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The Sport Psych Show — Amateur
The Sport Psych Show

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.

Latest Episodes:

#99 Rory Mack and Andrew Wood - Communication for Change Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, I'm joined by Rory Mack and Andrew Wood. Andrew is a Sport and Exercise Psychology Lecturer teaching at multiple universities. He also works as lead sport psychologist to the B1 football squad.

Rory has been based at Sheffield Hallam University for the past 12 years. He is a post Viva PhD candidate. His PhD is in Motivational Interviewing in applied sport psychology.

Rory and Andrew have written a fascinating research paper which discusses combining Motivational Interviewing (MI) with Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT) in a series of sessions with an athlete and this is the focus of our conversation. Over the course of 6 sessions, the paper retraces how the frameworks were used to help the athlete think more effectively.

#98 Donna Fishter - The Introspective Coach Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, I speak with leadership coach and team architect, Donna Fishter. Donna is owner of a consulting business working with teams, training leaders, developing culture and coaching coaches and individual athletes.

Prior to this, Donna was a soccer coach for over 20 years. 13 of those years were at the University of Central Florida.

We speak about the importance of introspection as a coach and leader: how can coaches be more self-aware with their communication, their tone, their demeanour? We also discuss how coaches can continue to self-monitor - asking themselves why do they do things the way they do?

#97 Justine Siegal - Coaching Against the Odds Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

I am honoured to be joined by Justine Siegal in this episode. Justine was the first woman ever to coach professional baseball. Her experiences in the pro leagues motivated her to change the landscape of gender inequality in baseball. She has a PhD in Sport Psychology and is founder of Baseball For All, which is a national non-profit organisation empowering girls to coach, play and lead.

We speak about Justine's experiences growing up playing a very male dominated sport and how they shaped her to become the coach she is today.

#96 Dr Christian Zepp - How Sport Psychology can Help Coaches Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

I am honoured to be joined by Dr Christian Zepp in this episode. Christian splits his time between lecturing at The German Sport University in Cologne and consulting as an applied sport psychologist. Christian obtained his PhD in sport sciences with a focus on sport psychology at the Institute of Psychology at The German Sport University.

Christian has more than 20 years' experience in high-performance sport and has worked in multiple sports including being sport psychologist for the German National Table Tennis team and the National Team Coach for the disabled standing volleyball team in Cambodia.

We speak in depth about the role of sport psychology – what it is and what it isn't; common objections to using it; how it can help coaches and the possibilities it can open up for them and their athletes; and the importance of investing time with athletes to create trust.

#95 Dr Andrew Abraham - Coach Development Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

I am excited to be joined by Dr Andrew Abraham in this episode. Andrew is Head of Department for Sport Coaching at Leeds Beckett University. He is a coach developer with an interest in how coaches do their job in relation to effectiveness, judgement, decision-making and talent development.

Andrew's research and consultancy work is recognised across the world. The impact of this work is seen within the International Sport Coaching Degree Standards, co-produced with the International Council for Coaching Excellence, academics from universities across continents and practitioners from International Coaching Federations.

We speak about the biopsychosocial model; reductionism; the psychology of learning; how people learn; cognitive learning theory, social learning theory; constructivist learning theory; motor learning theory and dynamical systems.

#94 Lisa Alexander - Reflections on Developing a World-Class Winning Coaching Programme Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

I am honoured to be joined by Lisa Alexander in this episode. Lisa is one of the most successful coaches in Australian sport. Formerly a maths and physical education teacher, Lisa worked her way up from coaching under 10's netball to become the Australian Diamonds Head Coach.

We speak about Lisa's long career as Head Coach of the Diamonds. How she went about establishing a true person-centred environment; the parallels between teaching and coaching; getting to know your team and directive vs non-directive coaching.

#93 Stephen Renwick - Exploring Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

I'm excited to be joined by Stephen Renwick in this episode. Stephen is a sport psychology consultant, training through BASES as a probationary sport & exercise scientist specialising in psychology. He works with athletes in multiple sports and uses a framework called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Stephen also holds a senior world ranking for tennis.

In this episode we speak in depth about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Stephen takes us through how this framework is used can be used practice.

#92 Jennifer Lace - Integrating Sport Psychology into Your Coaching Process Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

I have the pleasure of being joined by Jennifer Lace in this episode. Jennifer is Head of Sport Psychology and Personal Development at Nottingham Forest FC. Prior to her role at Forest, Jennifer worked at Burnley FC as Sport Psychology Practitioner and Lecturer.

Jennifer has an MSc from Stafford University and is accredited by BASES (Bristish Association of Sport and Exercise Science).

We talk about the road to becoming a sport psychologist and the path options that are available; how to get coaches on board with sport psychology; aiding a coach's delivery and specific psychological approaches and models.

#91 Keith and David Mayer - How to Become a More Effective Coach May 25, 2020

Show notes

I am delighted to be joined by father and son, Keith and David Mayer in this episode. Both Keith and David are both coaches and ex-professional players.

Keith has coached soccer for 37 years on 6 continents and is currently coaching Liverpool Football Academy.

David also started coaching after his playing days and has coached on 4 continents and is currently Global Head of Foundation Phase at 7Elite Academy in Salt Lake City.

Keith and David have written a fantastic book entitled Gold Dust: How to Become a More Effective Coach, Quickly. And it's this book we mainly speak about discussing the significance of interpersonal skills; coaching with intention; coaches monitoring the language they use and being aware of their communication.

#90 Prof Brendan Cropley - Being Psychologically Prepared to Perform May 18, 2020

Show notes

I have the pleasure of being joined by Prof Brendan Cropley in this episode. Brendan is Professor of Sport Coaching at the University of South Wales. He is also Head of the Centre for Football Research in Wales.

Brendan has made a significant contribution to the Sport & Exercise Sciences, particularly in the area of sport psychology and sport coach education. He has provided a range of consultancy services to athletes, coaches, and NGBs as well as having an emerging research profile that has helped to shape training and development programmes in the sport sciences and sport coaching. This contribution was recognised by the British Association of Sport & Exercise Science (BASES) who awarded Brendan Fellowship status in 2014.

We speak about the importance of integrating sport psychology into coaching curriculums and what that can look like in practice.

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