support you will provide as a coach. Research tells us that younger and less experienced athletes may require more social support from their coach than the older and more experienced athletes.
- As a coach you may also want to consider the skill level of the athlete. Elite athletes are likely to need different social support strategies than recreational athletes.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Case Study: Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome His Fears
Blog - 5 Coaching Tips To Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog - Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure
Blog - Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes
Blog – Make Better Decisions To Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips To Deal With Bullying In Sport
In today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I chat with my colleague James Lau, where we discussed his journey to qualifying as a Sport Psychologist. We also considered lessons that he’d learned along the way and challenges that he had encountered in his training and now as an Applied Sport and Exercise Psychologist, in his private practice. Working in team sports and one of his passions, racquet sports we go on to describe the types of challenges we face as practitioners, as well as how we support athletes.
Key Learning Points:
- A Psychology degree helped give James a foundation to build on.
- A Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology allowed him to learn specific techniques and theories that can benefit his clients.
- Establishing and maintaining relationships with clients is critical as a Sport Psychologist.
- The Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Stage 2 helped him learn more about the role, he faced challenges, made mistakes and learned, developing his own Mental Toughness.
- Sport Psychologists can work with coaching staff to change the culture in a team setting.
- Psychological safety is important in team sports so that individuals can go out and fully express themselves.
- In racquet sports, often the biggest psychological challenge players have is dealing with big points (match point, break points).
Connect with James Lau
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Resources
Sports Psychology For Youth Athletes Podcasts
James Lau Blogs, Video's and Podcasts
Racquet Sport Blogs
On today's episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I was delighted to be joined by Dr. Bob Winters, an internationally recognised sport psychologist who has supported US Men’s and Women’s Open Golf Champions and many other elite professional and amateur athletes across a variety of sports.
In the episode we discuss sport psychology in golf and the field as a whole. We also chat about grit and many elements of mental toughness and how they apply to our work in supporting golfers to get the most out of their skills and abilities.
Key Learning Points:
- Anxiety and stress are always the killers of any type of athletic movement, especially in sports using perceptual motor skills such as golf.
- For the Leadbetter Golf Academy at Champions Gate in Orlando, I provide a lot of information for all our academy golf instructors.
- My process is helping each person develop a personal playing philosophy.
- “The first question I would ask you, David, in relation to your golf - Are you good?”
- We need to get out of realistic thinking or probability thinking and look to encourage possibility thinking.
- Giving our best effort every day and on every shot is under our control
- Every putt can be made, no matter the distance.
- Every putt deserves to be made.
Connect with Dr Bob Winters
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep047: David Charlton – Mental Game Tips for Putting
Ep089: Will Shaw - How to Transfer Your Golfing Skills to the Course
Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Psychology of Golf Library
This week’s solo episode is part two where I build on last week’s episode and share 4 more ideas and further resources to help footballers who come across the challenge of being released from football clubs. It’s a naturally difficult time for the player and their family where their motivation and mental health can be tested. My ideas relate to how a mentally tough player would likely view the situation and how you can develop your mental toughness and bounce back positively from the setback.
Key Learning Points
- See yourself as a worthwhile person.
- If you have some unanswered questions for the coaching staff, make sure you ask them.
- Create some goals to work towards.
- Don’t allow setbacks to distract you from your long term goals.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep108: David Charlton - Observations: How to Stay on Top of Your Goals
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
4 Powerful Questions when Dealing with Challenging Situations
Performance Profile for Goalkeepers
Blog: 3 Tips to Help You Overcome Setbacks
Blog - Don’t Waste Another Lockdown
In this solo episode, I discuss an obstacle many of our clients come across, being released from football clubs. This episode is part one, of a two part series designed to give players, coaches and parents of players some ideas on how the mentally tough player would view the situation. I also share 4 ideas and a number of resources that can help players who are finding this period difficult.
Key Learning Points
- Try to keep the situation in proportion.
- See the setback as an opportunity to develop yourself.
- Deal with the situation the best you possibly can.
- Accept that there are better ways of doing things and be open to exploring different options.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep086: David Charlton: Observations: How to Learn from Setbacks
Ep113: The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
4 Powerful Questions when Dealing with Challenging Situations
Blog: 3 Tips to Help You Overcome Setbacks
Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Today, I'm joined by a former international cricketer and Senior Leadership Coach, Jeremy Snape. We go on to discuss mental toughness in cricket, the pressures of playing at the international level in front of thousands of spectators, as well as looking at the relationship between sport performance and business. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Our brains are built for safety, to keep us safe.
- Being calm, patient and instinctive are skills that can be developed and help us perform to our maximum.
- A “one ball at a time mentality” is helpful - focusing on making the next moment as high quality as we can.
- Counting and breathing techniques can refocus our mind.
- Consider setting transformational goals, to stretch yourself and others.
Connect with Jeremy Snape
Website
Inside The Mind of Champions Podcast
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcasts
Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Ep072: Tom Jones - Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Ep091: Jarrod Leathem – How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
For More Resources for Cricketers
Blog - Make Bowling Simple by Avoiding these 3 Common Mental Game Errors
Blog - 5 Tips if you fall into the TRYING TOO HARD TRAP when bowling
Blog - Mental Preparation for Bowlers in Cricket
Blog - Being an Intelligent Batsman can be a Problem
Blog - Batting with a Quiet Mind
Today I’m joined by Tim Bradshaw author of Because I Can, a former surveillance and target acquisition patrol soldier and covert human intelligence officer. We discuss his quest to help people understand it’s ok to ask for help when they have mental health concerns. Stepping out of your comfort zone, taking on challenges such as Everest are also talked about, as well as his definition of mental toughness in military settings.
Key Learning Points:
- We took on a year of challenges every month for a year to raise awareness around Mental Health.
- Self-doubt is very natural, we all face it at different times.
- Fatigue is a big issue when taking on a challenge like Everest. Accepting, not beating yourself up for a lack of sleep is the important part in dealing with it.
- Take a leaf out of the All Blacks and think differently, never take a step backwards.
- Nobody is born resilient, you become resilient.
- The sheer volume of information shared to us is crazy, we have to be able to sift out the not so helpful bits and focus on what is going to support us.
- Seek to focus on what is possible not what you can’t do.
Connect with Tim Bradshaw
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson - Why is knowing my WHY important?
Ep113: Polly Brennan - The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - How to Find Your Why
In today's podcast episode #113, I’m joined by the adventurous and inspirational Polly Brennan, founder of Adventurous Coaching and creator of The Mental Fitness Kitbag™ Model. Our discussion centres around mental fitness, mental health and mental toughness where we share some helpful strategies to help you manage your mental health.
Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Mental health and well-being can be viewed as an adventure.
- What does an adventurous approach to how you live your life look like?
- Adventures of the ordinary can be done on a shoestring.
- What does a challenge look like to you?
- Mental Health operates on a continuum and changes frequently dependent on an individuals circumstances.
- What do you do to strengthen your resilience muscles?
Connect with Polly Brennan
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Ep018: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Ep031 David Jueno - How to Turn Your Life Around and Inspire Others
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep106: Amy Rowlinson - Why is knowing my WHY important?
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Blog - How to Find Your Why
In this solo episode, I discuss a challenge that many young athletes often come across and something that we get approached by parents and the athlete themselves about on a regular basis. Dealing with physical insecurities. I go on to share some exercises, that I often use citing a case study of Harry (pseudonym) the goalkeeper who was small for his position, which impacted his focus and confidence.
Key Learning Points
- By helping shift an athletes focus towards internal factors that he or she can control can help them feel less helpless.
- Examining an athletes expectations of small details in their sport can help you shift their perspective.
- Setting mini-goals between sessions is a great way to strengthen an athletes confidence and motivation levels.
- Spending time assessing an athlete’s strengths and planning how to improve specific areas can be a great confidence builder.
- Relationships and the way athletes communicate with coaches is important and vice versa, can have a significant impact on how an athlete feels.
- Using metaphors such as an animal or a superhero in a visual way can enhance confidence.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Ep49: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Ep111: Michael Caulfield - How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Case Study: Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome His Fears
Blog: How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog: How do I Help my Child to Focus in Sports?
Child and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Sport Psychology Resources for Children and Parents
This week I chat with HCPC Registered Sport Psychologist, Michael Caulfield about his route into the field and his work in elite professional football with managers, players and multi-disciplinary teams. He shares fascinating insights into his work, the importance of being courageous whatever your role. Michael has been fortunate to work with Gareth Southgate, Steve Bruce and Dean Smith in the English Premier League so has some great stories and advice to offer.
What You Will Learn In This Episode:
- Michael’s route into Sports Psychology came after being the Chief Executive of the Professional Jockey’s Association.
- The importance of first impressions, building and maintaining relationships as a Sport Psychologist.
- Rejection and failure is a part of life, being able to bounce back with “courage” is a quality that can be developed and is essential if you are to prosper.
- The ability to park your own ego is essential when you are a Sport Psychologist.
- Being comfortable in your own skin when dealing with people, especially bigger names is valuable for you to prosper.
Connect with Michael Caulfield:
Email: michael@justcaulfield.com
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Ep024: Julian Dowe – Mental Toughness in Professional Football
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep096: Gary Curneen – Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Ep102: 30 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Soccer
Ep105: Hannah Bromley - Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Professional Women’s Football
Other Useful Resources
Blog - A Common Mental Game Error Many Footballers Make
Blog - Coach Development: Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog - 5 Tips to Help You Perform Fearlessly When You Compete
Case Study - Supporting a Young Footballer to Overcome his Fears
Our guest today is very inspirational, Dan Steele was an excellent decathlete and an Olympic bronze medalist in Bobsleigh. He was also one of the most successful collegiate track and field coaches in America. In this episode, we discuss his journey, some obstacles that he overcame along the way as an athlete. Psychological strategies that he used to keep himself going in difficult times were also touched on and how he overcame fears. Dan also goes on to share some great advice for coaches of any sport, to get the most from their athletes.
Key Takeaways include:
- Physical size as a youngster shouldn’t be a hindrance with the right mindset.
- The mental side of the decathlon is very important, being able to remain calm after poor results in events.
- Your internal self-talk is hugely powerful.
- I’d see competing and tight finishes as exciting.
- Bobsleigh was like riding a crazy rollercoaster where you wondered if you’d die at the end of it.
- As a coach, being open minded immersing yourself in learning will help you get the most from your coaching abilities and from your athletes.
- Being honest with yourself as an athlete is vital.
- Performance anxiety and mental health are two very different things and can get confused.
Connect with Dan Steele:
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Podcast Ep046: Kate Mackay – Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
Podcast Ep048: Natalie Hurdley – How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlifting
Podcast Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Other Useful Resources
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - Coach Development: Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure
Blog - Do You Really Want to Succeed
Blog - 12 Reasons Why You Won't Achieve Your Potential - Sports Psychology
Today’s guest Maria Jeffers has a background in psychometric testing and is the Business Development Manager for AQR International, who holds the licensing for the 4C’s Mental Toughness model. Maria has a passion for mental toughness as well as horses. In this episode, we discuss how mental toughness applies to horse riding and the challenges of parenting a child who enjoys competing on her horse.
Key Takeaways
- Psychometrics are popularly used in recruitment to objectively understand candidates more.
- An individual or group's Mental Toughness as a personality trait, through the questionnaire, MTQ Plus can be measured.
- What someone is thinking is invisible yet has a big bearing on their behaviour.
- Mentally tough people are more adaptive when coping with stressors and challenges.
- Horses will very easily pick up if their rider is stressed.
- Parents can often influence how their children feel when they’re riding a horse.
- The rider and horse are a partnership.
- How you talk to yourself and your horse is a skill that can be developed.
Connect with Maria Jeffers
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Resources
Sport Psychology for Children and Parents
Child and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
Parent Motivation for Sport Quiz
Sports Psychology Blogs For Kids
Sports Psychology Podcasts For Kids
In this solo episode, I again look at commitment, a measure of mental toughness, from different angles with the aim of helping you stay on top of your goals. Finding ways not to be derailed so easily when the inevitable setbacks and obstacles find you. I also touch on the importance of emotional control and managing your emotions on your journey. Where I go on to share excerpts from 2 previous episodes of Demystifying Mental Toughness with European Tour Golfer Chris Paisley and the inspirational former 2 x World Champion in Para Triathlon Steve Judge, as well as discussing a quote from Hank Haney’s book “This Big Miss” where he discussed his coaching years with Tiger Woods.
Some Questions to Ponder
- Do you work harder than your rivals?
- Do you set yourself daily focus goals to keep you on track?
- Do you have a plan when setbacks occur?
- Do you have outlets to release your emotions?
- Is your support team around you helping your express your emotions?
- Are you unable to maintain a bigger picture perspective when setbacks occur?
- Does thinking about what may go wrong scare you?
- Do you use visualisation as a way to mentally prepare yourself for challenges?
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep004: Chris Paisley – Life on the European Tour
Ep068: Andrew Nicholson – How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: Mental Preparation for Combat Sports
Blog: Developing Your Mental Game In Your Downtime
Blog: Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches
Book: The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday
In this solo episode, I look at commitment, a measure of mental toughness from different angles. Sharing excerpts from 2 previous episodes of Demystifying Mental Toughness with Steve Hackney and JJ Vallely, as well as discussing a quote from Arsene Wenger’s book “My Life in Red and White.” Additionally, I talk about what I see as a common challenge for youngsters who play in team sports. Having a high level of commitment coupled with low levels of interpersonal confidence.
You’ll find I challenge your thinking, giving out some resources and ask you to ask yourself some important questions. It’s an episode that athletes, coaches, teachers and parents can benefit from.
Some Questions to Ponder
- Are your levels of commitment congruent with what the best do?
- Do you know what the daily habits of top performers are?
- Are you aware of what is the right information for you and how you find it?
- Do you ask yourself why you practice or train a certain way?
- Do you set daily goals for your practice or training?
- When you practice or train do you let your emotions take over?
- Can your high levels of commitment spoil your enjoyment?
- Are you a highly motivated and committed yet struggle with communicating with coaches and team-mates?
- Do you question coaches?
- Are you a coach who often gets into comparison mode, comparing athlete A against athlete B?
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep005: David Charlton - Observations The Art of Learning
Podcast Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Podcast Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Podcast Ep062: JJ Vallely – Mastering the Mental Side Of Golf
Podcast Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog - How To Reach Your Full Potential Part Three
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog Motivation vs Commitment | There is a Big Difference
This episode looks at an important element of Mental Toughness, commitment. With my guest, Amy Rowlinson, the host of the fantastic Focus on Why podcast. We dig deeper and talk about why we do what we do. Living a purposeful life, not simply drifting, responding to challenging times, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, our core values, and how you can go about finding your why are some of the things we chat about. Enjoy tuning in!
Some great questions to ask yourself in finding your why:
- What is my purpose?
- What gets me out of bed in the morning and excites me?
- Do I have a plan to keep me on course?
- What are my core values?
- What experiences contribute to my why?
- Does the company I work for or the club I play for have clear values?
- Does the club I play for or the company I work for have values that are aligned with my values?
- In my leisure time, do I make sure I’m being true to my values?
Connect with Amy Rowlinson
Linktr.ee - https://linktr.ee/AmyRowlinson
Podcast - https://podfollow.com/focus-on-why
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep035: Dr John Perry - Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Podcast Ep075: Grant Phyphers - How to Rebuild Your Identity
Podcast Ep097: David Charlton - What Have You Learned From Last Year?
Podcast Ep098: Jon Bartlett - Do You Know Your Why?
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: How to Find Your Why
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: What Did You Learn From Last Year?
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including VALUES LIST
In this episode, I was joined by former professional footballer Hannah Bromley where we had a fascinating conversation. We discussed the pressures of playing international football, playing overseas in different cultures and how this went on to impact her performance levels. Coach communication was part of our conversation too as well as mental health, bulimia, bullying and her passion for sports psychology. It’s well worth a listen!
Key Learning Points:
- The highs and the lows of the professional sport were a big part of the conversation and in Hannah’s words were “incredible.”
- Not knowing the language when playing overseas can be a barrier and impact your confidence levels.
- The younger Hannah would have benefitted by having better daily habits and reaching out for support.
- Conflict resolution is a skill that can be developed.
- Effective coach communication is vital and has a big influence on a players’ welfare, mindset and performance levels.
- Seeing the coach as a person and not placing them on a pedestal is helpful for a player.
- Developing a psychologically safe environment is essential for players to be able to fully express themselves.
Connect with Hannah Bromley
HB Athlete Mindset Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Ep064: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers
Ep069: David Charlton – David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep096: Gary Curneen – Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Other Football or Soccer Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Blogs
Blog 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog: Supporting a Professional Footballer during Challenging Times
Blog: 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Vlog: How Mental Toughness Helps us Understand Psychological Safety with Doug Strycharczyk
Today I’m joined by a South African professional rugby player, Sebastian De Chaves, who is currently plying his trade in the USA with Austin Gilgronis and has represented a number of Premiership Rugby clubs. We discuss mental toughness in elite professional rugby, the use of sport psychology, typical challenges that rugby players and coaches face and common psychological demands of the sport.
Key Learning Points:
- Mental toughness is being able on an individual level, to get your job done and perform to the best of your ability when things aren’t going well.
- Mentally tough players execute under massive amounts of pressure.
- Focusing on what you can control is essential.
- Don’t let your emotions in the game take over.
- Always look to learn from top performers.
- Maintaining a balance off the pitch is important for optimal performance and well-being.
Connect with Sebastian De Chaves
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep07: Toby Flood - How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Podcast Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Podcast Ep29: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Podcast Ep038: Taz Bricknell - Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Podcast Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Rugby Blogs
Rugby Podcasts
Welcome to episode #103 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching our century! The episode is hugely insightful with a number of our guests to date, again sharing many fantastic takeaways. The messages come from the world of marathon running, rugby, tennis, cricket, combat sports and refereeing and can only help athletes, coaches and parents with an interest in sport.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 103
Podcast Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Podcast Ep007: Toby Flood – How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Podcast Ep021: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Podcast Ep029: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Podcast Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Podcast Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Podcast Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls – How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Podcast Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Podcast Ep071: James Lau – Mastering the Mental Side of Tennis
Podcast EP072: Tom Jones – Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Podcast Ep091: Jarrod Leathem – How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Podcast Ep076: Nathan Sherratt – Mastering the Mental Game of Refereeing
Podcast Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Podcast Ep083: Billy Schwer - Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer
Podcast Ep084: Dr Jim Afremow & Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Podcast Ep088: Dre Baldwin – How To Play As Well As You Practice
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Welcome to episode #102 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part three of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching our century! This time the episode is created with soccer and football fanatics in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in soccer or football, go on to share their key take home messages. As you’ll note the insights are related to the development of mental toughness.
This episode is a must listen for football or soccer coaches, players, parents, sport scientists and those interested in the great game.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 102
Ep003: Peter Ramage – Developing a Premier League Mindset
Ep018: Kieron Brady – From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Ep027: Natalie Henderson – How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Ep096: Gary Curneen - Developing Mentally Strong Footballers
Ep064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Ep009: Brendan Pearson – Academy Football Professional Football Injuries and Early Retirement
Ep049: How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help – James Maurice
Ep043: Jamie Forrester – Thriving in Professional Football
Ep087: Carl Bell from Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Ep024: Julian Dowe – Mental Toughness in Professional Football
Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Ep077: Danny Thomas – Before, During and After Professional Football
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Welcome to episode #101 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part two of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching our century! This time the episode is created with golf enthusiasts in mind where the nine first class guests that have been interviewed on the show to date about all things golf and mental toughness share their key take home messages.
You’ll hear about managing your emotions, getting the most from your practice and a lot more. With the goal helping you or your clients shoot lower scores.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 101
Ep004: Chris Paisley – Life on the European Tour
Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Ep045: Andy Gorman – Building Confidence in Your Putting
Ep099: Trevor Jones - How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course
Ep089: Will Shaw - How To Transfer Your Golfing Skills To The Course
Ep062: JJ Vallely – Mastering the Mental Side Of Golf
Ep068: Andrew Nicholson – How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
Ep013: Karl Morris – How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Ep009: Andy Paisley - Play Better Golf Under Pressure
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Welcome to episode #100 of Demystifying Mental Toughness!
