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Posts Tagged ‘mental toughness’
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Hi Guys
Just wanted to share my experience last week when I was asked to appear on the Eddie Mair 5pm show as a sport and business psychologist. I was paired with Andy Logan from Cranfield University High Performance Unit to discuss the psychology behind the Rob Green goalkeeping mistake against the USA and whether Mr Capello the England manager should replace him with David James.
The audio clip is posted here detailing the discussion and removing the remainder of the programme. I hope that you enjoy as I did and gives you some thoughts about performance psychology by transferring the sports science skills into business.
This text will be replaced
Geoff
Business Psychology
Tags: business psychology, business psychology for peak performance, mental skills, mental strength, mental toughness, performance goals, sport psychologist, sport psychology, sport psychology for sports performance
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
The term intensity covers a wide spectrum of areas in performance psychology. I like to consider this term intensity in sport psychology as the fine balance between stress, arousal and anxiety. Each individual sports performer or business member has a different optimal intensity level from the next person and this is why as sports psychologists we need to help the individual understand the issues and find their level of intensity that is right for them.
The process then has to be self managed by the athlete or executive. Too much intensity and the performance is destroyed with poor judgement, decisions and loss of control and too little and the performer is lethargic, unconcerned and not focused.
So this is my tip for you. Recall a past performance when everything went well and just happened automatically. See and feel how your anxiety levels were. Were you able to control the nerves to help rather than hinder your performance? Did your muscles feel loose and relaxed and your mind concentrated and were you excited for the up and coming challenge? If so this was your optimal level. When you are visualising this past feeling you will know how your muscles and breathing felt. Are you experiencing that feeling now prior to the event. If not and you are too lethargic then stand up and shake out your body posture. Stand up straight and stamp around the locker room, shout a little and enjoy some motivating music and breathe shallow and fast from the top of your chest. If you are feeling too tight and quite ill then you need to manage your anxiety levels urgently. This will help you enjoy the performance and remove the risk of injury due to tight muscles. Practice some deep breaths low down in the stomach area. Breathe in slowly through the nose and hold for 6 and gently allow the breath out of the mouth in a slow controlled way for the count of 12. Continue this 10 or 12 times until some of the physiological symptoms subside. Remember we want some anxiety to help us perform well so learn to enjoy the feeling and work with it.
There are many more intensity control techniques that we can discuss at a later date. Visit www.geoffgreenwood.com/sports_psychology
Geoff
Sports Psychology
Tags: anxiety, arousal, intensity, mental skills, mental skills training, mental strength, mental toughness, sport psychologist, sport psychology, sport psychology for sports performance, sports psychology, stress
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
It has been a very difficult time over the holidays to see my clients due to the extreme weather conditions so I have taken the time to write some more material for the site. The article and links will take you to our new pages covering some of the areas that we are working in and some of the ways that we do it. There is a page on the work that can be done with stage fright and overcoming stage fright. This is a very debilitating condition not only affecting your performance but affecting your enjoyment of the performance. A closely related page is included for performance anxiety which is a derivative of stagefright probably affecting the enjoyment more due to the physical and mental difficulties. A third page has been written for executive coaching for performance which shows our unique approach to helping managers perform even better with the learning and understanding of what mental skills does and how it affects them. A business coach can bring tremendous value and if you couple our mental skills approach to this the benefits and rewards are extrapolated.
Our online training courses are being completed at the moment and new products will be added on a regular basis. This allows all our clients to learn at their own pace from anywhere around the world. E learning is an area that we are excited to pursue. This will allow us to help and train more people in performance enhancement skills. Web training allows us to reach more people in need on an ongoing basis. Our workshops for business performance are proving very successful. We are finding that more and more companies are happy for us to deliver the mental toughness workshops inhouse for selections of their staff and management. Workshop UK is a fun and interactive way to understand how the mind affects performance and how you can develop the skills. In house training can be delivered specifically to your needs and can include elements that are specific to you. The flexibility appeals to many companies that engage in on site training.
