Our Main Pillars of Support
creating bespoke strategies for coping with intense pressure
There are any number of stressors that an athlete will encounter under the spotlight of intense competition. The effect of those stressors invariably comes down to whether or not the athlete feels they have the resources and coping mechanisms to meet the demands of the situation.
Many athletes can feel overwhelmed, threatened and consumed with self-doubt,resulting in performance far below their capabilities. But with the right mental resources in place intense competition becomes an exciting and challenging forum for turning hard-earned physical talent into tangible success.
Using evidence based strategies such as goal-setting, imagery, self-talk and improving focus of attention, I help athletes to assess their needs, strengthen their mental framework and build a unique and constantly evolving toolkit of skills and analytic tools for peak performance.
Supporting athletes to co-create resources and develop brilliant strategies for positively interpretting pressure is my objective, increases in performance outcomes as well as overall enjoyment are the natural by-product.
helping athletes and parents cope with the unique demands of youth sport
Youth sport teaches amazing skills and provides the opportunity for a healthy competitive and social experience.
When young people begin to take their sport seriously, long hours, competitons, high expectations and time and financial burdens, the pressure can become overwhelming for the young athlete and their families. Emotions can run high and the joy can disappear from the game.
Young athletes and their support network can benefit from sport psychology teaching them strategies to maintain focus, motivation and enthusiasm, while still striving for success on the field. I support athletes and their families to in developing a positive mindset, improved mental skills, and most of all perspective in dealing with the emotions that are part and parcel of sport.
I create personalised plans based on the individual athlete and their specific needs, and can consult with the young person themselves or in concert with their family member or coaches, in order to help sustain a healthy and successful relationship with the game they love.
learning to harness the power of your most powerful muscle
Motivation is the very essence of sport performance and achievement, without it even the most talented athlete is unlikely to reach their full potential. Motivation is also highly relevant to how athletes experience and respond to their sport.
In spite of its fundamental position in the sporting world, motivation is one of its most misunderstood constructs. What is it? And how do we optimise it? It is more complex and multifaceted than perhaps any other area of athlete development, dependent on both the tendencies of the athlete and the environments in which they compete.
A vast number of factors need to be considered in determining how a performer is motivated, my own Masters degree and Doctorate are based upon elements of motivated behaviours. Fortunately the landscape is rich with influential theory and literature. Using theories of self-determination, self-efficacy, goal attainment expectancy and achievement orientation, I employ principles of motivational interviewing to elicit adaptive behaviour changes in athletes and maximise both the quantity and quality of motivational factors.
regulating arousal to achieve optimal performance
Psychologists view anxiety as multi-dimensional with three key components: cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and behavioural anxiety, and each can exert a debilitating influence on performance.
the relationship between anxiety and performance has attracted a great deal of research over the years, leading to numerous models of management. It is widely agreed that an athletes success depends to a great extent on their ability to regulate anxiety and arousal effectively.
By determining the athletes state and trait anxiety disposition I can utilise an individual set of practical techniques, including perceptual restructuring, constructive interpretation, relaxation, focus of attention and performance routines, to create with the athlete a powerful performance weapon.
Performance anxiety is a pervasive problem in sport at every level, impairing performance, affecting results and reducing enjoyment. But in the right hands the anxiety/arousal can prove to be a potent facilitative force.
identity matters, harnessing the power of 'we'
Every group contains characteristics that are common to all groups, some that are shared by only a few, and some that are unique to them alone. Team members, coaches and leaders are required to foster a sense of group cohesion facilitating a sense of 'we not me' in order to scale the heights of achievement possibility.
Group dynamics are not static, they are vital, interactive multi-dimensional and active, they are subject to growth, change and improvement, as a consequence they are perfect for strategic development and enhancement. Great players win games, great teams win championships.
By focussing on practical strategies concerning team dynamics, cohesion, group decision making, communication, social influence, conflict and cooperation, role differentiation and group development it is clear that the applying rigorous, evidence based psychology to team sports provides a wonderful opportunity to develop not only competitively exceptional teams but socially adaptive groups and individuals.
