The Sport Psych Show

I’m delighted to speak to Dr Alexander T. Latinjak this week. Alexander is an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Suffolk.  In his youth, Alexander was a high-level tennis player who travelled the world pursuing his sports career. After retiring from tennis Alexander studied psychology at the University of Barcelona and obtained his PhD in Psychology with Distinction from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He then worked for eight years at the prestigious School of Health and Sports Sciences (EUSES) at the University of Girona before joining the University of Suffolk to contribute to the sports psychology curriculum and broaden his diverse lines of research and applied practices.  Alexander specialises in the area of self-talk and cognitive self-regulation in sports and has co-edited a brilliant book on the subject entitled ‘Self-Talk in Sport’ with Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis.

Dr. Laura Healy & Joseph Stanford discuss personality traits in coach-athlete relationships, emphasizing the 'big five' traits impact, importance of understanding personalities for collaboration, dynamics of relationships, embracing authenticity in coaching, complexities of traits, and research approaches in enhancing communication and understanding.

I’m delighted to speak to Prof Tim Rees this week. Tim is a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences at Bournemouth University, a Higher Education Academy Fellow, a British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow, and a BASES Accredited Sport & Exercise Scientist. Tim’s research centres on the development of talent, and social psychological influences on performance and physical activity. His research has been featured in all major UK broadsheets, BBC R4’s flagship programme “All in the Mind”, US National Public Radio’s “Only a Game”, Psychology Today and Huffington Post, and has informed and changed practice across all UK Olympic Sports, England Rugby, and the England and Wales Cricket Board. Tim and I discuss several papers that he has contributed to regarding elite athletes and, in particular, we discuss the differences between elite and super-elite athletes.

I speak to Jay DeMerit in this week’s episode. Jay is a retired professional soccer player having played in the Premier League and USMNT. He played for Watford F.C over six seasons, including one season in the Premier League, having scored in their victory in the 2006 Football League Championship play-off Final. Jay also played in the 2010 World Cup for the US. Jay now runs youth programme Rise + Shine which aims to inspire youth to identify their strengths and passions; and to develop the skills required for ongoing success, well-being, and the pursuit of excellence. Rise and Shine provides attendees with a series of experiences and lessons that explore the habits, mental skills, and personal responsibilities that are critical tools for emerging leaders.  We talk about Jay’s remarkable story from not being drafted by any MLS clubs following his graduation from college to playing in the English Premier League in just a few short years.

In this episode I speak to Prof Mark Beauchamp. Mark is a Professor at The University of British Colombia. His research primarily focuses on the social psychology of groups within health, exercise, and sport settings and has been published in a variety of journals such as the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, and the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Mark is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS), Associate Editor for the 'Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports', and he is on the editorial boards for a number of other journals including 'Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology'​ (APA), and the 'Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology'. Mark characterises his work as the psychology of human thriving.  Mark and I discuss a brilliant paper he has written along with Alan Kingstone and Nikos Ntoumanis entitled “Psychology of Athletic Endeavor” which examines the (high quality) evidence that allows athletes to succeed, to thrive and to perform well. You can find the pre-print version of the paper on ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360181284_Psychology_of_athletic_endeavor

In this episode I’m delighted to welcome back teacher, teaching mentor and bestselling author, Doug Lemov to the show.   Doug studies high performing teachers and what it is they do that makes them so effective in the classroom. Back in episode 120 Doug came on the show to talk about his brilliant book “The Coach’s Guide to Teaching” in which he brings his considerable knowledge about the science of classroom teaching to the sports coaching world to create championship calibre coaches on the court and field. In this episode Doug is back to speak about the book a little over a year since its release, the question’s that have arisen from the book and his recent thoughts on some of the topics he introduced in the book.

I’m delighted to welcome Steve Magness back to the show this week. Steve is a world-renowned expert on performance. He has served as a consultant on mental skills development for professional sports teams, including some of the top teams in the NBA. He has also coached numerous professional athletes to the Olympics and world championship level. Steve was a columnist for Running Times magazine and is now the co-host of two podcasts: The Growth Equation podcast with Brad Stulberg and On Coaching with Magness and Marcus with Jon Marcus. His writing has also appeared in Runner’s World and Sports Illustrated. In addition, Steve's expertise on elite sport and performance has been featured in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Men’s Health, The Guardian, Business Insider, and ESPN The Magazine.  Steve is the author and co-author of a number of best-selling books. Collectively his books have sold more than a quarter-million copies. His upcoming book (out in June) is called “Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness”. We take a deep dive into this brilliant book.

I speak to Dr Keagen Hadley in this week’s episode. Keagen is an occupational therapy doctor who specialises in using psychological treatments such as ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to improve the lives of his patients. Keagen is about to release his first book entitled "Torn: Overcoming the Psychological Challenges Post-ACL Injury" (out in June). The book has been written for people who may be struggling with psychological issues related to ACL injuries, though the practical tips on managing stress and overcoming the mental hurdles of injury recovery would be beneficial for those recovering from all types of injury. Keagen drew on his own personal experiences to write the book, having torn both ACLs playing college and semi-professional football (NFL). This experience made him acutely aware of the struggles associated psychologically post-ACL injury and how to overcome them with positive results. You can check out his website here https://keagenhadley.com

I speak to Dr Lee Hancock in this week’s episode. Lee is a professor in kinesiology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is also a coach educator at the US Soccer Federation and the sport psychology coach for Canada Women’s Beach Volleyball team that competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro and Tokyo 2020. Lee is also the founder and owner of DLH Performance - a company dedicated to helping professional athletes, coaches at all levels, business and team leaders, students, parents and organisations fulfil their potential. And he’s recently released a brilliant book “Talent Zones: 10 Tools to Help Kids Develop Their Talents” in which Lee redefines talent so that parents, teachers, and coaches can create environments rich in opportunities for all kids to boost their confidence and to develop talents in multiple areas. He presents ten evidence-based, developmentally appropriate strategies called Talent Development Zones (TDZs) which transform talent concepts and research into practical strategies adults can use to create environments for developing talents.

I speak with Prof Rosemary Purcell & Dr Courtney Walton in this week’s episode. Rosie is Director of Knowledge Translation at Orygen. She is also the Deputy Head of Department of the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and a registered psychologist.  Rosie has co-authored over 150 publications in the areas of youth mental health, early intervention in forensic mental health and mental health in elite sport. She is an investigator on a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant investigating the benefits of physical activity for young people with depression, and a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Elite Athlete Mental Health Consensus Group and the IOC’s Mental Health Translation Working Group. Rosie’s primary research interests are understanding mental health problems in elite athletes and developing optimal strategies for improving and maximising mental health and wellbeing in sporting environments Courtney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Mental Health in Elite Sports research group at The University of Melbourne and Orygen. He is also a psychologist at The Mind Room, where he works primarily with athletes and performers. Courtney's research aims are to understand the aspects of unstable and competitive environments that both positively and negatively interact with mental health. He is also interested in exploring the ways in which sport and exercise can be supportive of adolescent mental health and well-being. He is an Associate Editor at Australian psychologist, and has contributed to research and consultancy projects with leading sporting organisations such as the AFL, AIS, Cricket Australia, and Tennis Australia. So far, he has published over 50 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. Courtney and Rosie have co-authored a fantastic paper entitled “An Evidence-Informed Framework to Promote Mental Wellbeing in Elite Sport” and it’s this paper we discuss in detail. You can read the paper here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780359/full