The Sport Psych Show
Dan Abrahams
Join Sport Psychologist, Dan Abrahams, on The Sport Psych Show as he aims to demystify sport psychology for players, coaches and parents by speaking with some of the most influential people in sports performance today. Dan is on a mission to learn more about how sport psychology philosophies, tools and techniques positively impact participation, progression and performance in sport. He wants to learn more about how to drive participation – what motivational tools engage players and inspire people to play and stay in their sport. He wants to explore how players can progress quicker and more effectively – what is great practice and training? And how does learning in sport really happen? Finally, he wants to hear what his guests have to say about the psychology of performance – how do they think players can improve their ability to high perform consistently under pressure? Discover simple and practical tools and techniques by listening in to Dan’s conversations with elite competitors, sports coaches, sport scientists, and psychologists.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 20, 2020 • 55min
#86 Carli Lloyd and James Galanis - What it Takes to be the Best
I’m honoured to speak with two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medallist, and two-time FIFA Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd and her personal coach and mentor James Galanis in this episode. Carli needs no further introduction, she’s one of the greatest soccer players of all time. James is technical director of Medford Strikers Soccer Club and is the founding Director of premier soccer school, Universal Soccer Academy, the goal of which is to achieve excellence at each level of play while always striving to reach the next level. James has been by Carli’s side from the very early days in her career, helping her to push herself to be the best she can be. We speak about Carli’s journey from her early playing days through to now and James’ support and the strategies that have helped her become one of the greatest soccer players in the world. We speak about the dedication Carli has to improvement and how James pushes her to continually improve.
Apr 13, 2020 • 1h 11min
#85 Dr Noel Brick - Using Strategies to Help Maximise Performance
I’m excited to speak with Dr Noel Brick in this episode. Noel is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ulster University. He has a Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology and a PhD in Attentional Focus and Psychological Strategies in Endurance Activity. As a runner himself, Noel was interested in what endurance athletes think about during a race, what they focus on, what mental strategies they use, how they develop those strategies and how do they know if they’re working for them. We speak about Noel’s background and how he became interested in attentional focus; the use of mantras, active and involuntary distraction; dealing with injury and pain; self-regulation; practising using strategies when you most need them; meta-cognition and the importance of reflection.
Apr 6, 2020 • 1h 6min
#84 Steve Magness - How Feelings Impact Performance
I speak with Steve Magness in this episode. Steve is a sport scientist and a track and field coach. He coaches competitors at all levels, including athletes who have competed in the World Championships and the Olympics. He is Head Cross Country coach at the University of Houston, a Lecturer of Strength and Conditioning at St. Mary’s University, UK and author of three best-selling books, including the latest: The Passion Paradox. We speak about power posing in science and in practice; how feelings mediate an athlete’s performance; challenge vs threat states; the brain/body connection; attention; and the result of failing to develop the psychological side.
Mar 30, 2020 • 1h 13min
#83 Michael Hamilton - Innovative Ideas for Coaches at all Levels
I’m excited to be joined by AFC Wimbledon Academy Manager, Michael Hamilton. Prior to his role as Academy Manager, Michael was Academy Head of Coaching. In this episode we speak about the forward-thinking coaching process that are being implemented at AFC Wimbledon including practices that aim to enhance player development; creating a supportive environment for players; player-centred coaching; and working towards being player-led.
Mar 23, 2020 • 1h 1min
#82 Dr Chelsi Day - How to Communicate with Athletes
I have the pleasure of being joined by Dr Chesli Day in this episode. Chelsi is a sport psychologist within the athletic department at Ohio State University. She was previously at Indiana University as Director of Counselling and Sport Psychology. Her primary role is to provide mental health and performance enhancement services to student athletes and to consult with coaches. We speak about integrating sport psychology and wellness into the curriculum; breaking the stigma of mental health; vulnerability; coaching generation Z; coaching styles and mental health.
Mar 16, 2020 • 1h 5min
#81 Richard Nugent - The Characteristics of Great Leaders
I’m delighted to be joined by founder and MD of 21 Leadership, Richard Nugent in this episode. Richard works with fast-paced organisations, including the League Managers Association (LMA), helping them build their capability and capacity for change. He is the best-selling author of ‘50 Secrets of Self Confidence’ and a keynote speaker. In this episode we speak about the most important characteristics for leaders to have; knowing what you stand for as a leader; forward facing vs moving away from; leaving people with energy; physiology of leaders and competence.
Mar 9, 2020 • 58min
#80 Dr Paul McCarthy - Maximising Human Potential
I have the pleasure of being joined by Dr Paul McCarthy in this episode. Paul is Programme Director of the Taught Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is also resident sport psychologist at St Andrews Links Golf Academy and has his own private practice supporting athletes and coaches in a range of sports, particularly in golf & football. We take a deep dive into how change happens in athletes by examining person-centred frameworks; the belief that change is possible; listening as a skill; how people get better; different types of relationships; and having boundaries within roles.
Mar 2, 2020 • 1h 14min
#79 Dr Steve Bull - The Mentally Tough Athlete
I’m speaking with Chartered Psychologist, speaker, author and high performance consultant, Dr Steve Bull in this episode. With a keen interest in sport, Steve started out as a PE teacher before completing his Masters and then PhD in Applied Psychology at the time when the discipline was only just starting to take hold. He was the Great Britain Team Headquarters Psychologist at 3 Olympic games where he worked with coaches and athletes as well as staff across all sports. He also held various roles including team psychologist with the England Cricket Team for 16 years. We speak about the importance of intervening at the right time; relationship building; mental toughness; types of mental toughness; helping athletes build mental toughness and personality science.
Feb 24, 2020 • 1h 14min
#78 Dr Scott Goldman - Measuring Athletic Intelligence
In this week’s episode I welcome back Dr Scott Goldman. I asked Scott back on the show to speak about the Athletic Intelligence Quotient (AIQ) which he created together with Dr Jim Bowman when they both received training at the Albert Ellis Institute in New York. The AIQ is an intelligence test that assesses the innate cognitive abilities that are most utilised in attaining, developing, and applying athletic skills, strategies, and tactics. The AIQ has over 6000 professional elite athletes in its database covering all 5 major leagues in the US as well as Olympic training facilities and an English Premier League team. We take an in depth look into the AIQ, how it works and what the outcomes mean for individuals and teams.
Feb 17, 2020 • 44min
#77 Dr Scott Goldman - Supporting Elite Performers
I’m excited to be speaking with Dr Scott Goldman in this episode. Scott is Director of High Performance Psychology for one of the NFL teams in the US. He provides psychological support and expertise to the team, Head Coach, General Manager, and Vice President. Scott has served as a clinical and performance psychologist for the University of Michigan, Arizona, and Saint Louis’ Athletic Departments. In 2018, he was elected President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), an international, multidisciplinary organisation with over 2,500 members across 55 countries. We speak about the range of support around an athlete; different styles of coaching; psychological safety; and the role of luck.
