Sport Psychology
Sports psychology is not just about dealing with an issue, but is about developing consistent and positive performances.
What is Sport Psychology?
Psychology is the study of what goes on ‘from the neck up’. It’s a science that links what people think and feel with their actions and behaviour. Sport psychologists apply this link to a sport setting. They look at how high performers thoughts and feelings affect their performance, wellbeing and enjoyment.
Many athletes will be able to recall a time when their self-belief has taken a nose-dive alongside their performance. Others will remember times when they have lost focus under pressure, or when emotions have clouded their judgement, from nerves to frustration to disappointment. Suffice to say that meeting only the physical and technical demands of sport is not adequate for optimal performance. Athletes must also prepare for and overcome the mental demands of their sport, from motivation and concentration to confidence and emotional control. This mental element of performance is where psychology plays a part in sporting success.
Sport psychology can improve performance, consistency, enjoyment, and bring a competitive edge to your game. Examples of areas where sport psych support can make a difference:
- Confidence development
- Coping with pressure
- Controlling emotion
- Improving focus and concentration
- Overcoming stress and anxiety
- Understanding performance states
- Increasing motivation and enjoyment
- Recovering from injury
- Transition in sport
Performing At Your Best
Performing at a high level consistently is not only difficult, but also rare. We all have bumps in the road and sometimes it is helpful to have support in recovering from them. For those aiming to regain their previous levels of performance or motivation I can offer regular support. If you already feel you know what is causing you an issue in your performance or have a single problem you are looking to solve then one to one sessions will help you talk through the causes of that issue. If you cannot yet identify the specific issue, sometimes discussing your event and your current feelings about it may help to clarify the barriers you are facing.
Performance Psychology
Sport Psychology is not just relevant to athletes and sport, but has a part to play in business and other areas of life where high performance is necessary. Taking lessons from sport I can help you to work towards your goals and over come any psychological obstacles that maybe limiting your performance or success. Examples of areas I can help with:
- Public speaking; to include pitches and propositions
- Team communication and cohesion
- Difficult and impactful conversations
- Motivation
- Conducting meetings and team dynamics
Performance Counselling
Working from a performance prospective I offer counselling to athletes, players and high performing professionals. Sometimes things do get on top of us and just having some space and guidance can make huge difference to our well-being and our ability to maintain a high level of performance. Drawing on my experiences within sport and performance, I offer a unique
approach to counselling. Focused primarily on a REBT approach to practice I look to work with you to form strategies to tackle issues you may be facing, similarly I look to help you to get the most out of yourself in all aspects of your life.
Spotlight Profiling
The simple yet powerful personality profiling tool designed with performance in mind. Based on the science of psychology, along with decades worth of experience in elite sport, Spotlight has been designed to be practical, memorable and relevant to the modern world. Spotlight offers you an opportunity to explore your strengths and weakness and apply your learning to improving performance.
Spotlight looks further than just ‘Behavioural Styles’, it also considers ‘Mindset’. Put simply, some people are trying to win, whilst others are trying not to lose – with both proving to be successful strategies when applied skillfully.
As a result, Spotlight aims to explore the major dimensions of character, based on the properties of the brain-behavioural systems. This includes the basic processes of motivation, learning and emotion. Taking these lessons, spotlight looks to give an understanding of both ‘Behavioural Style’ and ‘Mindset’, combining them into what can be termed ‘’Performance Preferences”.
Spotlight has been applied with organisations and teams from a wide range of fields, from elite sport to the financial sector. With an aim to be a tool that could be applied in any context, to help people move forwards. Since Spotlight has been developed it has undergone academic rigour through research studies, establishing both the profile’s validity and reliability. It has drawn upon the experiences of clients and how they relate to Spotlight, shaping the profile and tailoring the content to ensure its impact is both immediate and long-lasting.
Practitioners:
