How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure #BITESIZE

EP 224 Episode Cover Aaron Walsh

How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure #BITESIZE

Aaron Walsh

Aaron Walsh, otherwise known as “Walshy” is an experienced Performance Coach. His main areas of focus are developing leadership, culture and mental performance programs for teams. Currently working with Chiefs in Super Rugby as well as consulting to Harlequins, Scottish Rugby, Texas Rangers and Basketball New Zealand.  Aaron has worked in MLB, NRL and with various national teams.  He is also currently coaching multiple corporate leadership teams in creating and maintaining a high performance working environments.  He is sought after and highly regarded presenter that is comfortable in both sporting and corporate environments.

In episode #171 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness, former Professional Australian Rugby League player and now an inspiring speaker and personal trainer, David Lindsay talks to me about ways you can improve your vitality to improve your chances of success.  We also touch on Mental Toughness in a Professional Rugby League as well as discussing the psychological side to martial arts.

Key Learning Points:

  • When you are smaller than others learning to play to and improve your strengths is important.
  • “The mental game beats the physical game every day.”
  • You can control yourself not your opponent, so don’t waste time focusing too much on them.
  • Mental Toughness in a Rugby League setting is all about your ability to keep moving forwards despite pressures that exist.
  • A bigger picture mentality without too much emotion is necessary to perform at the peak of your powers.
  • To psych yourself up, consider energising music or rituals like the All Blacks “Haka.”
  • Visualisation and self-talk are other useful tools to improve your energy and intensity levels.
  • Ensuring you look after yourself with adequate rest and recovery is essential to raise your vitality.

Connect with David Lindsay

Website

LinkedIn

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to The Mental Edge

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

5 Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery

Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important?

Ep112: David Charlton – How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete

Ep134: David Charlton – Observations: 3 Things That Stop You Achieving Your Goals

EP138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important

4 Relevant blogs

Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great

Blog: Mental Preparation for Combat Sports

Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?

Blog: Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches

3 Valuable resources

Understanding yourself better – The 4Ts.  Timing, Thoughts, Tension and Temperature

Combat Sports Psychology Library

Rugby Psychology Library

IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

David Charlton

Best Wishes 

David Charlton

Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

T: +44 7734 697769

E: [email protected]

Search Our Sports Psychology Website

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Join Our Online Community Now!

Mental Edge Newsletter

Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

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    How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union

    EP 161 Episode Cover Paul Phillips

    How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union

    Paul Phillips

    Paul Phillips | Founding Member, Board of Advisors: High-Performance Rugby Union | Coach Educator | Performance Rugby Consultant | Performance Coach Author.

    With more than 17-years experience working with players, coaches, clubs, regions and organisations – as a Performance Coach, Educator and Consultant. With purpose, to positively influence growth, in many forms, to achieve individual and team development, progress, and success.

    In episode #161 I chat with Author, Coach Educator and Performance Rugby Consultant, Paul Phillips.  We discuss his experiences of developing high performance cultures in professional rugby.  Paul also shares some research on tackling and how to overcome fears with helpful triggers as well as other fascinating insights.

    Key Learning Points:

    • In Rugby at the lower levels fear is very prominent.
    • Establishing values and behaviours that are coupled with a vision for the team and club is an essential part of culture development.
    • Why can’t we generate behaviours before thoughts and emotions?
    • James Clear’s two-minute rule in the book Atomic Habits is a good way to start to develop habitual behaviours.
    • The size of the opponent in rugby can be a big factor in activating fear.
    • Visual, kinaesthetic and auditory cues and triggers are helpful in dealing with fear when tackling.
    • Using metaphors such as images of animals or superhero’s is a helpful trigger for adults and children.
    • The development of positive relationships between players and coaches is a hallmark of high performing teams.
    • Extrinsic environments are rife largely down to the way messages are communicated from senior staff and coaches in clubs and organisations.
    • Too much focus on external factors results in lower emotional control.