One hundred episodes are something that I would like to celebrate because I feel incredibly proud of what I’ve done with the show. So in this episode, I’ve collated a large number of take home messages from our guests to date and pieced them together into this episode. There are lots of hugely inspiring messages for you.
You’re going to hear key takeaways on how to develop your mental toughness, ideas to deal with Covid times, stress, and adversity. Coping with trauma and mental health challenges are also discussed. We also look at health and fitness and share some top tips to help you.
Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 100
Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk - The Importance of Mental Toughness
Ep028: Peter Clough MBE - Why is Mental Toughness Important?
Ep035: Dr John Perry - Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Ep002: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Ep031 David Jueno – How to Turn Your Life Around and Inspire Others
Ep066: Marilyn Okoro – Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Ep041: Paul McGee – How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Ep011: Dave Algeo – Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Ep075: Grant Phyphers – How to Rebuild Your Identity
Ep098: Jon Bartlett - Do You Know Your Why?
Ep046: Kate Mackay – Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty - ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Ep022: Robbie Thompson – How to Feel More Confident
Ep019: Paul Smith – 5000 Consecutive Days Running and Counting
Ep048: Natalie Hurdley – How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlift
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Do you get caught up overthinking when playing golf? Do you suffer from paralysis by analysis? Or maybe you stand overpressure shots and visualise topping the ball, thinning the ball, or even shanking it!
If you do, it’s OK even the best players in the world think this way every so often!
In this episode, Trevor Jones a PGA Professional Golf coach and mental performance coach and I have great chat about this topic and how you can best deal with these challenges. We also touch on Trevor’s playing background on the European tour, his coaching philosophy and a shared passion of ours Mindfulness. Enjoy tuning in.
Key Learning Points:
- We don’t have to feel comfortable to play good golf.
- We all experience self-doubt.
- When Tiger Woods won at Eastlake, in the Tour Championship in 2019 he found the bunker on the 18th hole. The interviewer said, “Is that when you thought you had won?” Tiger said, “No, because I could have bladed the ball out of bounds.”
- Nurturing psychological flexibility is very powerful.
- Focusing on the next task is a helpful thing to think about when you find yourself getting distracted.
- Failing is ok, you win or you learn.
Connect with Trevor Jones
Performance Psychology Podcast
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep004: Chris Paisley – Life on the European Tour
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep047: David Charlton – Mental Game Tips for Putting
Podcast Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
Today’s episode will help you reflect on how you want to behave moving forwards. My guest Jon Bartlett, who works as a Performance & Program Operations Advisor for the National Basketball Association (NBA) and I go on to discuss his why. He tells me about his background in Premier League and International Football, Australian Rules Football and a lot more, explaining what has shaped his why. Jon also shares some ideas on how you can go about finding your why and how important it is.
What You Will Learn In This Episode:
- Cultures within the countries and how that manifests itself in the people that you work with can shape your Why.
- Your Why is rooted in your identity and purpose.
- You why will change over the course of your career and life, it’s likely to be situational.
Some Great Questions To Ask Yourself:
Why do I do …….. on a daily basis.
How many hours do I work on …... each week? Why?
What are my team, club or organisations values?
Are my team, club or organisations values aligned with my own?
Connect with Jon Bartlett
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep035: Dr John Perry - Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Podcast Ep075: Grant Phyphers - How to Rebuild Your Identity
Podcast Ep097: David Charlton - What Have You Learned From Last Year?
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: How to Find Your Why
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: What Did You Learn From Last Year?
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including VALUES LIST
This episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness is going to help you learn from the past year so that you can make 2022 a better year. Included are different exercises and important questions that you can consider and reflect on.
Improving your own or supporting your clients or athletes to improve their learning orientation, a part of Mental Toughness, where you look to seek the learning out of situations is the thinking behind the design of the episode.
Key Takeaways
- Why do you do what you do?
- Look to give yourself a better understanding of how you want to live your life and perform in your sport by thinking about your funeral and passing in more depth. *Please do consider the suitability of this exercise if you are grieving the loss of a loved one.
- Personal core values can exist at home, at work, in your sport or any area of your life. They should determine your priorities. Look to understand your own core values and any conflicts that are influencing your actions.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep005: David Charlton - Observations: The Art of Learning
Podcast Ep016: David Charlton - Observations: Learning From Your Mistakes
Podcast Ep086: David Charlton - Observations: How to Learn from Setbacks
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: How To Learn From Last Year
Blog: What Did You Learn From Last Year?
Motivation for Sport Quiz
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance including VALUES LIST
Today I’m joined by Gary Curneen a football or soccer coach, an author and a coach educator who shares with me some great nougats of advice for coaches involved in a range of sports. Gary and I go on to chat about his experiences as a football coach and how important the psychological side of the game is, as well as how effective it is used. We chat about the role of video analysis and sport science in producing confident footballers. How you communicate and what and when you say it as a coach were also things we discussed.
Key Learning Points:
- It's a really interesting era for coaches because there's more pressure, more distractions and more information to decipher through.
- Knowing the individual player is vitally important.
- Comparing players in a team is not a good way to build confidence.
- Perfection v effectiveness should be questioned by players and coaches.
Connect with Gary Curneen
Modern Soccer Coach Website
Modern Soccer Coach Podcast
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Episode Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Episode Ep43: Jamie Forrester - Thriving in Professional Football
Podcast Ep49: How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help - James Maurice
Podcast Ep51: Peter Ramage, Brendan Pearson and Julian Dowe - Why Talking Matters
Podcast Ep64: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers
Other Football or Soccer Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Blogs
Blog 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: How To Overcome Self-Doubt When You’re A Goalkeeper
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog Supporting a Professional Footballer during Challenging Times
If you are an athlete, do you struggle to transfer your skills from training or practice to competitive situations? Or if you’re a coach, does your team or athletes fail to express themselves fully when the pressure is on?
In this solo podcast episode, I address this hugely common challenge that athletes young and old, amateur and professional have, where I review recent podcast episodes and articles that I’ve created on the topic and go on to share 10 common reasons why this is the case. You’ll also find a range of practical tips and suggestions to challenge your thinking and help you overcome these challenges.
10 Common Reasons Why Athletes Fail to Transfer their Skills from Practice to Competitive Situations:
- Your practice or training isn’t designed to help you feel more confident under pressure.
- Your practice or training doesn’t challenge you enough.
- You don’t mentally prepare for difficulties.
- You don’t have a strategy to stay present.
- Your mindset towards your warm up sets you up to fail.
- You fail to learn from past mistakes.
- You don’t have consistent performance or pre-shot routines.
- Your core values are compromised and negatively influence your actions.
- You focus or your coaching team focus too much on results or the scoreboard.
- Your culture is psychologically unsafe, causing fear responses.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Previous Podcast Episode on Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Podcast Ep069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Podcast Ep073: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 2
Podcast Ep079: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 3
Podcast Ep085: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 4
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls - How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players
Podcast Ep093: Dan Abrahams - How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football
Podcast Ep092: Dr James Hegarty - ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Podcast Ep091: Jarrod Leathem - How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches
Podcast Ep089: Will Shaw - How To Transfer Your Golfing Skills To The Course
Podcast Ep088: Dre Baldwin - How To Play As Well As You Practice
Podcast Ep087: Carl Bell 0 From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Podcast Ep086: David Charlton - Observations: How to Learn from Setbacks
Podcast Ep004: Chris Paisley - Life on the European Tour
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: 5 Coaching Tips to Develop Mentally Tough Footballers
Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances
Blog: Mental Preparation for Combat Sports
Blog: Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I’m joined by Professor Adam Nicholls where our conversation is mostly based around the sport of Rugby, though there are crossovers into other sports. We discuss how do you define Mental Toughness in rugby terms, coping with stressors and pressure in professional rugby and at a youth level. How coaches can best help players to develop their mental toughness at different stages as well as a lot more. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Learning Points:
- Mental Toughness is about a rugby player’s ability to be able to perform well under pressure.
- Training can be stressful for some players because they may be fighting for their place within the team.
- Stress is more amplified on match day, and that's when those who are mentally tough will more likely to shine.
- In a study we found experienced athletes were more mentally tough, indicating that that experience is really important in the development of the trait.
- One way for coaches to help develop mental toughness with their players is through exposing them to increased stress with effective support on hand.
- Self awareness is really important to be able to make good decisions, especially under pressure.
- Individual differences and personality preferences have to be taken into account by coaches.
- Consistent pre-shot routines are a critical element to trusting your skills under pressure.
Connect with Adam Nicholls
Book: Psychology in Sports Coaches: Theory and Practice
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep07: Toby Flood - How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Podcast Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Podcast Ep29: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Podcast Ep038: Taz Bricknell - Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Podcast Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Rugby Blogs
Rugby Podcasts
Today I chat with leading Sport Psychologist Dan Abrahams about the mental blocks that footballers present that can go on to influence why they struggle to replicate their form from the training pitch to match days.
Despite our conversation in the main, being football related it does crossover to other sports where we touch on performance anxiety, Dan’s approach to the use of mental skills and how as Sports Psychologists we can educate coaches on the importance of psychological and social factors as well as a whole lot more.
Enjoy listening!
Key Learning Points:
- When it comes to game day, footballers are going to experience a higher volume of anxiety than when they train. Some players will experience anxiety, doubt, worry or fear as a consequence and possibly a drop in confidence.
- Some players will become easily distracted and when they play they’ll be inhibited.
- Other players will see a drop off in intensity levels.
- Players need a mental skills framework to deal with these challenges.
- Dan talks to players about having a match day script, about squashing ANTS, using controllers, raising bars and a high performance mindset.
- The story or narrative a player tells themself is very important going into a game.
- A key message for coaches is that a task and mastery focus should take precedent over ego or outcome and performance factors that are out of a player's control.
Connect with Dan Abrahams
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Episode Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Episode Ep43: Jamie Forrester - Thriving in Professional Football
Podcast Ep49: How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help - James Maurice
Podcast Ep51: Peter Ramage, Brendan Pearson and Julian Dowe - Why Talking Matters
Podcast Ep64: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers
Other Football or Soccer Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Blogs
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: How To Overcome Self-Doubt When You’re A Goalkeeper
Blog: 7 Tips on Taking Penalty Kicks Under Pressure
Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
In today’s episode I introduce the concept of Acceptance Commitment Therapy or Training (ACT) and Mindfulness with co-author of an excellent book on the topic Dr James Hegarty. In sport it is very easy to get ahead of yourself or dwell on past mistakes impacting on your performance levels. James and I go on to unpick how ACT and Mindfulness principles and tools can support you in this regard so that you can perform better under pressure. Enjoy tuning in.
Key Takeaways:
- In psychology a lot of work is focused on capturing unhelpful thoughts and looking to change them, with more helpful and positive thoughts. Using ACT and Mindfulness is different where I teach people to attend to their thoughts and pay attention to their body.
- ACT and Mindfulness can be difficult to get your head around however it is very beneficial, with research backing up it’s use in a range of settings.
- The six core principles of ACT include; acceptance, defusion, connecting with the present moment, the Observing Self, values and committed action.
- Mindfulness is where you consciously bring your awareness to the present moment and the here and now.
- Using ACT and Mindfulness can help you overcome performance anxiety and deal better with nerves.
- There are simple tools that can help you move on from the inevitable mistakes that we all make in sport.
- It is a tool that can give you a better chance to find the zone more often.
Connect with Dr James Hegarty:
Website
Email: james@hegartyconsulting.co.nz
Book - ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment
Connect with David
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Useful Resources
Blog: Case study supporting a professional rugby player rehabilitating from injury
Blog: Why you should meditate to improve your sport performance
Blog: 3 Tips to help you overcome setbacks
Useful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to stay present like a major champion
Podcast Ep016: David Charlton - Observations: Learning From Your Mistakes
Podcast Ep032: David Charlton - How Can I Be Grateful For The Little Things
Podcast Episode 084: Dr Jim Afremow and Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Whether you're a batsman or bowler, a wicket keeper or a fielder the psychological challenges in cricket are vast. The game is unique where despite being a team sport, it can also be a very lonely place when you experience repeated failures as a batsman or get embarrassed as a bowler being smashed out of the park on a regular basis.
Today, Jarrod Leathem who enjoys supporting batsmen, in cricket, as a performance coach and is the founder of the popular High Performance for Batsmen Group and I discuss the intricacies of cricket and offer you some tips so that you can excel in matches.
Key Learning Points:
- It’s important to get really clear about what you’re trying to achieve in your training.
- Focusing on the process is key looking at: what you do when you're at the game in warmups. What you do when you're walking out to the middle. What you do when you're out batting, bowling or fielding. What you do between balls.
- Have things in place that bring you back to the present.
- To have two ducks in a row and have to walk out and try to have positive body language is tough, but is important.
- Many batsman’s self-worth has been attached to their scores for years. Shifting identity is essential.
Connect with Jarrod Leathem
High Performance for Batsman Group
Email: jarrod.leathem7@gmail.com
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcasts
Podcast Ep072: Tom Jones - Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Sports Psychology For Youth Athletes Podcasts
For More Resources for Cricketers
Blog - Being an Intelligent Batsman can be a Problem
Blog - Why play Cricket in fear?
Blog - Perfectionism in Cricket
Today’s Mental Toughness compilation episode includes short snippets of advice from our most recent 9 episodes. We touch on many aspects of Mental Toughness from how you deal with challenges, learning from difficulties, setting appropriate goals, as well as ways to improve your confidence so that you can express yourself under pressure.
Key Learning Points:
- Stuart Wade discusses mentally preparing for challenges is a vital factor if you want to gain a mental edge.
- David Charlton shares with you some good questions if you’re a parent or coach that can help young athletes reframe situations more positively.
- Billy Schwer tells you to be honest with yourself when going through transitions in life.
- Dr Jim Afremow and Phil White discuss The All Blacks and their culture where everyone is striving towards individual and collective goals.
- David Charlton discusses why paying too much attention to external factors outside of your control is a waste of emotion and energy.
- David Charlton tells you to think about reviewing what you’re A,B,C and D games look like to change your perspective on success and failure.
- Carl Bell shares insights into reducing the chances of athletes being overly fearful when participating in their chosen sports.
- Dre Baldwin talks about performing competitively and says “any thinking is overthinking”.
- Will Shaw examines why young golf professionals can get lost and overwhelmed.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep081 – Stuart Wade: Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Podcast Ep082 – David Charlton: Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Podcast Ep083 – Billy Schwer: Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer
Podcast Ep084 – Dr Jim Afremow & Phil White: Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Podcast Ep085 – David Charlton: David on Being Tough vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Podcast Ep086 – David Charlton: Observations – How to Learn From Setbacks
Podcast Ep087 – Carl Bell: From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy
Podcast Ep088 – Dre Baldwin: How to Play as Well as You Practice
Podcast Ep089 – Will Shaw: How to Transfer your Golfing Skills to the Course
There’s a common theme across a lot of sports where athletes find it hard to transfer their skills from training or practice to competitive events and tournaments when the pressure is on. Today I chatted to Will Shaw, a highly qualified PGA golf professional and sport’s scientist who shares with me his insights. It’s a must listen if you’re into golf or if you’re looking to understand better what things to consider when learning how to transfer your skills to the golf course. We discuss how to build your confidence and resilience, planning and executing your practice as well as a whole lot more.
Key Learning Points:
- You must spend a good amount of time hitting balls to get some volume, as well as getting on the golf course.
- The range needs to be more representative of the golf course, where you hit a driver every now and again, lies are slightly different, the wind comes from different angles, playing to different targets testing your decision making.
- Ask yourself what am I going to practice and why.
- How you look at statistics impacts your self-confidence.
- When planning your practice adopt a 70/30 rule of being flexible.
- There are many different ways to practice, technical, performance, creative or process practice.
Connect with Will Shaw
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Related Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep047: David Charlton – Mental Game Tips for Putting
Podcast Ep062: JJ Vallely - Mastering The Mental Side Of Golf
Podcast Ep068: Andrew Nicholson - How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Blog - 10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf
Blog – Do you try too hard on the golf course?
Case Study – Supporting a Professional Golfer Go Really Low
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Putting challenges
Short game challenges
Long game challenges
In episode 88 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I had the pleasure of talking to a former professional basketball player, serial author, and entrepreneur Dre Baldwin. Dre has written 27 books, one of which is called ‘Playing As Well As You Practice’. Today we dig into this topic as it’s a common challenge many highly driven and motivated athletes, young and old, amateur and professional can struggle with from time to time. Being able to compete “fearlessly” in a tournament or match, to have an aggressive mindset, when things aren't going quite right, or when you’re out of form is a skill that can be learned as you’ll discover. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Takeaways include:
- It’s important to know what it feels like to be able to use your skills in a live uncontrolled situation.
- Getting yourself mentally ready so that you go into tough situations and are able to respond instinctively is vital.
- It’s important to get your butt kicked every now and then so that you know what it feels like and you know that you can survive it.
- To get over performance anxiety, preparation is key.
- Look to make your practice and training very difficult, as Michael Jordan said ‘he was always trying to make his practice harder than the game.’
- Any thinking is overthinking when you are performing.
Connect with Dre Baldwin:
YouTube
Website
Free Book – The Third Day
FREE 30-minute "Game Session"
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep 009: Andy Paisley – Play Better Golf Under Pressure
Podcast Ep 039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Podcast Ep 055 John Fletcher, Natalie Henderson, James Maurice - How to Develop Mental Strength in Young Athletes
Podcast Ep 064: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers
Other Useful Resources
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence under Pressure
Blog - Supporting Children to Transfer their Skills from Training to Competition
Today I'm joined with Carl Bell who played football at Newcastle United’s academy from the age of 13 and progressed to reserve team level before injuries meant he pursued a career in physiotherapy. He is now a partner at Functional Intelligent Training and a sought after and very knowledgeable physiotherapist.
Carl was a goalkeeper, so we go on to discuss the unique pressures of goalkeeping, and how this impacted his enjoyment of the game. We also talk about his career now and the psychology around recovery and rehabilitation. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Takeaways include:
- It’s an individual thing, the mindset of a goalkeeper will depend on how they perceive pressure.
- You can train immensely hard and do really well, yet one mistake can stick with you, it can be a mental battle.
- Goalkeeping can be a lonely position, you've got another 10 players around you looking and counting on you.
- Goalkeeping coaches have a big responsibility in the way that they support their players.
- As a physiotherapist, you need to consider how you manage the person as well as the injury to get the best from them, always coming back to what does the injury need.
- Soft skills are important to reassure people when their injured, helping them focus on what they can do
- Often people are looking for quick fixes which can be a challenge.
Connect with Carl Bell:
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep08: Brendan Pearson - Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement
Podcast Ep015: Nick Grantham - Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Podcast Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology In Elite Football Academies Help
Podcast Ep065 Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Podcast EP077: Danny Thomas - Before, During and After Professional Football
Other Useful Resources
Goalkeeping Psychology Resources
Blog - Goalkeeping at Your Best Under Pressure
Blog - How to Respond to Goalkeeping Mistakes
Are you someone who responds positively to setbacks, knowing that these types of situations provide an opportunity for personal development? Do you recognise that challenges are a normal part of life and welcome the fact that sometimes you may need to shake up your routines? Do you then go on to look forward to these new experiences? Or do you worry more than most people when unexpected events happen? You may hate the thought of making mistakes or failure and simply move on by keeping yourself busy, not acknowledging the event out of fear or habit. You might even fall into the trap of giving less than 100% and consider giving up on occasions?
In this episode, I’ll be discussing these questions in more depth sharing some resources to help you learn from setbacks that you have come across in the past. I’ll also be discussing a range of examples designed to challenge your thinking.
Enjoy!
Key Learning Points
- The mentally tough person who scores high in learning orientation will be the type of person who recognises that major obstacles may mean that they need some time to reflect and recover. They will also see the big picture recognising this is a process and will result in them making relevant and desired changes.
