Sports, such as basketball, require individuals to shoot under pressure, and under the observation of others, such as co-actors (other performers), an audience, or a coach. Performing in front of others can be a daunting prospect; athletes may feel the pressure to perform up to a certain standard, but crumble. For some players, this pressure […]
We’ve all seen or heard of elite sports people performing ritual movements before competitions, from a 100m runner blessing themselves before a race, to a footballer with his lucky pants or the Golfer with his favourite putter. From the outside looking in it may seem odd and strange; however in all sports, superstitions and rituals […]
Thankfully coaching these days is less about vilifying athletes for every mistake they make and about making them look foolish in front of their peers. Unless of course you still subscribe to the English FA’s “stop, stand still” method of command style coaching. Contemporary thinking is more about actively encouraging the athlete to make mistakes […]
All athletes experience fear or anxiety at some point in their sporting career, but how does the fear of failure effect their actual performance? Fear of failure can have such a strong presence that it can hold you back from reaching your true potential, which is why it is so important to address the issue. […]
Motivation is often thought of as simply having the energy and enthusiasm to carry out a behaviour, task, or activity such as exercising and practicing. However motivation goes much deeper than this and can play a huge part in how happy and successful we are in life and sport. There are many theories of motivation […]