145: Geir Jordet on the pressure and performance of penalty shoot-outs

Today, I’m joined by Geir Jordet, the world's leading expert on the psychology of penalties and author of "Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout." Geir brings an extensive background in sports psychology, with a focus on high-pressure performances in football. He has studied and published analyses on every major penalty shootout in soccer since 1976, so is ideally placed to  offer insights into the critical moments that define sports outcomes, and how these insights apply across different sports and high-stress professions.

Show Notes:

• Introduction to Geir Jordet: Learn about Geir's extensive background in sports psychology, focusing on high-pressure performances in football, and how it applies across various high-stress fields.

• Euros Enthusiasm: Geir shares his thoughts on the ongoing Euros competition and his personal enjoyment of the games.

• Origin of Interest: Discover how Geir's fascination with penalty shootouts began and what drove him to focus his career on this niche.

• Understanding the Psychobiological Model: Geir explains the cognitive and emotional interactions that occur during high-pressure penalty shootouts and how these can affect performance.

• Research Revelations: Insights from analyzing over 700 penalty kicks, highlighting surprising patterns and findings from historical data.

• From Theory to Practice: How Geir’s research has been translated into practical strategies for coaches and athletes preparing for penalty shootouts.

• Historical Impacts: Discussion on instances where psychological factors have decisively influenced the outcomes of penalty shootouts.

• The Role of Mental Fatigue: An in-depth look at how mental fatigue can impair players during the crucial moments of a shootout.

• Addressing Critiques: Geir responds to critiques about the limitations of theorizing human behavior in unpredictable high-pressure situations.

• Future of Sports Psychology: Geir's perspective on the next advancements in sports psychology, especially concerning high-pressure scenarios.

• Technology in Training: How virtual reality and biometric monitoring could revolutionize training for high-pressure situations.

• Cultural Variations: Exploration of how athletes from different cultures perceive and manage the pressures of penalty shootouts.

• Anecdotal Evidence: Geir shares a personal story illustrating the significant impact that understanding psychological pressure can have on athletic performance.

• Misconceptions in Training: Geir discusses common misconceptions coaches and players have about preparing for high-pressure situations and what the research really says.

• Challenging Training Norms: A critical look at whether current training practices adequately address the psychological aspects of sports performance and what improvements are needed.

Connect with Geir Jordet:

• Geir's book, https://www.geirjordet.com/book
• https://twitter.com/GeirJordet
• https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IZOfHx8AAAAJ&hl=en
• https://www.geirjordet.com/

Hi, I'm Steve Ingham Sports and Performance Scientist co-founder at Supporting Champions. I have the privilege of supporting over 1000 athletes of which over 200 have gone on to win World or Olympic medals. For the last 25 years I've been fascinated by, researched and applied innovative ideas to help people succeed  and now I want to share those performance strategies with you. 

I help aspiring and professional Performance Science and Support Staff improve their skills, experience and mindset for working with sports performers through a range of online courses and an exclusive community hub https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse

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