- Often an athlete's view of winning and losing or success and failure can be skewed.
- The best in the business are not perfect they make mistakes frequently too.
- Are you guilty of doing the same thing and expecting different results?
- Getting a balance between being highly goal orientated, seriously driven, and caring too much can mean you become a worrier. It’s a skill being able to park events and having a I don’t care attitude.
- When you’ve invested a lot into a sport or pastime feeling sorry for yourself is completely normal. It means that you care. It’s what you do next that counts.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep005: David Charlton - Observations The Art of Learning
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Podcast Episode 073: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 2
Podcast Episode 081: Stuart Wade - Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Podcast Episode 084: Dr Jim Afremow and Phil White - Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind
Podcast Episode 085: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 4
Relevant Blogs and Resources
Blog - How To Reach Your Full Potential Part Three
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Gibbs Reflective Cycle
Start Stop Continue Approach
Being comfortable in your own skin as a teenager can be difficult. It's an age when you are physically and emotionally developing and rapidly on occasions. You may find regulating your emotions tough, you can often be easily influenced by others, you are becoming more aware of other people’s thoughts and opinions. This can be a lot to deal with at a time when you getting to know yourself and form your view of the world.
This episode is all about helping youngsters navigate some of these challenges so that they grow up to be more comfortable in their own skin. It’s a solo episode designed for parents, coaches and teachers who have an interest in sport and supporting children where I share some practical tips and aim to challenge your thinking.
Key Learning Points:
- What type of behaviours would you like your child or young athletes exhibit on the pitch, course or court?
- Do your behaviours as a coach or a parent match the behaviours that you are looking to instil?
- Does the way that you communicate promote a confident child?
- As a parent or coach is your self-worth attached to your children or team’s successes or failures.
- Reflecting on “controlling the controllables” is important as a parent and coach in aiding the development of a child with positive self-esteem.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Podcast Ep069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Podcast Ep073: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 2
Podcast EP074: David Charlton - How can I make my Child Feel Confident
Podcast Ep079: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 3 (sport-excellence.co.uk)
Relevant Blogs
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
In today’s podcast episode, I chat with Dr. Jim Afremow and Phil White who have written an excellent book to be released in December 2021, called The Leaders Mind. I tap into their expertise to help you, where we discuss modern sport psychology as well as different elements of the book and link it to mental toughness. For example, we chat about a pilot, Tammie Jo Shults and how she took control of a stricken plane when there was an engine failure and how she went on to manage the situation and herself. We discuss Nic Gill the All Blacks Strength and Conditioning coach and the All Blacks dedication to continued excellence. Lastly, we talk about Donald Robertson, an advocate of using stoicism to achieve your goals.
Key Takeaways include:
- To think like a champion in your sport you must look to get the best out of yourself.
- There's no health without mental health, and obviously without mental health you’re not going to find peak performance.
- A common misconception is that you're either born with confidence or you're not. It can be developed and improved upon.
- Tammie’s ability to trust her training and go into “autopilot”, as well as her interpersonal confidence shone through in such a difficult situation.
- Nic Gil and the All Blacks have a mindset to keep on learning and that they can always achieve more.
- In Sports Psychology we often mention “controlling the controllables” which is a stoic philosophy.
Connect with Dr. Jim Afremow:
Website
Connect with Phil White:
Website
Book
The Leaders Mind
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep001: Doug Strycharzch - The Importance of Mental Toughness
Podcast Ep 013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep 028 Peter Clough MBE - Why is Mental Toughness Important
Podcast Ep 037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Podcast Ep 061: Paul Lyons - Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness
Other Useful Resources
Blog - 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog - Perfectionism in Cricket
Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence under Pressure
Today’s guest is a former world boxing champion and now a personal performance coach and professional speaker. In this episode, Billy Schwer and I discuss the controversial title of his book, Man Up. We discuss Billy Schwer, the world champion boxer and the costs of being fully focused on glory as well as how his life now and personality has changed. Mental health and showing vulnerability, which many men aren’t comfortable with is also part of the conversation. It’s a great listen where his passion and purpose come out in abundance.
Key Takeaways include:
- After quitting professional boxing Billy hit rock bottom and had very difficult few years.
- He had to be very honest with himself and consider what his purpose was now after having an identity crisis.
- Everything in his life was attached to being a boxer from being a kid aged eight years old.
- The attributes that Billy had as a world champion boxer cost him many things in his personal life.
- Billy the boxer had zero self-awareness.
- Billy tells you about his preparation for world championship bouts.
Connect with Billy Schwer:
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Podcast Ep 037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Podcast Ep 065 Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Podcast Ep 081: Stuart Wade - Mental Toughness in Combat Sports
Other Useful Resources
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - Do you focus too much on your opponent before or during a boxing match?
Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence under Pressure
The conversations that take place after competitive matches or events can often be emotionally charged for the young athlete, parents and coach.
Yet do you consider the importance of these conversations and the impact this can have on their sporting experience?
This podcast episode is designed to help you take a step back and consider whether your approach is useful. It will help you start supporting your son or daughter or athletes so that they develop a growth mindset and have healthy self-confidence and self-esteem.
You’ll stop instilling fear to motivate them, you’ll go on to create a safe and supportive environment so that they want to train and compete for themselves. They’ll also likely go on to play with more freedom and enjoy themselves more too which is what it should be all about when you’re young.
Key Takeaways include:
- Supporting children to develop the quality of learning orientation will mean that they’ll be more likely to respond positively to challenges or obstacles, seeking the learning from such situations.
- They’ll place an emphasis on improving their skills.
- New experiences and the unexpected they’ll handle well, worrying less than many people.
- Do you place too much emphasis on external factors (winning, losing, the scoreboard in your conversations) perhaps start asking some different questions?
- Do you get caught up in making assumptions around your child’s thinking and pointing things out that may not have happened in their world?
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Useful Youth Sport Psychology Resource
Youth Sport Motivation Checklist
Parental Sport Motivation Checklist
Useful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Podcast Ep055: Natalie Henderson, John Fletcher & James Maurice - How to Develop Mental Strength in Young Athletes
Podcast Ep064: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers
Podcast Ep067: David Charlton – Supporting Children to Transfer Their Skills from Training to Competition
Podcast Ep074: David Charlton – How Can I Make My Child Feel Confident
Relevant Blogs
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog - 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog 5 Tips for Parents to Help their Children Perform with Confidence
Blog - How to Help Young Footballers Find the Zone
Blog - How do You Give a Young Golfer Self Confidence
In today’s episode, we take a look at Mental Toughness and how it applies to combat sports with a well-qualified guest, Stuart Wade, who has won 4 world titles in taekwondo and kickboxing. He’s not someone to be messed with! He’s also a clinical hypnotherapist and personal trainer. We chat about controlling your emotions and maintaining your composure after being hurt and despite being in pain. We discuss fatigue and the impact this can have on you as a fighter, mentally preparing for fights, intimidating your opponent, making the weight, and a whole lot more. Enjoy tuning in!
Key Takeaways include:
- Developing mental toughness can be taught.
- In a fight if you’re hit hard and are hurt, as well as dealing with pain you’ve got to be able to control your emotions and maintain your composure.
- Mentally rehearsing difficult situations is important to fully prepare yourself.
- Good support can help you deal with fatigue and continue to challenge you.
- A mantra works well to help you focus on the present moment.
- Pre-fight mind games are an important part of trying to psyche your opponent out.
- Trying to make the weight can be difficult where the pressures can send your mood in a spin.
Connect with Stuart Wade:
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Podcast Ep065 Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Podcast Ep 071: James Lau - Mastering the Mental Side of Tennis
Podcast EP 072: Tom Jones - Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
Podcast EP 076: Nathan Sherratt - Mastering the Mental Game of Refereeing
Podcast EP077: Danny Thomas - Before, During and After Professional Football
Other Useful Resources
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - Do you focus too much on your opponent before or during a boxing match?
Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence under Pressure
Today’s Mental Toughness compilation episode includes short snippets of advice from our most recent 9 episodes. By tuning in you will learn more about the significance of Mental Toughness and the complexity of the trait across a range of domains.
Key Learning Points:
- James Lau tells you about dealing with fear in tennis.
- Tom Jones shares his insights into Mental Toughness on the cricket field.
- David Charlton challenges your thinking around setting goals.
- Grant Phyphers discusses how he defines Mental Toughness.
- Nathan Sherratt talks about the most demanding role on a football pitch, the role of the referee.
- Danny Thomas elaborates on the psychological qualities required to succeed in professional football.
- Tim Brownstone and Michael Davis tell us about the role of technology to aid brain function and focus.
- David Charlton asks you to question your approach to develop your mental fortitude.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Relevant Podcast Episodes
EP071: James Lau - Mastering the Mental Side of Tennis
EP072: Tom Jones - Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket
EP073: David Charlton - David on being tough vs being comfortable in your own skin part 2
EP075: Grant Phyphers - How to Rebuild Your Identity
EP076: Nathan Sherratt - Mastering the Mental Game of Refereeing
EP077: Danny Thomas - Before, During and After Professional Football
EP078: Kymira Sport - How to Gain an Edge
Ep079: David Charlton - David on being tough vs being comfortable in your own skin part 3
To make your way in life to be the best person that you can be, to give yourself the best opportunity in your chosen field being comfortable in your own skin and finding and developing mental strength is very important as I’ve emphasised in the other 2 parts of this short series.
In today’s episode I help you tap into some of your strengths and question your approach by going through a variety of scenarios and exercises. It’s an episode created to stretch you, enjoy tuning in!
You may want to listen if you are:
- Someone whose brain is so switched on that you often miss things.
- Someone who can get caught up in self sabotaging success.
- Someone who protects themselves and others by avoiding conflict.
- Someone who often has FOMO – fearing of missing out.
- Someone who often thinks about their failings.
- Someone who thinks about what they should have done not what they have achieved.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Ep061: Paul Lyons - Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Podcast Ep069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Podcast Ep073: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 2
Relevant Blogs
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
In today’s episode, I chat to the creator and founders of Kymira Sport and Golf in the UK, Tim Brownstone and Michael Davis, and the sponsors of our podcast show. We dig deep and discuss the incredible technology that they have available and relate it to Mental Toughness. Tim and Michael both have a passion for excellence in sport and are former athletes themselves, so we go on to discuss focus, how to make your own luck, the importance of recovery as well as the Kymira brand, and how the sportswear can help you in your life and sport.
Key Learning Points:
- From an efficiency standpoint, Kymira’s products can help the consumer greatly without changing a thing.
- Kymira can offer elite and motivated amateur athletes peace of mind, knowing that they've done everything they can, using this particular garment or other emerging technologies to get the best possible performance out of themselves.
- As an athlete give yourself the best possible chance to win, don't be afraid to try new things, don’t have regrets, and wish you’d done certain things.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Our Kymira Shop
Useful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Podcast Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Podcast Ep019: Paul Smith – 5000 Consecutive Days Running and Counting
Podcast Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Other Resources to Help You
5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Coaches – Are you and your team pulling together during tough times?
Communicating with children in sport
In this episode, I discuss with former professional footballer Danny Thomas, the psychological qualities that helped him break into and maintain a career in professional football. We also went on to talk about his debut, and we discussed the challenges of transitioning out of professional football and into the workplace.
Enjoy listening!
Key Learning Points:
Becoming a professional footballer and then sustaining a career are completely different things
For me it wasn't just football, football, football, I always wanted to focus and apply myself correctly in other ways
I looked to generally challenge management, though not in a negative way. I was never afraid to ask questions.
You have to deal with doing everything right, training well, sleeping well, eating properly and then sometimes not feeling right in a game and playing poorly, that’s football.
On retiring from professional football, you need to put forward your transferable skills and how they're going to translate into the organisation that your hoping to move into.
Connect with Danny Thomas
Back Of The Net And Beyond Podcast
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep18: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Podcast Episode Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Episode Ep43: Jamie Forrester - Thriving in Professional Football
Podcast Ep49: How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help - James Maurice
Podcast Ep51: Peter Ramage, Brendan Pearson and Julian Dowe - Why Talking Matters
Other Football or Soccer Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Podcasts
Psychology in Football or Soccer Blogs
In today’s episode we discuss the most demanding job on a football pitch. No not the role of the goalkeeper, but the referee. It’s a job which rarely get any praise and requires a special type of person. Someone who is very assertive, especially in those demanding pressurised moments. Someone who can take criticism, and a lot of it. Someone who can handle abuse, and again sadly a lot of it.
In this episode I chat with a referee and resilience trainer, Nathan Sherratt about his love of the job, how he manages his confidence, the challenges that referees face as we as his work at The Third Team.
Key Learning Points:
- Mental toughness in referring terms is the ability to deal with the challenges are placed upon you. For instance, when players try to gain an advantage by trying to make you question a decision that you’ve made.
- We'd rather take a deep breath and slow a game down, making sure that we come to the right decision than rush things and make the wrong decision.
- As a referee you are always learning, there'll be times when you come into new situations with different teams at different levels. Managing your and others expectations is important then so that you deliver the best game you possibly can.
- When players manipulate you, you’ve got to remain objective and consider how you want to control the situation, setting your stall. Considering your body language, communication and authority.
- Grounding and visualisation techniques can really boost you and make you feel more confident and relaxed before a game.
Connect with Nathan Sherratt
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Episode Ep43: Jamie Forrester - Thriving in Professional Football
Podcast Ep49: How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help - James Maurice
Podcast Ep51: Peter Ramage, Brendan Pearson and Julian Dowe - Why Talking Matters
Podcast Ep64: Edu Rubio - How to Support Young Footballers
Other Football or Soccer Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Podcasts
Psychology in Football or Soccer Blogs
This episode is an inspiring one where Grant Phypers, a leadership coach, and I discuss how Grant defines mental toughness, we chat about how he overcame adversity in his life and rebuilt his identity and character. We also chat about a topic men tend to avoid – vulnerability. Enjoy listening.
Key Learning Points:
- Mental toughness is a state of mind, it's about getting your thoughts in the right order, and thinking about the right things, thinking positively. It is about not allowing whatever you're going through to weigh heavily on your shoulders.
- I firmly believe that our thoughts and how we manage those thoughts are the foundation to everything that we do.
- Verbalising your thoughts can be powerful.
- A big challenge that I had to deal with was when I was struck down with an illness that I, still today I have no idea what it was.
- I got so low in my life that I needed some stranger to be able to see the potential, to see what was in me, to see that there was nothing wrong, and actually all I needed to do was recalibrate and start to explore who I was.
- I decided that I wanted to be the same in every environment that I walked into, I wanted to be authentic. I didn't have that, my character and identity was completely in tatters. I had to rebuild that, and for me that was the very core of what started this, this process of getting to where I am today.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Podcast Episode 069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Podcast Episode 073: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 2
Relevant Blogs
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Today’s question comes from a parent, Anna to a talented golfer. Anna’s son, Harry is 14 years old however he lacks confidence and she worries about him. She also recognises to succeed in golf, in other sports or in education he’s going to need confidence. So she asked me – How do I give him confidence?
I go onto share 3 ideas which can help you as a parent to help your child begin to see things differently. Enjoy tuning in.
Key Learning Points:
- Set mini goals with your children to help aid their focus and concentration. Consider different behaviours that would help them improve their performance levels such as trust, having fun, bouncing back positively from mistakes.
- Create a highlights reel together using video technology. This will help your child visualise what they do at their best and program them subconsciously in a helpful way.
- Design a Confidence CV together on a large piece of card focusing on what they are good at, their achievements in their sport and away from it. Let them draw, print out screen shots of images or cut out clippings from newspapers or websites.
- Watch your language, consider how you communicate with them when they have failed at something or made a mistake.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
To Listen to Podcasts Episodes related to Youth Sport
Youth Sports Psychology Podcast
Podcast 039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Podcast 064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Podcast 067: David Charlton Supporting Children to Transfer their Skills from Training to Competition
Helpful Blogs
Youth Sports Psychology Blogs
5 Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Perform With Confidence
How to Help Young Footballers Find The Zone
Helping Young Athletes Manage Emotions
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
This is Part 2 of a series of episodes on being comfortable in your own skin, where I unpack 3 more common “toughness” themes where we can unconsciously behave in certain ways or put up barriers. The barriers I discuss today are concerned with goal-setting, prejudice and delegation at individual and organisational levels. As always, this episode is designed to help you question your approach and become the best version of yourself.
Key Learning Points:
- Goal Setting if done right can aid confidence and motivation and reduce anxiety, if it’s done incorrectly and not given the respect it deserves it can have the opposite effect.
- Some individuals are frightened to set goals, because of anxiety and in case they go on to sabotage their own success.
- Some people keep quiet and do not discuss their goals and very uncomfortable doing so.
- Consider if your culture belittles people who discuss what they want to achieve?
- If you are a coach or a manager do you display empathy and understanding for people who have a disability?
- Are you too judgemental about people and their limitations?
- Is there a tough or macho culture in your organisations or club which is set up to focus so much on outcomes and performance that the human is forgotten about and does not allow people to express themselves and be supported properly?
- Many people will tell you they are too busy to delegate. That it’s more efficient for them to just do it themselves, is this born out of being tough. Do you see yourself as a failure if you ask for help?
- Do you believe that passing on work to others will detract from your own self-importance?
- Have you considered that by delegating tasks, by letting other people do things, talking about their fears more openly it can promote an environment where everyone feels more comfortable in their own skins.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Podcast Episode 069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
Relevant Blogs
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
The psychological challenges in cricket are immense, whether you're a batsman or bowler, a wicket-keeper, or a fielder. The sport has got very unique challenges including the fact that it is a team sport but can frequently feel like an individual sport, the difficulty of having to accept repeated failures, and the walk of shame!
Today, Tom Jones, a highly qualified youth cricket coach and owner of Cricket Coach 365, and I chew the fat, we talk about these challenges, we discuss mental toughness and Tom explains how he goes on to help young cricketers get the most from their talent.
Key Learning Points:
- The mental side of cricket is increasingly becoming the most important part of the game, whatever level you play at.
- The long walk to the wicket can fill many youngsters with dread.
- Managing expectations is hugely important as batters will get out more times than they go on to score the runs that they’d like to get.
- Focusing in on what you can control is vital as when you do get out it can be for many reasons, often it is out of your control and this can mess with your head.
- Remembering your good shots, positive self-talk and visualisation can help you remain in a confident headspace.
- Coaches should consider how to set up their environment so players practice with a purpose and simulate what happens on the pitch.
Connect with Tom Jones
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcasts
Sports Psychology For Youth Athletes Podcasts
Confidence in Sport Podcasts
For More Resources for Cricketers
Cricket Blogs
Today’s Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
We’re in the height of the summer of sport here in the UK where Wimbledon is currently being played. For those that aren’t familiar with Wimbledon I’m talking about a grand slam tournament in the sport of tennis. Accordingly, in this episode, I delve into the psychological side of tennis. It's a game that I follow closely, and it's a game in my mind, which is hugely psychological where matches ebb and flow and can be lost in the blink of an eye. My guest, is also a racquet sports specialist and well respected Sports Psychologist, James Lau.
In the episode, we unpick typical mental game challenges that tennis players face and how to best support players overcome these challenges. We also discuss the legends of tennis, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the mental qualities that they bring to the table and what we can learn from them.
Key Learning Points:
- The relationship between your thoughts and how you behave on the tennis court is important if you want to channel your drive and motivation to be able to express yourself freely.
- Consider how you use your time between points to help you regain your composure.
- Do you have a simple and clear pre-shot routine before you serve or return?
- Djokovic has an inner confidence that he can get any serve back, when returning.
- Nadal is so consistent in the way he prepares and goes through his routines.
- Having a mindset to play your natural game is hugely helpful.
- Federer handles pressure amazingly, appears very calm and nothing changes.
