Demystifying Mental Toughness

Do you ever believe you are your thoughts? Do you often take your thoughts way too seriously? If so you’ll enjoy today's podcast episode as my guest, Keagen Hadley author of Torn: Overcoming the Psychological Challenges Post-ACL Injury talks about using Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a potentially helpful solution. Specifically we discuss cognitive defusion as a way to help you create distance from your thoughts.

Key Learning Points:

• Cognitive Fusion is concerned with the mess our thoughts in relation to our identity can have where our thoughts can often dominate our reality.
• Examples include; “I am broken”, “I am rubbish…”
• Mastering cognitive defusion can help you create distance from your thoughts and see things from a fresh perspective.
• Cognitive defusion goes on to promote psychological flexibility and empowers you to relate to your situation and thought processes with greater openness and adaptability.
• One approach you could take to help you is to smile at yourself and your situation as it can help you make peace and shift your perspective.
• When you perform and see red mist, slowing down, taking a slow walk can also be a useful way to take the sting out of the situation.

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BOOK: Torn Overcoming Psychological Challenges Post ACL

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To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions

Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes

Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE

Ep236: Dr James Hegarty - How To Use ACT and Mindfulness When You’ve Got Lots Of Time To Think #BITESIZE

In different sports such as golf and cricket, athletes can be placed in situations where they have a lot of thinking time. Too much thinking time for some! Due to their high level of motivation, focus of attention, fatigue, emotions and many other factors this thinking time can create havoc in their minds.As a result, indecision, fear and self-doubt can take over.

In today’s episode, Dr James Hegarty, co-author of the book ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment shares some ideas on how athletes can help themselves so that they don’t view this thinking time as a negative and are effective in how they get mentally ready. Psychological flexibility is at the heart of our discussion.

Key Learning Points:

• All athletes can get caught out thinking ahead predicting future events.
• As humans, athletes also can easily dwell on past mistakes.
• Developing psychological flexibility is a hugely beneficial skill to have in your armoury as an athlete.
• Athletes should practice basic mindfulness of the breath to build a foundation.
• Cricketers can focus on sensations of the sun or cold wind on their face after dropping a catch to refocus.
• Mindfulness allows athletes to step away from over-analysing mistakes and get their head back in the game.
• My challenge for May 2024 is to see if I can dial in and be mindful at least 100 times per golf round of golf I play! I’ll report on how I get on.

Connect with Dr James Hegarty

Website

Email:james@hegartyconsulting.co.nz

Book – ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment

Connect with David Charlton

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Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course

Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions

Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes

Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE

Many athletes, golfers or people in everyday life take their thoughts too seriously. They then get caught up overthinking and it causes havoc with their decision making. In golfing terms, paralysis by analysis can take over, when the pressure is on and the result is often poor shots and missed putts. And lots of frustration!

In this episode, Trevor Jones a PGA Professional Golf Coach and Mental Performance Coach and I chat about this topic where he shares as a coach how he uses Acceptance Commitment Therapy or Training (ACT) to help golfers and other athletes deal with these challenges.

Key Learning Points:

• Feeling confident on every shot is unrealistic.
• All humans experience self-doubt.
• We all can get ahead of ourselves or get caught out dwelling on past mistakes.
• Nurturing psychological flexibility is very helpful tool to have in your toolkit.
• A challenge for you, seek to integrate mindfulness into your everyday life.

Connect with Trevor Jones

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Watch Professor Steven C Hayes discussing performance psychology from an ACT perspective with Trevor Jones

Website | Aware Performance Group LLC

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Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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To Listen To Golf Related Podcast Episodes To Help You

Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course

Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf

Ep228: Gio Valiante – Lessons From Overconfident Golfers That Can Help You Perform Better

For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course

Golfers Mental Scorecard

Golf Psychology FAQs

Golf Blogs

Golf Podcasts

Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions

EP136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women’s Football and Bouncing Back Stronger

How often in sport do you see an athlete make the wrong decision under pressure? Often I’d say! Even at the highest level in elite professional sport. Indecision, overthinking, paralysis by analysis, having too much time to think of the consequences, a lack of trust in skills or fear are often the reasons for poor decision making.

