It’s the Norwich City pre-season squad photo and there is no sign of Youssef Safri. For manager Peter Grant it’s the final straw. ‘I’ve hid behind it for a long time. So many things have been going on. If you don’t want to be here, it makes my decision easier’. It tells us something about how tolerant Peter Grant is. ‘I’ve hid behind it for a long time’. Why? And at what price? When England were building their rugby World Cup winning squad of 2003, Sir Clive Woodward and his team imposed a strict code. If you were late for […]
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.
Football: Robin Van Persie – Out Of The Shadows
Free of injury and two goals in the Emirates Cup Final. The season augurs well for Robin Van Persie. Talent never in doubt, but questions marks have hung over the Dutchman. Did he have the mentality to match his gifts? The self-belief to be a leader? The departure of Henry to Barcelona provides the perfect opportunity for Van Persie to take centre stage. Thierry Henry was a positive infleunce on Arsenal’s development. He set the tone for their expression. The cultural leader. The orchestrator of Wenger’s vision. The one the team looked to in turning moments. Now he’s gone. And […]
Read More...Football: Robin Van Persie – Out Of The Shadows
Free of injury and two goals in the Emirates Cup Final. The season augurs well for Robin Van Persie. Talent never in doubt, but questions marks have hung over the Dutchman. Did he have the mentality to match his gifts? The self-belief to be a leader? The departure of Henry to Barcelona provides the perfect opportunity for Van Persie to take centre stage. Thierry Henry was a positive infleunce on Arsenal’s development. He set the tone for their expression. The cultural leader. The orchestrator of Wenger’s vision. The one the team looked to in turning moments. Now he’s gone. And in it, an […]
Read More...Football: David James – The Zen Of Goal-Keeping
It’s the final of the Asia Trophy and David James is in prime form. Penalty saves from Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres give Portsmouth the trophy. And James the plaudits. So why, after losing his England place to Paul Robinson, is James showing his best ever form? England form. Well attitude certainly comes into it. As does motivation – motivation to prove people wrong. Make a point. These provide the foundation of excellence. There is, however, another level top professionals can attain. A place beyond excellence. But it’s for the few, not the many. The level of mastership. Mastership is […]
Read More...Golf: Sergio Garcia – A Mind Made Stronger
In the follow up to the Open Championship, many pundits seem happy to conclude that Sergio Garcia is a serial choker. Loaded with talent. But lacking the killer instinct. The nerve. The mentality to tighten the screw in turning moments. How Sergio thinks about Carnoustie Sunday will have a significant bearing on his ability to prove the doubters wrong. The correct approach would be for Sergio to do two things. One, to look at and confirm all the things he did well. All the things that meant he held a lead for over 3/4’s of the Championship. All the things […]
Read More...Golf Psychology: The Open – Breaking The Stop Situation
What makes sport so compelling? Often we are absorbed by the effortless mastery of a Federer or Woods. Legends and leaders who elevate their sport to rarefied levels. But doesn’t the most memorable drama come when we witness vulnerability? When we are drawn into the struggle of individuals digging deep to draw on the gossamer thin thread of personal strengths and positive memories in the face of physical, mental and emotional challenge. The final day of the 2007 Open was loaded with such sub-plots. Garcia, Romero and Harrington all exposed us to their vulnerabilities. Their raw human side. The part […]
Read More...Golf: Padraig Harrington – Future History
When assessing why a Open Championship play-off has been won by one player and not the other, you have to take into account age and experience. You have to factor in the quality of their game. Then and most importantly of all, you have to throw into the mix their mental application. How they would be thinking about themselves. Their last afternoon’s work. Victory spurned. Their opponents. Any slivers of doubt and uncertainty would tilt the advantage away from them. When we learn of Padraig Harrington’s attitude to the play-off, it starts to become clear why he is now the Open […]
Read More...Football: Julian Faubert – The Strange Power Of The Mind
Just two weeks after signing for West Ham United, French mid-fielder Julian Faubert, ruptures his Achilles tendon. He is out of action for 6 months. The West Ham physio tells us that Julian has never had any achilles trouble before. This is major shock to them. But maybe this shock can be explained. We are told that Faubert’s first choice of departure from Bordeaux was Glasgow Rangers. His agent said that he had wanted to go to Rangers and had given them his word. West Ham outbid Rangers and so he ended up in the East End. Then the French manager […]
Read More...Golf: Sergio Garcia – I Believe
It’s day two of the Open and Sergio Garcia has a two shot lead. Garcia backers are starting to think they may at last get some return from their yearly investments. But it may not be straightforward. Following his even par round Garcia said, ‘I just have to keep playing well and believing’. Belief is the boiler room of the sub-conscious. It directs how you feel about yourself. It provides the power that leads to breakthrough. Sergio’s comments intimate that belief is something he has to work on. Keep reminding himself. Telling himself that he can be Open Champion. That he is […]
Read More...Football: Brazil – The Power Of A Cause
So Brazil win the Copa America, despite all the pre-match hype suggesting an Argentinian win. This is a country that knows how to win. It’s in their football DNA. This batch of Brazilians may not match teams of the past for flair, verve and individual briliance, but they delivered when it mattered the most. The coach, Dunga, gave an insight into ther victory. He said,” We came to rescue the self-esteem of the Brazilian worker, who wakes up in the morning and returns home late at night, whose only satisfaction in life is seeing Brazil win a football match.” This […]
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