• Burnout in youth sport: Part 2 – Here comes the science part.

    In part one of this three-part post on burnout in youth sport, we talked about what exactly burnout is. Essentially, long lasting feelings of emotional and physical exhaustion, sport devaluation (not getting anything out it anymore) and reduced personal accomplishment (no sense of achievement). Here in part two, we’ll explore briefly explain some of the…

  • Burnout in youth sport: Part 1 – What is burnout?

    We’ve all had times when we’re feeling a bit tired and lacking motivation, when we don’t really feel like practicing or training, or when something we usually enjoy doing seems like a bit of a chore. More often than not, once we remind ourselves that we actually love what we do, or even take a…

  • Mental Mind Psych Guru Experts – What do they do then?

    Ok, so this is an easy one. A while ago, the news at large announced that Roy Hodgson, (at the time, manager of the England football) team was considering using a Sport Psychologist ahead of the World Cup to boost England’s chances of not bowing out of yet another tournament on penalties. 

  • Goal Setting is easy, right? Here are five reasons why goal setting doesn’t work.

    Most… probably all athletes who’ve achieved anything approaching success will have set goals along the way, but why do we ordinary mortals find it so tough to set and stick to the goals we set for ourselves.

  • “Put me back in, Coach!” – Psychological responses to sports injury

    If you’re a basketball fan like me, you’ll be eagerly awaiting the return of the Chicago Bulls’ explosive point guard, Derrick Rose.  Rose missed the whole of the 2012-13 NBA season after suffering a torn ACL the previous year, and a few months ago, I wrote a piece about him and some of the psychological factors that should…

  • “When’s he gonna play?” The role of psychology in returning from injury.

    Derrick Rose sitting on the Chicago Bulls’ bench in a suit and tie became a familiar sight towards the end of the 2012-13 NBA season. One-time league MVP, Rose, underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in May, 2012, after getting injured in that year’s playoffs. But after several weeks of “will he/won’t he” speculation, Rose did not…

  • The long and winding road: Interview with a Trainee Sport Psych

    The undergraduate degree. The postgraduate degree. Supervised practice. Attending conferences and presenting research. ‘Networking’ and making contacts. Trying to gain voluntary work while trying to earn a living. The path to becoming a Sport Psychologist isn’t an easy one, but Rory Mack is making his way down that path, and is just about to start his…

  • Do we deserve better from our sporting ‘heroes’?

    Lionel Messi….. Roger Federer….. Tiger Woods….. LeBron James…..Some of the world’s most recognisable faces. Recognisable because they’re really, really, really good at kicking or throwing a ball, or very, very good at hitting a ball with a stick. Many of these people have been kicking, throwing and hitting balls since they were very young and…

  • “He’s on Fire!” – Is there such a thing as ‘the hot hand’?

    The hot hand is described as “a belief that the performance of a player during  a particular period is significantly better than expected on the basis of the player’s overall record”.¹  In other words, if a player hits a couple of shots in a row, people tend to think that he’ll make his next shot…

  • Mental Toughness in the Ring

    So I’ve been doing some consultancy work in boxing for a while now, and it’s safe to say that it’s a sport that’s unlike any of the sports that I’ve worked in before.  It’s a brutal sport, there’s no getting away from it.  The aim is to punch your opponent until he/she can’t punch you back any more.  …