I’m delighted to speak to Dr Stephen Harvey in this week’s episode. Stephen is Professor in Sport Pedagogy at Ohio University. His research is focused on teacher/coach pedagogy and practice and its influence on student/player learning. Stephen is a former junior international field hockey coach and currently works with organisations such as USA field hockey and the United States Olympic Committee in a coach development and education role. He has successfully completed international coach educator/developer qualification and was previously a coach educator with England Hockey. Stephen is an experienced licensed soccer and badminton coach. In 2016 he was honoured as a Research Fellow by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America due to his extensive contributions to research in both physical education and sports coaching.  Stephen is particularly interested in game-based approaches to teaching and coaching. And it’s this topic that forms the basis of our discussion in this episode.

I’m delighted to speak to Christian Swann in this week’s episode. Christian is Associate Professor in Psychology at Southern Cross University, Australia. Christian’s research areas are in goal setting, mental health, and the psychology of exceptional performance. We discuss a research article that Christian has written alongside a number of authors which aims to critically examine the use of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound) goals for physical activity promotion. The paper recognises that SMART is a highly prominent strategy for setting physical activity goals. And, while it is intuitive, and its practical value has been recognised, the scientific underpinnings of the SMART acronym are less clear. Therefore, the paper’s aim is to narratively review and critically examine the scientific underpinnings of the SMART acronym and its application in physical activity promotion. Specifically, the review suggests that the SMART acronym: is not based on scientific theory; is not consistent with empirical evidence; does not consider what type of goal is set; is not applied consistently; is lacking detailed guidance; has redundancy in its criteria; is not being used as originally intended; and has a risk of potentially harmful effects. These issues are likely leading to sub-optimal outcomes, confusion, and inconsistency. Recommendations are provided to guide the field towards better practice and, ultimately, more effective goal setting interventions to help individuals become physically active. Read the article here https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2021.2023608

I’m delighted to speak to Dr Colum Cronin in this episode. Colum is Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Sport Coaching at Liverpool John Moores University. Colum’s research concerns youth sport coaching, coach education and coaching in community contexts. Colum has worked with a number of sporting organisations such as the Football Association and UK Coaching. He is an associate editor of the academic journal Sports Coaching Review and is co-author of the book ‘Care in Sport Coaching’ along with Kathleen Armour. And it’s this brilliant book we discuss in this episode.

I’m delighted to speak to Prof Kristoffer Henriksen in this week’s episode. Kristoffer is Head of the Learning and Talent in Sport Research Unit at the University of Southern Denmark. He is also a sport psychologist for Team Denmark – an organisation that works to provide Danish athletes with the best possible frameworks and conditions for them to live out their potential and perform at the highest international level. We discuss Kristoffer’s approach to working with athletes as well as a fantastic paper he wrote along with Gregory Diment and Carsten Hvid Larsen entitled ‘Team Denmark’s Sport Psychology Professional Philosophy 2.0’. The purpose of the article is to discuss Team Denmark’s professional philosophy; including: (1) the vision for the team; (2) basic beliefs and values; (3) the psychological theories that interventions are based upon; (4) Team Denmark’s Sports Psychological model which describes the content and focus of the team’s work; and (5) the concrete psychological services that delivered. High quality service requires coherence across all five levels of the philosophy. Read the paper here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339167625_Team_Denmark's_Sport_Psychology_Professional_Philosophy_20

I speak with Dr John Stoszkowski and Dr Danny Massaro in this episode. Danny is widely recognised as one of the best squash coaches in the United Kingdom. He coached his wife, world champion, Laura Massaro, for over 10 years, guiding her to world number 1. Danny is a lecturer in Sports Coaching at the University of Central Lancashire. And just completed his PhD. John was, up until very recently, a senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, leading a range of modules on the BSc Sports Coaching and Performance, BA Sports Coaching and Development, and MSc Sports Coaching programmes. In recognition of his contributions to teaching, John is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is research active with a particular interest in coach learning. John has just launched Think Space Academy, a new online cohort-based course. We discuss the importance of critical thinking in sporting environments.

I speak with Dr Fiona Leggat and Dr Sean Figgins in this episode. Fiona is a Research Associate at Kingston and St Georges University London. She completed her MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Chichester and her PhD in Applied Health Psychology at St Mary's University. Fiona’s academic interests include co-design, narrative pedagogy, rehabilitation psychology, implementation science and group dynamics.  Sean is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology and Research Methods at the University of Chichester. Sean’s research focusses on the social psychology of groups in sport and exercise contexts, with a particular focus on leadership and group dynamics. His research has primarily focussed on how leaders inspire groups and individuals, as well as the personal and contextual factors that impact on this process. We discuss in detail a brilliant paper that Fiona and Sean have written along with Dr Matthew Smith entitled ‘Talented but Disruptive: An Exploration of Problematic Players in Sports Teams.

I’m delighted to speak to sport and performance psychology expert, author, and speaker, Dr Nate Zinsser this week. Nate has been at the forefront of applied sport psychology for over thirty years. He is the director of West Point’s prestigious Performance Psychology Program, a Certified Mental Performance Coach (CMPC) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and has a PhD in sport psychology from the University of Virginia. Nate has been a regular consultant to the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Giants for twelve seasons. We discuss Nate’s brand new book ‘The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance’ in which he distils his research and years of experience, offering a fascinating guide to the science of confidence. The book provides readers with a practical, step-by-step programme to best harness their belief in themselves to achieve success in any field. The Confident Mind is a complete guide to confidence: how to understand it, how to build it, how to protect it, and how to rely upon it when your performance matters most.

I’m so excited to speak with the very first Sport Psych Show guest, Dr Ed Coughlan this week.  Ed is widely acknowledged as one of the top skills coaches working in elite sport today. He is a senior lecturer at Munster Technological University and Research Lead in Skill Acquisition. Ed has worked with a wide range of competitors and coaches including from the EIS, GB Shooting, UEFA, Chelsea FC, St Helen’s Rugby League and with a number of golfers on the European Tour. Ed has over 30 years coaching experience. We discuss how his coaching has changed over that time; being comfortable with not having all the answers for players; the ASPIRE model he and fellow researcher, Dr Paul Ford developed and Ed shares his top tips for coaches of teams for session design with skill acquisition in mind.

Mike Ashford, a lecturer in Sport Coaching at Coventry University and a coach developer, dives into the complex world of decision-making in team sports. He shares insights from his research on how athletes, especially in rugby union, navigate pressures during competitions. The discussion covers various decision-making theories and the importance of adaptable coaching methods. Mike emphasizes the crucial balance between structured training and real-time adaptations, aiming to enhance players' situational awareness and teamwork.

I speak to BPS Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and HCPC Practitioner Psychologist, Dr Bryan McCann in this episode. Bryan is a lecturer in Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is an active researcher interested in a range of sport and exercise psychology topics, in particular the social influences on motivation in sport and exercise contexts. In Bryan’s previous role as a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen he led a range of innovative and award-winning projects. Bryan has provided psychological support to a range of national, international and Olympic level athletes and teams in different sports, including football, golf, swimming, table tennis and skiing and has consulted for organisations such as the Scottish FA, The Camanachd Association, Scottish Swimming and Sport Scotland. Bryan and I speak about a fascinating paper he has written about the perceived influence of coaches, parents and peers on players' motivation during development.