The Sport Psych Show

I speak with Blaine McKenna in this episode. Blaine is a UEFA A soccer coach, former academy director and founder of Life Sports Performance Coaching which provides a range of education and sessions to coaches and players enabling them to get better faster. Having completed his Masters is Sport Psychology, Blaine started to incorporate mental skills into his coaching curriculum and has taken his brand of coaching all over the globe from Kuwait to Thailand.   We speak about culture impacting style of play; game-based training; autonomy-supportive coaching; establishing a leadership group within teams; creating a motivational environment; teaching transferable life skills to players; self-determination theory; focusing on strengths and planning sessions with sport psychology in mind.

I have the pleasure of speaking with Aaron O'Connell in this episode. Aaron has been coaching basketball for over 30 years.  Formerly a business entrepreneur, Aaron describes himself as a continuous learner having completed a Masters in Applied Sport Psychology and currently undertaking a Masters in Applied Coaching. We speak about having a coaching philosophy of putting the individual first; building self-awareness as a coach in order to help players; asking players for feedback; reflection; growth mindset; taking the pressure off younger players; team identity and Aaron gives some fantastic ideas to help players develop as people and as players.

I’m delighted to have Nick Coley on this episode. Nick is Head of Learning and Development at Evans Cycles and is currently undertaking his Masters degree in Sport Psychology. Nick has competed in cycling from a young age, including mountain biking and cross country, he is now an endurance mountain bike racer. We speak about the importance of training the body as well as the mind, ‘trying out’ different psychology strategies to find what works, self-awareness, self-reflection and self-talk and utilising sports psychology in a business setting.

In this episode I speak with Stuart Carrington. Stuart is a lecturer of Sports Coaching Science at St Mary's University, London. He has a background in soccer as a coach - having worked at two Premier League football clubs. Stuart also holds a Masters degree in Sport Psychology and is a REBT primary certificate holder. Stuart is also author of the soon to be released Blowing the Whistle: The Psychology Behind Football Refereeing. And it’s this book we mostly speak about specifically VAR; psychological influences on referees; the impact of the crowd; intrinsic motivation; managing emotions on the pitch; fans educating themselves and psychologically preparing to play.

In this episode I speak with senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at Staffordshire University, Dr Matt Slater. Matt is an Expert on the psychology of leadership and high performing teams. He is also author of the fantastic book TOGETHERNESS: How to Build a Winning Team in which he shares with readers how to develop team identity through practical ideas and examples. We speak about team sports; social identity; Reflect, Represent & Realise; shared leadership and the difference between leaders and leadership.

I have the pleasure of being joined by Dr Kathy Adcock in this episode. Kathy is a clinical psychologist, boxer and England Boxing Level 1 coach. Kathy works as a NHS Clinical Manager, working with parents and young people with a broad range of emotional and relational difficulties. She is also founder and managing director of social enterprise In Your Corner which combines non-contact boxing with evidence-based ideas from psychological intervention within community settings. And it’s mostly this fantastic enterprise that we speak about, specifically finding ways to engage with young people; boxing metaphors for life; the narratives people have about their lives and using sport as a way to become open to being psychologically flexible.  

I’m speaking with Chris Bryan in this episode. Chris is an Irish International Open Water swimmer, having finished 8th at the world championships. He was the first Irish Open Water swimmer to compete at the European championships. Chris has also completed his PhD in Psychological Resilience and regularly contributes scholarly articles to psychological journals. Chris now manages a swimming academy in Dubai. We speak about hard work vs talent; intrinsic motivation; getting the most out of athletes; the importance of athletes asking ‘why’; building resilience; sustainable success; proactive effort; positive psychology; predictable and unpredictable adversity; and bouncebackability.

I have the pleasure of being joined by Martin Bingisser in this episode. Martin holds several positions including National Hammer Throw coach for Swiss Athletics, Throws coach for LC Zürich and Fitness coach for GC Zürich Rugby. He has also worked with USATF, UK Athletics, Scottish Athletics, European Athletics Coaches Association. As an athlete, Martin reached 21st place at the 2014 European Championships and is a 9-time Swiss national champion for hammer throw. Martin is also founder of HMMR Media, a fantastic coaching resource covering a variety of sports and he has written a book called Training Talk: Conversations with a Dozen Master Coaches - a fantastic read in which Martin sits down with twelve top coaches from track and field, soccer, football, and rugby to share best practices and synthesise what the best do to be so successful. And it’s this book we mainly focus, discussing Martin’s experiences as a coach and an athlete. We speak about having a work-life balance; the role of confidence in sport psychology; getting feedback from athletes; helping athletes reflect; flow state and the importance of self-improvement as a coach.

Richard Shorter, an expert in parent engagement for schools and sports, dives into character building in young athletes. He emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions to foster open communication between children, parents, and coaches. Discussions touch on enhancing sideline support, managing stress, and balancing expectations with enjoyment. Shorter advocates for meaningful conversations that focus on personal growth rather than just winning. His insights encourage a supportive environment, promoting self-awareness and healthy relationships in youth sports.

I’m excited to speak with Rugby Sevens coach, Warren Abrahams in this episode. Warren started out playing rugby in South Africa before moving to the UK where he began to focus on coaching. He has since held a series of coaching roles including with London Irish, Harlequins, Lithuania Sevens and England Sevens. He is now coaching the German National Sevens team. We speak about being a student of the game; developing resilience; multi-sports; the importance of ‘play’; ‘chaotic’ training sessions and the role of psychology in sport.