Every 4 years, athletes from across the globe look to make their dreams of becoming an Olympic champion reality. This often rests on one chance to show the world what they have been working on their whole lives. Imagine the pressure of knowing this could define your life’s dedication. For some, this pressure is debilitating, […]
Unfortunately injury is a common threat when it comes to both elite and non-elite sport. How we cope with it may determine our path to either full recovery or re-injury. We often participate in major competition despite ‘having a niggle’ or carrying a larger injury and passing it off as nothing much (Lopez & colleagues, […]
Imagery is a great tool for improving sports performance and its use and benefits have been well documented. However it is thought that the weaknesses of imagery can limit the extent to which it is useful i.e. not all athletes have the ability to image successfully. Therefore it is suggested that the use of observation […]
“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” – Zig Ziglar This month I would like to discuss the aspect of focus and concentration to create performance and ultimately success. I’m sure it would prove beneficial to discuss the theoretical frameworks of focus and concentration. Concepts such […]
In my previous article about parenting in sport (link available below), it was concluded parents should support, praise and encourage their child’s involvement in sport. What failed to be detailed however, is when praise should be given and where it should be directed. Therefore I shall attempt to answer these questions in the current article. […]
Abraham Lincoln once described an a optimist as someone who “finds opportunity in every difficulty” whilst a pessimist to be someone who ‘finds difficulty in every opportunity”. Another way to look at optimism is in terms of explanatory style. Explanatory style examines the way an individual explains their experiences, successes and failures (Scheier & Carver, […]
The above is the title of a book by Guy Claxton that I read recently. At the time of publishing the author was Director for Real-World Learning at the University of Winchester. After teaching for a few years the book was a revelation about how poor and old-fashioned some practice in education really is, but […]
Imagine yourself walking up to the tee box on the 18th hole of the PGA Championship. You are leading the field, and simply have to make par to win the trophy. However, you are only up one stroke on your competition, and you must make the perfect tee shot to ensure you set yourself up […]
‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’ – Aristotle Novices and experts alike are all, or at least should be, aware of the vital physiological benefits of a warm up. They are crucial to performance by preparing the body for action, whilst minimizing the risk of injury. […]
Performance can be broken down into many different aspects. These aspects are psychological, technical, physical, and nutritional. Performers alongside their coaches need to be mindful about these aspects and write down what has gone well for them this year and what improvements could be made from January onwards. Essentially, performers who wish to fulfil objectives that were […]