The end of the Tour de France 2014 has arrived and around 170 cyclists have battled their way through a lively, atmospheric Yorkshire to the mountainous region of Southern France. The riders have had to fight their way against heavy rain, hail, temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius and strong cross winds, whilst tricky surfaces including […]
If anyone is a fan of watching shows on TV such as ‘Psychopath Night’, then here is a short article for you to think about! There is an extensive amount of research surrounding the psychopathic personality traits of individuals in a clinical setting. To name a few, research suggests that personality characteristics such as a […]
Imagine you’re an athlete of the future. It’s your rest day, but you schedule a specialised brain training session that gives you the edge over the competition, without compromising recovery. Or you’re injured, but can’t afford to sit around just waiting to heal – so you train your brain while your body rests, reducing the negative […]
Advancing and optimising performance in military training has been of great interest to sport psychologists over the years. Performance enhancement is the deliberate refinement of an effective perception on success and the methodical use of effective cognitive skills. Becoming proficient at regulating behaviour habits and/or emotional and physical states has been at the forefront of […]
The purpose of this article is to promote the use of mental toughness within football. Mental toughness is an important concept that coaches and players should engage during training and matches. Enhanced mental toughness increases the chance of consistent success. There are identifiable characteristics that relate to mental toughness within football (see table below). Mental […]
Having a strong psychological foundation will allow athletes to achieve the greatest execution of a skill can during a performance (Gucciardi et al, 2008). Ŝukys and Jansoniene (2012) reported, when the competition level of an individual increases the pressure to succeed intensifies, hence the importance of a solid mental core. This pressure of being successful […]
Military personnel face extreme levels of stress that impact not only their performance but also their readiness and personal relationships (Mastroianni, Mabry, Benedek, & Ursano, 2008). Prominent stressors include sleep deprivation, physical fatigue, prolonged separation from family and friends, and the ongoing threat of injury or death. Up to 70% of US soldiers are exposed […]
During the last two decades, advancements in technology have allowed music to grow into being an effective intervention to achieve a range of desirable psychological and performance effects among athletes. Lead researcher in the field of music in sport and exercise, Dr Costas Karageorghis has primarily explored the psychological, psychophysical, psychophysiological, and ergogenic effects of […]
We’ve all seen or heard of elite sports people performing ritual movements before competitions, from a 100m runner blessing themselves before a race, to a footballer with his lucky pants or the Golfer with his favourite putter. From the outside looking in it may seem odd and strange; however in all sports, superstitions and rituals […]
I was reading the book Bounce: How Champions are Made recently, and the author mentioned a Michael Jordan commercial for Nike from several years ago. Watching the commercial again, I realised how powerfully it demonstrates the importance of accepting failure and setbacks as we strive for greatness in whatever we do. In order to remain […]