The Sport Psych Show

I’m delighted to speak with Jenny Williams in this episode. Jenny represented South Australia in six sports: lacrosse, indoor lacrosse, touch, soccer, cricket and Australian rules football (AFL). Throughout her sporting career Jenny has coached many different sports including tennis, basketball, volleyball as well as the sports she herself played in. Jenny has a Masters in psychology and has worked as team psychologist in various sports including golf and AFL. Jenny has also written the fantastic book Think Prepare Play like a Champion which aims to uncover how to get to the top as a player, coach or manager. And it’s this book we mainly speak about, specifically, caring for players; self-awareness; the role of luck in sport and in life; different thinking styles and patterns; flow and players preparing for all eventualities.

I’m speaking with Mark Bennett MBE in this episode. Mark is founder of Performance Development Systems (PDS) - a robust set of principles that facilitate world class learning and performance cultures and environments. PDS was designed for coaches, managers and teachers to better understand themselves and learn how to influence and get the best out of the people around them. Before establishing PDS, Mark was a British Commando and senior instructor within the Army Physical Training Corps.  PDS is being used in 30 different sports from grassroots to the Olympics and professional teams as well as in schools helping disengaged children by supporting the teachers and mentors.  We speak in detail about PDS and look at examples of Mark implementing it in different sporting environments. Specifically, we speak about coaches utilising their players to help them grow; helping players self-manage; building confidence in players; coaches being aware of their own coaching style - why they coach the way they do; accountability; being adaptable in the moment and the importance of reflection and review.

I’m excited to speak with Simon Williams in this episode. Simon has a football playing background, is a former football coach and is now Life Skills Manager for League Football Education (LFE).  LFE was established in 2004 by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and the English Football League (EFL) to be responsible for education and welfare across all EFL clubs. We speak about the role of LFE; supporting young players outside of football; player identity; helping athletes understand the importance of having interests outside of their sport; explaining the ‘why’ to players; transferable skills; how the psych-social side can help a player’s performance; self-awareness; grassroots coaching and Simon gives some fantastic examples of thinking outside the box to help players develop mental skill.

I’m delighted to speak with Jamie Taylor in this episode. Jamie is a former a coach and PE Teacher with a keen interest in human performance. He was head academy coach at Leicester Tigers and now works in the Pathways Team at the English Institute of Sport supporting Olympic and Para-Olympic talent pathways to develop their practice in talent development.  We speak about motivation and commitment; the importance of self-regulation in sport; understanding your athletes; missing windows of developmental opportunity; parents nurturing their children’s sport and allowing children to have a range of experiences.

I speak with Dr Carla Meijen in this episode. Carla is an HCPC registered sport and exercise psychologist and a senior lecturer in Applied Psychology at St Mary’s University, London. She graduated with an MSc in Social Psychology from the University of Amsterdam, followed by an MSc in Performance Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. Carla then completed her PhD at Staffordshire University, where she focused on challenge and threat states, examining athletes’ cognitive, affective, and cardiovascular responses to demanding situations. Carla has also edited the fantastic book ‘Endurance Performance in Sport’. And it’s this book we mainly focus, specifically we speak about challenge and threat states in athletes; endurance performance; motivation; ‘if-then’ planning; automatic association; attentional focus; process-driven goals; flexible goals and the importance of reflection.

I have the pleasure of speaking with Ian Peek in this episode. Ian is a transition & performance coach, helping his clients achieve their goals whether that’s transitioning to a new level of achievement or maintaining their position at the top of their sport or industry. Ian holds a Master’s degree in Sports Coaching and is a PhD researcher. He is also a PGA Master Professional - the highest educational level in The PGA - which recognises PGA Members who make a significant effort to improve themselves as golf professionals and maintain the highest degree of excellence for themselves and their operations. We speak about the biopsychosocial model; the importance of looking at all aspects of a person’s life as a coach; coaches being great actors; being the best version of yourself and the importance of adaptability as a coach.

I’m delighted to speak with throw-in coach, motivational speaker and author, Thomas Gronnemark in this episode. Thomas is the throw-in coach for Liverpool FC as well as for other European clubs. Thomas has himself had a very varied sporting background having played soccer for over 18 years and moving into athletics in his late teens. He was on the Danish National team for both athletics and bobsleigh and he holds the Guinness World Record for the longest throw-in. After having not been able to find any information on coaching throw-ins, Thomas decided to create his own course on the subject which then led to him specialise in coaching throw-ins. We speak about athletes speaking up about nerves and anxiety; evaluating performances; asking for help; experiences not perfection; the importance of having a throw-in strategy and maximising energy.

I’m delighted to speak with football writer and consultant, Ben Lyttleton in this episode. Ben has always been interested in the psychology of performance. After writing his first book, Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty he started working with clubs to help them improve their penalty taking strategies and record. Ben has also written the fantastic book EDGE in which he discovers the innovative methods some of the world's top football clubs use to develop talent. And it’s this book we mainly focus on, specifically we speak about team cohesion; teams taking a holistic approach to developing players; what makes teams successful; retaining players; the transfer window and buying players at the elite level; types of motivation; decision making (Cruyff Football); resilience and creativity.

In this episode, I speak with pain physiotherapist and pain coach Richmond Stace. Richmond became interested in the area of pain while working as a nurse in his younger years. He went on to obtain a rehabilitation and science degree, a physiotherapy degree and a Masters in pain science at King's College London. He then jointly set up Understand Pain – a social enterprise that aims to help society have a greater understanding of pain and what can be done to improve our lives. We speak about how our perceptions inform our reality; understanding why people react differently to the same experiences; narrative influencing pain (and life); acceptance is not giving up and focusing on what you can do (not what you can’t).

I’m delighted to speak with author and journalist Jonathan Harding in this episode. Jonathan has just released the brilliant book Mensch: Beyond the Cones, which takes a detailed look at the German football coaching system and what sets it apart. In the book, Jonathan outlines attributes that modern German coaching embraces to succeed. From the practical aspects on the training ground to why the German coaching system produces so many talented players.  We speak about the German Lehrer coaching course; situational development; today’s players needing to be told the ‘why’; creating ‘safe’ environments for players; the importance of coaches being ‘people managers’; personality characteristics and styles of coaching; coaches having a connection with their players; self-skills for coaches and what is next for German coaching.