Mental Toughness for Sports Teams
Share a Vision and Collective Goals
Develop a Team First Mentality
Help Each Other Through Challenging Times
Is Your Team United Working Towards Shared Goals?
Often teams lack cohesion because of a lack of leaders. Poor communication between team-mates and coaches can also be an issue where a lot of mind-reading takes place.
Is that true for your team?
If so, your team will likely benefit from Sports Psychology and Mental Toughness Training programs where we share tools and systems used by world class teams who are always looking for an edge on their rivals.
Team Sports Psychology
Whether your team plays at Elite Professional level or are a skilled amateur or youth team we provide bespoke services to cater for your needs. We’ve years of experience of supporting teams in Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Netball, Cricket, Golf, Swimming, Water Polo, Squash and Tennis
Common Team Challenges
Ineffective Leadership
Effective leadership is a tough skill that we’re not trained in at a young age. We are asked to follow a certain process, respect the people above us, play it safe, or we’re even criticised if we get something wrong. Is this effective leadership?
We help you explore what we think it is: taking risks at the right time, moving forward in times of change, encouraging people around you and making difficult decisions under pressure.
Poor Communication
During team discussions, athletes’ and coaches’ listening skills can be poor on occasion, where everyone talks over each other. Frequently, during team meetings, athletes fail to speak up for differing reasons; sometimes a lack of trust and other times because athletes feel uncomfortable about sharing their concerns. We help teams build trust with fun and interactive sessions to develop outstanding communicators.
Mind Reading
Sometimes coaches and athletes fail to communicate their wishes or expectations to each other or to teammates. Many times mind reading takes place which can cause confusion or even failure to carry out tactics. It can even lead to athletes taking unnecessary risks such as playing when injured rather than resting. With our impartial support we help you take stock and gain a better understanding of why and when mind reading occurs so that you improve your communication skills.
Absence of Team Identity
These teams often do not have a compelling vision of the future. Coaches may not have communicated clearly to athletes what the club and team objectives are leaving athletes personal roles and expectations unclear. A lack of commitment, confidence and conflict may be the result.
Conflict Issues
Conflict can be an issue in many clubs and teams. Where communication is poor or disputes and disagreements can create a toxic atmosphere. Many individuals can then go on to feel resentful or trapped. Relationships, just like our laces, can get into knots before we know it. And the more we pull and struggle, the tighter the knots become. Frustration and anger can take over and go deep into people’s personal lives making them feel helpless. There are many different ways to improve relationships and that our role is to help you talk about things and work towards a ‘team first’ mentality free of egos.
Teams of Strangers
‘Short Term Project Teams’ are extremely common in professional sport such as franchise cricket (IPL, Big Bash, The Hundred, etc.) and sometimes in football, where managers come and go, new management bring in their own coaching, support teams, and new players to freshen up the playing squad. We help management with various challenges that can occur such as trust issues, cultural challenges and poor team morale.
Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast
Demystifying Mental Toughness is a podcast for people who want to reach their goals faster and are curious what high performing athletes and professionals do to fulfil their potential. If you’re a motivated athlete, coach, sport psychologist, mental game coach or executive listen in for proven and practical advice in this podcast.
“The Mental Toughness workshop was very well thought out. The topics were really helpful and had the coaches and players communicating openly. Thanks for your time and looking forward to you being more involved in future.”
Sports Psychology Team Support
High Performing Team MOT
An enjoyable, goal orientated half or full day session to give the squad or team a lift. Team objectives are discussed, expectations of individuals and groups are thrashed out, strategies are given help when setbacks threaten to derail the team, as well as other high performance sport principles are communicated to your athletes. Coaches can be present if they wish, however, sessions of this type are often more effective without coaches present.
Team Culture Development
Our Building An Outstanding “Team First” Culture programmes offer the opportunity to develop and strengthen your organisation, club, academy or squad(s) and its culture with what it needs so that you achieve your desired outcomes more quickly. The programmes are tailor made and perfect for professional clubs’ pre-season breaks, as well as hugely importantly during the season when emotions and relationships can sometimes be tense.
Team Bonding
We work in association with Discover Edventure and Newcastle International Airport Fire Training Academy organising team bonding days with a difference! You can choose to challenge your team outdoors or in a spectacular location just a stone’s throw from aeroplanes taking off and landing on the Newcastle International Airport runway. Options exist for action packed days only or they can incorporate workshops which allow us to work toward improving your teams levels of Mental Toughness and Resilience to boost your performance.
Team Dynamix
We use insightful i3 Team Dynamix tools where a thought provoking half day workshop helps individuals to have greater understanding of each other’s strengths, preferred learning styles and environmental needs to thrive. Team feedback is given, with every team member’s individual report summarised into a group format and delivered in an engaging way. The session ends on a positive note where individual athletes or coaches agree changes of approach and actions to implement immediately.
Mental Toughness Programme
Mental Toughness training programmes are designed to help your team improve confidence and emotional control, see challenges as opportunities, develop focus and boost communication skills. It does not matter if your team’s form is poor or needs some more consistency – mental toughness training helps teach your athletes new skills which can improve performance levels up to 25% and help your team create a winning mentality for the long term.
Bespoke Reporting
Should you wish to learn more about the likely behaviours or personalities of your athletes, coaches and teams, we can design and supply you with a range of individual or group reports. Here are some ideas; Mental Toughness or Resilience Plus reports, Leaderships reports, Personality Profiling reporting, Club / Squad Culture reporting, Team Dysfunction reports, Well-Being reports and Sport Specific reports that link to characteristics associated with Mental Toughness.
Mental Toughness and Resilience Training Specialists Since 2010
David Charlton, is the owner of Inspiring Sporting Excellence Ltd, and sport-excellence.co.uk starting in 2014. Athletes, performers, coaches, sports parents, mental coaches, life coaches, trainee sport psychologists and teams are provided with practical tools and strategies associated with mental toughness and resilience with the key aims of facilitating optimal involvement, performance and/or enjoyment in sport, as well as to support the development of mental health and well-being.
The program of workshops and practical sessions on the court has helped our girls tremendously. They especially enjoyed the Resilience and Confidence workshops which we fun for them, as well as challenging.