    Connect with Paul Phillips

    LinkedIn

    Book: How to Create Culture: In Rugby Union

    Connect with David Charlton

    Sign Up to The Mental Edge

    Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

    Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

    To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes

    Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes

    Ep094: Professor Adam Nicholls – How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players

    Ep104: Seb De Chaves –  The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby

    Ep127: Paul Trainor – The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League

    EP147: Aaron Walsh – The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby

    Ep153: Rugby Psychology Compilation – 25 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

    Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources

    Blog – Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch

    Blog – Are You A Rugby Player With Perfectionist Tendencies?

    Case Study – Supporting a Rugby Player to Overcome Self-Doubt

    Blog – Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure

    Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

    Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources

    IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

    SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

    Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

    David Charlton

    Best Wishes 

    David Charlton

    Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

    Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

    T: +44 7734 697769

    E: [email protected]

    Search Our Sports Psychology Website

    Popular Categories

    Join Our Online Community Now!

    Mental Edge Newsletter

    Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

      We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

      Rugby Psychology: 25 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

      EP 153 25 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

      Rugby Psychology: 25 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance Welcome to episode #153 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes!   This time the episode is created with rugby enthusiasts in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and

      The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby

      EP 147 The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby

      The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby

      Aaron Walsh

      Aaron Walsh, otherwise known as “Walshy” is an experienced Performance Coach. His main areas of focus are developing leadership, culture and mental performance programs for teams. Currently working with Chiefs in Super Rugby as well as consulting to Harlequins, Scottish Rugby, Texas Rangers and Basketball New Zealand.  Aaron has worked in MLB, NRL and with various national teams.  He is also currently coaching multiple corporate leadership teams in creating and maintaining a high performance working environments.  He is sought after and highly regarded presenter that is comfortable in both sporting and corporate environments.

      In episode #147 I chat with Aaron Walsh, a performance coach for the Chiefs rugby team in New Zealand as well as a consultant to many more elite teams including the Scottish Rugby team.  We chat about his experiences of supporting elite rugby union players, common challenges that players bring to him, perceptions from players and coaches of working on their mental game.  Performance analysis is a topic we touch on too as is culture in elite professional sport. 

      Key Learning Points:

      • We have many amazing athletes who work incredibly hard, I feel it’s a tragedy that they’re not able to actualise that skill and potential because they don’t have the ability to navigate through the emotional and mental side of performance.
      • In my philosophy I treat the mental side as a skill that can be developed.
      • Why hasn’t mental skills been integrated into elite teams is a part of Aaron’s research. The answer is people need educating on the topic.
      • How players respond to mistakes and pressure is an integral part of mental skills training.
      • Psychological safety and well-being need to be talked about cautiously in elite professional sport.
      • Everybody wants to be resilient, but not many know how to build resilience.

      Connect with Aaron Walsh

      LinkedIn

      Twitter

      Connect with David Charlton

      Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

      Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

      Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

      To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes

      Ep029: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence 

      Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby 

      Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes

      Ep104: Seb De Chaves – The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby

      Ep127: Paul Trainor – The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League

      Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources

      Blog – Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch

      Blog – Are you a Rugby Player who Focuses Too Much on the Opposition

      Blog – Helping Young Rugby Players Mentally Prepare Before Matches

      Blog – Playing Rugby at Your Best Under Pressure

      Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

      Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources

      IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

      SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

      Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

      David Charlton

      Best Wishes 

      David Charlton

      Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

      Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

      T: +44 7734 697769

      E: [email protected]

      Search Our Sports Psychology Website

      Popular Categories

      Join Our Online Community Now!

      Mental Edge Newsletter

      Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

        We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

        The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League

        EP 127 Episode Cover Paul Trainor

        The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League

        Paul Trainor

        Paul Trainor is the Managing Director of Positive Synergy Ltd, who works with individuals and organisations to business, sport and education to develop their performance through building mental toughness, developing high performing teams, enhancing leadership and creating a powerful identity and culture.  Paul is also a Director of Super League team, Salford Red Devils Rugby League Club. He is an experienced leader in a range of sectors, having worked in senior leadership roles in education, elite sport and business. Paul is also a former professional Rugby League player.