Stress management training has tremendous benefits to the individual, the team, the family and the organisation. To perform at an optimal level needs a reduction of stress and a clear relaxed thought process going forward. This is what can be achieved if we take stress and anxiety seriously and personal development training is enhanced. Sport performance psychology has allowed us to understand that improvements can be achieved by harnessing the power and strength of the mind and because of this we package these skills up and teach them for business psychology for peak performance. We consider the athlete and the executive to be performing under similar conditions and pressures.
A page has also been written for mental toughness and mental skills training. Mental toughness is a term often misunderstood, with it you are on the way to becoming a winner in life, without it and your talent will not be enough to take you through. A final page has been included as this is where it all started, sport psychology for sports performance. The research of a scientific and anecdotal nature has ensured the improvement of many performers in many sports of all levels and standards to achieve the ultimate success.
I hope that you can take time to browse the pages above and understand what we can achieve with the correct mindset that has been developed and trained in this ultra competitive world of performance.
Geoff Greenwood FCCA MBA MSc
Sport Psychology Consultant
Tags: business coach, business psychology for peak performance, e learning, elearning, executive coaching for performance, in house training, mental skills training, mental toughness, on site training, online training, online training courses, overcome stage fright, overcoming performance anxiety, personal development training, sport psychology for sports performance, stagefright, stress management training, web training, workshop uk for business performance
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
With all the talent in the world, success cannot be guaranteed without the correct professional attitude. All our work in mental skills enhancement is built upon this solid foundation. If you have this and the talent then you are probably a champion at the moment, however, if you don’t then start work on building this foundation.
The difficulty for many athletes and business people is that they do not know the pieces that form together to complete the jigsaw. I consider that there are 9 parts;
1. A strong desire to succeed.
2. The ability to stay positive under all circumstances.
3. Understanding that you can only control the controllables.
4. Always offer a high commitment level in everything that you do.
5. Develop a high level of self-belief.
6. Demonstrate positive body language at all times.
7. Treat those around you with respect, empathy and kindness.
8. Learn to overcome the fear of failure and stop it holding you back
9. Develop your mental preparation for battle.
These 9 long term strategies will develop you as a person , competitor and all round human being. You will start to enjoy what you do and look upon obstacles as challenges ultimately developing mental toughness for superior performance.
Geoff Greenwood
Sports Psychology Consultant
Tags: mental skills, mental skills training, mental toughness, professional attitude.
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Friday, August 7th, 2009
Hi Guys
It seems that everybody is now catching on to the ultimate power of developing their mental skills to achieve more and succeed in their performing lives whether on the sporting field or in the boardroom. I refer to an article in the Financial Times dated Friday 31st July 2009 penned by Rhymer Rigby in which he discusses the incredible benefits and the major organisations that are now using meditation in the workplace.
In sports psychology we have used relaxtion techniques for hundreds of years because with the practiced technique comes less injury, less tension and less anxiety leading to better performance. Interventions we use range from progressive muscle relaxation to mediation to hypnosis and allows the performer to practice in their own time and before during and after performance to bring their intensity levels to the optimal point ideal for them. Interventions can be divided into cognitive approaches (thoughts) and behavioural (breathing and muscle relaxation) ones.
The article highlights its use at the Massachusetts head office of Reebok the sports manufacturer. The company explains that the technique helps the individual by reducing stress, improving focus and strengthening the mind. Other contributors talk about the ability to clear the mind and to step back to become more productive and decisive.
The article goes on to talk about Google whom we have all heard of, as they offer meditation to their staff to improve clarity of vision. Employees unwind in the midst of busy days to refresh themselves and become quite innovative in their thinking. The author goes on to talk about Twitter’s head quarters which includes a meditation room in their building.
Business psychology meditation is a technique to clear the mind by becoming focused on a specific object even for as little as 2 or 3 minutes that declutters the mind, lowers heart and blood pressure rates, reducing body tension and produces deeper rhythmic breathing and much more. The technique can be used on the tube, at your desk, toilet in fact anywhere that it is needed on demand.
