The Sport Psych Show

I'm delighted to speak to Prof Kristoffer Henriksen in this week's episode. Kristoffer is Head of the Learning and Talent in Sport Research Unit at the University of Southern Denmark. He is also a sport psychologist for Team Denmark – an organisation that works to provide Danish athletes with the best possible frameworks and conditions for them to live out their potential and perform at the highest international level. We discuss Kristoffer's approach to working with athletes as well as a fantastic paper he wrote along with Gregory Diment and Carsten Hvid Larsen entitled 'Team Denmark's Sport Psychology Professional Philosophy 2.0'. The purpose of the article is to discuss Team Denmark's professional philosophy; including: (1) the vision for the team; (2) basic beliefs and values; (3) the psychological theories that interventions are based upon; (4) Team Denmark's Sports Psychological model which describes the content and focus of the team's work; and (5) the concrete psychological services that delivered. High quality service requires coherence across all five levels of the philosophy. Read the paper here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339167625_Team_Denmark's_Sport_Psychology_Professional_Philosophy_20

I speak with Dr John Stoszkowski and Dr Danny Massaro in this episode. Danny is widely recognised as one of the best squash coaches in the United Kingdom. He coached his wife, world champion, Laura Massaro, for over 10 years, guiding her to world number 1. Danny is a lecturer in Sports Coaching at the University of Central Lancashire. And just completed his PhD. John was, up until very recently, a senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, leading a range of modules on the BSc Sports Coaching and Performance, BA Sports Coaching and Development, and MSc Sports Coaching programmes. In recognition of his contributions to teaching, John is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is research active with a particular interest in coach learning. John has just launched Think Space Academy, a new online cohort-based course. We discuss the importance of critical thinking in sporting environments.

I speak with Dr Fiona Leggat and Dr Sean Figgins in this episode. Fiona is a Research Associate at Kingston and St Georges University London. She completed her MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Chichester and her PhD in Applied Health Psychology at St Mary's University. Fiona's academic interests include co-design, narrative pedagogy, rehabilitation psychology, implementation science and group dynamics. Sean is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology and Research Methods at the University of Chichester. Sean's research focusses on the social psychology of groups in sport and exercise contexts, with a particular focus on leadership and group dynamics. His research has primarily focussed on how leaders inspire groups and individuals, as well as the personal and contextual factors that impact on this process. We discuss in detail a brilliant paper that Fiona and Sean have written along with Dr Matthew Smith entitled 'Talented but Disruptive: An Exploration of Problematic Players in Sports Teams.

I'm delighted to speak to sport and performance psychology expert, author, and speaker, Dr Nate Zinsser this week. Nate has been at the forefront of applied sport psychology for over thirty years. He is the director of West Point's prestigious Performance Psychology Program, a Certified Mental Performance Coach (CMPC) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and has a PhD in sport psychology from the University of Virginia. Nate has been a regular consultant to the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Giants for twelve seasons. We discuss Nate's brand new book 'The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance' in which he distils his research and years of experience, offering a fascinating guide to the science of confidence. The book provides readers with a practical, step-by-step programme to best harness their belief in themselves to achieve success in any field. The Confident Mind is a complete guide to confidence: how to understand it, how to build it, how to protect it, and how to rely upon it when your performance matters most.

I'm so excited to speak with the very first Sport Psych Show guest, Dr Ed Coughlan this week. Ed is widely acknowledged as one of the top skills coaches working in elite sport today. He is a senior lecturer at Munster Technological University and Research Lead in Skill Acquisition. Ed has worked with a wide range of competitors and coaches including from the EIS, GB Shooting, UEFA, Chelsea FC, St Helen's Rugby League and with a number of golfers on the European Tour. Ed has over 30 years coaching experience. We discuss how his coaching has changed over that time; being comfortable with not having all the answers for players; the ASPIRE model he and fellow researcher, Dr Paul Ford developed and Ed shares his top tips for coaches of teams for session design with skill acquisition in mind.

Mike Ashford, a lecturer in Sport Coaching at Coventry University and a coach developer, dives into the complex world of decision-making in team sports. He shares insights from his research on how athletes, especially in rugby union, navigate pressures during competitions. The discussion covers various decision-making theories and the importance of adaptable coaching methods. Mike emphasizes the crucial balance between structured training and real-time adaptations, aiming to enhance players' situational awareness and teamwork.

I speak to BPS Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and HCPC Practitioner Psychologist, Dr Bryan McCann in this episode. Bryan is a lecturer in Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is an active researcher interested in a range of sport and exercise psychology topics, in particular the social influences on motivation in sport and exercise contexts. In Bryan's previous role as a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen he led a range of innovative and award-winning projects. Bryan has provided psychological support to a range of national, international and Olympic level athletes and teams in different sports, including football, golf, swimming, table tennis and skiing and has consulted for organisations such as the Scottish FA, The Camanachd Association, Scottish Swimming and Sport Scotland. Bryan and I speak about a fascinating paper he has written about the perceived influence of coaches, parents and peers on players' motivation during development.

I'm delighted to speak to Dr Matthew Schweickle in this week's episode. Matt is a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Wollongong. Matt's particular area of interest is clutch performances and the psychology of what is happening during clutch performances when people are performing well under pressure. We discuss in detail a fascinating paper that Matt wrote, along with Prof Christian Swann and Prof Stewart Vella which looks at objective and subjective performance indicators of clutch performances.

I'm delighted to welcome back licensed clinical psychologist and sport psychologist, Dr Scott Goldman in this episode. Scott started out at the University of Arizona where was one of the first embedded sport psychologists in an athletic department. He has since served as a clinical and performance psychologist for the University of Michigan and Saint Louis' Athletic Departments. Scott also helped co-author the best practices for the NCAA and was part of their first mental health task force. Scott has worked as sport psychologist for the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions NFL teams and NBA teams Washington Wizards, and currently the Golden State Warriors. Scott has also developed a test called the AIQ which measures sport-specific intelligence that is used across all 5 major leagues in the US as well as in other countries around the world.

I speak with Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe in this episode. Amy is a Reader in Sport Psychology and Coaching and teaches across the Sport Coaching, Physical Education and Sport Psychology programmes at Liverpool John Moores University. Amy is a BPS accredited sport and exercise psychologist and has worked for organisations such as St. Helen's RFC, British Cycling, the FA, Professional league and non-league football and European Tour Golfers. Jenny is head of performance and well-being at West Ham United Women's Team. Jenny has been involved with elite sport for most of her life, having played as a guard in basketball for Ireland and WIT Wildcats before joining UK Coaching in 2018, where she supported coaches across 13 high-performance Olympic sports on their respective journeys. Jenny and Amy have edited the newly released 'Myths of Sport Coaching' and it's this fascinating book that we discuss.