In this short bite-sized episode, Paul Phillips an author and culture developer and I discuss overthinking in sport where we share some helpful tips so that you can deal better with pressure in the moment.

Key Learning Points:

• Helping athletes generate behaviours before thoughts and emotions is a helpful skill.
• James Clear’s two-minute rule in the book Atomic Habits is a useful approach to take when you are feeling indecisive.
• In rugby the size of an opponent can trigger fear responses, overthinking and poor decision making.
• Visual, kinaesthetic and auditory cues and triggers are helpful in overcoming fear,
• Using metaphors such as images of animals or superhero’s is a helpful trigger for adults and children.
• Spending time with process training, practicing and rehearsing pre-shot and pre-performance routines are hugely beneficial.

Connect with Paul Phillips

LinkedIn

Book: How to Create Culture: In Rugby Union

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to The Mental Edge

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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To Listen to Podcasts To Help Overthinkers

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia

Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union

Ep221: Jeremy Snape - How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On

Ep224: Aaron Walsh - How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure

Helpful Resources For The Overthinker

Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch

Blog - Do You Start Matches with a ONE-NIL DOWN Mindset?

Blog - 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Bowl Every Delivery

Blog - Is Your Head Focused On The Right Things

How to Trust Your Skills When You’re a Goalkeeper

In the last of this 3 part series created for parents of young adults and kids who play football or soccer I discuss how fear can wreck a youngsters fun and enjoyment on the pitch. Common responses to fear before matches include performance anxiety, physical sickness, feigning injury and refusing to play. It’s a hugely difficult challenge to navigate as a parent therefore I share a tool connected with mindfulness which can help ease the young footballer’s anxieties.

Connect with David Charlton

Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

Relevant Resources To Help Parents

Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist – For Kids

Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist - For Parents

Football or Soccer Coach Motivation Checklist – For Parents who coach

Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents

What is the most mentally challenging position on the football or soccer pitch? Many people would argue it’s the goalkeeper. Common psychological challenges goalkeepers face include; coping with mistakes and bouncing back strongly, dealing with tough and physical opponents, playing the ball out from the back with their feet in uncomfortable situations, communicating effectively with team-mates, selection issues and dealing with time on the bench.

Today, Andy Elleray, an author and goalkeeping coach, who has worked for clubs such as Chelsea and Bristol Rovers tells me about mental toughness and how it applies to goalkeeping sharing some advice, I also provide a suggestion on how goalkeepers can help themselves remain calm and composed when faced with difficulties on the pitch.

Key Learnings

• All goalkeepers make mistakes.
• Being able to accepts making mistakes and move on is a skill that goalkeepers can develop.
• Helping goalkeepers master the controllables is essential.
• Trigger words or physical triggers (using sweat bands or super-hero bands) can help goalkeepers move on more quickly from mistakes.
• Try the calm and composed face exercise to help you.

Connect with David Charlton

Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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Connect with Any Elleray

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter: @andyelleray / @lilys_goal

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Ep08: Brendan Pearson - Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement

Ep087: Carl Bell – From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy

Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football

Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

Ep165: Andy Elleray - How To Master the Mental Challenges Goalkeeping Throws at You

Other Valuable Football or Soccer Resources

Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers

Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football

Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents

Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology

Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology

In the second of 3 episodes created for parents of young people who play football I carry on the conversation about enjoyment on the football pitch. Where on this occasion I introduce the relationship between enjoyment in football, the impact of playing poorly, performance levels and self-esteem. I go on to discuss what self esteem is, what you could expect from someone with high self-esteem and factors that can contribute to low self-esteem. In addition, I touch on life control and “having a can-do attitude”, a measure of mental toughness that is connected with self-esteem, and the complexities surrounding self-esteem at a young age. You can also expect some helpful advice on how to help young footballers who face this challenge and struggle with feelings of low self-esteem.