        In episode #127 I chat with fellow Mental Toughness Licensee, Paul Trainor.  Paul is a former professional rugby league player, currently a director for Super League team, Salford Red Devils Rugby League Club and a director for Positive Synergy.

        We go on to discuss Mental Toughness in professional rugby league, how Mental Toughness applies to his current role as a director. We also touch on his consultancy work.  If you’re looking to learn more about Mental Toughness, the 4 C’s model and its application, this is a great podcast episode to listen too.

        Key Learning Points:

        • The definition of mental toughness has changed over the years in Rugby where it was more about bravado, not being seen to be injured, seeing how many knocks you could get through to now where it is viewed as the ability to respond well to challenges that we face in the game, to be fully prepared for the challenges, to have trust in the process and to be able to take risks.
        • When injured it’s very important as a player to be honest with yourself and others around you.
        • Salford Red Devils reached the Super League Grand Final in 2019 and pride ourselves on the way as a club, both on and off the field that we approach what we do. We have a very strong culture of maximising everything you’ve got whether it be players on the field or the resources we’ve got off the field.
        • I lead on building future strategy, which looks at developing the next generation of Salford Red Devils players and leaving a legacy in different areas of work. We go into schools and community clubs and are not only concerned about rugby, but we’re also doing work around mental toughness, raising achievement and positive mental health.
        • Mental toughness is a crucial life skill that we help develop in youngsters.
        • Everyone plays a key role in creating culture and the key behaviours that are expected from people.   

        Connect with Paul Trainor

        Twitter

        LinkedIn 

        Connect with David Charlton

        Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

        Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

        Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

        To Listen to Rugby Orientated Podcast Episodes

        Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential

        Ep29: Lome Faatau – How to Play Professional Rugby with Confidence 

        Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby 

        Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes

        Ep104: Seb De Chaves – The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby

        Helpful Rugby Orientated Resources

        Blog – How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great

        Case Study – Supporting a Professional Rugby Player Rehabilitating from Injury

        Blog – 3 Tips for Playing with Confidence Under Pressure

        Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

        Rugby Psychology | Mental Skills for Rugby Resources 

        IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE

        SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM

        Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

        David Charlton

        Best Wishes 

        David Charlton

        Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

        Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly. 

        T: +44 7734 697769

        E: [email protected]

        Search Our Sports Psychology Website

        Popular Categories

        Join Our Online Community Now!

        Mental Edge Newsletter

        Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance? Receive our free regular newsletter, where we share proven mental toughness and high performance tips and strategies. If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then sign up below.

          We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

          The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby

          EP 104 Episode Cover Sebastian De Chavez

          The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby Sebastian De Chaves, South African 31 year old. Professional rugby player currently with Austin Gilgronis and previous clubs of Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Newcastle Falcons and Wasps.  Currently pursuing a masters in psychology looking to be a fully qualified and accredited sports psychologist in the future.  Today I’m

          How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players

          professor adam nicholls

          How to Develop Mentally Strong Rugby Players Adam is a professor of psychology within the Department of Sport, Health, and Exercise Science, at the University of Hull. The main focus of his research relates to the psycho-social factors that predict doping among adolescent athletes, along with coping and emotions among athletes. His research is supported by

          Why Mental Toughness is NOT a Male Macho Trait

          EP 53 Episode Cover Kate Mackay, Taz Bricknell, Natalie Hurdley

          Why Mental Toughness is NOT a Male Macho Trait This episode shatters the myth that mental toughness is a male macho trait.  Three very talented ladies from different fields demonstrate that it is far more complex than this basic assumption that many people have.  Where Kate Mackay talks about embracing fear and Taz Bricknell and