It’s five minutes from time at the King Power Stadium. Leicester City are holding a slender lead against Newcastle United. And the tension is palpable. On the touchline, Claudio Ranieri is rousing players and fans for one final effort. It’s a scenario we may well see played out again before the curtain is drawn on this unusual Premier League season. With eight games to go and a five point cushion, the Leicester title dream can now become a reality. And that is why Ranieri’s interjection was necessary last night. He needed to break the spell. Break the sense of nervousness […]
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.
Snooker Psychology: Michael Holt – Composure!
There’s rarely an ideal time to play Ronnie O’Sullivan. Especially given his form in 2016. But if you land him in the draw, then the first round is probably the best time to catch him cold. Even then you musn’t be daunted by the prospect of beating him. Few people gave Michael Holt a chance in the World Grand Prix at Llandudno last night. But that didn’t stop him pulling off one of the shocks of the season, as he sent Ronnie home early, with an impressive 4-3 victory. As Holt admitted afterwards, he hasn’t always matched his talent with […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Steve McClaren – Frustration!
It was a so called must win game for Newcastle United. Taking points from the teams around them, vital in the quest for sustained Premier League football. So their limp home defeat to Bournemouth, does not augur well for the rest of the campaign. Manager Steve McClaren came out afterwards to say that this was the most frustrating group of players he has ever worked with. Which won’t exactly get them back on side. It’s a frank admission from the under-pressure manager. And one that seems to direct the blame onto the players and away from himself. It suggests that […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Willy Caballero – Instinct!
A few years ago, Sky made a TV documentary called ‘The Science Of Ronaldo’. One of the experiments conducted with the Real Madrid superstar, involved a player taking corners in a room containing a small set of goal posts. In front of the goals was Christiano Ronaldo. All he had to do was put the corner into the empty net. No defenders. No keeper. Easy stuff. Apart from the fact, that when the corner was struck, the lights were turned off. Meaning that Christiano couldn’t actually see the ball. Didn’t stop him scoring every-time though! With no visuals to guide […]
Read More...Snooker Psychology: Ronnie O’Sullivan – The Vacation!
By winning the Welsh Open, he has secured his 28th ranking title. After an eight month break from the game, Ronnie O’Sullivan has subsequently not lost a match this season. And apart from a tight opening game against Mark Williams at The Masters, and the early stages of this Welsh Open final, he hasn’t looked like losing one. Right now O’Sullivan’s game is at another level to his competition. With the World Championships only a few weeks away, there is every chance that he will add to his five Crucible titles. Yet instead of talking up his chances in South Yorkshire, […]
Read More...Snooker Psychology: Mark Allen – Fist Pump!
It’s the last eight of the Welsh Masters. And a big local crowd is in to see if Neath’s Michael White can make his first Welsh semi. White will not be wanting to disappoint his fans. And the experienced pro that is Mark Allen is canny enough to recognise the pressure this will naturally bring. Allen clears up in the second frame after White accidentally pots the pink. He celebrates his good fortune with a fist pump. It’s an act of positive aggression designed to wind White up. He was lucky to win the frame. Instead of respecting his good […]
Read More...Snooker Psychology: Judd Trump – Concentration!
It’s the last sixteen of the Welsh Open. And Judd Trump is in prime position to make progress. But a crucial missed black in the final frame opens the door to a relieved Joe Perry. Thus Judd makes another premature exit from a big TV event. Afterwards he talks, not for the first time, about the dips in concentration that cost him the match. Concentration is a key ingredient for success in top level sport. Especially in snooker. The quality of your concentration allows you to be in harmony with the table. Seeing your shot. Seeing the angles. Seeing the […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Aston Villa – The Indifference Virus!
Jamie Carragher called them the worst team in Premier League history. Experienced defender Jolean Lescott apologised for his team’s lack of commitment. Aston Villa are bottom of the league. And their 6-0 home defeat to Liverpool was akin to waving the white flag. Teams don’t deliberately set out to be uncommited. There is rarely a plan to under-perform. Or to lose six-nil. It’s a consequence of a cocktail of ingredients all coming together at the same time. It tends to begin with self-interest. An individual player putting himself before the team. Maybe not trying or giving 100% in training. Showing […]
Read More...Golf Psychology: Sung Kang – Sixty!
It’s the Monterey Country Club. California. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am. And South Korea’s Sung Kang has just created a little bit of local history. A course record sixty has given him a share of the clubhouse lead at the halfway stage. That’s nine birdies and an eagle from the world’s number three hundred and six! Lots of players have rounds that begin in spectacular fashion. Runs of early birdies can feel good. Exhilarating even. But they can also make you feel uncomfortable. Players can get freaked out by sequences of birdies. It doesn’t feel normal. It can throw you. Like you […]
Read More...Golf Psychology: Ricky Fowler – The Water!
It’s The Phoenix Open, Arizona. America’s Ricky Fowler is in a two-man play-off with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama. It’s the fourth extra hole. The 317 yard par four 17th. And the American is aiming to avoid past Scottsdale mistakes. On eight previous occasions he has found water on the seventeenth. Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Fowler is in the hazard again. and Matsuyama wins the play-off and his second PGA tour event. Fowler’s family have been in the galleries. Including his father and grandfather. They have never seen Ricky win. In his post round media centre interviews, Fowler breaks down in tears at […]
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