…”although successful performance is the greatest influence on confidence, vicarious experience – imagining success or watching someone else achieve success – is also a consistent source of confidence.” – Albert Bandura While there is always talk of repetition to master skills, there seems to be little regarding visualization on the mainstream stage up until the […]
Athletes do not lose physical ability overnight. The reason for a change in performance is more likely to be related to fluctuations in cognitive processes, one of which being attention. Generally the terms attention and concentration can get mixed up, however attention is the umbrella term for concentration, selectivity of perception and/or the ability to […]
Elite athletes possess characteristics that resonate closely to mental toughness. Arguably, Usain Bolt epitomises mental toughness that has acquainted him with success. Key characteristics of mental toughness include: 1) Ability to cope under pressure 2) Desire 3) Self-confidence 4) Motivation 5) Resilience Pressure in sport must be enjoyed and undoubtedly Usain Bolt loves pressure. Athletes […]
It is common to hear music blaring in sports stadiums and a frequent sight at events, such as the Olympics, is to see athletes ‘psyching’ themselves up with their headphones pre competition; but how useful is music in aiding performance? Music often evokes certain feelings or memories with people, for example, your first dance at […]
Depression within Cricket has hit the headlines in recent years with many household names such as Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Marcus Trescothick opening up about their own experiences and battles. One study suggested that the suicide rate among English test cricketers over the years is almost double that of the UK’s male population. The […]
How do athletes become elite players in their chosen sport? Is it their innate talent or do they train every hour of every day to become an elite player? It is often said that ‘practice makes perfect’ and to a certain extent this is true, the more you practice a skill the more likely you […]
We are a society driven on ‘winning’, thirsty to attain a professional level status in our given sport and be praised as Demi-Gods by millions of fans and arm-chair quarterbacks the world over. The more we win, the more successful we appear, but how do we define ‘winning’? What is the path to do so? […]
Within Psychology personality refers to “psychological qualities that contribute to an individual’s enduring and distinctive patterns of feeling, thinking and behaving”. This psychohistory of Tiger Woods intends to examine several theories of personality in an attempt to discover and learn more about what motivates him. Adler’s Birth Order Effect will be explored as a possible […]
In sports coaching, play and practice are said to be two of the key variables that influence skill acquisition. However knowing what is the more effective or what is the best combination of play and practice, as well as what age play and practice amounts should be integrated have proven to be a topic under […]
This may seem like a strange question. Surely, mankind would not have got where we are today without the focused and intense ‘brainstorming’ of our finest intellectuals forcing ideas out of their minds by hard concentration (what author Guy Claxton refers to as d-mode for ‘default’). D-mode is what we are conditioned to believe from […]