Connect with James Lau
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcasts
Sports Psychology For Youth Athletes Podcasts
Confidence in Sport Podcasts
For More Resources for Tennis Players
Tennis Blogs
Today’s Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
We are now 70 episodes into the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast. Today our first-class guests provide many short snippets of advice with some of the best bits from the previous 9 episodes. Listening to the insights and tips I’m sure will help you learn more about the importance of Mental Toughness, self-awareness and being honest with yourself.
Key Learning Points:
- Paul Lyons chat about what mental toughness is and why is it so important.
- Edu Rubio elaborates on optimising your potential by being your biggest fan.
- Dr Amy Izycky discusses vulnerability and macho behaviour in sport.
- David Charlton challenges coaches and sporting administrators in women's professional sport to question their approach.
- John Vallely discusses his commitment and levels of mastery with young golfers.
- Marilyn Okoro talks about perfectionism and finding peace with factors that you can't control.
- Andrew Nicholson discusses embracing your fears in order to achieve your goals in professional golf.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
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Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep 061: Paul Lyons - Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness?
Podcast Ep 062: John Vallely - Mastering The Mental Side Of Golf
Podcast Ep 064: Edu Rubio - How To Support Young Footballers
Podcast Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Podcast Ep 068: Andrew Nicholson - How Hard Is It To Become A Tour Professional Golfer?
Podcast Ep 069: David Charlton - David on Being Tough Vs Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin Part 1
To maximize your potential, to perform at your very best consistently, and to feel truly content there is an argument to say that being comfortable in your skin will help you. Today is part one of a number of episodes, where I will go on to unpack “toughness” some common myths around mental toughness, and some typical barriers that people put up. I also go on to highlight some real examples, case studies and offer different strategies to help you. This episode is designed to help you question your approach.
Key Learning Points:
- By “toughing it out” or “getting on with things”, you may be letting your ego take over and sabotaging success.
- When you hear the words Mental Agility and Mental Flexibility you wouldn’t necessarily consider similarities with Mental Toughness. However, Professor Peter Clough 4 C’s framework highlights Mental Toughness does warrant a deeper look rather than being drawn into making assumptions based on one word – “Toughness”.
- Do you or your organisations culture promote psychological safety with an emphasis on conversations related to mental toughness?
- I discuss Naomi Osaka and the role of the elite professional athlete in sport and the difficulties they encounter meaning that they can struggle to be comfortable in their own skin.
- Women's professional sport can make it challenging for athletes to be themselves due to demands on their time and the need to be “performing” for 60+ hour per week in some cases.
- Sports like gymnastics help youngsters develop excellent qualities such as discipline, focus and conscientiousness. Yet, I’d be asking the question are some gymnasts “performing for too many hours?” As a result, this culture may be bringing on challenges such as learning new skills and “lost move syndrome.”
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Relevant Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Podcast Episode 066: Marilyn Okoro - Mental Health and Resilience: Lessons from an Olympic Medalist
Relevant Blogs
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Many young golfers have a dream to turn professional and then compete at the highest level, on the European Tour or PGA Tour, winning major championships. In this episode, Andrew Nicholson, a highly respected golf coach, who has coached a number of European Tour winners and many up-and-coming elite amateurs and budding professionals tells me about what he thinks the young golfer needs to consider in order to breakthrough onto the different tours.
He discusses the finer details and differences in a skill that are needed. We also chat about the commitment levels and focus that is required to succeed and how to be most effective in the way you go about things. Enjoy the episode.
Key Learning Points:
- Whether you playing on the PGA Tour, European Tour, Challenge Tour, Europro Tour, college golf in the US or in elite amateur golf in the UK unique skillsets and strengths are required as the constraints placed upon performance are different.
- As a professional you're judged on your performance over a full season and longer, this can be different in amateur golf.
- To progress in professional golf it is key to understand that there are many different elements that have to very strong. It’s important to be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses and make each element stronger.
- Building a strong support team round you is essential, people that you trust and can help you through different parts of the journey.
Connect with Andrew Nicholson
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
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Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep047: David Charlton – Mental Game Tips for Putting
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
Today’s Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
In today’s episode, I answer a popular question that I get asked from parents of young athletes. “My daughter can perform really well when she practices or trains but when she competes she often looks like a different person and freezes. How can I help her?”
I go onto explain that there are many complexities which surround this question from cultures and environments set up, coach or parent interference or pressures, outside pressures in education and home life. I also share 3 tips to help children who face these challenges. Enjoy listening.
Key Learning Points:
- Children can often focus too much on what their friends, parents and coaches think. This often means that they go on to play their sport in fear, they hide, freeze or they may get frustrated or angry.
- Coaches and parents should consider using a highly supportive approach free from blaming and shaming.
- Parents and coaches should display compassion helping young athletes to identify problems.
- Supporting youngsters to focus on what they do at their best when they’re playing their sport is a useful solution, and then setting mini process goals accordingly.
- Help children to recognise when their self-talk is negative and supporting them to restructure those thoughts.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
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Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
To Listen to Podcasts Episodes related to Youth Sport
Podcast Ep027: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Podcast Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Podcast 064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers
Helpful Blogs
5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
How to Help Young Footballers Find The Zone
5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult
How Do You Give a Young Golfer Self-Confidence?
Our guest today is very inspirational, Marilyn Okoro was a top-class athlete, an Olympic bronze medalist, and now an athletepreneur and mentor. In this episode, we discuss what it takes to compete to such a high level in elite sport. We chat about perfectionism, being yourself despite the challenges sport brings, the cultures that exist in elite sport, and how they can be helpful and equally damaging. Marilyn also discusses some mental health challenges that she has had and what she is up to now after recently retiring from the track.
Key Takeaways include:
- Athletics can be quite a lonely sport.
- Perfection doesn't exist, every time I ran a PB, I always found something I could have done better.
- Look to strive for excellence, striving for perfection can be dangerous.
- Governing bodies and organisations have to work with the individual to play to their strengths.
- To learn to deliver my best performances under pressure, I had to learn to control the controllables.
- As an athlete, you have to be super focused and make decisions for the betterment of your sport and your performance.
- If you aren’t allowed to speak up you can’t be comfortable in your own skin.
Connect with Marilyn Okoro:
The Sports Business Club
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
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Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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Helpful Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Podcast Ep065 Amy Izycky - Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Today's podcast episode looks at how elite sporting environments can impact an athlete’s mental health and psychological wellbeing. My guest, Clinical Psychologist, Amy Izycky has recently released a book called Skewed to the Right Sport Mental Health and Vulnerability which we go on to discuss.
The episode helps you understand the intricacies of different sports such as rowing and combat sports where we go on to discuss the complexities of weight restrictions in these sports. We also chat about high-performance sport in general and how it can promote obsessive behaviours and perfectionism. Macho behaviour and cultures which are associated with “Toughness” and incorrectly Mental Toughness is also often encouraged in sport and we look at the potential impact on an individual’s mental health.
Key Learning Points:
- Rowing prides itself on being one of the most challenging sports where only the toughest can do it well because of the levels of commitment and the need to push through mental barriers.
- Certain personality traits such as focus, discipline and aggression, are celebrated in sport and they're put on a pedestal, though they can have a negative impact on an athlete’s mental health.
- Anger or aggression are great qualities in sport when you strive for specific goals however some individuals can struggle to control this away from their sports, putting the individual and people around them at risk.
- Clinical psychologists are interested in supporting athletes who operate at the extreme end of needing “control” or the extreme versions of ”toughness”.
- My role as a Sports Psychologist is concerned with optimising performance, proactively maintaining and enhancing psychological wellbeing. I’m also able to identify if there are any mental health concerns that link to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and addiction. At that point, I’d signpost onto mental health specialists such as clinical and counselling psychologists.
Connect with Amy Izycky
Website
BOOK: Skewed to the Right, Sport, Mental Health and Vulnerability
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Ep018: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Podcast Ep031 David Jueno - How to Turn Your Life Around and Inspire Others
Other Useful Resources linked to Mental Health
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Podcast – The Importance of Effective Communication in Sports
Podcast - How to Build Interpersonal Confidence
Podcast – How to Assert Yourself
If you’re a football coach, player or parent of a young player or simply a fan of football you’ll enjoy this. I speak to Edu Rubio who has coached at Valencia and Chelsea and now works as a technical consultant at Crystal Palace. The conversation flowed as we chatted about the challenges young academy footballers have and how to best support them. We unpick Edu’s interest in Motivational Interviewing and how this has helped his coaching. We also discuss the role of the coach and parent in having a positive impact on young footballers.
Key Learning Points:
- Football and other elite sporting environments can be unhealthy environments to be in because of the constant comparison that occurs between players.
- As a coach how to use motivational interviewing to improve your coaching style.
- How to use motivational interviewing to build a psychologically safe environment.
- Cultures without ego or hierarchies can be very helpful.
- By protecting individuals from setbacks and challenges you will not be supporting an individual to optimise their potential and build their levels of resilience.
- Success is about being content within yourself and taking the learning from all situations.
Connect with Edu Rubio
Website
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep18: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Podcast Episode Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Episode Ep43: Jamie Forrester - Thriving in Professional Football
Podcast Ep49: How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help - James Maurice
Podcast Ep51: Peter Ramage, Brendan Pearson and Julian Dowe - Why Talking Matters
Other Football or Soccer Resources
Psychology in Football or Soccer Podcasts
Psychology in Football or Soccer Blogs
In today’s episode, I answer a popular question I get asked by golfers, “I struggle with my confidence, overthink, and can be indecisive on the golf course how can I put this to one side and play my best golf more often?”
You’ll find I share an important tool to help in this regard, visualisation, and sell the benefits of using this psychological skill to help you shoot lower scores.
Key Learning Points:
- Visualisation helps you develop your skills.
- Imagery, otherwise known as visualisation can help you the golfer overcome obstacles in your path.
- By visualising you will find that you are calmer under pressure.
- Imagery will assist you to feel more confident in your skills when it matters.
- Visualisation can sharpen your focus.
- You can see yourself eager and energised.
- Imagery is a great way to help you stay present in the moment.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Podcast Ep07: Toby Flood – How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep047: David Charlton – Mental Game Tips for Putting
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Personalised Guided Imagery Audios for Golfers
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
Our Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
In my conversation today with talented PGA Golf Professional and Regional England Golf Coach, JJ Vallely, we discuss if it is possible to master the mental side of golf. As you’ll learn and already likely know this is a big challenge due to the unique nature of golf and the skills needed to do well!
We do however give it our best shot to arm you with some useful tools and ideas to take away so that you can become the best golfer you can be. Or if you’re a coach or interested in the mental side of golf, we hope to have given you some things to consider.
Key Learning Points:
- Golf is a very challenging sport that requires people to be very persistent over a long period, and not put off by setbacks and bumps in the road.
- On the golf course, the mentally tough golfer is someone who is in control of their thoughts, can keep their composure when things aren't going to plan, who never gives in and is able to grind out a score.
- “It's very easy to get confused with this game, the margins of error are very small and you don't need to be far out to lose confidence in a hurry.”
- It’s about awareness, it’s important to know the in’s and out’s of your own game.
- Often, young golfers are now fit, flexible and strong, but their golfing mind hasn't developed and then older players have a better golfing brain but their bodies don't work how they’d like it to.
- Asking good questions is a very important skill.
Connect with John James Vallely
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep047: David Charlton – Mental Game Tips for Putting
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
Today’s Podcast Sponsor
Kymira Sport
Today, I chat to a Mental Toughness expert, Paul Lyons where we discuss what mental toughness is. The crossovers that exist from the sport and exercise domain that transfer into the business world. Paul goes on to share how he supports leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs to build the mental strength needed for their chosen fields and the type of benefits that his typical clients experience.
Key Learning Points:
- Peter Clough talks about Mental Toughness being comfortable in your own skin.
- Being able to just focus on the moment, taking control and responsibility for your thoughts and actions is important.
- Choose to accept yourself, understanding your strengths, limitations, and your blind spots.
- Your experiences shape your Mental Toughness.
- Lots of business people when they start a business are very, very clear and focused on what they want to do but over time this focus gets diluted and their confidence ebbs away.
- It’s easy to lose your sense of identity, focus and confidence much of my work is to restore and repair this.
Connect with Paul Lyons
Paul Lyons on LinkedIn
Mental Toughness Partners Website – Mental Toughness and Resilience Development
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other relevant episodes
Podcast Ep01: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Podcast Ep28: Prof Peter Clough – Why is Mental Toughness Important
Podcast Ep35: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Podcast Ep50: David Charlton - Mental Toughness Does Not Guarantee Success
A lot of people don't view mental toughness in the correct light. Many have preconceived ideas that mental weakness is the opposite of being mentally tough so in this episode, we look to get the point across that this isn't the case. Especially to those that then go on to connect mental weakness with someone who has mental health issues.
Even the mentally tough are vulnerable to mental health challenges as I go on to discuss. I also chat with Kieron Brady about how the culture in professional football back in the 90s de-individualized players. David Jueno tells me about being bullied, living with ADHD, cocaine abuse and going on to lose everything. Lastly, Dave Algeo tells you about what organizations can do to promote more mentally healthy cultures and environments.
Key Learning Points:
- Parts of the football environment don’t help players be comfortable in their own skin.
- Once you open up and start talking half of your problems disappear.
- Some great advice for management when having conversations with employees or players is “let’s work together, let’s understand your skills and strengths, your capacities and what’s going on in your life.”
- Taking an interest in the person and connecting to them as a human being is vitally important and has positive mental health benefits.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep011: Dave Algeo - Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance
Podcast Ep018: Kieron Brady - From Professional Football to Alcoholism Consultant
Podcast Ep031 David Jueno - How to Turn Your Life Around and Inspire Others
Other Useful Resources
Blog - Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance
Blog - 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
Blog – 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport
Podcast – The Importance of Effective Communication in Sports
Podcast - How to Build Interpersonal Confidence
Podcast – How to Assert Yourself
Success is very different for everyone. It can mean earning more money to some, medals or power to others, fame, getting fitter or even losing weight. In this episode, we look at helpful ways to ensure that you set yourself up for success in whatever you do. Robbie Thompson tells you about keeping in shape and losing weight and some key principles that can help you. Penny Mallory describes the immense commitment levels required in becoming the first and only female professional world championship rally driver. Additionally, Olympian Aly Dixon shares her wisdom when discussing running at an elite level, winning the world championship, and breaking the world record for 50km.
Key Learning Points:
- Asking yourself better questions is a skill. Here are 3 examples: How do I want to feel? How do I want to perform? How do you know you are making progress?
- Penny kept going and going pushing limits and boundaries, taking risks in order to achieve her goals. In her words “I was committed to give absolutely everything to pursue my dream.”
- In order to get to the next level what choices or sacrifices do you need to make?
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep22: Robbie Thompson – How to Feel More Confident
Podcast Ep033: Aly Dixon - Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion
Podcast Ep037: Penny Mallory - World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
In conversations with golfers, I often ask them what their biggest obstacle is to shooting lower scores and playing better golf. The following words are usually uttered, “I need to be more consistent”, I don’t hole enough putts” and “I’m erratic off the tee.” Many golfers also come out with “I’m my own worst enemy.”
In golf, as Jack Nicklaus once said “Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game's two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself.” Yet why is it that the last thing golfers want to do is look in the mirror and look to manage themselves better?
For those golfers who do want to learn more about this area and the aspect of emotional control. This episode is set up perfectly for you where 3 experts, Karl Morris, Alessia Bruno, and Andy Paisley share some ideas on how you can stay present, why it is so important, what happens in the brain when you are unable to, and how to overcome performance anxiety or the yips.
Key Learning Points:
- Consider playing golf and monitoring your reactions to shots using a mental scorecard, it may save you a shot or 2 each round.
- Golfer with the yips can often try to control their movements more, meaning they become even more rigid and tense.
- Consider how you train or practice. Are you setting yourself up so that you can free yourself up under pressure?
- Every golfer is unique and to shoot lower scores more consistently should think about what helps them and not get caught up copying what other people do.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
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To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep09: Andy Paisley – Play Better Golf Under Pressure
Podcast Ep013: Karl Morris - How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep014: Alessia Bruno - The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golfers Mental Scorecard
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
If you have a fixed mindset, you believe that basic qualities such as your intelligence, skills or talents fixed. In other words, they are considered a part of you that cannot be changed. However, the individual with a growth mindset believes that even basic talents and skills can be developed over time through practice and dedication.
Where do you stand? If you have a growth mindset you’ll likely “go for it” and have a CAN DO attitude. Whereas if you have a fixed mindset you’ll be plagued by doubt, indecision and possible anxieties.
In this episode, former international rugby players Toby Flood, Steve Hackney and Lome Faatau share with you how they have cultivated a growth mindset. We also touch on different areas of mental toughness too. We look at focusing on the process and making things happen, embracing pressure situations, working hard to overcome setbacks, learning from the success of other people and much more.
Key Learning Points:
- Accept pre-match nerves as a part of the game.
- Workout if you strike a nice balance between working on your strengths and areas of your game that you need to improve.
- “Keep doing what you are doing and you'll get the same results.”
- A challenge for you - reach out to a person that you admire and respect and ask them a question that you are curious about.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Email: info@sport-excellence.co.uk
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep07: Toby Flood - How Elite Athletes Mentally Prepare
Podcast Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential
Podcast Ep29: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence
Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources
Rugby Blogs
Rugby Podcasts
Motivation is defined as “a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way”. Whereas according to Professor Peter Clough and Doug Strycharczyk commitment is “To what extent you make promises and the extent to which you will keep those promises. In short, motivation is simply a desire for something. Many individuals are motivated to perform better, however, what separates people is that only a small percentage are actually committed to doing the things that are necessary to perform at their best, consistently.
In this episode, Steve Judge discusses fighting back after a serious car crash when both his legs were crushed where he demonstrated immense commitment levels. Paul Smith too, in his quest to keep a run streak going, tells you about running for over 5000 days in a row. Whereas on the flip side, Nick Grantham tells us about rest and recovery and why they are hugely important things that committed need to hear.
Key Learning Points:
- How to keep on going despite dealing with one of the most unexpected and traumatic events that anyone could go through. Coping with excruciating pain, mental health challenges, and regular setbacks in his recovery.
- Paul shares the variety of challenges that he pushed through to keep his run streak going demonstrating a CAN DO attitude.
- Look after the basics, being professional around rest and recovery can help lengthen an athlete’s career and help them maintain more consistency in their performance levels.
- Are you maximising your time and talents and being fully effective?
- What difference would it make to your life, business or sport if you could get another 10% out of yourself?
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge - How to Deal with Adversity
Podcast Ep015: Nick Grantham - Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Podcast Ep019: Paul Smith – 5000 Consecutive Days Running and Counting
You’ve got mental strength or you haven’t some people often wrongly assume. Mental strength or mental toughness can be developed with self-awareness, from experiences, coaching or psychological support. The upside then is an individual or a group of individuals are likely to make smarter decisions which goes on to positively influence their levels of performance and well-being.
Today, I'm joined by three guests, John Fletcher, Natalie Henderson and James Maurice where we consider how you can develop different parts of mental toughness with youngsters so that they can go on to thrive, so that they can overcome obstacles and challenges more confidently and play their sport or live their life more fearlessly.
Key Learning Points:
- Consider how you frame different situations? Do you look to take the learning from them or do you get caught up in negative thought patterns and the blame game.
- Players don’t know how much you know until they know how much you care. Treating players as individuals is vitally important.
- A psychological safe environment and culture is conducive to developing mentally tough individuals.
- Sports psychology sessions can be fun and engaging for players and coaches.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep027: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes
Podcast Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Helpful Blog
5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment
An important element of mental toughness that is often not thought about is our ability to communicate effectively, both on a 1-2-1 basis and in groups. In some individual sports, this skill is arguably not as important as it is in team sports or in the workplace. However, you will still be required to assert yourself with your coach or team on occasions so it shouldn’t be forgotten about. In team settings, it is an essential skill that can be developed and is critical if you are to fulfill your potential. Today Jamie Forrester, Paul McGee, and Mark Bennett highlight the need to have interpersonal confidence where different social situations that we find ourselves in are explored.
