#284 Rob Walter & Adam Miles - Developing a Psychological Programme for High Performance in Elite Sport
Jun 3, 2024
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Rob Walter, coach of the South African White Ball team, and Adam Miles, sports psychologist, discuss developing a psychological program for high performance in elite sports. They cover topics such as integrating psychology into coaching, implementing values in a high-performance environment, and enhancing skill development in elite cricket.
Integrating mental skills into coaching enhances player performance by aligning on challenge and threat states.
Values system focusing on growth mindset and resilience fosters player autonomy and collective growth.
Balancing challenge and support boosts player performance by understanding reactions under pressure and nurturing skill development.
Deep dives
Developing a Player-Centered Approach to Psychological Support
The coaches, Adam Miles and Rob Water, focused on integrating mental skills development into their coaching approach. They emphasized the importance of psychological support in enhancing player performance. By aligning the coaching staff and the players on key concepts like challenge and threat states, expert level skills, and thriving in pivotal moments, they created a player-centered approach to psychological support.
Implementing Values-Based Training and Skill Development
The coaches introduced a comprehensive values system, emphasizing growth mindset, resilience, enjoyment, accountability, and teamwork. They structured training weeks around these values, allowing players to design challenges aligning with each value. This approach encouraged autonomy and ownership among players, fostering a culture of personal and collective growth.
Balancing Challenge and Support in the Coaching Environment
Rob Water highlighted the delicate balance between challenging players to grow their skills and providing support to maintain confidence and self-belief. By integrating challenge and support effectively, the coaching staff aimed to propel players towards higher performance levels. This approach prioritized understanding player reactions under pressure and fostering a supportive environment for skill development and psychological resilience.
Developing a Growth Mindset in Sports Teams
In the podcast episode, the speakers discussed the importance of fostering a growth mindset within sports teams. They highlighted the significance of creating a symbiotic relationship between coaches and players to promote a culture of continuous growth and learning. By introducing concepts like growth mindset and providing opportunities for players to take ownership of their development, the coaching staff aimed to cultivate an environment where individuals and the team as a whole could thrive. The emphasis on challenging athletes to step out of their comfort zones while providing support and autonomy proved essential in driving improvement and enhancing performance.
Integration of Sports Psychology in Skill Development
The podcast delved into the integration of sports psychology in skill development within sports teams. It emphasized the role of sports psychologists in collaborating with coaching staff to enhance players' performance and facilitate skill acquisition. By leveraging subjective measurements and objective assessments, players were able to identify their skill levels and work towards improvement. The speakers underscored the importance of creating a supportive environment that allows for exploration and feedback, ensuring that players feel empowered to take ownership of their development. The discussion highlighted the need for clear communication, patience, and negotiation in defining roles and implementing frameworks to optimize the impact of sports psychology in skill enhancement.
I’m delighted to welcome back Adam Miles to the show this week. Adam is joined by Rob Walter, the Head Coach for the South African White Ball team in this episode.
Rob holds a degree in Human Movement Sciences. He started his coaching career as conditioning and fielding coach for the Proteas, the South African National Cricket Team. During this time, he also worked in the Indian Premier League for Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils. Rob was then Head Coach of the Titans Cricket Team in South Africa before pursuing head coach roles in New Zealand. He was Head Coach of Otago Cricket for 5 seasons before taking up the same role for Central Districts Cricket for almost 2 seasons. In 2023 Rob was named the ODI and T20 Coach of the Proteas.
Adam currently works as a psychologist in Primary Care. He is also team psychologist at Otago Cricket and Southern Steel in the New Zealand Netball League. Adam was previously Assistant Coach at Otago Cricket, working closely with Rob to develop a mental skills programme at the Club. Prior to this, Adam was manager of talent development and player pathway at Otago Cricket Association. Adam also coached New Zealand first class cricket team, Otago Volts.
Adam moved from the UK to New Zealand on a PhD scholarship in Sport Psychology at the University of Otago exploring Life Skills Development in Elite Athletes.
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