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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:

#298 Dr Kimberly Wagner - Mental Skills and Characteristics for Enhanced Performance Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with Dr Kimberly Wagner this week. Kimberly is a licensed clinical psychologist and sport/performance psychologist.

With a background as a competitive athlete and a passion for psychology, Kimberly focused on clinical psychology as well as specialising in sport psychology while at graduate school. Her doctoral dissertation research focused on sport psychology, specifically she studied the mental skills and characteristics which enhance performance in Major League Baseball players.

During her research, Kimberly conducted extensive interviews with Major League Baseball players discussing what mental skills and characteristics they utilise to enhance their performance, and what gives them the competitive edge at an elite level of competition.

Kimberly has presented her research at multiple international and national conferences including at the 2013 and 2016 annual American Psychological Association (APA) conference as well as the California Psychological Association (CPA) conference.

Kimberly has experience working with high school and collegiate level athletes as well as junior professional and professional athletes on improving the mental component of their game as a way of facilitating peak performance.

#297 Ben Ashdown & Dr Mustafa Sarkar - Exploring the Behavioural Indicators of Resilience Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with Ben Ashdown this week. Ben is joined by return guest, Dr Mustafa Sarkar.

Ben is a senior lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. He is part of the Sport Performance Research Group in the Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Centre and is a PhD researcher focusing on resilience in youth football. Ben's research interests are observational methods and assessment in sport psychology, resilience behaviours in youth football and resilience development practices.

Before moving into lecturing, Ben was a research associate at The University of Nottingham on the Steps to Active Kids (STAK) project that sought to evaluate the impact of a school-based physical activity programme on outcomes including self-efficacy and obesity risk factors. Ben is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a Postgraduate diploma in teaching in the lifelong learning sector. After graduating from York St John University on a BA (Honours) degree in Sport Studies and Psychology, Ben completed an MSc in Sport Psychology at the same institution.

Mustafa is Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His main area of research is on individual, team and organisational resilience in elite sport.

Mustafa has a background in teaching and research with most of his research focusing on the psychology of sporting and performance excellence, specifically looking at resilience in high achievers in sport and business. Mustafa also works with coaches and organisations helping them to develop resilience in athletes and teams.

We talk about a brilliant paper led by Ben and co-authored by Mustafa and Dr Chris Saward and Dr Julie Johnston entitled "Exploring the behavioral indicators of resilience in professional academy youth soccer".

The study offers insight into the observable behaviours characterising resilience in youth soccer. Participants identified 36 resilience behaviours, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the concept in this specific context. The results provide a platform to support practitioners in observing resilience behaviours and structuring practices for resilience assessment and development.

The findings of this study can support youth soccer players in reflecting on their behavioural responses to in-game stressors, and thus better understand how and when they demonstrate resilience.

#296 James Barraclough - How to Identify and Develop Psychosocial Skills and Characteristics Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with UEFA football coach and lecturer, James Barraclough this week.

James has worked as a football coach for over 20 years. He has coached extensively in academies and holds both the UEFA B and FA Advanced Youth Awards.

James has an MSc in Sport Psychology and has consulted with athletes and teams from grassroots up to world champions. He is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Elite Performance examining psychosocial skills in academy football.

James teaches Sports Coaching and Sport Science at UCEN Manchester. He is also a sport performance consultant supporting a number of mixed martial artists, athletes and football teams.

In this episode James and I discuss a paper he led along with Prof David Grecic and Dr Damian Harper which looked at academy managers' experiences of how psychosocial skills and characteristics are identified and developed in youth academy soccer players.

#295 Prof Robert Schinke - 8 Steps to Succeeding in Sport, Work, and Life Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with renowned sport psychology consultant and scientist, Prof Robert Schinke this week.

Robert is a former equestrian, representing Canada in the 1987 Pan-American Games. He has a Doctorate in Education from the University of Alberta and he completed post-doctoral studies in Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2002 he joined Laurentian University's School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and became a Full Professor in 2010.

Robert is the current two-term President of the International Society of Sport Psychology and his publications include six authored books and nineteen co-edited textbooks, including the Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology. Robert has also co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Robert's science to practice interests include the contextual optimisation of high-performance sport environments, effective elite athlete transitional processes such as promotion and relocation, athlete mental health from a holistic vantage, and organisation-wide capacity building, informed by scientific inquiry.

In this episode we discuss Robert's fantastic new book "Gifted: 8 Steps to Succeeding in Sport, Work, and Life" in which Robert encourages readers to recognise and embrace their innate talents and abilities. Throughout the 8 lessons, readers will discover how successful athletes, coaches, educators, and service industry professionals use their natural gifts to achieve their goals.