Key Learning Points:
- Asserting yourself with teammates and coaches in professional football is vital.
- If you are being criticised by someone consider this question – “Would I take criticism from someone I wouldn’t take advice from?”
- As a coach is the quality of your communication aligned to what individuals and the team are trying to achieve.
- We expect people to reflect and learn from experiences but we don’t teach them how to.
- Parents should consider what is success for themselves and for their children.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep041: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Podcast Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Podcast Ep043: Jamie Forrester – Thriving in Professional Football
Other Resources to Help You
5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Coaches – Are you and your team pulling together during tough times?
3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport
Communicating with children in sport
This episode shatters the myth that mental toughness is a male macho trait. Three very talented ladies from different fields demonstrate that it is far more complex than this basic assumption that many people have. Where Kate Mackay talks about embracing fear and Taz Bricknell and Natalie Hurdley share insights into the immense commitment levels that are required to thrive in professional rugby and powerlifting.
Key Learning Points:
- Look to recognise and acknowledge your fears and push yourself to beat them.
- Check out a SWOT analysis to help you overcome any fears or challenging situations.
- Playing professional women’s rugby requires a huge amount of dedication and comes with lots of unfair criticism.
- A great deal of trust in your training and nutritional plans, alongside patience is vital to succeed is powerlifting where gains are very slow.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep038: Taz Bricknell - Playing Professional Women’s Rugby
Podcast Ep046: Kate Mackay – Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
Podcast Ep048: Natalie Hurdley - How to Build Mental Toughness through Powerlifting
Today, leading Sport Psychologist Gio Valiante discusses how to overcome fear on the golf course, European Tour player Chris Paisley chats about how he gets the most from your talent when you are not at your best and well respected putting coach Andy Gorman tells us about the key fundamentals to putt successfully.
Key Learning Points:
- Consider why you do what you do or why you play your sport and if it is because you want to be competent or master certain tasks or whether you are ego-orientated
- Checkout this checklist for younger athletes to guide you – Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Quiz
- Review you’re A, B and C games and how you react when things aren’t going according to plan.
- Understanding what works for you, keeping your putting routine and the way you practice putting simple and consistent is important.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep04: Chris Paisley - Life on the European Tour
Podcast Ep017: Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep45: Andy Gorman - Building Confidence in Your Putting
For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course
Golf Psychology FAQs
Golf Blogs
Golf Podcasts
Mental Toughness is not just about getting your head down and gritting it out, it’s more complex than that. Simply talking about the situations that we find ourselves in, our problems or challenges can help people in lots of different ways, even if you are mentally tough.
You’ll find in this episode, former professional footballers Peter Ramage, Brendan Pearson and Julian Dowe vouch for this in this episode. As the saying goes “a problem shared is a problem halved”.
Key Learning Points:
- We’ll share 5 reasons why talking is important
- You’ll be walked through how to “control the controllables”
- Professional sport is not a smooth ride, the right kind of support to help you emotionally and to help you look at relevant solutions is fundamental to your psychological well-being and for optimum performance.
Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep03: Peter Ramage - Developing a Premier League Mindset
Podcast Ep09: Brendan Pearson – Academy Football Professional Football Injuries and Early Retirement
Podcast Ep24: Julian Dowe - Mental Toughness in Professional Football
This episode highlights some misconceptions placed on Mental Toughness where 3 leading authorities in the field; Doug Strycharczk, Professor Peter Clough MBE and Dr John Perry share insights into their applied work and academic research.
Key Learning Points:
- Mental Toughness isn’t always a positive trait
- Mental weakness does not exist
- Mental Toughness can be developed through experiences, psychological or coaching support
* Handouts to compliment this episode:
Understanding yourself better – The 4Ts. Timing, Thoughts, Tension and Temperature
Understand your mental toughness tendencies
* Connect with David Charlton
Accelerator Course: Achieving Your Goals Faster
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
* To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes
Podcast Ep01: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness
Podcast Ep28: Prof Peter Clough – Why is Mental Toughness Important
Podcast Ep35: Dr John Perry – Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
This episode is one that may interest, young footballers, football coaches, parents of talented footballers, and sports psychologists. Where James Maurice, HCPC Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, and a member of the Sport Psychology team at Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club joins me to discuss typical challenges that young academy footballers have at different ages and how best to support them. We also provide guidance to upskill coaches and parents to ensure that the youngsters' experience in football academies is a positive one.
Key Learning Points:
- As football academies support young footballers from 8 years old up to their early 20’s a variety of challenges occur, at different points in time.
- Some of the challenges a sport psychologist may support a player include; handling performance pressures, facing local rivals, selection or contractual issues, overcoming injuries, managing expectations of player, parent and coaches, physical challenges and many more.
- Fun, engaging sessions with children are the key to learning and reinforcing a positive perception of the field of sports psychology.
- Helping players experience difficulties and challenges creatively rather than simply talking is helpful.
- From the age of 16-18 years can be particularly difficult as decisions on their future are being made, they have exams pressures too and are getting to an age where they can be distracted and fail to make the necessary sacrifices.
- Parents can use process goals as a way of supporting their children to develop their skills and to distract them from getting to caught up in the emotion of their child’s performances.
Connect with James Maurice
Email: J.Maurice@wlv.ac.uk
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Podcasts to Help You
Podcast Ep01: Peter Ramage – Developing a Premier League Mindset
Podcast Ep08: Brendan Pearson – Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement
Podcast Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Ep41: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Podcast Ep43: Jamie Forrester – Thriving in Professional Football
Other Resources to Help You
Sports Psychology for Football or Soccer
Sports Psychology for Goalkeepers
Football and Soccer Psychology Blogs
Training in any sport can get repetitive at times, powerlifting isn’t any different. At the elite level, you train squats, deadlifts, and other lifts till you can’t take them anymore. The focus and commitment to the cause are immense. Some days you may have mental blocks as other athletes do.
In this episode, Team GB athlete Natalie Hurdley explains what her average week looks like, her dedication to the sport, her willpower around her diet, her love of personal training, and body confidence.
Key Learning Points:
- Her route into powerlifting and how she got in her own way.
- How to control the controllables.
- Her day to day routines and training plans
- How weight cycles can contribute to mental health issues.
- The importance of rest and recovery.
- How to overcome the repetitive nature of powerlifting.
- Losing weight in a healthy way.
Connect with Natalie Hurdley
Linked In
Online Fitness Academy Website
The Sports Business Club Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcasts to Help You
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Podcast EP15: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Podcast EP22: Robbie Thompson - How To Feel More Confident
Blogs to Help You
Body Image In Sports
Bullying the Dark Side of Sport
Mental Health in Sport | Creating a Healthy Culture
On the golf course, putting is a part of the game that you must master to be able to shoot low scores and reach your golfing potential. Confidence in your ability on the greens, especially under pressure is vital. As there is no hiding place from short, nerve-jangling putts, many golfers have mental scars which they struggle to deal with and go on to putt tentatively or in fear.
Today, David talks through some great questions that you can ask yourself to be able to make some changes to your mindset. He also shares some advice on how you can use your eyes when on the greens to help yourself.
Key Learning Points:
- The stories that you tell yourself about putting will determine how much you trust yourself and your skills in pressure situations.
- Ask yourself the following questions to help yourself get to grips with some of the barriers you put up yourself when putting.
- If the word “putting” is brought up in conversation what thoughts and emotions does it bring up?
- Do I enjoy the challenge of putting?
- Does my putter fill me with confidence?
- Do I love my putter?
- Do I trust myself on the putting green, no matter what situation is thrown at me?
- What do I say to myself on the greens when I’m relaxed and when I’m under pressure?
I challenge you to spend 14 days journaling your thoughts, emotions, mindset and importantly your results in relation to your putting. Do so during and after practice sessions and rounds of golf to get to know you the “putter” better and overcome any mental blocks that you may have.
Try taking your time and experimenting on the practice green with the use of your eyes.
Picking out spots just behind the hole if you are a tentative putter or leave the ball short often.
To improve your visualisation skills and trust in your putting stroke, you may also want to get creative and track the ball in the last third of the putt - forwards and back, in slow motion and fast-forwarding using the video recorder located in your mind.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcasts to Help You
Podcast Ep13: Karl Morris – How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep17: Dr Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Podcast Ep45: Andy Gorman: Building Confidence in Your Putting
Blogs to Help You
Putting with Confidence from Today
Play Your Best Golf More Often
3 Ways to Play Great Golf Under Pressure
Life, sport, or our careers are not straightforward. There is no linear path that you can carve out as regularly we are faced with challenges and setbacks. Mental Toughness is all about how we deal with these times, whether we choose to move on forward positively, simply survive or drown and potentially quit.
Today, author Kate Mackay shares with me some fascinating insights into learning how to snowboard in her thirties as a new mum, the difficulties that cropped up along the way, and how she faced them head-on.
Key Learning Points:
- On learning to snowboard Kate found it extremely challenging and often found herself frustrated and angry at herself.
- She also found glimmers of how much fun it could be.
- It was about mentally and physically learning a new skill, in an environment that she wasn’t used to and could change fast.
- In snowboarding, you will fall over. If you don't want to fall over, then don't strap on a snowboard, that's all part of the learning process!
- In terms of the four C's of Mental Toughness, she felt she was in control of her life and was committed, but she was just surviving. She wasn't thriving with her snowboarding, she was struggling with her confidence, her ability to accept the risks involved and struggling to learn.
- It's useful to have a coach, somebody who can look at things objectively, someone who gets away from the emotion and can remind you what you achieved a year ago or more recently that you often forget about.
- It is important to recognize your fears, acknowledging them but also listen to that devil on your shoulder, saying go on, do it.
Connect with Kate Mackay
Kate’s Mummysnowboarder blog
Book written by Kate Mackay
Take It All On Board
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Podcasts to Help You
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Podcast Ep35: Dr John Perry – Thrive, don’t just Survive 2021
Podcast Ep37: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour
Blogs to Help You
How to Learn from Last Year
Improving Sport Performance Using Gratitude
Five Ways to Get Out of a Slump
If you’re a golfer who wants to play your best golf more often. You will have to have confidence in your putting stroke under pressure. Many golfers will admit the sport isn’t a great deal of fun when you stand over putts with fear written all over your face, with your knees knocking and your mind and heart racing. And when it feels like the hole has cling film placed over it, golf becomes a hugely frustrating sport!!
So in this episode, Andy Gorman a leading putting and short game coach shares with you his philosophy and approach to ensuring that you putt without fear and with confidence in your skillset.
Key Learning Points:
- Andy discusses his vetting process to ensure that players have the necessary motivation and commitment levels.
- Key elements of his putting programmes; start lines, eye line, speed control, alignment and much more.
- The importance factors when keeping pre-shot routines simple; having a line on the ball, start lines, their focus towards the target.
- Dominant senses and learning styles (visual, kinaesthetic or auditory).
- How to develop feel on the greens.
- Fear, the yips and the consequences of the return putt.
- Knowing yourself and the natural requirements of your body and shape is important.
- You can improve your putting and beat the yips if you put the time into it.
Connect with Andy Gorman
Andy Gorman Golf Website
Andy Gorman on YouTube
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcasts to Help You
Podcast Ep04: Chris Paisley – Life on the European Tour
Podcast Ep13: Karl Morris – How to Stay Present like a Major Champion
Podcast Ep17: Dr Gio Valiante – How to Play Fearless Golf
Blogs to Help You
Play Your Best Golf More Often
3 Ways to Play Great Golf Under Pressure
Do You Obsess Over The Perfect Golf Swing
Life throws at us different situations in social settings; dealing with difficult people, coping with criticism, and approaching people where we can choose to have an inferiority complex. In sport, coach-athlete, parent-athlete, coach-parent-athlete relationships and the overall culture of clubs and organizations can have a big impact on athletes. Playing team sports such as football, cricket, or rugby; different cultures, moving clubs, playing styles, new coaches, managers or teammates, egos and big personalities can also play a part in whether you as an athlete perform at your best, consistently.
So in this short episode, David touches on the last 3 episodes of Demystifying Mental Toughness with Paul McGee, Mark Bennett and Jamie Forrester and looks at how important interpersonal confidence is if you are to thrive in sport, your chosen field or in life in general.
Key Learning Points:
- You will build your awareness of where you're assertive, where you're aggressive, passive, or passive-aggressive.
- Assertiveness is not raising your voice or shouting.
- Assertiveness is about controlling your emotions and then responding in a confident, yet direct way.
- The passive person will be good at controlling their emotions, however, remaining quiet.
- Controlling your emotions, yet manipulate someone by lying to them, or avoiding responsibility is classed as passive-aggressive behaviour.
- As a young footballer or rugby player, it’s important to have confidence in yourself and take responsibility for what you say and do.
- If you’ve interpersonal confidence you’ll be able to take and receive criticism and compliments much better.
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Other Podcasts to Help You
Podcast Ep41: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
Podcast Ep42: Mark Bennett – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes
Podcast Ep43: Jamie Forrester – Thriving in Professional Football
Other Resources to Help You
Download INTERPERSONAL CONFIDENCE HANDOUT
Blog: 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Blog Coaches - Are you and your team pulling together during tough times?
Blog: 3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport
Blog: Communicating with children in sport
This episode is helpful for young footballers, parents and coaches where former professional footballer Jamie Forrester’s shares his thoughts on how to thrive in professional football.
Today, we chat about playing overseas, training and playing with big names stars at such as Gordon Strachan and Gary McAllister in a successful Leeds United team. The challenges of moving clubs, settling in, hitting the ground running, dealing with managers are other features of this episode.
Key Learning Points:
- It was very intense, playing in Auxerre’s academy and it helped technically and tactically develop Jamie’s game.
- I was so fortunate to play with some top, top players such as David Rocastle and Scott Sellars that really escalated my development.
- Football opens you up to experiences that you have to back yourself and you have to prove that you're good enough to be there, both from a football perspective but also socially.
- You really do have to try and make an impact as soon as you can because you don't get too many chances when you’re a young player.
- From all of the people that I've ever worked with, Gordon Strachan was the biggest influence on my game.
- The mindset of a young 18-year-old is very different from an experienced pro.
- As I became more experienced, going to different clubs, in new dressing rooms, it became easier as I was always quite a confident person socially.
- Although it is a team sport, an individual mindset is needed to do well.
- When you’re older you realize that the manager is a human being, and then you tailor your approach. They just want somebody they can trust, so I’d always look to be the guy that they could put their trust in.
- If I was out of the team now, I would be proactive in finding reasons why I'm not playing from the manager.
Connect with Jamie Forrester
The Sports Business Club Website
The Football Family Website
Connect with David Charlton
Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Other Podcasts to Help You
Football or Soccer Podcasts
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Podcast Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers
Podcast Ep41: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence
It is not enough to be motivated if you are going to fulfil your talent. You must also be able to show immense commitment, where the promises you make to yourself and others you follow through with and do what you say you will do. Especially, through the tough times.
In this episode, Mark Bennett MBE and I go on to discuss the differences in commitment levels between leisure and high-performance athletes. How coaches can get the best out of their athletes, and parents can best support talented children. Mark’s tagline - Performance is a Behaviour, not an Outcome is also debated.
Key Learning Points:
- Whether you are a leisure or a high-performance athlete, it has nothing to do with technical ability, physicality or skill, it is all to do with your behaviours and the attitude you take to your craft each and every day.
- A high-performance athlete is somebody that will do what they need to do to be the best they can be supervised or unsupervised 24/7.
- The high-performance athlete will ask themselves questions such as “What do I need to do?“ How much sleep do I need?” “What am I going to eat the next day? “What’s my plan for the week ahead?”
- For high-performance coaches, they’ll be looking at the everyday behaviours of the athlete and won’t get caught up in their technical ability in the moment of what they see.
- The coach will seek to understand the athlete's everyday behaviours, to understand where their mindset is and what their commitment is to their goal.
- On learning from mistakes, we expect people to make effective decisions, under different levels of pressure without getting caught up in the outcome but often they don’t get taught how to reflect and evaluate.
- For parents, when considering being the best parent that you can be to support your child, have you pre-agreed certain behaviours for yourself as a parent, and for your child that you both agree on?
- For parents after training or matches, it's not about asking questions about did you win or how did you do or how many minutes did you play on the pitch? It is about asking “did you enjoy the match?” “What was the most challenging thing that you experienced today?” “What did you learn today?”
Connect with Mark Bennett MBE
LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook
Performance Development Systems, PDS Coaching Website
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Other Resources to Help You
THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST
Podcast Ep36: David Charlton - How to Improve Your Intensity when Training and Competing
Podcast Ep15: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery
Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity
Blog: Developing your Mental Game in your Downtime
Blog: Training Hard Vs Training Smart | I Must Work Harder
Blog: Are you Motivated or Committed
To have confidence in your ability is a necessity to achieve your potential. To have a lot of interpersonal confidence is also appealing and can give you an advantage on others. In this episode, Professor Paul McGee, one of Europe’s leading speakers and authors shares with you all about communicating so that you can assert yourself where necessary, build better relationships, deal with difficult people and manage criticism more effectively.
It’s a great listen, go on tune in!
Key Learning Points:
• Monitoring your self-talk is critical as it's very easy to talk yourself out of doing things and take absolutely no action at times.
• How to deal with people can be frustrating, especially those who are fixed in their mindset
• Managers and leaders should stop and understand the real reasons why people don’t change behaviours: is it fear of failure, avoiding discomfort or complacency?
• Command and control leaders should consider how they develop relationships, how they engage with people so that they are prepared to listen to them.
• Give someone 5 minutes of your time and you’ll be better placed to understand where they are coming from.
• On people who intimidate you, look at the person as a human and not their title.
• When we’ve put a lot of time and energy into something and we are criticised we often need to acknowledge that we can get super defensive, then to help ourselves we just need to stay with this and accept this is okay, that I’ll deal with it.
Connect with Paul McGee
YouTube
The Sumo Guy Website
Paul McGee’s Books
S.U.M.O. Your Relationships: How to Handle Not Strangle the People You Live and Work With
How to Speak So People Really Listen: The Straight–Talking Guide to Communicating with Influence and Impact
S.U.M.O (Shut Up, Move On): The Straight-Talking Guide to Succeeding in Life
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Other Resources to Help You
5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist
Coaches - Are you and your team pulling together during tough times?
3 Tips to deal with bullying in sport
Communicating with children in sport
Where does the time go! We’re now 40 episodes in so it’s time for another compilation episode which is action-packed with the best bits from the previous 9 episodes which include some great tips and stories. Listening to the advice I’m pretty sure will help you learn more about what Mental Toughness actually is and its importance.
Key Takeaways
• Dave Jueno talks about the impact of bullying and advises coaches and leaders on how to deal with such behaviour.
• I ask you to consider living life with an attitude of gratitude sharing a sporting story.
• Aly Dixon talks about her experience of breaking the world record over 50km
• Nathan Sherratt and I talk about grieving and on how I helped myself get through a really tough time when my wife died and talk about the great work of the WAY Foundation.
• Dr John Perry tells us about flow and finding the zone when under intense pressure.
• I mention 5 tips for professional athletes to improve their intensity levels in training and when competing
• Penny Mallory and I discuss principles of high performance and the importance of knowing your “why”
• Taz Bricknell shares the realities of being a woman playing professional sport and it’s challenges
• John Fletcher tells me about supporting athletes to play fearlessly and deal with difficult periods.
Find out about the WAY Foundation and The Sports Business Club
The WAY Foundation
The Sports Business Club
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Inspiring Sporting Excellence Resources
Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast: Episodes 31-40
Ep10: Mental Toughness Compilation 001
Ep20: Mental Toughness Compilation 002
Ep30: Mental Toughness Compilation 003
To read one of our 140+ blog posts
In this episode, John Fletcher who is recognized as an outstanding coach chats to me about helping athletes express themselves so that in pressure situations they can play fearlessly. Fletch’s impressive career began with Newcastle Falcons, in the academy before becoming the club’s Director of Rugby and Head Coach. As well as working with England’s best young players for over 10 years as the England Rugby Under 18’s Head Coach. John brings a great deal of experience and knowledge into our conversation and shares some great pieces of advice for coaches, parents of athletes, and athletes themselves.
