Spelade
-
I’m delighted to have award-winning journalist and author, Joan Ryan on this episode. Joan was a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country. Since 2008, Joan has been senior media advisor for the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Joan spends most of her time in the company of the players in the clubhouse, and the experiences she has had from this time prompted her to write her latest book, “Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry” which asks does team chemistry really exist or is it a myth? If it exists, what is it exactly?
And it’s this book we mainly speak about. We discuss the dynamics of team chemistry, what hinders and what helps, and its effect on performance.
-
I’m excited to speak with sport psychologist Tom Young in this episode. Tom completed his Master’s at Liverpool John Moores University and has subsequently worked as a chartered psychologist in both business and sport, predominantly golf and football (soccer).
Tom has always had an interest in leadership and culture and has recently published the brilliant book “The Making of a Leader: What Elite Sport can Teach us About Leadership, Management and Performance” which shares the practical principles of sustained elite performance and shows how any individual can add value to their own business or organisation by applying these insights. During our conversation we explore the book chapter by chapter.
-
I’m speaking with Rob Cooper in this episode. Rob is Head Coach of Penn State University baseball. A former college baseball player himself, Rob went on to complete a psychology degree at the University of Miami where he also played and where began his coaching career. And he has been coaching ever since - he was named Head Coach at Wright State University, Dayton Ohio and was Head Coach at USA Baseball in 2013 where his team won a gold medal in Taiwan.
We speak about the importance of the mental game; redefining failure; the importance of experiencing failure; reframing; and athletes playing with freedom.
-
Peter Crouch tells us what it’s like to be a player on the move on deadline day, arguments with chairmen and disagreements with managers. Plus, how players try and get one over on TV reporters and journalists.
-
What goes on in a dressing room full of millionaire footballers? Peter Crouch tells Tom Fordyce and Chris Stark tales of which team-mate to avoid following into the toilet and why the kit man is the most important man at a football club.
-
Peter Crouch - goalscorer, dancer, and now podcaster. The former England striker gives Chris Stark and Tom Fordyce an insight into how to be a footballer, with lessons in everything from dressing rooms, transfers, getting free stuff and where to sit on the team bus.
-
I have the pleasure of being joined by Stuart Singer in this episode. Stuart is a performance psychologist with a Masters of Education in Counselling and over a decade of experience working to improve individual and group performance. He currently works with the Washington Wizards and the Washington Mystics and serves as the Performance Enhancement Coach for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. Stuart has also coached high-school athletes in varsity soccer, basketball, track, and cross-country, and was a graduate assistant for the Women's Cross-Country and Track teams at Shippensburg University. Stuart's practice includes providing mental performance skills coaching for athletes from the elite high school level through to college and professional athletes.
We speak about players knowing themselves at their best; focusing on the process; intentionality and accepting imperfection.
-
In this episode, I’m joined by Bobby White. As National Performance Manager for England Handball, Bobby is responsible for creating and enhancing handball and personal development opportunities for players. A former player himself, Bobby captained Great Britain’s handball team at the London 2012 Olympics. Bobby holds his UEFA B license and has completed a Sports Science degree.
We speak about Bobby’s playing days; what confidence feels like; gamification; self-determination theory and we drill down on specific examples of training sessions that help players create autonomy and improve decision making while improving technique.
-
I’m so excited to have John O’Sullivan on this episode. John’s background as an athlete and coach led him to start the Changing the Game project with the mission to put the ‘play’ back into ‘play ball’ by providing parents and coaches with the information and resources they need to make sport a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children. Changing the Game consults with organisations such as the US Olympic committee and many of the sport governing bodies in the US and in clubs and schools both internationally and in the US.
John also has a fantastic podcast The Way of Champions and has written several books including his bestselling latest book Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. And it’s this book we mainly speak about during this conversation, specifically every moment counts when you coach; self-awareness as a coach; responding vs reacting; learning environments and the importance of making all team members feel valued.
-
I speak with Dr Carla Meijen in this episode. Carla is an HCPC registered sport and exercise psychologist and a senior lecturer in Applied Psychology at St Mary’s University, London. She graduated with an MSc in Social Psychology from the University of Amsterdam, followed by an MSc in Performance Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. Carla then completed her PhD at Staffordshire University, where she focused on challenge and threat states, examining athletes’ cognitive, affective, and cardiovascular responses to demanding situations. Carla has also edited the fantastic book ‘Endurance Performance in Sport’. And it’s this book we mainly focus, specifically we speak about challenge and threat states in athletes; endurance performance; motivation; ‘if-then’ planning; automatic association; attentional focus; process-driven goals; flexible goals and the importance of reflection.
-
I’m delighted to speak with author and journalist Jonathan Harding in this episode. Jonathan has just released the brilliant book Mensch: Beyond the Cones, which takes a detailed look at the German football coaching system and what sets it apart. In the book, Jonathan outlines attributes that modern German coaching embraces to succeed. From the practical aspects on the training ground to why the German coaching system produces so many talented players.
We speak about the German Lehrer coaching course; situational development; today’s players needing to be told the ‘why’; creating ‘safe’ environments for players; the importance of coaches being ‘people managers’; personality characteristics and styles of coaching; coaches having a connection with their players; self-skills for coaches and what is next for German coaching.
-
I speak with Blaine McKenna in this episode. Blaine is a UEFA A soccer coach, former academy director and founder of Life Sports Performance Coaching which provides a range of education and sessions to coaches and players enabling them to get better faster.
Having completed his Masters is Sport Psychology, Blaine started to incorporate mental skills into his coaching curriculum and has taken his brand of coaching all over the globe from Kuwait to Thailand.
We speak about culture impacting style of play; game-based training; autonomy-supportive coaching; establishing a leadership group within teams; creating a motivational environment; teaching transferable life skills to players; self-determination theory; focusing on strengths and planning sessions with sport psychology in mind.
-
In this episode I speak with senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at Staffordshire University, Dr Matt Slater. Matt is an Expert on the psychology of leadership and high performing teams. He is also author of the fantastic book TOGETHERNESS: How to Build a Winning Team in which he shares with readers how to develop team identity through practical ideas and examples.
We speak about team sports; social identity; Reflect, Represent & Realise; shared leadership and the difference between leaders and leadership.