#294 Eamon Devlin - Creating the Right Half-Time Environment Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with Eamon Devlin this week. Eamon works with coaches and teams to help improve their half-time process.

Eamon is head coach of several senior Gaelic football teams - women's and men's. He is currently manager of Hertfordshire Men's County team and he is also a GAA-qualified referee.

Eamon is also the founder of Minute9, a sports consultancy advising professional sports teams and coaches on how best to structure and manage half-time.

Eamon recently completed an MSc in Psychological Sciences at Brunel University. Related to his MSc in Psychological Sciences, his dissertation topic looked into half-time talks and how elite players perceive coaches' pep talks. Eamon and I discuss the findings from this research.

#293 Geir Jordet - Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to welcome back Professor Geir Jordet this week. Geir is a world-leading expert on the psychology of penalty shootouts.

Geir is Professor of Sport Psychology with a specialisation in football (soccer) and coaching at Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. His most extensive research interests involve performing under extreme pressure, cognitive and perceptual underpinnings of decision making, and talent development/effective learning. Geir's work has been published in leading sport science and psychology journals such as Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, Journal of Sports Sciences, British Journal of Sports Medicine, and British Journal of Psychology, as well as in major media outlets - BBC World, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, El Pais and Spiegel.

Geir is an applied performance psychology consultant working primarily with professional soccer organisations and players, and among his clients are Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Ajax Amsterdam FC, and Bayern Munich FC.

Geir and I discuss his brilliant new book "Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout" in which he draws on his two decades of studying performance under pressure. The book includes case studies which take you behind the scenes of football's most nail-biting moments and Geir interviews superstars and shares stories from his work with top teams and some of the world's best players.

#292 Stuart Morgan - Develop, Train, and Perform Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with Stuart Morgan this week. Stuart is a golf coach, practice consultant and an Advanced Member of the PGA of Great Britain. He is recognised by Golf Digest as one of the top international coaches.

Stuart is currently the performance director of Swiss Golf, and performance coach at Iceberg Golf, and Stuart Morgan Golf where he works with players on all major professional tours and elite amateurs aspiring to become their best.

After completing his PGA qualification Stuart started coaching golf full time and has coached golfers on all major tours. He specialises in junior development, how to practice, and elite performance. Stuart has contributed instructional articles to multiple golf magazines. He has conducted educational seminars for county organisations and the PGA.

Stuart is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Human Performance at University of Limerick researching Golf Practice.

#291 Brad Stulberg - Focusing on the Process Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

I am excited to be joined by Brad Stulberg in this episode. Brad researches, writes, and coaches on mental health, well-being, and sustainable excellence.

Brad is the author of the best-selling books Master of Change and The Practice of Groundedness and co-author of the books Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. These books explore the art, science, and practice of motivation, values-driven excellence, and maximising one's potential - all the while realising a more fulfilling and sustainable kind of success. His latest book, Master of Change, became an instant national bestseller. All told, his books have sold more than 500,000 copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Brad is a regular contributor at The New York Times, and his work has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

He regularly speaks to large organisations on topics related to excellence, resilience, performance, and overall well-being.

Brad is co-creator of The Growth Equation, an online platform dedicated to defining and realizing a more fulfilling, genuine kind of excellence and sustainable success.

In his coaching practice, Brad works with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and athletes on their mental skills and overall well-being.

Brad is also on faculty at the University of Michigan's graduate school of public health, where he focuses on health, human potential, and excellence.

#290 Stephen Maxwell - Looking for Coachable Moments Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

I'm delighted to speak with coach developer and coach, Stephen Maxwell this week. Stephen is the Coach Education Manager at Cricket Ireland, where he supports coaches and coach developers.

Stephen has been coaching for approximately 22 years. He is currently the Senior Men's Football Manager at Thomas Davis GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) Club. Previously, he coached the Dublin Senior GAA Team – helping them win the All-Ireland Championship in 2023.

Stephen is the founder and creator of No Other Game Around which specialises in coach development, team training and the technical and personal development of individual athletes.

#289 Lisa Alexander AM - Reflections on Developing a World-Class Winning Coaching Programme Part 2 Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

I am honoured to be joined again by high-performance consultant, Lisa Alexander, in this episode. Lisa works with coaches, teams and organisations to create winning and success-driven environments.

Lisa is one of the most successful coaches in Australian sport. As the Head Coach of the Australian Diamonds, the Australian National Netball Team, Lisa lead the team to multiple wins including a Commonwealth Gold Medal.

In 2021 Lisa received the Order of Australia, the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service in the Australian honours system, for her significant service to netball at the elite level.

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.

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