Psychological Factors in Sports

If you’re Mentally Tough you don’t need to sleep you can simply push through… Wrong!

The mentally tough person, as research suggests is more likely to deal with fatigue better than a mentally sensitive person however they do need to sleep. Being committed to your goals, making sacrifices, taking challenges head on and dealing with pressure requires a clear head, focus and perspective, as well as adequate rest and recovery.  

In this episode, I chat with Nick Littlehales, a well respected Sleep Coach to many elite sports performers.  Nick goes on to share more on the topic of sleep, where he tells you about his experiences supporting Manchester United and Arsenal football clubs, as well as the England National Team.  We also touch on other sports and the intricacies that need to be considered when you think of sleep and recovery. 

Key Learning Points:

• At Manchester United I was with the club and exploring myths and misunderstandings about sleep, where I looked to redefine their approach to recovery.
• Understanding your sleep chronotype is important.
• Focusing on circadian rhythms can be beneficial.
• Tracking and collecting data can be helpful but it can also cause anxiety and added stress.
• Napping is very helpful to remain fresh and focused, aiding your decision making and recovery.
• Consider your environment and think about light, dark and temperature exposure can improve your sleep quality.
• A message for parents, make sure your kids spend some time outside, away from the tech to improve their sleep quality.

Connect with Nick Littlehales

Website

LinkedIn

Book – Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps…and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind  

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to Conversations with Kids

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes

Ep015: Nick Grantham – Essential Elements of Rest and Recovery

Ep065: Dr Amy Izycky – Encouraging Mentally Healthy Cultures in Sport

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep137: David Charlton – Mindfulness and ACT in Sport: Helping Athletes Perform Better 

Other Helpful Resources

Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment

Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?

Blog: Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances 

Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?

In this short solo episode, I explain 5 reasons why you should look in more detail at the use of mindfulness and ACT in sport.  How and why this approach goes on to free up mental space in your mind to enable you to perform better.  I also summarise how Mindfulness and ACT can be used in harmony to develop a more mentally tough individual.

5 Key Benefits of Mindfulness and ACT 

1. This approach can help you become a more psychologically flexible person.
2. It helps you gain a bigger picture perspective on life and sport, recognising that perfection does not exist and that mistakes, losses or negative experiences are inevitable.
3. Mindfulness and ACT can help you trust your skills more.
4. The methods help to decrease your levels of stress.
5. Mindfulness and ACT can safeguard you against being bullied.

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to Conversations with Kids

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep013: Karl Morris – How to stay present like a major champion

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course

Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions

EP136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women’s Football and Bouncing Back Stronger

Other Relevant Blogs and Resources

Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn

Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances

Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?

How to Overcome Mental Challenges When Rock Climbing 

How to Play Great Golf Under Pressure

5 Tips to Help You Perform Fearlessly When You Compete

In this episode I was joined by professional footballer Charlotte Potts where we had a deep and fascinating conversation about different challenges that she has faced so far in her life and when playing Professional Women’s Football.  We went on to discuss Discrimination, Mental Health and Mindfulness too as well as a whole lot more.  It’s well worth a listen!

Key Learning Points:

• Charlotte’s mental health has suffered from time to time therefore she has looked to develop a high degree of self-awareness to help herself.
• Her family was pulled apart when she was young which was difficult for everyone concerned.
• Discrimination exists in football and in life, however progress is being made.
• Mental Toughness in football is about coping with pain and being able to push through barriers.   
• Charlotte has an interest in Mindfulness and regularly practices the approach.
• Being able to take a step back has helped her with anger issues.
• Mindfulness has also helped Charlotte see things from a fresh perspective.

Connect with Charlotte Potts

Instagram

LinkedIn

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to Conversations with Kids

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

To Listen to Football or Soccer Podcast Episodes

Ep038: Taz Bricknell – Playing Professional Women’s Rugby 

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep105: Hannah Bromley – Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Elite Professional Women’s Football

Ep111: Michael Caulfield – How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football 

Other Helpful Resources

Psychology in Football or Soccer Library

Blog: How Mentally Healthy is Your Clubs Sporting Environment

Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?

Blog: 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog: Supporting a Professional Footballer during Challenging Times

Blog: 3 Tips to Deal with Bullying in Sport

Vlog: How Mental Toughness Helps us Understand Psychological Safety with Doug Strycharczyk 

Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn

In today’s episode, I chat with Grant Henderson a former professional rugby player, Chief Operations Officer at The MCG Group and Co-Founder of i3profiling.  Grant goes on to ask me many questions about the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast, mental toughness, personality and environment.  By listening to the episode you’ll learn more about how I work as a Sports Psychologist, about the complexities that surround sport performance, reaching your potential and a whole lot more.  

Key Learning Points:

• Podcasting is a big commitment and has been challenging at times however I really enjoy recording the episodes and the feedback that we get highlights that it makes a positive difference to people’s lives, which is my objective.
• As a Mental Toughness license holder, where I qualified through AQR International’s training.  I sometimes use the MTQ Plus psychometric to measure clients Mental Toughness at the start and end of programs.  
• Incorporated into some programs are personality assessments too, where I find i3Profiling compliments the MTQ Plus.
• An i3 profile presented in the right way can be a big confidence booster, I particularly like the environmental analysis which looks at task and social leadership styles.  This can tell me a lot about how a person should train and mentally prepare themselves.
• Both psychometric and profiling tools aid self-awareness and can be a quick way of finding out about a person’s complexities and save an enormous amount of time in the consultancy process.  
• Without self-awareness you’ll continue to make poor decisions and not be as successful and happy as you could be.
• Mental toughness can be a good thing, however even the mentally tough fall into traps, again highlighting the need for self-awareness.

Connect with Grant Henderson

LinkedIn

i3 Profiling Website

The MCG Group Website

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to Conversations with Kids

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Other Useful Podcast Episodes

Ep034 – David Charlton Gets Grilled By Nathan Sherratt

Ep050: Doug Strycharczyk, Peter Clough MBE & Dr John Perry – Mental Strength Does Not Guarantee Success 

Ep084: Jim Afremow and Phil White – Mental Toughness and The Leaders Mind

Ep121: Doug Strycharczyk and Dr John Perry – What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice

Ep133: Christina Flach – Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss

Other Useful Resources 

Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes

Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait

Blog – Make Better Decisions to Help Your Sport Performance

Sport Psychology for Children and Parents