Key Learning Points:
- Fear in sport can occur because of a range of factors; including past experiences and their response to those experiences, team-mates, parents, coaching, spectators or an individuals’ personality can influence this type of behaviour.
- To get over those fears holding you back, knowing why you play your sport can help you. As can playing to your strengths and building positive relationships with other people.
- As coaches and parents, verbal and non-verbal cues are so important to help children who are fearful.
- Acknowledging there will be setbacks and challenging periods when you play sport and supporting athletes through these times is vital.
- A role of an adult is to help children become independent so that they can make their own decisions, which is vital to perform at a high level in sport.
- As children are developing look to give everyone, regardless of talent the same opportunities.
- The future of Sport Psychology in breaking some barriers is also discussed.
CONNECT WITH JOHN FLETCHERLinkedIn
The Magic Academy
CONNECT WITH DAVID CHARLTON
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN
RELEVANT PODCAST EPISODES
Dr Gio Valiante: How to Play Fearless Golf (Ep 017)
Robbie Thompson: How to Feel More Confident (Ep 022)
USEFUL BLOGS THAT ARE RELATED TO THIS TOPIC
Case Study: Developing A Fearless Approach With A Professional Footballer
Being Perfect Comes at a Cost
Taz Bricknell is a professional rugby union player, playing in the Premier 15s for Worcester Warriors. She plays in the back row and has also played for Gloucester-Hartpury and England Under 20’s.
Today I’m joined by Taz Bricknell, a professional rugby player for Worcester Warrior where she talks about the challenges involved in playing professionally in a male-dominated sport. We also discuss how COVID-19 has impacted her daily routines and her role as an ambassador in The Sports Business Club.
Key Learning Points:
- Taking a positive mindset towards negativity and using it as motivation.
- Don’t listen to what outsiders have to say, focus on yourself and your teammates.
- It’s natural that the Coronavirus has an impact on your motivation.
- Managing playing professional rugby yet working many hours too.
- Dealing with criticism on social media.
- The importance of exercise and social contact for your mental health.
Connect with Taz Bricknell
The Sports Business Club
Connect with David Charlton
To book a call with David
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Useful Podcast Episodes
Nick Grantham: Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery (Ep 015)
David Charlton: How the Mentally Tough Deal with Lockdown (Ep 025)
Aly Dixon: Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion (033)
Dr John Perry: Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021 (Ep 035)
Other Useful Resources
All blogs and podcasts that support you during the coronavirus pandemic
A well-being Menu to help your mental health
This episode is an inspiring one, where Penny Mallory, the first woman to have driven a rally car for Ford and to drive in the world championships tells David about her journey. We go on to discuss her difficult childhood, her mentality to turn what seemed impossible into reality. Penny’s story is a very inspiring one, enjoy tuning in!
Key Takeaways:
- Penny’s experiences helped her develop qualities associated with Mental Toughness, Resilience.
- Taking risks are necessary to achieve your dreams.
- There can be prices to pay for committing yourself to your craft.
- Goal setting and being focused is what energizes me.
- By investing more time in the psychological side I could have achieved a lot more.
- The journey can be so much fun.
- Knowing why you are doing what you are doing is hugely important when you are faced with difficulties.
- When COVID-19 has passed where going to blessed with more mentally tough people due to the experience.
- Taking care of yourself, giving yourself a rest from time to time is important to keep operating at a high level.
- Consider your environment and adapt it if you need to, to help yourself.
Connect with Penny Mallory
Website
Penny's Books
-
World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour: Adopt a winning mindset to get what you want
-
Take Control of Your Life: An Extraordinary Guide To Achieving Transformation and Success in Your Best Years
Connect with David Charlton
To book a call with David
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Useful Podcast Episodes
Steve Judge: How to Deal with Adversity (Ep 02)
Nick Grantham: Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery (Ep 015)
David Charlton: How the Mentally Tough Deal with Lockdown (Ep 025)
Dr John Perry: Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021 (Ep 035)
Other Useful Resources
All blogs and podcasts that support you during the coronavirus pandemic
A well-being Menu to help your mental health
In this solo episode, I share my thoughts on some difficulties that athletes are having during the coronavirus pandemic, especially now in the UK with the most recent lockdown. How this has gone to make them feel and the impact it is had on their intensity levels in training and for those who are lucky enough to practice or still compete.
Key Takeaways:
- A lot of negative emotions are evident with athletes and coaches right now during the lockdown.
- The more mentally tough amongst them are better able to focus on what they can control.
- Do distractions mean that you don’t train at a high level of intensity?
- Do you use training to really challenge yourself?
- Top athletes push themselves so much in training that when they compete it’s easier.
- Build a motivational playlist.
- Does your warm-up help you feel energized?
- Check your self-talk and use motivation buzz words to gee yourself up.
- Could you get angry or use rivalry’s to help yourself
- Use visualization to improve the intensity of your performances
CONNECT WITH DAVID CHARLTON
To book a call with David to chat about organizing a personal mp3 for you or to discuss all things Mental Toughness
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
USEFUL PODCAST EPISODES
Steve Judge: How to Deal with Adversity (Ep 02)
Chris Paisley: Life on the European Tour (Ep 04)
David Charlton: How the Mentally Tough Deal with Lockdown (Ep 025)
Dr John Perry: Thrive, Don't Just Survive 2021 (Ep 35)
OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
All blogs and podcasts that support you during the coronavirus pandemic
A well-being Menu to help your mental health
Today we talk about an extremely important topic, dealing with stress so that we don’t simply survive but move forwards more positively. I’m joined by Dr John Perry who has led the exploration of specific aspects of Mental Toughness and a variety of applications – including new insights into understanding stress management all of which have direct implication for practitioners.
Key Takeaways:
- Motivation is a complex phenomenon.
- How people respond to pressure situations.
- Sport teaches you that failure and disappointment is a consistency in life.
- Developing your skills through reflection and self-awareness can improve your mental toughness.
- Counselling skills are important to help people who struggle to learn from their mistakes and don’t enjoy reflecting.
- When we’re in a flow state or are present minded it’s a feeling. It’s a skill transitioning from a cognitive to affective state.
- People performing at the very top of their fields are able to access affective states more easily.
Connect with Dr John Perry:
Twitter: @johnperry81
Email: John.Perry@mic.ul.ie
Connect with David
To book a call with David
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Useful Resources
Well-Being Menu
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Doug Strycharczyk: The Importance of Mental Toughness
David Charlton: How the Mentally Tough Deal with Lockdown
Professor Peter Clough: Why is Mental Toughness Important
David Charlton: How Can I Be Grateful For The Little Things
After being interviewed on a series of podcasts, I realised there were parts of me that I haven’t talked about on my own podcast. So I invited a great interviewer, resilience trainer for referees and managing director of The Third Team, Nathan Sherratt to give me a grilling and ask me some difficult questions so that you can get to know more about my background.
What we cover in this episode:
- Why I changed career and chose Sports Psychology as a new calling.
- How my background helps me relate to client challenges that they bring.
- Why I’m fascinated with Mental Toughness and place such a huge value on the trait.
- How the demands and pressures of life and sport are intertwined.
- Some of the difficulties I had after the death of my late wife, Alex.
- How I moved forward with my life and tried to look after myself.
- How as a Sports Psychologist we support injured athletes and people who are going through difficult times.
About the interviewer - Nathan Sherratt
Website: https://thethirdteam.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearethethirdteam/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreTheThirdTeam/
To find WAY Widowed & Young - Bereavement support UK:
Website: https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sport.
To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub
Aly Dixon is an English long-distance runner who currently holds the 50km world record and won the 2019 50km World Championship in Brasov, Romania. She has also won the British marathon championships two times. Aly is also a proud ambassador for St Benedict's hospice in Sunderland, a charity which specialises in end of life care for cancer patients, which is close to her heart after losing family members to the illness.
Aly talks about her journey into running, why she runs. How she sets goals and maintains perspective when dealing with difficulties and much more…
Key Takeaways include:
- Remember your why
- Keep your goals visible
- Enjoy the process of what it takes to achieve your end goal
- How to overcome bad training sessions
- Don’t allow the numbers dictate to you
- Look to prove the doubters wrong
Connect with Aly Dixon:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alydixon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alydixon262
St Benedict’s Hospice: https://www.stbenedicts.co.uk/
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sport.
To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub
David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes.
Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health.
David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.
Today’s topic David talks about how and why you should develop an attitude of gratitude into your daily routines. 2020 has been a difficult year for many people where managing your emotions, an important ingredient of mental toughness, has been challenging even for the calmest people.
What You Will Learn In This Episode:
- The benefits of gratitude
- What a full or empty gratitude tank can mean
- How gratitude can help you when you lose the love for your sport or pastime
- Why being injured is a time to consider practicing gratitude
- How to develop the attitude of gratitude
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub
David Jueno is the founder of The Sports Business Club, an organisation which funds grassroots sport and charity / community projects across the UK. He also works as a director for Gillingham Town Football Club. As a youngster, he enjoyed playing football and the classical guitar. He spent most of his adult life working as a sales professional until his life changed due to a cocaine addiction. After a couple of years recovering from a very tough period, he has now turned his life around and inspires other people.
In this emotional episode, David Jueno talks about the impact of bullying as a youngster, football in his youth, being a successful sales professional. As well as drug addiction and losing everything, to rehab and now to his goal of impacting positively on other people’s lives.
Key Takeaways include:
- Everyone is worth something.
- Allow yourself to make mistakes.
- The minute you open your mouth to start talking about how you feel is the minute half of your problems disappear.
- Be kind to people, you don’t know what people are going through.
- Be careful not to have unrealistic expectations of yourself, simply do your best and be committed.
Connect with David Jueno:
If this discussion had an impact on you and you feel the time is right to seek support please reach out to David:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjuenogtfcbusinessclub/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidjueno/
The Sports Business Club - https://thesportsbusinessclub.co.uk/
Or some other useful contacts for you include:
- Gamblers Anonymous - https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
- Mind for better mental health - https://www.mind.org.uk
- Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sport.
Click the link below to join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub
This is the 3rd compilation episode which is action-packed with the best bits from the previous 9 episodes including many pearls of wisdom that the guests have shared on the show. Listening to the advice I’m hoping will be a timely reminder for you to recognize that Mental Toughness is such an important quality for you to develop if you want to move forward and kick on in your life, sport or career.
Key Takeaways
• Steve Hackney tells you to ignore the noise and seek to learn from the best, tried, and trusted people.
• Robbie Thompson advises that referencing and tracking your progress is important for you to improve your self-confidence.
• I ask you to check your self-talk and tell you that you don’t have to listen to your inner critic.
• Julian Dowe advises you to leave nothing to chance, to be honest with yourself and other people.
• On Lockdown 2, I ask you to consider if your view on the situation is impacting your mental health.
• I invite you to make the most of your time and ask yourself better questions.
• Natalie Henderson tells you why journaling and getting pen to paper is so helpful to understand yourself. To motivate you so that you become a better person or athlete.
• Professor Peter Clough, talks about the most mentally tough people in the world, they are not perfect and bulletproof, and now with COVID-19 they’ll likely be finding it difficult too at times.
• Lome Fa’atua advised you to focus on the processes that you can control to aid your performances.
To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sports coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists, and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub
Lome Fa’atau is a former professional rugby player from Wellington, New Zealand. He played for the Hurricanes and Chiefs in Super Rugby, as well as Glasgow Warriors and Nice in Europe. Lome also played over 30 times internationally for Samoa.
He is now a Personal Trainer and Rugby Coach with special interests in strength and conditioning, health and wellness and young athlete development. Where he works with people from all walks of life, as well as athletes. Inspiring, supporting and pushing people towards their goals. Lome believes self-belief, an element of mental toughness is a key component to being successful and uses his experiences and soft skills, as well as challenging people with resistance training to bring out the best in them.
In this episode, Lome and David discuss his professional rugby career and journey into personal training. Challenges that he encountered such as moving clubs where things didn’t work out and not seeing eye to eye with coaches. Dealing with criticism as an athlete and using difficulties as a fuel to get better and improve as a person and player.
Key Takeaways include:
- Look to talk with supportive people when you go through tough times.
- To get the best out of people, it’s important for coaches to get to know the individual on a personal level.
- Self-confidence appears to be a problem area with a lot of young athletes today, where they struggle with dealing with criticism or worry too much about what other people think.
- Surround yourself with people who are looking to achieve similar goals.
- Successful people are not afraid to ask questions and look for help.
Connect with Lome:
Storm Fitness - https://www.storm-fitness.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lomefaatau/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lome_faatau
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sport.
To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub
Professor Peter Clough needs little introduction. Whilst at the University of Hull, Peter initiated a programme of work which led to the development of the 4Cs concept for Mental Toughness – published in 2002 and is now comfortably the most widely adopted description of Mental Toughness globally.
Since that time, he has collaborated with researchers all over the world to examine the concept further and to identify links to important aspects of work and life – his name appears on around 50 peer-reviewed papers.
By inclination an applied psychologist, his work has always focused on real-world issues. In recent times, together with long term collaborator Doug Strycharczyk and Dr. John Perry, Peter has been instrumental in taking the Mental Toughness concept to the next level.
Professor Peter Clough goes on to share why he spent a large chunk of his career researching and studying mental toughness. How the 4C’s mental toughness framework has evolved and where it has been applied successfully. Peter also shares why resilience is a great quality to have, as well as highlighting the differences between resilience and mental toughness. Which could be argued to show that mental toughness is more valuable for people to move forward and prosper during longer stressful periods, such as right now, in the midst of a pandemic.
Key Takeaways
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The 4Cs Mental toughness model contributes to our understanding of individuals, it’s part of the jigsaw however people are very complicated so it only explains a small part of our behaviours.
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Often people don’t understand what mental toughness is and would be very surprised at some of the results that we’ve found in our studies. For example, research shows that marathon runners are more mentally tough than those who don’t take part in extreme exercise, however surgeons are even more mentally tough than the marathon runners.
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Mentally tough people aren’t perfect and have their own limitations.
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The pandemic has had less impact on mentally tough individuals in comparison to mentally sensitive individuals however their well-being has also suffered.
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Youngsters today are more likely to express their thoughts and feelings, they haven’t gone soft. You could argue that they are tougher because they have more difficult conversations.
Contact Professor Peter Clough:
AQR International Website
Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk
Useful Resources:
Developing Mental Toughness
Developing Mental Toughness in Young People
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David is starting on 30 November to help ambitions athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.
The Sports Psychology Hub
Natalie Henderson is Professional Football Coach and with many years’ experience working with Premier League & International Youth Athletes, both male and female. She was also the first ever full-time female coach to work in a Men's Premier League Academy as well as a proud winner of the Premier Leagues Eamonn Dolan Award.
Natalie is football obsessed and has a huge passion for trying to get the very best out of people. She hates people wasting their talent. If you were born with even the slightest bit of talent, Natalie believes that you should do everything you possibly can in your power to unlock it. She notes that too many players do not reach their potential and do not know how to look after their own mindset.
As a result, she is now the proud author of the Players Padlock Pad which is designed to help young footballers unlock their potential.
We discuss Natalie’s journey into professional football coaching. The challenges that she has faced on her way to becoming a pioneer for female football coaches. Why she decided to write a book, and a one that is laid out as a journal. We certainly busted a number of myths around Mental Toughness including highlighting that it is not a male macho quality and that Mental Toughness can be developed with the right support and tools at your disposal. Tune in to this episode, it’s a fascinating listen with so many nuggets of advice for young footballers and athletes.
Key Takeaways
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Always seek to learn from your experiences.
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Never stop believing in yourself.
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A great question to ask yourself is “Am I doing something to make myself better today?”
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All elements of Mental Toughness can be learned and developed.
Connect with Natalie:
For details on her book - The Players Padlock Pad
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To be kept informed on developments of the Facebook community that David is putting together to help athletes and sport coaches to support each other utilising the Mental Toughness principles.
Click here to SIGN UP TO THE MENTAL EDGE
Or if you’d like to chat to understand how we can help support you to develop your Mental Toughness and improve your chances of realising your potential.
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/contact/
David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes.
Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health.
David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.
In this episode, David takes a look back at a number of past episodes and talks about lockdown 2 or the off season in some cases. He goes on to discuss goal setting and how to set and review goals. David challenges you to set yourself one goal for the next 4 weeks.
What would it feel like if you achieved that goal? How much would that impact your life, the energy you currently have? The way you relate to people?
So what new habit are you going to put in place NOW…
Key Takeaways
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The questions that you ask yourself are very important for your future happiness and success below are a number of helpful ideas.
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What is your lockdown goal?
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What is your goal for the next month?
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Ask yourself by the 12 December I will have achieved…
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In the next month what do I need to do to feel better about me and my future chances?
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What key habits do I need to put in place?
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Can I measure my progress? And How?
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In the next 7 days I am going to…
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To be kept informed on developments of the Facebook community that David is starting on Monday 30th November to help athletes and sport coaches to support each other utilising the Mental Toughness principles.
Click here to SIGN UP TO THE MENTAL EDGE
David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes.
Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health.
David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.
In this solo episode, discusses the UK Governments decision to take away our autonomy and introduce lockdown 2 across England. David shares information about resilience and mental toughness to clear up how they differ. As well as sharing why these traits are so vital for your mental health and well-being at present. Anyone, from any walk of life can benefit from this episode, so please feel free to share it.
Key Takeaways
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Consider how you interpret the situation, try to think about it on a 1-10 level not labelling it bad, catastrophic or terrible.
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Resilient people will react to the situation positively.
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Mentally tough people will deal with the stressors and pressures better than mentally sensitive people over the long term.
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The ability to stay present will help you – as David describes how the situation reminds him when his wife Alex was diagnosed with 3 brain tumours and melanoma cancer and sadly died in 2008.
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Create a well-being menu to help your mental health.
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Ask yourself the following questions – What helps me be better person to be around? How do I want to be? How can I utilise and adapt my environment to help me? What gives me energy?
Well-being Menu
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To be kept informed on developments of the Facebook community that David is putting together to help athletes and sport coaches to support each other utilising the Mental Toughness principles.
SIGN UP TO THE MENTAL EDGE
Julian Dowe is a former professional footballer whose knee injury prematurely ended a stuttering career after nine years in the game. During this time he played at various levels in England, Spain, Scotland, Sweden & Latvia.
Retirement allowed Julian to observe of grassroots and elite level football and it’s needs. This led Julian to develop football4football. An industry-leading free online football resource which details practices, principles & methods that drive the game's best players.
In this episode, David and Julian reflect on the many challenges Julian faced in his journey into professional football, as well as during his career in the game. It is clear from our conversation that Julian has some regrets about his behaviour. Consequently, he shares advice to young footballers about how to handle different situations.
Key Takeaways
• Having self-belief and talent, isn’t enough to prosper in professional football
• Surround yourself with people who care about your best interests.
• Be honest with yourself, commit yourself to the sport.
• Work on your confidence, with self-belief you can go a long way.
Connect with Julian Dowe:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliandowe/
https://football4football.com
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To join The Confident Athlete 3 Day Challenge starting on 02 November designed to help you perform better under pressure on a consistent basis, sign up NOW using the link below.
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/challenge/
David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes.
Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.
David reflects on previous episodes of Demystifying Mental Toughness today. Where he refers back to Gio Valiante, Steve Hackney and Robbie Thompson’s episodes that link to self-confidence. David shares his thoughts and offers some suggestions for you the listener to manage and maintain your confidence levels so that you thrive.
Key Takeaways
• Be aware that you can choose not to listen to the voice in your head.
• You can give your inner critic a pet name and tell him or her to shut up!
• Laughing at the voice in your head is a helpful tactic to relax you.
• Recognise when your ego takes over and look to focus on the task in hand.
• Elite athletes talk negatively to themselves, however they are quick to spot it and move on.
