Performance Psychology
Myth: Sports & Performance psychology is only for those that are having trouble performing
Fact: Sports & Performance psychology is about achieving peak performance and can help athletes & performers at any levels
“I believe half of the mental work you need to put in is done before you even set foot on the court. If you fail to prepare, it is going to be a much more difficult mountain to climb and succeed on the court.... “You need to be physically, mentally and emotionally stable to have a chance and I have to understand my body is responding differently than it was 10 years ago.
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All athletes train their body - how many train their mind?
“Performance = Potential - Interference”
Many athletes and performers put in countless hours honing their craft training their body. However, very few, spend time training their mind/brain. After all, it is the brain that controls the body.
At the highest level of performance, those who train their mind are a cut above and are better able to perform at their best under dynamic high pressure situations.
James has worked with athletes from a variety of sports including but not limited to: rugby union, basketball, swimming, golf, trampolining, volleyball & football. James has worked with all levels of sport including amateur athletes all the way to players who have played at the highest levels including Super 15s rugby & the paralympics.
In addition, James has also worked with pilots, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs. He believes performance is a formula and performance is learnable for those who are willing to put in the work.
Sport & Performance Psychology can help with:
Enhanced concentration
Enhancing focus is one of the most important factors in sporting performance and can be trained through deliberate science-informed methods
Managing anxiety
Develop strategies to help cope with, and regulate anxiety to perform your best
Working with emotions
Learn how to ‘ride the wave’ of emotions and how to use them when they are helpful, and move your attention when they are unhelpful
Mindfulness, Flow & Staying in the moment
The brain loves to ‘time travel’, with studies indicating that we spend roughly 50% of the time mentally thinking about past and future. The ability to stay in the now is crucial for peak performance as all peak performance happens now.
Enhancing communication
Develop strategies to improve the way you communicate with others and yourself
Enhanced self-belief
Develop a process driven approach to enhance self-belief & competence.
Mental blocks
Identify what is holding us back, and expanding our possibilities to move beyond these limiting blocks
Goal setting
Science based goal setting frameworks to direct our brain’s resources in the most optimal way
Working with difficult thoughts & emotions
Great performance can happen even with difficult thoughts and emotions present. However, this doesn’t happen by accident and this ability must be trained.
Dealing with Injuries
Injuries can knock your confidence & wellbeing mentally and physically. Since the mind & body are connected, it is important that we help the mind recover in addition to the body
Building motivation & commitment
Tapping into internal motivation & purpose to rediscover the joy and life of performing
Producing consistent performances
In addition to identifying solutions to barriers and blocks, it is important to tap into and utilize our strengths and what we are doing well