On March 9th, Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins defeated Tavoris Cloud for the IBF light heavyweight championship of the world at age 48 becoming the oldest man in recorded boxing history to win a recognized world boxing championship. It’s a phenomenal sporting achievement. But what’s the motivation for a warrior like Bernard Hopkins to stay at the top for so long? Hopkins was sent down at the age of eighteen. Upon leaving prison, his warder told him that he would see him again back in here sometime soon. Hopkins replied knowingly, that he would not be back. It’s pivotal moments like […]
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.
Football Psychology: David Moyes – Bouncebackability!
Last weekend questions were being asked of David Moyes’s leadership. His Everton team had failed to turn up for their biggest game of the season. With a place at Wembley beckoning, The Toffeemen took Wigan Athletic for granted and paid the price. So could Moyes motivate his team to deliver an Everton-like performance against Manchester City? The answer was evident after only a few minutes. They tore into Manchester City with intensity, passion and desire. And they never let up even with ten men. It was possibly The Premier League performance of the season. It would have been easy for […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Brian McDermott – No Permission To Fail
On Monday evening Reading players received a group text message. It was to inform them that their manager and leader, Brian McDermott, had been relieved of his duties. Interesting. So no one in a position of authority, had the presence of mind to gather the players together, and explain this major leadership decision face to face. A decision that would have implications for all of the playing staff. A face to face meeting that would give clarity as to the reason why McDermott was sacked. And then provide an opportunity for the owner Anton Zingarevich, to lift the players mood […]
Read More...Football Psychology: Barcelona – In The Presence Of Beauty!
They were under pressure. Questions were being asked. Defeats to Real Madrid, plus the two goal loss in the San Siro, had caused the critics to doubt Barcelona’s ability to progress further in The Champions League. But what do they know? When the best in the world are put under pressure in any sport, you see what they are really made of. The external doubts cause a gathering of internal focus and resolve, leading to a powerful desire to prove a point. Talent + Motivation = An Irresistible Force! Thus Milan were swept aside. This was no ordinary win by […]
Read More...Sports Psychology: Australia Cricket – Leadership!
Once upon a time it would have been unthinkable. That the Australian cricket team, the standard bearers of everything Australian, would appoint a South African as Head Coach. It’s a high risk strategy and one that is looking flawed as we speak. For why would the self-reliant Australians need an injection of South African values? Have they become too soft and need a hard dose of external reality? This is an Australian team that has just suffered two heavy defeats in India. Defeats that caused the Head Coach Mickey Arthur, to ask his players to come up with solutions to […]
Read More...Golf Psychology: Rory McIlroy – Unconscious!
‘Brain Dead’. ‘Unconscious’. It’s Rory McIlroy explaining away his eight over par, victory limiting opening round at Muirfield today. Coming into The Open, most golfers are usually very well-prepared. They see the tournament as the peak of their golfing year, and want to leave nothing to chance. So, they may spend time with a golf psychologist, working through a range of game dynamics that they could face and how they will deal with them. They will make sure their pre and post shot routines are in good order. They will check that they are seeing their targets clearly and committing […]
Read More...Golf Psychology: Rory McIlroy – Pressure!
It’s not been the best of times for Rory McIlroy, since he signed his mega-bucks deal with Nike. The form which caused the sportswear giant to bring him into their superstar fold, has temporarily deserted the Irishman. Prompting many to question, whether his sudden course walk-off in Florida, is a sign of a golfer struggling to handle the intense demands upon him. Well it wouldn’t be a surprise if the pressure to deliver for his corporate sponsor, was affecting the way Rory plays. When you are being paid the sort of money he is, and positioned as a Brand Ambassador, […]
Read More...Sports Psychology: British Badminton – Leadership!
In the aftermath of the Australian Swimming Team’s damning performance report after the 2012 Olympics, we now have the British Badminton leadership under the spotlight. It comes with five times National Champion Jenny Wallwork announcing her retirement from the sport. With the finger being firmly pointed at the leadership of her sport. Jenny pulls no punches when he describes her lack of confidence in those at the top. The 26-year-old aimed a series of strong criticisms at performance director Jens Grill.”There wasn’t one positive thing actually said to me from the performance director. I think the sport is being led […]
Read More...Swimming Psychology: Australia – The Lust For Gold!
It’s damning! Critical! Condemning! The 2012 Olympics were an abysmal one for Australia swimming. A measly haul of one gold medal, was all that this proud nation had to show for their work in the pool. The just released report into this dramatic under-performance by the sports governing body makes grim reading. Here are some of the key points: Participants reported that in the zealous and streamlined attempts to obtain gold medals, the delicate management of motivation, communication and collaboration were lost. There was an increasingly desperate emphasis on gold Management appeared unprepared to tackle the absence of success, leaving […]
Read More...Football Psychology: David Bentley – Underachievement!
He is one of the great under-achievers of English football in recent times. Blessed with talent and natural ability, but not a lot to show for it. Yes Im aware that seven England caps sit on the Bentley sideboard. And that is something to be proud of. But why only seven caps. Why not seventy? Why did David Bentley not go on to make a name for himself? Why is his career shrouded in a sense of what might have been? When David Bentley played for England U21’s early in his career, as the teams came out onto the pitch, […]
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