He represents their best hope of making the progression into a top four team. His goals, work-rate and general ability to get under the oppositions skin, make him Liverpool’s prize asset. But Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez is currently training alone. He is loved by the fans, and respected by his team-mates. His club has stood by him, when he has incurred the wrath of the games governing body. Yet, throughout the summer Suarez has been agitating for a move away from Anfield. It can’t have been easy for Brendan Rodgers to ask Suarez to train alone. Yet it’s his only […]
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.
Cricket Psychology: James Anderson – Visualization!
With Australia going for lunch on the final day at Trent Bridge, in touching distance of their challenging target, England re-grouped in the home dressing-room, under-pressure. But knowing that it only took one ball to break the tough Australian resistance. It’s the kind of scenario that top players relish. The game appears to be drifiting away from you. Under the cosh, someone in the group needs to deliver something special. Hope alone will not save the day. It requires belief and conviction that things will turn. And it was no surprise that James Anderson was England’s man of the moment. […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Ian Holloway – Shell Shocked!
It’s post-match after Crystal Palace’s heavy home defeat to Fulham. And manager Ian Holloway looks shell-shocked. Famous for his ebullience and unbridled enthusiasm, the Bristolian looks as if he is running on empty. So it’s no surprise, a few days later that he leaves his job at Selhurst Park. His last words to the press, make interesting viewing. Ollie admits that he could no longer motivate the team. That, his team were no longer playing for him. Or even each other. It’s a frank admission. He took Palace into the Premier League on the back of a strong team-spirit. But […]
Read More...Tennis Psychology: Andy Murray – Hunger!
So Andy Murray breaks one of the toughest stop situations in sport, and becomes the first British player to win the Gentleman’s Singles at The All England Club in seventy-seven years. In the ensuing day or two since Murray’s triumph, it’s seems that everyone wants a piece of him. His management company will be able to secure him deals that will set him up financially for years to come. The next twelve months could be a chaotic time for the tennis player. If he is needy for endorsements, TV appearances and other celebrity based opportunities, then they await him. But […]
Read More...Tennis Psychology: Sabine Lisicky – Overwhelm!
It’s early in the second set of Sabine Lisicky’s Wimbledon singles final with Marion Bartoli. And the German girl is almost in tears. Her game is falling apart before our eyes. Her ball toss is all over the place. She is constantly choosing the wrong shot options. All her hopes, dreams and possibilities are crumbling in front of her. And there is nothing she can do about it. It is only when the match is virtually over, that with nothing to lose, Sabine starts to loosen up and play her natural game. But by then it’s far too late. So […]
Read More...Tennis Psychology: Laura Robson – Unbelievable!
So Laura Robson’s Wimbledons adventure is over. Whilst the nineteen year old can be happy with progress made, she may also reflect on a missed opportunity to make further progress at The All England Club. Her comments after her defeat were revealing. “I think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and at the end of the first set I had my chances. At that point I was willing myself to play unbelievable tennis when just serving would have been fine”. Laura’s self assessment is a perceptive one. She felt, simply because it was Wimbledon, that she had […]
Read More...Cricket Psychology: Australia – Decisiveness!
At last! An act of clarity and decisiveness from Cricket Australia. For months under the strained leadership of South African Micky Arthur, the Aussies have looked hopeless. Off field issues have created a sense of an ill-disciplined outfit. On field performances have been sub-standard. This was a team heading for certain Ashes humiliation. And so before it’s too late, the board have acted and brought in new Australian leadership. Darren Lehmann will have a far stronger understanding of the Australian cricket psyche than outsider Arthur. He will know what makes them tick, when to be strong, and when to be […]
Read More...Cricket Psychology: England – Choking!
It’s the final of the Champions Trophy, and England finally have a fifty-over title in their grasp. Somerset’s Josh Buttler comes to the wicket with an achievable target of nineteen runs in sight. Buttler’s first delivery from Ravi Jadeja is ugly. He takes an agricultural swipe at the ball and misses. Bowled. From here on in, England lose all momentum, and India are crowned champions. It’s a classic case of a team being unable to handle the pressure, and not thinking clearly. When the pressure is on at the death in a sporting contest, it’s critical how you individually and […]
Read More...Motor Racing Psychology: Sebastian Vettel – Bigger Than The Team?
So Sebastian Vettel wins the Malaysian Grand Prix. Ignoring Red Bull team orders, the German, unable to reign in his competitive spirit, passes his team mate Mark Webber, despite being asked by Team Principal Christian Horner to follow Webber home, and look after the cars. Vettel’s win opens up the argument about the dynamic between a team and strong minded individual. What does a team do, when an individual appears to be bigger than the team? Does the team try to bring them down to size, and suppress their competitive spirit. Or do they give them a free rein and […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Michael Appleton – Sacked!
Under the knowing leadership of Sam Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers were a settled and stable Premier League club. Never likely to repeat their title-winning feats under Kenny Dalglish, Rovers could be pretty much guaranteed regular top flight football. Then everything changed. New owners came in. The Venkys. Owners not steeped in the history of the game. Owners seeing their investment as a high profile marketing campaign for their international chicken based business. And with new ownership came unsettlement. A mismatch of values occured. A community based football club steeped in the traditions of the English game. Owners with no understanding of […]
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