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To join The Confident Athlete 3 Day Challenge starting on 02 November designed to help you perform better under pressure on a consistent basis, sign up NOW using the link below.
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/challenge/
Robbie Thompson is a personal trainer and lifestyle coach with over 12 years of coaching experience. He has worked with a huge range of clients from mums, dads, business owners, teachers, dentists, to professional athletes, actors and celebrities.
In that time his role has changed from a Personal Trainer who helps people get in shape, to a coach who works with busy, high performing people to upgrade how they look, feel and perform in all areas of their lives.
Working with such a huge range of people and seeing the very different requirements, restrictions and obstacles that they face and has given him a valuable insight into how health and wellbeing needs to work in the real world. This has allowed him to develop strategies that stand up to the requirements of the lives of busy, high performing people.
In this episode we discuss his journey into personal training and lifestyle coaching, how people can dig themselves into a hole by comparing themselves to other people, the health benefits of building good day to day habits as well as sharing a number of take home messages for people who are looking to improve their self confidence and self-esteem.
Key Takeaways
• Look to concentrate on what your body can do not just how it looks.
• People look a certain way in the media, however it is not reality so don’t put yourself under undue pressure.
• Focus on the process, creating good habits whilst enjoying the journey.
• By building strength, there are so many benefits including how you feel, increased confidence levels and improved posture.
Connect with Robbie: https://robbie-thompson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/robbie__thompson/
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To join The Confident Athlete 3 Day Challenge designed to help you perform better under pressure on a consistent basis, with trust and confidence sign up NOW using the link below.
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/challenge/
Today I’m joined by Steve Hackney, a former celebrated rugby union professional who played in England's top division of domestic rugby union for Nottingham and Leicester Tigers. Since retiring from professional sport, for over 20 years, he has applied his elite sporting attributes to growing businesses, and the combination has been and is a potent and unique weapon in the world of marketing. Where he has transformed the way many small and medium sized businesses operate.
His mission is to transform the way small and medium sized businesses grow to ensure their sustained success and his no-nonsense approach is both refreshing and to the point. Tens of thousands of business owners are right now benefitting from his easy-to-apply tactics and strategies. He is a best-selling author, international speaker and mentor to hundreds of his ‘Business Growth Mentors’ around the world. He is the author of two celebrated books: ‘THE FORMULA – The Proven And Unbreakable System To Quickly Grow Your Business’, and his new book entitled, ‘Business Mentoring Success’.
In this episode we discuss challenges that he faced in his rugby union career, as well as difficulties coaches, trainers, psychologists and consultants in private practice often experience. We go on to discuss how to deal with such obstacles and come out stronger. Giving yourself the best chance of reaching your full potential
Key Takeaways
• To get to the top you must dedicate yourself to your craft.
• Give your industry the respect it deserves to become an expert in your field.
• How to adapt to play with top international players and learn from best.
• Anything is possible if you think it is possible
Connect with Steve: https://thecoreasset.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevehackney/
Useful Resources:
The Ultimate Business Growth Formula
The Formula
How To Quickly Grow Your Accountancy Practice
About the Host – David Charlton
David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world.
To receive regular proven high performance tips and strategies to your inbox please sign up to the Mental Edge.
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/the-mental-edge/
Mental Toughness Compilation 002 Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
The 20th episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness highlights the best bits of episodes 11-19 and has some great stories in.
As well as, lots of excellent pieces of advice from some highly regarded people in their respective fields where we touch on all of the 4C’s - Commitment, Confidence, Control and Challenge. If you are an athlete struggling right now or you’re looking for an edge to boost your performances I’m sure you’ll gain lot’s of hope from tuning in.
What you'll hear in this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness
• Creating a culture of well-being can help individuals and organisations achieve high performance.
• Strategies are available for athletes to overcome and beat the yips.
• When in a round of golf, it’s difficult to change your golf swing but you can change your attitude.
• Faulty or high expectations cause athletes to tell themselves unhelpful stories.
• Look after the basics, your sleep, nutrition and take care of your body management first before other recovery techniques.
• Golf test’s every ounce of your personality.
• Flow states are effortless, you are hyper aware.
• Motivating individuals in team sports is essential to get the most from the team.
• Running helps me forget my troubles.
• Compassionate and human management is uncomfortable but so important.
• You develop resilience when you have difficult things occur in your life.
• If you focus on your body or your breath, you are being present.
• Imagery can be done in a systematic way to help you learn from mistakes.
• Endurance based athletes can struggle to take time off and rest.
• 80% of our thoughts are believed to be negative, try journalling daily to change your thinking.
• You can quickly change from struggling to experiencing flow states more regularly if you seek support.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has done everything he can to ensure that he is the best version of him.
• When running seek to embrace it, endure it and enjoy it.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Paul Smith is an inspirational charity runner from Sherburn Hill, Durham, who at the time of recording the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast episode had run for an amazing 5007 consecutive days. In his quest to run every day he has raised £1000’s for many charities such as the Sir Bobby Moore Foundation, Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Alzeimers Association, St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Finlay Cooper Fund…
He’ll often be seen wearing outlandish costumes on his runs and wearing a big smile on his face, however just like many people, Paul has also experienced difficult times and is very good at masking his emotions. In this very inspiring, funny and thoughtful interview, Paul opens up and share’s his journey to date, his hopes for the future, challenges that he has faced and conquered. For anyone who enjoys running, runs for mental health reasons or may be would like to get into running but has been putting it off this episode is well worth a listen.
What you'll hear in this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness
• He has ran every day for nearly 14 years and blames Ron Hill for his run streak!
• He has his own rules, every run has to be outdoors and must be more than 5k.
• Ice, painkillers, biofreeze, running either side of midnight have helped Paul manage pain and his recovery.
• A bowel procedure, teeth extractions, passing blood, going on a stag week and work issues have caused particular challenges in his quest.
• Keeping it fun and fresh helps Paul.
• Running is vital for my mental health especially right now with Coronavirus, it’s the best anti-depressant on the market.
• Sometimes the funny costumes can be a façade. It’s like a painted smile.
• It’s all about the numbers for Paul and that helps him think about different ideas such as running for 50.00 minutes – my 5000th run in a row.
• On his 3000th run he ran 30.00 miles around the centre circle of a football pitch, changing direction every 30 times, dressed at Bobby Moore for charity.
• On March 21st, St Cuthbert’s Day, Paul once dressed like St Cuthbert, a monk, got the haircut and ran from York Minster to Durham Cathedral for St Cuthbert’s Hospice.
• Doing crazy things keeps him going.
• One of Paul's aims is to run 100 marathons by the time I’m 100 years old.
• The hardest steps are the first steps.
• For anyone looking to get into running, look to embrace the challenge, endure it and enjoy it.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Kieron Brady is a former professional footballer who played for Sunderland AFC, debuting for the first team at 17 years old and, scoring in the English top flight as an 18 year old. He also played for the Republic of Ireland, where he once claimed a Man of the Match award when Zinedine Zidane was in the opposing side in a France v Ireland match.
Sadly, he was forced to retire from professional football at 21 years old because of occluded arteries in his right leg which caused him extreme pain. In his short career, he averaged a goal or assist every 100 minutes.
In this episode, Kieron and David discuss the pressures of professional football. How Kieron’s early retirement came about and the aftermath of the situation where Kieron admits to losing his way. He discusses alcoholism and shares his inspiring story how he has turned his life around now and has been sober since 2009. Kieron also discusses how he has spent much of the last decade or so specialising in helping people to recover from alcoholism, initially voluntarily and now professionally for SP Bespoke which he is very proud and passionate about. Tune in to listen to many nuggets of advice for young professional footballers on how to sustain a good and lasting career in the game.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• I look back on the 5 years as a young professional footballer in 2 ways, I’m appreciative of the opportunity and look back fondly, as well as feeling quite glad that my career ended. As early parts of my football career weren’t particularly enjoyable.
• I have regrets about my conduct and feel like the football environment contributed to the way I behaved on occasions.
• Attitudes in professional football were similar to what you get in military circles.
• Professional footballers are human beings first before a footballer and that often is forgotten.
• Players should be motivated on an individual basis.
• I was forced to retire because the arteries in my right leg were occluded causing extreme pain and discomfort. Retirement at 21 was difficult to deal with and I didn’t cope very well with it.
• I work professionally for SP Bespoke, who are a group of alcoholics who have been sober for over a decade each. We utilise our experiences to help alcoholics and problem drinkers and their families.
• Successful people in their personal and professional life can feel immune to experiencing alcohol problems but “nobody is to dumb to recover from alcoholism but many people are too smart.”
• One night I might be helping someone who doesn’t know where they are going to sleep that night and the next night it may be someone who is an expert in mental health.
• Each footballer should take care of their own personal and professional development.
• Cristiano Ronaldo is a great example of taking care of himself physically and mentally to be the best version of himself. He’s a phenomenon.
• You should be aware of your rights as an employee when you’re a footballer, you have rights in your working environment in the way that you are treated.
• Clubs have a duty of care with their players whether they are 16 years old or more experienced.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Dr Gio Valiante is one of the most prominent sport psychologists in the world. He has worked with many of golf’s top players, including Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose and Davis Love III. His clients have won a host of PGA Tour and majors. Gio applies the best ideas in psychology to coach not only some of the worlds’ best athletes but investors, sales forces, and executives too. Anywhere there is a scoreboard that rewards competitive excellence at an individual and team level he thrives, helping people live fearlessly, strategize deliberately, and apply effort consistently to push themselves to ever higher peaks.
Gio is also the author of ‘Fearless Golf’ and ‘Golf Flow.’
In episode 17 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David questions Gio on his approach to helping the world’s top golfers. By listening you’ll understand some of the common fears golfers experience, you’ll begin to appreciate that fear in golf and in sport and life in general is universal. You’ll also learn about flow states. What “the zone” looks like and how a sports psychologist moves athletes from fearful to fearless, and finding flow states more regularly.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
- Golf will identify, expose and punish over confidence, under confidence, lack of self awareness, if you’re risk averse and if you don’t learn from your mistakes.
- Solve your habits and learn from your mistakes and you will get better at the game of golf.
- Fear is a universal theme in golf. Virtually every golfer has something they’re frightened of, and most golfers don’t know why they get afraid.
- Whether you are motivated by mastery or ego orientation this will determine whether you are fearless or fearful in the game.
- Ego orientation, trying to seek the need for approval means you can become riddled with anxiety.
- Love from parents or partners being dependent on achievement is not a healthy approach.
- Sport will do it’s best to knock the confidence out of you.
- Low confidence is super dangerous and can ruin skill.
- How long does your flow state last for?
- Adam Scott’s flow state lasts for around 5-6 holes and Arnold Palmer’s lasted 20 years!
- Flow states are characterised by paradoxes – time, effort and heightened awareness.
- Part of a Sports Psychologist’s role is to help athletes go from feeling fearlful to experiencing flow states more regularly.
- For golfers who are struggling there are ways to help you get in the zone and experience flow – read Gio’s book Golf Flow to understand how.
- Get clarity about what motivates you to play golf by understanding your why.
- Be careful about your reactions after you hit a bad shot or play a bad round, you condition a fear response in the brain if you respond on a regular basis with highly negative emotions.
- Golf will beat you up by itself, don’t help it!
- Make fearless swings at precise targets.
Useful Resources:
Fearless Golf
Golf Flow
David Charlton helps people to reach their goals, faster. Supporting footballers, golfers, rugby players, motor cyclists, triathletes, cricketers, boxers, gymnasts, tennis players, swimmers, surfers and many more highly motivated athletes and coaches. Some of whom are motivated youngsters, others are dedicated amateur athletes and others are at the top of their sport at elite professional level, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour and Rugby Premiership. As well, David supports business professionals and executives who are looking for a mental edge in order to improve their performance and/or well-being. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS and a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.
In this episode, David Charlton reflects on Karl Morris’s podcast “How to Stay Present like a Major Champion” and discusses how you as an athlete, coach or professional can increase your own awareness so that you develop the character trait of learning orientation. Meaning that you are more effective, you learn from mistakes and go on to perform better. That’s right by listening to this episode and then taking action you won’t keep on repeating mistakes like many people go on to!
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• If you score high in learning orientation you are good at reviewing failures and respond and thrive off setbacks.
• Ask yourself the following questions: What mistakes do I keep making? Do I get too emotionally involved after an error?
• Having increased awareness of your thoughts, emotions, arousal levels and responses by simply observing your behaviours will help you take control in high pressure situations.
• Take your self-awareness to the next level by making notes, before, during and after performances or during your days.
• When you do use journaling – check if your thoughts are past, present or future based. If these thoughts are helpful or unhelpful.
• By journaling you’ll realise how much your reality and sense of identity has been influenced by your thoughts.
• Noticing your thoughts prepares you for positive changes. • Neuroscientists believe that we have approximately 60,000 individual thoughts per day.
• 95% of these thoughts are considered to be repetitive. How much are you hynotising yourself!
•A staggering 80% of our thoughts are believed to be negative often ingrained from childhood.
•Your challenge for the next 7 days is to journal your thoughts – take it seriously and write down your thoughts and emotions over 3 sheets of paper per day – don’t be lazy as this could be life changing for you!
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Nick Grantham is a performance enhancement specialist. His career spans four Olympic cycles and he is a founding member of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association and an accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach (ASCC). He has become recognised as a specialist in athletic preparation and has a wealth of knowledge in the physical preparation and injury rehabilitation of high performance athletes at the most elite levels; including professional sport, Olympic, Commonwealth, European, and World Championship standards.
Nick has worked closely with professional, National Governing Bodies and home institute medical teams assisting in the management, monitoring and implementation of injury management programmes. He continues to develop his knowledge of advanced training concepts and evidence based training principles. A sought after ‘expert’ he has presented seminars and practical workshops for the Football Association, BASEM, British Olympic Association and UK Strength & Conditioning Association.
In this episode, Nick and David go on to discuss where highly motivated and hard-working people can go wrong, challenges that they face and the importance of rest and recovery to optimise their performance levels. Nick goes on to share helpful information around the recovery pyramid which provides a structure for tailoring interventions and practical solutions. If rest and recovery is something you can improve on this is well worth a listen!
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Fatigue is multifactorial both physiological and psycho-social.
• In team sports the individuals needs can sometimes be ignored, an ice bath doesn’t work for everyone.
• Look after your sleep, take care of your nutrition and body management first then look at other things such as compression garments, hydrotherapy…
• Be brilliant at the basics!
• If you can find ways to relax you’re going to make better decisions when you train and compete.
• Being professional around rest and recovery can help the longevity of an athlete’s career and help them maintain consistency of performance.
• Coaching messages and the organisational culture, as well as where athletes seek out messages can impact their perceptions around rest and recovery.
• Endurance athletes can be obsessed with putting in the miles where resting up or doing a short session may be a better answer sometimes.
• Athletes and support staff can sometimes lose sight of what is important and what actually drives performance.
• Look to monitor and measure with a training diary recording your day to day thoughts and feelings.
• Ask yourself the question - how do my current recovery strategies make me feel?
Useful Resources:
The Strength And Conditioning Bible
David Charlton helps people to reach their goals, faster. Supporting footballers, golfers, rugby players, motor cyclists, triathletes, cricketers, boxers, gymnasts, tennis players, swimmers, surfers and many more highly motivated athletes and coaches. Some of whom are motivated youngsters, others are dedicated amateur athletes and others are at the top of their sport at elite professional level, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour and Rugby Premiership. As well, David supports business professionals and executives who are looking for a mental edge in order to improve their performance and/or well-being. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS and a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.
In this episode, a bite of Mental Toughness, David Charlton shares 3 tips to help you mentally prepare better and overcome mental game challenges that you encounter. Frequently he refers back to discussions in previous episodes and other case studies to get his point across. The strategies are very simple, yet practical and can help athletes of all ability levels.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• In supporting athletes with mental preparation developing self-awareness is key.
• Ask yourself the question: How do I enhance my self-awareness?
• We all get comfortable and fall into bad habits, reminding yourself of the controllables is a skill that you can develop.
• Having a good support team around you can help you challenge faulty expectations and unhelpful stories that you tell yourself causing havoc with your self-confidence.
• Most athletes visualise in one way or another, though often it isn’t much help.
• Systematic visualisation or imagery in a controlled manner seeking to improve the vividness of images can help you in many ways. Examples include:
• For commitment - intensifying your focus on tasks (passing, shooting, driving, putting, batting) or daily routines in practice or when training in the gym.
• For confidence, improving your self-talk, body language, rhythm and timing.
• For control, seeing yourself bounce back from mistakes in a calm and composed manner.
• For challenges, when your B or C game shows up helping you deal with those situations in advance freeing you up when they occur.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfill their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Karl Morris is not a Sports Psychologist but a PGA Golf Professional specializing in Performance Coaching. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading performance coaches. Karl delivers cutting edge methods of peak performance and goal achievement to a range of clients across sports and business. From the world of professional golf, Karl has worked with multiple winners including 6 major winners Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood. He has also supported top class amateur golfers, including numerous Walker Cup and Curtis Cup players. As an author Karl has written several books including The Lost Art of Putting and The Lost Art of Playing Golf.
In golf and across other sports you often hear the words “being present” and the ability to “stay in the moment” mentioned. In this episode Karl and David discuss common mental game challenges golfers, even major winners experience and strategies to help you manage your emotions and thoughts better on the golf course, essential ingredients of Mental Toughness. By listening to this episode and heeding the advice there is no reason why you can’t reduce your scores by a few shots. The tips also overlap to other sports, business and life in general and can help you take your performances up a notch or two.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Every shot has 3 parts there the process that you go through on the shot, the execution and your reaction to the shot.
• What happens after the shot is often overlooked.
• Golfers are trained by commentators, analysts and golf professionals to look to diagnose swing faults and not consider our reactions.
• Ask yourself this question – If you didn’t improve your golf swing at all are you getting the best out of your golf game right now?
• “I feel sorry for the golf swing it always gets the blame” – Pia Nilsson
• Play a round of golf and simply observe and make a note of your reactions to shots.
• Engage your competitive side by using a mental scorecard scoring your reactions on the course. Tick if you handled things well and cross if you behaved like a child after a shot.
• When practicing a great thing to do is measure your performance.
• If you swing it well and react well, you start getting very close to your true capability.
• Good players do get ahead of themselves. We all do. But good players are very good at noticing their mind has jumped to the future or is stuck in the past.
• Good players are able to “RESET” and focus on the next shot asking themselves a great question such as “What is this task?”
• Graeme MacDowell on winning the Scottish Open in 2008 had a thought on the 15th tee that he was going to top it and then he started shaking but then he quickly reset.
• When you feel uncomfortable or shaky you can still get the job done.
• “You don’t always have to believe what you think.”
• Putting your mind into your body is potential great support for staying in the moment.
• You aren’t going to do many things worse by being present!
Useful Resources:
Attention: The Secret To You Playing Great Golf
The Lost Art Of Playing Golf
The Lost Art Of Putting
Golf In The Zone
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sports psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Alessia Bruno is a Clinical and Sports Psychologist, Mental and Performance Trainer specialising in Brainspotting and EMDR. She lectures at National Sport congresses and holds courses accredited by the Ministry of Health. She helps athletes and performing artists to overcome blocks, choking, slumps, yips, trauma and works with expansion to take people and their potential beyond to where it was before the issue.
In this fascinating episode Alessia and David talk about what confidence is, what it feels like to be confident and things that impact on an athlete’s confidence. We then look at The Yips, Motor Cycle accidents, traumatic events and fear responses in the brain leaving athletes who have experienced these difficulties with an uplifting message of hope. That’s right you as an athlete can overcome these challenges with the right support and then take your performances to a new level.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• The performance and personal history of an athlete is important to consider when assessing the confidence level of an athlete.
• External factors can affect confidence such as an athlete’s upbringing, critical or perfectionist parents, the weather, playing at a certain stadium and much more.
