April 2021: Mental Edge Round-Up
?? David Charlton???♂?
Supports Ambitious Athletes to Achieve their Goals - Faster | Sports Psychologist | Mental Toughness | Resilience | Podcaster ?? | Blogger ?? | Executive Coach
Where did April go? Personally, I’m very grateful for my friends and family’s health and I’m very aware that we appear fortunate at present in the UK where the coronavirus pandemic has eased. In some countries especially in India, people are not so fortunate, my heart goes out to them.
In the UK, we now have light nights till 9pm and the weather is warming up (a little bit anyway!!). So as well as creating a lot of helpful content for listeners, viewers and readers I’ve ventured onto the golf courses a few times with my mates which has been great and something I’ve missed a lot.
Feel free to drop me an email and let me know what you’ve been up too. Also, I’d be grateful if you could share with me any content that you’d like to see or any podcasts episodes you’d like me to consider creating moving forward!
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For April this is the content that we’ve put together at Inspiring Sporting Excellence…
Index
Sports Psychology Blog Content
- Perfectionism in Cricket
- Mental Preparation for Motor Racing
- Do You Overthink When You Compete?
- Goalkeepers – Does Your Warm-Up have to be Perfect for You to Feel Confident
Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcasts
- Kate Mackay: Why Snowboarding is a Metaphor for Life
- David Charlton: Mental Game Tips For Putting
- Natalie Hurdley: How To Build Mental Toughness Through Powerlifting
- James Maurice: How Does Sport Psychology In Elite Football Academies Help
Sports Psychology Blogs
- Perfectionism in Cricket
Cricketers who can get caught up in chasing perfection can demand a lot from themselves, often way too much. Then they go on to often get obsessed with performing to levels that are unreachable. They place high and rigid expectations on themselves, which go on to cause doubt and indecision, and sometimes performance anxiety.
If you know anyone who falls into this category please feel free to share or read our recent article.
2. Mental Preparation for Motor Racing
When you return back to racing it’s important to spend some time and think about your attitude towards returning. It’s likely a large absence will have impacted on some important factors related to your Mental Toughness.
- Whether you view your first race as a challenge.
- Whether you choose to play it safe or take risks.
- Your confidence levels may be impacted too, some racers will be worried about racing whereas others may bulls##t themselves into thinking they are going to win the race.
For more on this topic read on…
Mental Preparation for Motor Racing
3. Do You Overthink When You Compete?
Overthinking is the biggest and most common mental error golfers make. Quite a statement that is however during countless conversations with golfers, I believe this to be true. I find that despite golfers recognising overthinking is a mental error only a small percentage consider doing something about changing their mental game, motivated players who want to improve fall into the trap of simply blaming their golf swing or equipment. And the less motivated golfer, is happy to accept mediocrity.
To understand more on this topic and to work out what the first thing that you look to judge on the golf course is. Read this article.
Do You Overthink When You Compete?
4. Goalkeepers – Does Your Warm-Up have to be Perfect for You to Feel Confident
Does your confidence level dip if you have a poor warm-up? I’ve noted over the years of supporting goalkeepers that this is a common mental game challenge that they have. They go on to judge the quality of their warm-up before a match and make the assumption that a poor warm-up means they’ll start the game poorly.
If you make a mistake in the warm-up how does it affect you? Feel free to read on for some pointers on this…
Goalkeepers – Does Your Warm Up have to be Perfect for You to Feel Confident
Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast
Life, sport or our careers are not straight forward. There is no linear path that you can carve out as regularly we are faced with challenges and setbacks. Mental Toughness is all about how we deal with these times, whether we choose to move on forward positively, simply survive or drown and potentially quit.
In this episode, author Kate Mackay shares with me some fascinating insights into learning how to snowboard in her thirties as a new mum, the difficulties that cropped up along the way and how she faced them head on.
2. David Charlton: Mental Game Tips For Putting
On the golf course, putting is a part of the game that you must master to be able to shoot low scores and reach your golfing potential. Confidence in your ability on the greens, especially under pressure is vital. As there is no hiding place from short, nerve-jangling putts, many golfers have mental scars which they struggle to deal with and go on to putt tentatively or in fear.
In this episode, David talks through some great questions that you can ask yourself to be able to make some changes to your mindset. He also shares some advice on how you can use your eyes when on the greens to help yourself.
3. Natalie Hurdley: How To Build Mental Toughness Through Powerlifting
Training in any sport can get repetitive at times, powerlifting isn’t any different. At the elite level, you train squats, deadlifts and other lifts till you can’t take anymore. The focus and commitment to the cause is immense. Some days you may have mental blocks as other athletes do. In this episode, Team GB athlete Natalie Hurdley explains what her average week looks like, her dedication to the sport, her willpower around her diet, her love of personal training and body confidence.
4. James Maurice: How Does Sport Psychology In Elite Football Academies Help
This episode is one that may interest, young footballers, football coaches, parents of talented footballers and sports psychologists. Where James Maurice, HCPC Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, and a member of the Sport Psychology team at Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club joins me to discuss typical challenges that young academy footballers have at different ages and how best to support them. We also provide guidance to upskill coaches and parents to ensure that the youngsters' experience in football academies is a positive one.