The Sport Psych Show
Dan Abrahams
Join Sport Psychologist, Dan Abrahams, on The Sport Psych Show as he aims to demystify sport psychology for players, coaches and parents by speaking with some of the most influential people in sports performance today. Dan is on a mission to learn more about how sport psychology philosophies, tools and techniques positively impact participation, progression and performance in sport. He wants to learn more about how to drive participation – what motivational tools engage players and inspire people to play and stay in their sport. He wants to explore how players can progress quicker and more effectively – what is great practice and training? And how does learning in sport really happen? Finally, he wants to hear what his guests have to say about the psychology of performance – how do they think players can improve their ability to high perform consistently under pressure? Discover simple and practical tools and techniques by listening in to Dan's conversations with elite competitors, sports coaches, sport scientists, and psychologists.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 22, 2021 • 55min
#130 Dr James Hegarty - ACT in Sport: Improve Performance through Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Commitment
I'm excited to speak with Dr James Hegarty in this episode. James has a PhD in Experimental Psychology, with a strong background in basic behavioural sciences, he is a registered clinical psychologist, and a fellow of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists. James also has an interest in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training) and he has written a book along with Christoph Huelsmann entitled ACT in Sport: Improve Performance through Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Commitment which is a practical workbook providing a variety of simple strategies for athletes, sport psychologists, and coaches for growing their skills. It is a manual for anyone wanting to become familiar with this increasingly popular but poorly understood approach to the psychology of sports performance.
Feb 15, 2021 • 1h 13min
#129 Dr Mustafa Sarkar and Kirsten Fasey - Organisational Resilience in Elite Sport
I'm delighted to welcome Dr Mustafa Sarkar back on the show. This time, Mustafa is joined by Kirsten Fasey. Kirsten is a PhD researcher at Nottingham Trent University. She previously studied Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University. Mustafa is Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His main area of research is on individual, team and organisational resilience in elite sport. And it's the topic of organisational resilience that we're going to be focusing on in this episode. We will discuss in detail a research paper Kirsten and Mustafa have co-written entitled "Defining and Characterising Organisational resilience in Elite Sport" which aims to identify resilient characteristics of elite sport organisations.
Feb 8, 2021 • 1h 4min
#128 Dr Duncan Simpson - A Collaborative Approach to Athlete Development
Dr. Duncan Simpson is the Head of Mental Skills at IMG Academy and a former Associate Professor in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. He discusses the collaborative approach taken at IMG Academy, integrating mental conditioning with technical and physical training. Duncan emphasizes the importance of mental skills in athlete development, the academy’s holistic programs, and effective communication among staff. He also addresses the psychological challenges in tennis, advocating for a growth mindset and supporting athletes in navigating competition pressures.
Feb 1, 2021 • 1h 16min
#127 Ethan Kross - Chatter. The Voice in Our Head and How to Harness It
I'm really excited to speak with Ethan Kross in this episode. Ethan is one of the world's leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. An award-winning professor in the University of Michigan's top ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he is the director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. Ethan has just released the absolutely brilliant book Chatter. The Voice in Our Head and How to Harness It, in which he interweaves cutting-edge science with real-world case studies to explain how our inner conversations shape our work and relationships. Then he reveals the tools you need to harness your own voice so that you can be happier, healthier and more productive. Ethan and I delve into this fascinating book discussing practical tools and techniques players and coaches from all sports can use.
Jan 25, 2021 • 1h 22min
#126 Frances Houghton MBE & Dr Chris Shambrook - Learnings From Five Olympic Games
I'm delighted to welcome Dr Chris Shambrook back on the show. This time, Chris is joined by 5 x Olympian, 4 x World Champion and 3 x silver medallist, Frances Houghton MBE. Frances was the first British woman to be selected for five consecutive Olympic Games in rowing, and only the fifth woman in any sport to achieve this mark for Team GB. Chris was the team psychologist for the British rowing team from 1997 to 2019 attending 5 Olympic Games and supporting Frances for much of her career. These days Chris takes the lessons learned from Olympic Champions and applies them to help enhance corporate performance. Frances has written the fascinating new book "Learnings From Five Olympic Games" which is the accumulation of her notes and learnings from her 21 year career. Frances, Chris and I discuss the book in detail and break down the processes Frances utilised to compete at the very highest level.
Jan 18, 2021 • 1h 40min
#125 Fergus Connolly and Cody Royle - Royle and Connolly on High Performance Coaching
I'm delighted to welcome back on the show Author and Performance Expert, Fergus Connolly and Head Coach of Canada's AFL (Australian Football League) programme Cody Royle. Fergus and Cody recorded a series of webinars over the summer of 2020 which spurred some brilliant conversation about coaching and performance. And so, I wanted to get them both on to talk about some of the key take-aways they had from the show. We also speak about their new books – Fergus' book, The Happiness Handbook for High Achievers: Stoics, Circles & Sheepdogs, takes readers on a journey in search of the answers to our most pressing questions about happiness and contentment. And Cody's latest book which is due for release 1st February is The Tough Stuff – a book that focuses entirely on the human experience of head coaching - the emotional toll, the identity issues, the loneliness.
Jan 11, 2021 • 57min
#124 Suze Burton-Wylie - Organisational Culture in Sport
I'm delighted to speak with Suze Burton-Wylie in this episode. Suze is a performance psychologist working at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and with the British Sailing Team. Suze is currently working towards her Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology focusing on Organisational Culture at the University of Portsmouth. And it's this topic, organisational culture, that we focus on during our conversation: How do we define it? How do we build it? How do we keep it? And how do we accommodate individual differences while establishing a shared vision and set of values?
Jan 4, 2021 • 1h 4min
#123 Hannah Huesman - Mental Sweat: Mindset Techniques for Stretch and Support
I'm delighted to speak with Hannah Huesman in this episode. Hannah is the mental skills coach for the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball organisation. Hannah received her Master's degree in Sport Psychology and Motor Behaviour from the University of Tennessee. Hannah is also the host of Mental Sweat Monday – one minute videos containing tips and tricks to help viewers work on their mental game. We speak about using mental skills to help simplify performance; attentional cues; being comfortable with being uncomfortable; and optimism versus positivity.
Dec 28, 2020 • 31min
#122 Sian Beilock - Examining Choking Under Pressure
I'm delighted to speak with Sian Beilock in this episode. Sian is a cognitive scientist, with two PhD's: one in Kinesiology and one in Cognitive Psychology. Sian is one of the world's leading experts on the brain science behind 'choking under pressure' and the brain and body factors influencing all types of performance from public speaking to your golf swing. In this podcast, Sian and I take a detailed look at what 'choking' is and why it happens.
Dec 21, 2020 • 1h 29min
#121 Dr Len Zaichkowsky and Dan Peterson – The Science Behind Decision Making Under Pressure
I'm so excited to have Dr Len Zaichkowsky and Dan Peterson back on the show. Len and Dan have just published "The Playmaker's Decisions: The Science of Clutch Plays, Mental Mistakes and Athlete Cognition" which focuses on the split-second decision-making process that produces both clutch plays and mental mistakes. This book is for coaches needing to sharpen their team's decisions under pressure, a parent who is trying to understand their child's mental game or even a fan who has yelled at the TV wondering why their team breaks your heart, "The Playmaker's Decisions" combines science and stories to shed light on the black box of athlete cognition. The Playmaker's Decisions: https://geni.us/theplaymakersdecisions The Playmaker's Advantage: https://geni.us/ThePlaymakersAdvantage
