Demystifying Mental Toughness

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 Instagram 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 LinkedIn Instagram 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 Instagram 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