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
Jul 5, 2019 • 1h 16min
#46 Fergus Connolly - Working with the World's Greatest Coaches, Athletes & Special Forces
I have the pleasure of being joined by Author and Performance Expert, Fergus Connolly in this episode. Fergus started out in the world of sport playing Gaelic football in Ireland and, after having developed an interest in speed, strength, and psychology, was offered a role at Bolton Wanderers. Over the next 15 years he went on to work with Bolton Wanderers, Welsh Rugby, San Francisco 49ers, Michigan Football, Blackburn FC, Liverpool FC and many more teams globally. Fergus has also written two fantastic books 'Game Changer' and his latest book '59 Lessons: Working with the World's Greatest Coaches, Athletes, & Special Forces'. And it’s this new book that we focus on in this episode. Specifically, we speak about compassionate ruthlessness; interpersonal skills; self-awareness; empowering players, and focusing on what you can control.
Jul 1, 2019 • 57min
#45 Dr Pedro L Almeida - Benfica FC: The Psychology of the Portuguese National Champions
I’m delighted to speak with sport psychologist at Benfica Football Club, Dr Pedro L Almeida in this episode. Pedro has been a sport psychologist at Benfica FC for coming up to 25 years. During this time he has accumulated a wealth of experience working with players of all ages from youth team players through to some of the best players in the world. Pedro is also Assistant Professor at Instituto Universitário in Lisbon. We speak about the holistic approach to player development that Benfica takes; the importance of helping players have a structure to their thinking; helping players with career transitioning; helping players manage the fame that comes with a first-team contract; having a support team around players from a young age, not just at first team level; and the successful traits of Portuguese managers.
Jun 25, 2019 • 1h 1min
#44 Dr Andy Hill - Developing Excellence
In this episode I speak with performance psychologist for Blackburn Rovers FC and GB Para Table Tennis, Dr Andy Hill. Andy completed his undergraduate and master degrees in coaching and then went on to do his PhD looking at ‘What makes the elite, elite?’. He works with competitors to help them get the very best out of their ability and with coaches to help increase their understanding of the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs). We speak about players putting in the effort; psychology underpinning the physical; Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs) and helping coaches help players develop skill.
Jun 13, 2019 • 1h 3min
#43 Gary Curneen - The Modern Soccer Coach
I’m excited to have assistant coach for the Chicago Red Stars, Gary Curneen on this episode. Gary has held various coaching positions over the years and played collegiate soccer at Wingate University, helping lead the men’s soccer team to their first-ever NCAA Division II playoff berth. Gary is also founder of the Modern Soccer Coach which aims to create and help develop elite coaches through books, coaching clinics, mentorship programmes, podcasts and webinars. Inspired by players, coaches, and leaders who want to get out of their comfort zone and make an impact, their goal is to give back to the players and coaches who love soccer as much as they do. We speak about the impact of playing college soccer in the US; overcoming insecurities as a player; learning that there’s more to coaching than x’s and o’s; learning from experience; having a mentor and coming up with innovative ideas to engage players.
Jun 10, 2019 • 46min
#42 Lauren Abarca - Improving Performance Through Mental Conditioning
I have the pleasure of being joined by Lauren Abarca - Mental Conditioning Coordinator with the New York Yankees. Lauren is an experienced soccer player who competed for the University of San Francisco and Point Loma Nazarene University. In this time, she completed her B.A. in Kinesiology with a Minor in Psychology. As a former collegiate athlete Lauren acquired a passion for improving sports performance through mental strengthening. Lauren went on to receive her Master's in Performance Psychology from National University. Lauren continues her passion for improving performance by working with elite level athletes including professional and Olympic. We speak about psychology in baseball; knowing the individual; personality; the importance of observation; self-awareness; asking the right questions; giving too much feedback and identity.
Jun 4, 2019 • 1h 21min
#41 Annie Vernon – The Psychology of Elite Athletes
In this episode I speak with former Olympic rower, Annie Vernon. Annie is an Olympic silver medallist and two-time World Champion. She is now a respected sports journalist and has just written a fantastic book entitled Mind Games - Determination, Doubt and Lucky Socks: An Insider's Guide to the Psychology of Elite Athletes. Through interviews with leading sports stars and the latest scientific research, Mind Games looks at how elite sports performers harness the power of their mind in pursuit of physical perfection. We speak about the experience of seeing a sport psychologist; nature vs nurture; ‘talent needs trauma’; conscientiousness; the importance of experience; competitiveness; motivation and mental qualities of elite athletes.
May 27, 2019 • 45min
#40 Carly Clarke - A Champion's Mindset
Basketball coach Carly Clarke discusses champion's behaviors, coaching through questioning, athlete ownership, team cohesion, managing distractions, learning from losses, and post-training reflection in an engaging conversation.
May 20, 2019 • 29min
#39 Dr Claire-Marie Roberts - Clean Sport Week: The Psychology of Drug Use in Sport
This week is Clean Sport Week in the UK. Clean Sport week is an initiative run by UKAD (UK Anti-Doping) and is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the important values of clean sport and support the hard work that sport in the UK is doing in the fight against doping. This year the main focus of the week is on Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs), and in particular the use of IPEDs within the gym environment. I am joined by sport psychology consultant Dr Claire-Marie Roberts to discuss all things psychology and drug use in sport. Claire-Marie holds an academic position at the University of the West of England and works for the Premier League in coach and football manager development. She also sits of the board of UKAD. We speak about the motivations behind IPED use; normalising the use of IPEDs; the prevalence of IPEDs; social identity and breaking the cycle of IPED use.
May 13, 2019 • 1h
#38 Sarah Broadhead - Understanding the Brain and Maximising its Potential
In this episode I speak with chartered occupational psychologist, Sarah Broadhead. Sarah is currently the GB Taekwondo team psychologist and has worked with a range of sports – British Swimming, GB Canoeing, Archery GB, UK Athletics, GB Triathlon, Formula 3 motor racing, European Tour golfers, a world champion 800m runner and CG gold medal winning mountain biker. Sarah was part of the Director team that created Chimp Management with Prof Steve Peters in 2013, shaping the vision of the company. She now has her own company which gives individuals and organisations in sport and business the insight, skills and support they need to perform and thrive. We speak about Compassion Focused Therapy; the complexities of the brain; understanding why the brain does what it does; the differences between the adult and adolescent brain; understanding why someone is doing what they’re doing; ownership; normalising feelings; role modelling; motivation; developing a positive inner voice; and threat, drive and compassion.
May 6, 2019 • 1h 1min
#37 Dr Andrea Furst - Making Psychology Matter
I’m delighted to be joined by one of the world’s leading sport and performance psychologists in this episode - Dr Andrea Furst. Andrea currently works with Surrey cricket and GB and England Hockey as well as having her own consultancy. She has been involved in 4 Olympic and para-Olympic games, specifically in Australian sprint canoe-kayak, 100m hurdles, long jump, triathlon, as well as sailing and swimming for Singapore. Andrea was psychologist to the gold medal winning Great Britain women’s hockey team in Rio 2016. We speak about cultural differences in sport and in athletes; working with Olympic teams as a sport psychologist; the importance of not being results focused; talking about failure as well as success; identity; vulnerability and the characteristics of great coaches.