If you or your organisation is interested in introducing business psychology mediatation to your team or staff for better productivity then please contact us to hear what we can help you achieve.
Geoff
Mental Toughness
Tags: business psychology, meditation, mental toughness, sports psychology
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Friday, July 10th, 2009
I have been asked constantly for sports psychology tips, strategies or interventions that can be introduced very quickly and have an immediate impact. This is a very difficult thing to do because we are all individual and have specific idiosyncracies along with different needs at different times.
However, the beauty of sports psychology is that there are common problems with all sports performers and certain interventions can apply across the board to differing degrees. For instance, if an athlete or business person does not set written goals and pursue them then there is an immediate impact if a system is installed. Whereas if someone wants to turn the mental toughness switch on overnight then I am afraid that will only follow after a detailed plan is introduced for more the medium or long term.
So my tip for today is a concentration tip. In sports psychology everything can be lost if we are unable to concentrate at the right moment. We lose the point, miss the corner coming over or have a car crash if we are a driver. So what I want you to do is to create some verbal cues such as the word “Focus” and some visual ones such as bouncing the ball or looking at the laces on your trainers. Add some physical ones such as taking a deep deliberate breath between points. These should be used whenever you need to re-centre yourself back into the moment following disturbance or periods of deep concentration and you wish to rid yourself of internal or external distractions.
Sports psychology introduced by mental skills training will build mental toughness and deliver peak performance.
Geoff
Sports Psychology
Tags: mental skills, mental toughness, sports psychology
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Mental toughness in business psychology is the final effect from practicing and implementing mental skills training in the work place. I have recently worked with an organisation whose marketing manager had had many successes over the years. He was now confronted with his team failing on the delivery of their sales targets against budget. His own personal performance has been criticised by his direct line boss and he is taking the whole set of affairs as very personal to him and he is feeling responsible for the failure.
His confidence is down and his emotions are all over the place and mental toughness in his case seems a long way away. The next quarter is critical to their survival and he knows that he needs to be on top form for himself and his team. He cannot get motivated and his thoughts are all negative, which makes his performance even worse.
The strategy with working with me is to break the cycle of thinking poorly and performing poorly. Mental toughness allows an individual to turn the situation around wherever they find themselves. He has to display mental toughness for himself and for the benefit of his team. I focus upon mental toughness coaching on the ability to turn the situation around. He needs to regain his self belief from his performance and successes in the past. Life is full of set backs and adversity and it is how we deal with these issues that makes us the people that we are.
- Mentally tough individuals bounce back against all the odds.
- They stay positive throughout the criticism and challenges.
- He must stay committed to the organisation even if they are placing him under undue pressure.
- Mental toughness means sustaining self-belief whilst confidence drains from others.
- He must not turn events into bad luck just aimed at him.
I was able to help him cope with this pressure that he was under by reconnecting to his previous performance accomplishments and to take that confident mindset forward into the forthcoming challenges that he would face, to focus upon success and achievement rather than failure and disappointment.
Needless to say the next quarter was a revelation and results were spectacular. He felt that his return to mental toughness had brought lady luck back into his life just when she was needed.
Geoff
Tags: business psychology, mental strength, mental toughness
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2009
We have just been served a huge helping of mental strength in the Wimbledon 2009 mens singles final. Roger Federer and Andy Roddick battled it out for over 4 hours on centre court with a final set lasting around 90 minutes ending with a 16-14 victory for Federer in the final set. 10 times Roddick served to stay in the championship and was only when his legs finally went that we could go home and not worry about closing the roof for a long night ahead.