Connect with David Charlton

Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

Today, with my colleague Dr Alessia Bruno we discuss the downsides to perfectionism and how many athletes can get obsessed by their sports, training harder and harder, pushing themselves to the limit. The result can then be burnout, playing in fear or a lack of enjoyment.Enjoy tuning in!

Key Learning Points

• Sport can be seen as a job by perfectionist athletes.
• When searching to get better, the perfectionist can lose the ability to perform with freedom and trust.
• Physically the perfectionist athlete can become tense and rigid losing control of their fine motor skills, rhythm and timing.
• Striving for perfection can lead to loss of enjoyment.
• Visualisation is a great tool when trying to reconnect with the fun and playful part of your personality.

Connect with Alessia Bruno

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Sign Up to The Mental Edge

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help Perfectionist Athletes

Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight - Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences

Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART

Ep142: Alessia Bruno – Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?

Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia

Ep170: David Charlton - How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach

Relevant Blogs To Help You Deal Better With Perfectionism

Perfectionism Blogs

5 Ways To Create A Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Are You A Rugby Player With Perfectionist Tendencies?

How to Trust Your Skills When You’re a Goalkeeper

How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure

This is the first of 3 episodes created for parents of kids who play football with their enjoyment and the possibility of quitting playing football the topic I discuss today. When thoughts of quitting are considered, it can be very challenging for some parents to navigate as they try to decide the best route to take despite different pressures associated with the decision. Therefore, I share some resources that you can use to better understand why you want your kid to play football and also why they want to play football too. Using the resources can be a helpful way of processing your thoughts and feelings as a parent, as well as, opening up conversations with your children. This can then go on to better inform any decisions that you decide to make.

Connect with David Charlton

Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches

Relevant Resources To Help Parents

Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist – For Kids

Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist - For Parents

Football or Soccer Coach Motivation Checklist – For Parents who coach

Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents

A lot of golfers lack confidence and trust in their ability to execute shots and putts and shoot the scores that they are capable of. As a result, they often cause themselves problems by the decisions that they make. Common things I notice are over practicing, reactively practicing, an over reliance on YouTube coaching and a quick fix mentality. On the course they are then guilty of overthinking, complicating the game with too many swing thoughts, trying to control their swing, temper tantrums and a lot more…

In today’s short bite-sized episode well renowned Performance Psychologist to many PGA tour players Gio Valiante talks about over-confident and cavalier golfers and the challenges that they can face. However, as most golfers or athletes who contact Sport Psychologists are bringing problems to overcome, David challenges you to learn some lessons from the overconfident golfer.

Key Learning Points:

• An over-confident golfer is likely to take risks.
• Cavalier golfers will trust their technique and swing automatically with a quiet mind.
• Bodily tension and heart rate will be reduced in the over-confident golfers.
• For golfers lacking in confidence, you could recognise that your thoughts, moods, physiology, behaviours, and values are all interconnected, and that changing one, changes others, and ultimately could lead to better golf without changing your technique.

Connect with Gio Valiante

Website

Connect with David Charlton

Sign Up to The Mental Edge

Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub

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To Listen to Other Useful Podcast Episodes

Ep017: Gio Valiante - How to Play Fearless Golf

Ep101: Compilation - 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf

Ep160: Brian Hemmings – Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You

Ep167: Karl Morris - How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE

Ep226: Dan Steele - Helping Athletes Who Have Strong Physiological Responses To Fear #BITESIZE

For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course

10 Mental Game Tips from Leading Experts to Improve Your Golf

Do you try too hard on the golf course?

Golfers Mental Scorecard

Golf Psychology FAQs

Psychology of Golf Library