• Coaches have a big responsibility when supporting young athletes. The way they deliver suggestions, analysis and criticism can play a large part in an athletes level of confidence.
• Internal factors such as an athletes perception of the task, how they go about practice or training, how they assess performances or their perception of their own skills or personality traits can also influence their confidence levels.
• If you are going to criticise - criticise constructively the performance or the specific task, never the person.
• By focusing on the person when delivering feedback, emotions can take over and children need to know they are OK no matter how they perform.
• We learn to be critical from our coaches and parents.
• It’s very stressful to try to be perfect. Chasing perfection can make people feel anxious.
• 32-47% of serious golfers are affected by the yips.
• The yips can affect golfers, baseball players, snooker players, musical performers, darts players.
• The yips can come in different forms from panic attacks with shortness of breath, muscle spasms.
• The more an athlete with the yips tries to control their movements the more rigid and tense they become.
• Often the yips or traumatic events can mean professional athletes give up on their dreams and quit the sport but there is hope so it doesn’t have to be that way.
• An athlete who has experienced trauma can feel helpless where their bodily movements are out of control and get easily overwhelmed, feeling embarrassment and shame.
• Fight or flight or freeze responses are very common with the yips.
• We store the negative energy and emotions in our brain after we’ve experienced stressful events.
• Brainspotting and EMDR can be used to help athletes feel that the stored memories in their brain belong to the past reducing the emotional connection and freeing them up to play without fear and in the moment.
• You can then feel free, you trust your skills and instincts. The bodily sensations that you feel are very different to when you’ve got the yips. You’re not tense, your muscles feel fluid.
• You can go beyond the level that you used to perform at when you process the memories and events in the brain.
• The process can take weeks or months depending on the complexity of each case. It might be that coaches or parent’s communication style, returning to competition too quickly or practice and training in an unhelpful way can cause delays and further challenges.
• There are solutions to overcome negative feelings and traumatic events with both mainstream sports psychology tools as well as additional brainspotting and EDMR techniques.
• Be compassionate to yourself when you encounter difficult situations.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sports psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Dave Algeo is a speaker, author and male burnout prevention and recovery coach who helps organisations to equip their people with a sustainable success toolkit. He also helps coach men seeking to avoid burnout and achieve breakthroughs in their life and work. Some of Dave’s corporate clients have been McDonalds Europe Ltd the Crown Prosecution Service and various NHS Trusts, universities, councils, as well as other corporate clients. His key message is that success can be achieved with well-being.
Mental Health is an important topic at present because of the impact COVID-19 has had on people. Is also a theme which is talked about a lot in elite sport, where a large amount of my work is. Yet often people don’t see the link between Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance. Therefore, in this episode we discuss this relationship where Dave Algeo then goes on to share why decision makers in organisations should take investing in people’s mental health seriously.
Essential Learning Points:
• Well-being of people is often down the list of priorities in organisations however there is a relationship between success and positive mental health.
• Burnout can cost organisations thousands of pounds so from a business case it doesn’t make any sense not so invest in the area.
• Some organisations still have a tough it out, just get through culture neglecting the human and emotional side.
• A starting point for organisations when shifting their culture is to take an interest in what people are saying and how people are feeling.
• If people work hard in pressurised environments, they’ll likely wear so we all need time to repair.
• Giving individuals a sense of autonomy and flexibility on their own working environment is important.
• A coaching approach as a manager, taking the time out to understand the human being is vitally important for optimal well-being and performance.
• As a manager self-awareness is key, recognising both you and teams habits when under increased pressure.
• The Stevenson Farmer Mental Health at Work report highlights the case for investing in people in an organisation where a wisely spent £1 on well-being can end up yielding a return on investment from £1.50 up to £9 with an average of around £4.50.
• The result is likely to be a confident and committed workforce, hallmarks of Mental Toughness, with less absence and decreased chances of bullying.
• There is a business and a moral case to implement well-being programmes in the workplace.
• Managers and leaders can benefit from support and guidance on how to handle difficult situations.
• Decision makers should be aware that they will be biased based on their own experiences of mental health so it is important to stop and be objective looking at the evidence supporting well-being programmes.
Useful Resources:
Emergency Stress CPR: Deal with immediate stress overwhelm and recover your focus and productivity
Mastering Negative Stress: Stress CPR
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
This is the 10th episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness and I’ve been blown away by the success of the podcast to date, so I decided to get creative and pull together some pearls of wisdom from each episode so that you can access some top tips quickly. Listening to the ideas, I hope that you find lots of inspiration and motivation to raise your game and become more effective in chasing your goals.
In this Episode
- Doug Strycharczyk initially shares how Mental Toughness is vitally important in the way that we respond mentally to different situations and challenges.
- Steve Judge talks about his big fight after being told he may never walk again.
- Peter Ramage shares his challenges when training and playing with top international stars when he was a youngster.
- Chris Paisley talks about trying to hit perfect shots when he wasn’t at his best.
- David Charlton discusses how some highly motivated, goal orientated people who are low in learning orientation can be slow to question their approach.
- David Charlton mentions that many people can get comfortable.
- Toby Flood discusses distancing yourself from the “what if’s” and “controlling the uncontrollables”.
- Brendan Pearson shares experiences of lower league professional football.
- Andy Paisley talks about some of his players experiences of playing golf under extreme pressure.
Solutions that are Shared
- Doug Strycharczyk tells the listeners by adopting a Mentally Tough mindset you’ve a much greater chance of success.
- Steve Judge talks you through the power of visualisation and the positive impact it has had when he was competing in triathlon and in his professional speaking career.
- Peter Ramage shares the importance of asserting yourself and having the courage to have open and honest conversations.
- Chris Paisley talks about how he gets out of his own way when he’s out of form approaching a tournament.
- David Charlton shares the highly effective Start, Stop and Continue approach to reflecting on your performances.
- David Charlton talks about the highly motivational process of performance profiling to help you achieve your goals.
- Toby Flood discusses how he uses visualisation and how the mind can’t distinguish between mental imagery and physical practice.
- Brendan Pearson shares advice to young footballers who get a professional contract.
- Andy Paisley discusses how your practice should help you feel more confident and resilience, it’s not just about your swing.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Andy Paisley is an accomplished and respected coach at Hexham Golf Club, Northumberland, in the UK. Where he coaches several European tour players including European tour winner Chris Paisley and Ladies European tour winner Kylie Henry. He also coaches several European Challenge Tour, ALPS and Europro players, is the lead coach for the North of England under 18 squad and is the Northumberland men’s and boys coach. Additionally he has developed a reputation as a specialist putting coach and works with some of the best putters on the European Tour.
In episode 9 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David and Andy discuss pressure situations on the golf course, effective practice and how to train yourself to deal better when the going gets tough. Motivated amateur and professional golfers will get a great deal from tuning in with some great advice for you to take home to implement.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Pressure can come from many situations in golf: not being in a good place technically, trying to live up to other people’s expectations, money worries as a professional, playing big tournaments.
• The best players deal with pressure and stressful situations calmly.
• Players who don’t deal with pressure well play within themselves and don’t swing the club freely.
• Training in a way that you drill your process so that you can deal with pressure and go into autopilot on the golf course is helpful.
• Every individual is different and should consider what is the best way for them personally to prepare for competitive golf so that they find the right mental and physical state.
• Practice should promote confidence and resilience.
• Self talk or cue words practiced in training can help you deal with pressure.
• Tough times can make you stronger, better players will persevere, learn from those periods and adapt their approach.
• Better golfers have the grit and determination to do the boring things with intensity for long periods.
• A reactive short term mindset doesn’t lead to long term skill acquisition.
• Mental Scorecards can be very helpful to aid concentration and focus.
• Spending 10 minutes every practice session working on your concentration can benefit you as a golfer.
• The art of reflection will help you learn and become a better golfer.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sports psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Brendan Pearson was a talented goalkeeper who progressed through Newcastle United’s academy system, signing professional terms. He went on to play for the club’s under 23’s and had spells on loan where he played for Gateshead F.C. He also spent time between the posts for South Shields and Greenock Morton in Scotland. Sadly, during Brendan’s short career he spent a lot of time injured which then meant that he retired at the age of 23 years old.
In this episode, David and Brendan discussed the challenges of academy football as a goalkeeper, turning professional, loan moves and some difficulties that you may have to overcome. He also bravely talks about his injury problems and how his sad, early retirement from professional football came about.
The episode is full of advice for young players, parents and coaches who invest time with young footballers.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Why self-belief is important in academy football.
• The mindset required to play top teams in youth football such as Ajax, AC Milan, Manchester United, Benfica…
• Seeing challenges as an opportunity.
• Keeping a balanced perspective towards how you define “pressure.”
• Nerves are natural when you make your debut, when you play in big stadiums with large crowds as a youngster.
• The importance of supporting and praising your team-mates.
• Don’t let a bad training session before a match knock your confidence.
• How to impress new coaches and managers.
• The difficulties of adjusting to different playing styles when you’re loaned out after experiencing academy football.
• Dealing with differences of opinion between you the player and managers.
• How to cope after making errors as a goalkeeper.
• The way you handle criticism will make or break you as a goalkeeper.
• Brendan shares advice for players who suffer long-term injuries.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Toby Flood has played 60 international rugby union matches for England and currently plays at fly half or inside centre for Newcastle Falcons having previously played for Toulouse and Leicester Tigers. He’s a skilful goal kicker, as well as having many other talents as we discuss.
Toby and David discuss different important aspects of Mental Toughness including confidence, having belief in your ability and how you go about developing the characteristic so that you trust yourself under pressure. He goes on to share how he prepares for big matches and how that has changed over the years. We also talk how seeing the opportunity in challenging situations is important and a whole lot more...
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• A sense of humour and keeping perspective is hugely important to help you stay grounded and present.
• Learning to control the controllables is essential for success.
• Losing self-belief and self-doubt can make you work hard in the wrong areas.
• A systematic approach works well to manage your confidence.
• Support from others and talking about your challenges can help compartmentalise your problems and help you keep perspective.
• Rising to the challenge with a can do attitude, seeing situations as an opportunity not a threat is important.
• Having the right processes in place to manage the pressures of having to win every game when playing for big clubs is helpful and something that you need to learn.
• Accepting pre match nerves are part of the game and can prepare you to perform well.
• Staying level and present is still a skill he’s working on.
• Toby talks about how his preparation for games has changed as he’s got older and how visualisation is a helpful tool.
• He discusses his goal kicking process and offers insights into goal kicking practice.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
In this episode, David talks about some observations that he made from episodes three and four where former Newcastle United defender Peter Ramage and European Tour Golfer Chris Paisley shared fascinating insights and stories, David also goes on to present some solutions to help athletes overcome such challenges. Peter discussed his regrets from his career where he admits that he wasn’t honest with himself until he was ending his playing days, whereas Chris talks about perfectionism, and how it has taken him time to accept that he cannot play great golf everyday, and that often that you have to find ways how to play when you aren’t at your best.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Having the courage to question yourself is vital to aid learning.
• Support is there to help athletes push on and get another 10%+ from their performances.
• It is very easy to get comfortable.
• Performance profiling is a very helpful tool for you to look ahead and get down on paper your ambitions, assess where currently are and set small targets to help you succeed.
• The process can also be benchmarked too if your profile is looked at on a regular basis.
• Performance profiling can be a very motivational process when done well. • Perfection does not exist, your A game doesn’t come out very often.
• We all have a Z game!
• Try the DID, THOUGHT, FELT reflective exercise to aid self-awareness when you are playing at your best and when your B, C or D game comes out.
• The DID, THOUGHT, FELT can make a big difference to your decision making and give you an edge to help you improve your performances in practice and in competitive play.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
In this episode, David Charlton reflects on what he learned from episodes one and two where Doug Strycharczyk and Steve Judge shared fascinating insights and stories relating to Mental Toughness. Doug rightly points out that Mental Toughness is complex and that without self-awareness it may be more difficult for you to achieve your goals. While Steve talks about the importance of being honest with yourself if you are going to get the most from your talents. The focus of David’s observations are pointed towards some traps that highly committed people can fall into and the impact it can have on themselves and others.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Highly motivated and committed people don’t always get it right.
• A great question to ask yourself is “Is my approach helping me achieve my goals?”
• Committed athletes, coaches and executives set goals, persevere, are driven but…
• If you are low in “learning orientation” you will likely make the same mistakes over and over again.
• And you may fail to give yourself time out to reflect on your approach and ask yourself tough questions as Steve Judge did in episode 2 when he overcame his closest Italian rival to win the world championships Para Triathlon for a second time.
• Burnout can be your friend where you take on other people’s work and fail to prioritise the important things in your life and work.
• As a leader a fully committed approach can have disadvantages where you may have a negative impact on the culture of your organisation.
• You may not know how to reflect, if that is the case check out the Start, Stop, Continue approach and Gibbs reflective cycle.
• Some people can get too transfixed on the word “improvement” and end up focusing too much on their weaknesses.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast. Chris Paisley is an professional golfer currently playing on the European Tour. He made his first appearance in 2010 and had a bumpy ride for a few years before regaining his card for the 2015 season and has established self of the tour since. In January 2018, Chris had his first win on the tour, the BMW South African Open and was arguably the best golfer on the planet at that time. Chris and David chat about how to win on the European Tour and challenges that he has faced. Chris goes on to share some great words of advice for young professionals on the Europro, Alps and Challenge Tours on making the transition up to the European Tour. Essential Learning Points From This Episode • How to win on the European Tour. • The importance of understanding “strokes gained” to develop the right skills. • Having a strong mental game and good processes in place. • How a winning mentality when you’re out of sorts separates the best players. • Your level of focus on a daily basis will determine whether you’re successful or not. • A “one shot at a time mentality” is key to dealing with pressure. • Find ways to access “the zone” and focus on one thing regularly. • How to take your range game on to the course. • Realising that you can’t hit perfect shots all of the time. • Developing a B and C game. • Being honest with yourself is massively important. • Realising that everyone faces obstacles and the best players find ways to overcome them.
Peter Ramage is an Assistant Football or Soccer Coach for Phoenix Rising FC in the United Soccer League. He is a former footballer who began his career with Newcastle United as an academy players before moving up to the first team where he played alongside, Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy and Shay Given between 2004 and 2008. He then moved to Queens Park Rangers ending a 12 year association with Newcastle United. Peter also played for Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Barnsley Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League, Coventry City before ending his playing career in the USA with Phoenix Rising FC.
In this episode, Peter and David discuss a variety of elements to Mental Toughness with a focus on confidence. His belief in his ability and interpersonal confidence, where he shares stories about standing his ground in some difficult situations. Peter also talks about the importance of having a good support network around you and using it well. Tune in to find out why it’s a game changer for yourself as a footballer or athlete who is looking to get the most out of your talent.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• When you’re a young player training and playing with star players – asserting yourself to gain their respect.
• How to deal with criticism from team-mates, coaches and fans.
• Coping with being dropped and pushing yourself when you’re a squad player.
• Dealing with serious injuries and off the pitch challenges.
• How to approach your coach or manager when you’re an unhappy player.
• The importance of being honest with yourself and taking the time out to reflect on your approach and attitude.
• Having the courage to talk about your challenges.
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
Steve’s uplifting yet poignant journey will inspire you to achieve your own journey of excellence. Sharing his unique story with takeaways he’ll explain the many times he picked himself up after being knocked down both physically and mentally. Going from wheelchair to world champion and onwards to successful professional speaker, author and coach.
In this episode, Steve tells David about his inspirational story where he has faced a huge adversity in his life head on. He crashed his car near Sheffield in 2002 crushing both of his legs. Surgeons fortunately saved both of his legs and his life, however he was told that he was unlikely to walk again.
He shares his level of commitment and the promises that he made to himself. How he saw setbacks as challenges and opportunities, essential parts of Mental Toughness, in his quest to walk again and then become a 2 x World Champion Para Triathlete. While revealing how his mental health suffered and how he coped with hitting rock bottom.
Steve also discusses his career change into motivational speaking and frequently uses his phrase “Don’t Lean on Excuses” the name of his book!
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
- How to deal with adversity and multiple setbacks
- How to cope with negative emotions and hitting rock bottom
- The power of goal setting and bench marking
- Being kind to yourself during difficult times
- The importance of having support
- How to manage expectations and pain
- Focus on what you can do
- Reviewing and refining your approach is essential if you want to be the best that you can be
- How to overcome a fierce rival
- The importance of wellness, rest and recovery
- Planning, setting your own rules and taking massive action
- The benefits of visualization and negative meditation
Useful Resources:
Don't Lean On Your Excuses: A World Champion's Courageous Story That Inspires Living With No Regrets
Demystifying Mental Toughness is for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. David Charlton shares insights, strategies and stories from leading athletes, coaches, psychologists and specialists to help you perform to your optimum level on a more consistent basis. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast. This is an exciting day! Today is our first podcast and I’m fittingly joined by Doug Strycharczyk. Doug is viewed as a rock star in the Mental Toughness world. He has pioneered the application of the mental toughness to a wide variety of sectors.
He’s seen as one of the leading authorities worldwide on the application of the 4Cs Mental Toughness model, Doug works in the Occupational, Educational, Social Work, Sports and Health settings in more than 80 countries. He’s the CEO for AQR International and an experienced author who has contributed to a number of books that look at developing mental toughness and resilience with individuals and at an organisational level, with youngsters through to leaders. The development of psychometric tests are also a feature of Doug’s work.
In this, the first episode, Doug and David go on to introduce what Mental Toughness is and why it is misunderstood by many people. Doug shares the background behind the highly evidence based 4Cs Mental Toughness model and the importance of Mental Toughness. We also discuss the current climate and the impact additional stress and pressure can have on people, leaders and organisational culture.
Essential Learning Points From This Episode
• Mental Toughness is not a macho or masculine quality. • Mental weakness is not the opposite to mental toughness.
• Mental toughness runs on a continuum and people who are not mentally tough have a lot to offer.
• Mental toughness and resilience are very different, with mental toughness a wider and more valuable concept.
• Mental Toughness is made up of 8 factors that are part of the 4C’s (commitment, challenge, control and confidence) model.
• Without self awareness mentally tough people can falter.
• Mental Toughness can be measured using psychometric testing such as the MTQ Plus questionnaire.
• The Mental Toughness profiles in leadership teams are passed down to impact the culture of organisations.
• Developing mentally tough qualities in staff is high on the agenda of “caring” organisations now as they are concerned about their staff and the impact Covid-19 has had on them.
Useful Resources:
Developing Mental Toughness
Developing Employability and Enterprise
Developing Resilient Organisations
Developing Mental Toughness in Young People
David Charlton supports athletes, coaches and teams to achieve their goals - faster working as a Sports Psychologist and Managing Director for Inspiring Sporting Excellence. In the 10 years he has worked in this role, initially as a performance coach, he has successfully helped 1000s of athletes across a range of sports from Golf, Football, Rugby union, Rugby League, Triathlon, Motor Sport from aspiring youngsters to top elite professional athletes competing at world championships, on golf tours and in the Premier League or Rugby Premiership.
David is also an executive coach who supports business professionals to improve their performance and well-being with resilience and mental toughness coaching.
In this episode, David introduces the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast where he shares:
- What you can expect from the show.
- Why you should listen to the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast.
- The reason behind the name of the show.
- What Mental Toughness is and why it is misunderstood.
- Peter Clough MBE and associates widely researched Mental Toughness Model.
- Why Mental Toughness is important for performance and well-being.
- The downsides to being Mentally Tough.
- His own journey highlighting some personal and professional struggles.
David emphasises that you should listen if you are:
- A highly motivated Athlete or Coach who wants to be the best that you can be or would like to create a mentally tough culture in your team.
- Are an Executive, HR professional or Business Leader who has an interest in mental toughness or mindset, with a fondness for sport and want to learn so that you can take your performances or up a level or two.
- A Sport and Exercise Psychologist, Sport and Exercise Psychologist in training, Mental Skills Coach or a Life Coach, you will also get a lot from this podcast learning a lot from some of the guests and the inspiring stories and insights that they share.