Psychological Factors in Sports

In this short solo episode, I share 2 short clips from the previous 2 episodes where I chat with Kevin Stansfield and Christina Flach to inspire and motivate you to reflect on your journey.  My hope is that you will pick up some nougats of advice from the business world and then go on to adapt your approach and take some action so that you give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals and using the time and resources that you have available much better.

Key Learning Points

• A key question to ask yourself is – HOW CAN I REACH MY POTENTIAL?
• 3 things that stop people from achieving their full potential:

1. Failure to take ownership and be honest with themselves
2. Not understanding why you do what you do
3. Fear of what may or may not happen if you do or don’t do…

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep21: Steve Hackney – How to Reach Your Full Potential

Ep100: Compilation – 50 Secrets for Optimal Performance and Positive Mental Health

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

Ep132: Kevin Stansfield – How Lessons from the Great Game of Golf can Help You Win the, Equally Great, Game of Business

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

Other Relevant Blogs and Resources

Motivation for Sport Quiz

Performance Profile

Blog: For Better Golf Use a Growth Mindset – Sports Psychology

Blog: Coach Development – Helping Athletes Overcome Fear of Failure

Blog: Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback

Blog: How to Find Your Why 

Following on from last week, again we look at what we can learn from the business world, entrepreneurship and sport and how they overlap.  Mental Toughness is discussed in different contexts where I chat with Christina Flach, CEO of Pretty Girl Makeup.  Christina was married to former Wimbledon champion and professional tennis player Ken Flach who sadly passed away after a brief bout of sepsis in 2018.  We also go onto discuss the difficulties faced when you lose a loved one and ways that you can help yourself.   

Key Learning Points:

• In business you need to peak a lot longer than a professional athlete does when you look at the life of your career, therefore self-care is vital.
• You’ll be a better CEO or entrepreneur if you take time out to relax too.
• Mental Toughness for entrepreneurs is about not giving up and learning from mistakes.
• I learned from being a professional tennis player, goal setting and remaining focused is vital.
• My life is not tragic, focusing on positive memories and things I’m grateful for helps me.
• Ken would want me to live my best life and dreams and be happy, loved and laughing.
• “There are no failures and there are no tragedies.”

Connect with Christina Flach:

Instagram

Website

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Useful Podcast Episodes

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

Ep114: Tim Bradshaw – Because I Can – How To Get Out Of Your Own Way

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

Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military

Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!

Other Useful Resources

Blog – How to Find Your Why 

Blog – 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist

Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait

Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes

In today’s episode I chat with author and Business Growth Expert Kevin Stansfield where we discuss what the golfer or sports enthusiast can learn from business and what the business owner can learn from golf or sport in general.  We discuss Mental Toughness and Resilience in a sporting and business context. Business planning, strategy and goal setting are considered as well as the commitment levels to succeed where Kevin goes on to share some fascinating insights.

Key Learning Points:

• Learning to say no and making sacrifices is essential to be successful.
• Having a resilience and bloody-mindedness to carry on when there are difficulties is essential.
• How clear are your goals?
• To win in sport or business you need to understand the “be”, “do” and “have.”
• Those that concentrate on doing are also known as busy fools.
• Playing to your strengths is a fundamental key.
• Being able to delegate and trust other people is a skill that we can all develop to help us. 

Connect with Kevin Stansfield:

LinkedIn 

Book – The Great Game: How lessons from the great game of golf can help you win the, equally great, game of business

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Useful Podcast Episodes

Ep011: Dave Algeo – Mental Toughness, Mental Health and High Performance

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

Ep 061: Paul Lyons – Why You Should Build Your Mental Toughness

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

Ep124: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military

Other Useful Resources

Blog – How to Find Your Why 

Blog – 5 Reasons team captains should work with a Sports Psychologist

Blog – Mental Toughness is a Hugely Valuable Trait

Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog – Mental Health Guidance for Coaches When Supporting Athletes

This episode is the final part of a three-part series where I’ve tried to help people recognise that to develop Mental Toughness it is not simply about “being tough” or “egotistical” there is more to it than that.   The series of episodes have looked at self-criticism, which we can all find difficult at different times and in different situations, from a variety of angles.  I’ve shared sporting case studies, and why and how having a self-compassionate approach can be helpful.  

This time we look at competitiveness and I highlight when things go wrong how hard it is for some people and how they internalise losses.  Also featured is an exercise to help you in these circumstances – “How you would treat a friend” which you can apply to yourself so you can move on from defeats in a different manner and sleep a little better that evening!

