To see a great sportsman at the peak of his or her powers, is one of the reasons why top level sport can be so compelling. By the same token, it can be painful to witness a sporting great searching for one of their superpowers. And so it was with Rafael Nadal at the All England club yesterday. Rafa’s opponent, Dustin Brown, whilst talented, had only won four times previously at Wimbledon. But short of the vital champions currency of confidence and self-belief, Rafa was pushed aside by Brown playing the match of his career. Nadal didn’t fall short through […]
Read More...Sports Psychology Blog
Welcome to the Sports Psychology blog. Here you will find insights on current sporting events, from the perspective of a sports psychologist.
The purpose of this blog, is to get inside the sporting drama…why the player or team do what they they do…their thinking…mindsets…attitudes…their fluctuating state of confidence…and all the other mental and emotional pieces that create the psychology of sports.
The most recent articles are at the top of the List Of Sports Psychology Blogs Index.
Cricket Psychology: England – The Transformation!
It’s been a remarkable turn-around. Only months ago England were playing a losing brand of cricket that was out-dated, tired and formulaic. A stats-based approach had inhibited talented players, rendering them incapable of responding, in the moment, to changes in game dynamics. Not any more. Freed of limiting inhibition, playing to their strengths, England are now in tune with the modern one-day game. England’s turn around, demonstrates how simple it is to transform the way a team plays. Charged with being positive and aggressive, the right players are played in their right positions. Fearlesness supports boldness and daring. One players […]
Read More...Snooker Psychology: Stuart Bingham – xxxx It!
He wasn’t on many people’s list of potential winners. A solid tour professional who had never got past the second round at The Crucible before. But against the odds Stuart Bingham was crowned 2015 World Snooker Champion. Bingham has always given the impression, that he didn’t feel he was good enough to beat the games best players. For example, at this years UK Open, he was four frames to one up against Ronnie O’Sullivan. The thought of turning over the games best ever player caught up with him, and he surrendered his lead, as if aware of the consequences of […]
Read More...Golf Psychology: Rory McIlroy – Lessons From Augusta!
Seeing your game unravel in front of millions of people. That’s not something you dream of as a top sports professional. But it has its upside. If you know how to learn! In 2011, Rory McIlroy went into the final round of the Masters with a commanding four shot lead. He was nailed on for his first Major. Then at Amen Corner, his game fell apart. His final round 80 was a powerful lesson at the University Of Golf. Since then Rory has won four Majors. And he cites his Masters meltdown as the turning point. When your game collapses […]
Read More...Cricket Psychology: Michael Clarke – The Secret World Of Champions!
It’s hours before the opening action of the World Cup Final. The famous Melbourne Cricket Ground is deserted. Apart from the groundstaff. And Australia captain Michael Clarke. The rest of his team-mates are still relaxing back at the hotel. Not Clarke. This match is too important. It’s the World Cup Final. And it’s also Clarke’s last one-day international. He is on the ground hours early for one reason only. To connect to the sense of occasion. Before the place gets too busy. The night before big Wimbledon finals, Martina Navratilova would gain access to the stands of the Centre Court. […]
Read More...Cricket Psychology: South Africa – Choking?
It’s Sky Sports cricket analysis show The Verdict. The team are de-constructing the World Cup semi-final. Bob Willis is firmly of the view that this isn’t another South Africa World Cup choke that has cost them this tight match. But that victory belongs to New Zealand boldness and daring. On the surface this is a reasonable analysis. But South Africa made a number of unfortunate contributions to this painful defeat. To be sure nothing on the scale of Allan Donald in 1999 or Shaun Pollock in 2003. But nevertheless it appeared that the shadow of history was upon their shoulder, […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Sunderland – Who Runs The Team?
It’s mid-way through the first half at the Stadium of Light. And Sunderland manager Gus Poyet is watching his team crumble without any sort of fight in a big relegation match. Aston Villa are running through Sunderland at will. You would expect him to be raging on the touchline. Demanding a response from his players. But no. His face is blank. As if he has no idea what is happening in front of him. And no idea of what to do about it. For this is a manager who is no longer in control of his team. When a team […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Ian Holloway – Re-Imagine!
Where now for Ian Holloway? It was only four seasons ago that he was leading Blackpool in their ‘we will score more than you’, populist Premier League campaign. Now sacked at relegation threatened Millwall. the Bristolian appears to have lost his mojo. Holloway is a man of strong emotions. Thus when things go well he can create a feeling of euphoria around his place of work. But in difficult times, his melancholy and darker moods can impact negatively on his teams. This is a man who needs to keep a keen eye on his emotional well-being. When he was sacked […]
Read More...Cricket Psychology: England – A Losing Mentality!
It’s England coach Peter Moores after the defeat to Bangladesh. ‘We thought 275 was chaseable. We will have to have a look at the data’. It’s a regrettable comment from the England coach. For it gives the impression of a man unable to make a critical judgement on events without data support. For he shouldn’t need data to tell him why England lost this match. He should know why in an instant. But when a losing mentality holds sway, insight can be in short supply. As winning can be a habit, so can losing. And this England cricket team appeared […]
Read More...Cricket Psychology: Peter Moores – Sleepwalking To Failure?
Another day, another World Cup defeat for England. This time it’s the Sri Lankan batsmen helping themselves to the generous offerings from England’s bowlers. This England team are approaching rock bottom. The captain Eoin Morgan doesn’t have a problem fronting up and telling it like it is. But one person notable by his absence from the front-line is coach Peter Moores. It is Moores who bears the ultimate responsibility for England’s critical under-performance. Peter Moores is clearly an effective coach. After all he was won county titles with two different counties. He is known for his planning and organisation skills. […]
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