It’s the second round of the World Matchplay, and the pundits, are expecting Colin Osbourne, to give Phil Taylor, a test. Osbourne, fresh from victory over Mervyn King, exudes a bucketful of confidence and belief. He’s beaten Taylor recently. And fancies his chances of doing so again. And maybe that was Osbourne’s problem. It was as if Taylor, wanted to prove that Osbourne’s victory, was nothing more than a one-off. For on Tuesday night in Blackpool, Phil Taylor played darts at the very highest level. At one point he was averaging nearly 114. He attained a level of darts, rarely […]
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.
Darts: Raymond Van Barneveld – Feeling The Heat!
Holding a five leg lead, at 12-7, Dutchman, Raymond Van Barneveld, looked in complete control of his quarter-final match against Wayne Mardle. Then, with defeat staring him in the face, Mardle upped the intensity. With the crowd on his side, he gradually and spiritedly, eroded Van Barneveld’s lead, to edge a thriller, 17-15. This was a match that Van Barneveld, should not have lost. But he appeared to lose his composure. Somehow, the crowd, rooting feverishly for Mardle, seemed to get to him. He lost the critical containment, that was holding his fragile game together. Belatedly, he did appear to […]
Read More...Darts: Mark Dudbridge – The Five Second Rule
It’s the first night of the World Matchplay, at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Mark Dudbridge is 9-7 up, against Wayne Mardle. And, he has five chances at a double, to take the match. Unfortunately for Dudbridge, he misses them all. Mardle, then proceeds to come back from the brink of defeat, to snatch an unlikely 11-9 win. It’s a match that Dudbridge should have secured. Even at 9-8, he is still in the game. But those crucial, match-point misses, play on his mind. His game goes to pieces, as he can’t seem to get those missed doubles out of his head. […]
Read More...Golf: Greg Norman – Expectations!
So, Greg Norman leads the field, as the final day of the The Open approaches. For three days, he has played like a man, without the burden of expectancy on his shoulders. No pressure. No demand. Only, a former champion, enjoying himself in testing, championship conditions. If he were to play with similar freedom on day four, then the Australian could well become Open Champion, at the age of fifty-three. The question is, as he gets closer to the finish line, will he continue to play without expectation? Will the irresistible thought of lifting the Claret Jug, start to play […]
Read More...Golf: Padraig Harrington – A Champions Attitude
With his troublesome wrist injury, causing serious doubts, as to whether he would be able to defend his title, few pundits backed Padraig Harrington, to win the 2008 Open. But after two battling rounds, the Irishman, is only three shots off the lead. What has been so impressive about Harrington, is not so much his shot-making. But more his attitude. He has defended his Open crown, with an obvious sense of pride. As if he recognises his place in history. Has total respect for the greats who have gone before him. Wants to represent, the best of what they stand […]
Read More...Golf: The Open Championship – I Like This Weather!
So The Open Championship commences, with 20 mph winds and heavy rain, coming in off the Irish Sea. It would be easy, for a player, to be negatively affected by these conditions. Open the bedroom curtains first thing, and groan. Drop a shot at the first, and inwardly think that things are unfair. But, the conditions, are part of the test. It means having the mental strength and attitude, that accepts the conditions, for what they are. No complaints. No wingeing. But an attitude, that says, ‘I like this weather’. The way you think to yourself, in this weather, will […]
Read More...Golf: Graham McDowell – More Mental Strength
You might have expected Graham McDowell, to have finished some way down the field, on day one of The Open. After all, it was only last Sunday, that he picked up a healthy winners cheque, for his Scottish Open victory at Loch Lomond. And there is the mental and emotional demand, it takes to win a big European Tour event. So to be joint-leader, after the wind-swept Birkdale first round, is a supreme effort. It shows that he has the mental strength, to not be satisfied with one victory. But to use success as a springboard to further success. To […]
Read More...Golf: Graham McDowell – Leading From The Front
So Graham McDowell secures his second European Tour win of the season, with a strong performance at Loch Lomond. What was so impressive about McDowell’s victory, was his display of mental strength. Three consecutive birdies, at the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth, took McDowell away from the pack, at precisely the right time. It’s at the business end of tournaments, that a players mental strength is tested. Are you ready to win? Some players are uncomfortable with being winners. They have become so used to being second-best, that they cannot cope with, suddenly, experiencing the possibility of winning. And so, in […]
Read More...Cricket: Kevin Pietersen – Seizing The Moment
It’s the special players, who can raise their game, on the big occasion. Not fearful of failure. But relishing the chance to demonstrate their excellence. Inspired by the challenge. Supremely confident in their own ability. This was Kevin Pietersen at Lord’s today. It’s as if the special players, have a sixth sense, which gets triggered on these days. A sense, which smells and tastes the atmosphere. That instinctively knows, that something is ‘on’. That its not just another day, in the never-ending cricket roadshow. But a day that has significance. And in the presence of that significance, the special players […]
Read More...Tennis: Rafael Nadal – Breaking The Stop Situation
So, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, secures his first Wimbledon title. Winning out, in a gladiatorial contest with the five-times champion, where his will and resolve was tested to its absolute limit. Coming so soon after Spain’s triumph at Euro’ 2008, Nadal’s Wimbledon breakthrough, should come as no great surprise. The Spanish footballers success, broke a stop situation. That country had been serial under performers, on football’s main stage, for many years. Becoming European Champions, sent out a message, to all Spaniards. A message, that they could succeed in the big sporting events. The contests that matter. And with that, brings an […]
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