Key Learning Points

• Competitiveness is a strong desire to be more successful than others.
• People who are competitive dream about winning, they love the feelings of beating rivals.  
• Real competitors thrive off pressure in clutch situations.  They love the challenge too, for example taking the decisive penalty kick to win a tournament, they’ll out their hand up.
• The downsides of being extremely competitive include jealousy of others, very high emotions in sport and corresponding outbursts.
• A large degree of self-criticism can also be a common behaviour of “the serious competitor” which can work for and against them.
• To counter the self-criticism, self-compassion is a very helpful approach and can help people relax more quickly in emotional circumstances. 
• Kristin Neff, who has done extensive research in this area suggests that self-compassion consists of three main elements: kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness. 
• Research has shown that most people are kinder to others than they are to themselves. Throw in events or situations that are beyond our control, such as sporting matches and competition – the same is true.  
• Then exercise “How you would treat a friend” is a helpful reminder to help you be kinder to yourself, to see things from a fresh perspective as well as helping you look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.  

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1

Ep130 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT2

Other Relevant Blogs and Resources

• A Common Mental Game Error Many Footballers Make
• Beating Perfectionism as a Goalkeeper
• Perfectionism in Cricket
• Mental Training Resources for Gymnasts
• Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion

Today is the second part of a 3-part series, where I share 2 more clips, this time from former England Cricketer and Senior Leadership Coach, Jeremy Snape and multiple World Champion Martial Artist and Clinical Hypnotherapist, Stuart Wade.  Jeremy highlights the importance of the psychological side to sport and Stuart defines Mental Toughness in Combat Sports.  

Again, I go on to share a case study and another tool that a lot of my clients have found useful, from compassionate focused therapy to help you or your clients manage the voice in their heads.  

Key Learning Points

• Jeremy states “how my biggest opponent wasn’t India, or the crowd or Harbhajan Singh’s doosra, it was actually the voice in my head which was louder than all 100000 people put together.”
• Stuart mentioned how “if you take a good shot, it hurts, immediately we’re hard wired to retreat and protect ourselves and not go forward”
• When we’re activated by fear, it’s similar to the sight of a predator, which goes on to trigger a fear response in the amygdala.
• It then messes with our motor functions, our heart may beat crazy fast, our breathing speeds up and our mind can go into overdrive. 
• In this state a lot of people’s thoughts are self-defeating where they get caught in the past thinking about what has happened, and focus on their weaknesses or they flip forward to the future worrying about what may happen, again looking at it from a negative angle. 
• Some people get into blame mode too, blaming themselves and have a very harsh thought process.    
• Self-compassionate focused therapy and some of the tools from this approach can come to their rescue such as the one I discuss in this episode, when looking at releasing thought balloons. 

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep129: David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – PT1

Ep115: Jeremy Snape – Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket

Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports

Ep072: Tom Jones – Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket

Ep083: Billy Schwer – Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer

Other Relevant Blogs and Resources

3 Ways to use Visualisation so that You are Mentally Prepared to Win

Do you focus too much on your opponent before or during a boxing match?

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Bowl Every Delivery

Perfectionism in Cricket

Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion

This is a short solo episode and the first of 3 episodes where I share 2 reminders of what Mental Toughness is and apply it to different domains.  The first clip is from Mental Toughness pioneer, Doug Strycharczyk which was recorded in our very first episode and the second clip comes from Sebastian De Chavez an elite professional rugby player for Newcastle Falcons who appeared in episode 104.  

I then go on to share a case study and one helpful exercise taken from compassionate focused therapy to help people who experience self-criticism and are very hard on themselves off the back of failing or making mistakes in sport or life.

Key Learning Points

• Doug states that Mental Toughness is about “how we respond mentally to things that happen to us.” 
• Seb confirms this in a professional rugby setting and considers mental toughness as “being able to get your job done, when things aren’t going your way.”
• In sport when someone makes a mistake, often as an onlooker or spectator we are better placed to say “they’re only human” and display compassion.
• Yet, when we are the culprit making the mistake, we often find displaying self-compassion very tough.  For many it is virtually impossible, especially in sport when you and your performances are being judged or at least you think they are.  And your emotions are so up and down because you are striving for competence.
• A common thing people get wrong when thinking of being self-compassionate or being kind to yourself is that it equals self-pity or that you are being “soft”.  
• Self-compassion doesn’t mean that you are lacking in motivation either.
• Understanding the pain that you are put yourself through by being self-critical is vital and by trying to feel compassionate you can empower yourself to make better decisions.
• Encouraging, loving and supportive language is a much more powerful motivator than negativity and fear which is often a habit a lot of people can slip into, especially in a sporting environment.

Connect with David Charlton

Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep001: Doug Strycharczyk – The Importance of Mental Toughness

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

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

Ep128: Paula Eddy-Wilcox – Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!

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

Other Relevant Blogs and Resources

Blog – 5 Coaching Tips To Develop Mentally Tough Footballers

Blog – Coach Development Helping Athletes Overcome Fear Of Failure 

Blog – Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes

Blog – 5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog – 3 Tips To Deal With Bullying In Sport

Kristin Neff Website on Self-Compassion