The skill level was not the best nor was the real excitement level as each man fired down huge aces to keep them in the tie. However, what was noticeable was the mental strength of the 2 guys. Roddick serving behind Federer in the final set and Federer knowing each Roddick serve was unplayable. Put yourself in that position and could you do it? Would you really endure that unrelenting pressure or just give up. Did you know that you can work on these areas and improve your mental toughness by psychological skills training. These guys have and that is what keeps them at the top of their game. They are able to keep their emotions in check, in fact did you hear any expletives or shouts of anger, no because they realise that they are distracting and energy draining. There was no loss of concentration even when the fools shout out during a ralley, in fact at the end when Andy tired was the only sign of a concentration dip. The motivation levels stayed at full tilt, do you think the money motivated them when they are both multi-millionaires? In fact I can go on and talk about professional attitude, self-confidence, intensity levels and the posiitve nature of their images and thoughts.
All these attributes will develop a mental toughness within the performer like never seen before. Put yourself on the centre court instead of Federer and ask yourself honestly what would I have done? You should start working on mental skills training today no matter what level of performance that you are at. In fact it doesn’t matter what you do in life, athlete, business person, worker, entertainer or in fact anything mental skills training will benefit you in your life. What we witnessed yesterday was the pure determination never to give up leaving each player with an equal chance of winning
Geoff
Mental Skills
Tags: mental strength, mental toughness
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2009
Sports psychology is the study of performance enhancement withing the sporting field through the use of psychological skills training. In an ultra competitive world where first is first and second is nowhere, all athletes of all standards are looking for the slightest edge that will propel them to victory. In the past many have focused upon their technical skills, which involves perfecting their technique such as shot making, touch, co-ordination, vision, an example would be Roger Federer whilst others have looked for the edge through supreme fitness in which many great victories have been achieved. If we think about the transfer of court dominance from Chris Evert to the power of Martina Navratilova. Other paradigm shifts have been seen in strategy such as spoiling tactics, sledging and sheer determination to win and all these elements have their position within sports psychology. However, we are now within the next phase of victory development and that is the use and practice of mental skills. Mental training focuses on what is going on above the shoulders whilst our other strategies are operating at the sub-conscious level.
Sport psychology has a century of scientific and anecdotal evidence to prove the existence of performance enhancement and there are books and books of quotes to support this training regime. Sir Clive Woodward said prior to the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup in Australia that this competition would be won in the head. Sally Gunnell who is a champion runner stated that the mental side of her performance made the difference between silver and gold. Ellen MacArthur the celebrated yachtswoman states that you can have the best boat in the world but if you do not have the determination to finish the race, you may as well not start it. The quotes go on and on from the greats of professional sport such as Tiger Woods who has worked with a sports psychologist through to removing the tantrums on court with a certain British tennis player.
Sports psychology can make the difference and every sporting and business person owes it to themselves to access every conceivable advantage that they can.
Geoff
Mental Skills Training
Tags: mental toughness, sport psychologist, sports psychology
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
In sports psychology and business psychology we are continually running into this term mental toughness, but what is it and have I got it? Unfortunately, there is no clear definition of what mental toughness is and there needs to be to avoid misunderstanding. Three years ago I was invited to quote for a coaching contract in a major insurance group in the city of London. Others bid their coaching style for the company and what it could achieve and when it was my turn my emphasis was on psychological coaching and the performance enhancement that would bring for them in turns of results. Not quite understanding I was asked to expand my coaching style and it was at this stage that I emphasised that the introduction of psychological skills training would develop mental toughness within the coachees. They were horrified that I should even contemplate such a “macho term” as they put it. It was clear that they did not understand what it really meant and it wasn’t their fault.
Many sport psychologists and sports scientists have listed what the outcome of mental toughness can be, such as the ability to reverse the situation if things are going wrong; the ability to perform at their best at the point of greatest pressure; their ability to hang in there and endure the stress and pressure to come out the other side with victory in their hands and the skill to determine the best moment when to take the calculated risk and when not to. Universally, anybody engaged in sports psychology or business psychology will agree that mental toughness can deliver these qualities in an individual.
I have identified 11 other mental skills that can be improved which when mastered will produce a mentally tough performer. Select the link here mental toughness
Geoff Greenwood
Sports Psychologist
Tags: business psychology, mental skills, mental toughness, sports psychologist, sports psychology
Posted in Performance Psychology | No Comments »
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