Getting a Head Start

Over the past few years in my dealings with sportsmen and teams as well as the greater sporting fraternity I have seen the massive influence that emotion, the mind and thoughts have on sporting performance. Just this last weekend I witnessed a few huge games of rugby that stirred up large amounts of game-changing emotion in both men and boys alike. The psychology of sport is a fascinating field, and for those of you who have followed my Think Tank you will have seen that I like to question methods of coaching, approaches to games, and what the best ways to go about creating happy, winning atmospheres are in sporting teams.

A top mental coach in Australia, Wayne Goldsmith talks about mental coaching by saying,

“The ability to perform under pressure, the capacity to remain confident and resilient when competition conditions get tough, the skill to be able to relax and stay focused when feeling pain and fatigue in competition, concentration, visualization are just some areas of focus. Coaches and athletes are unanimous that spending time developing mental skills is time well spent. However, figuring out the best way to develop mental skills – particularly mental skills which can directly enhance the competition performance of athletes is another matter.”

What is also interesting is to hear coaches and mental coaches alike talk about the need for the two to work hand-in-hand and not as separate entities. The maximum benefit comes in forming partnerships with coaches and players and seeking the best possible route to excellence. Mental coaching is also is not necessarily done ‘on the couch’ nor is it done exclusively with ‘problem teams/individuals’. Everyone has capacity to improve in some way, and often what is needed is the key to unlock that potential.

Here are some key statements that could indicate a need for some mental work to be done.
After an injury, you are physically 100% recovered but cannot perform the same way as you did.
You feel anxious when performing in competition
You perform far better in practice than in competition
Your team has so much potential but doesn’t quite reach it in games
Your team lacks confidence and belief
You maintain doubt about your sport before and during games
You lose focus at crucial times

Having worked at a number of top schools, with some senior sportsmen and coaches and across a number of sporting codes I have decided to formalise my offerings through my company, Head Start Sport. We will aim to work with aspirant teams, individuals and organisations to enhance their performance, through superior preparation from a mental point of view.

Please visit our website at www.headstartsport.co.za for more information or contact tom@headstartsport.co.za. You can continue to follow my articles here on tomsthinktanklive.blogspot.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

“The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further, or box better”. Bryce Courtenay