Thursday 26 July 2007

Sport - Psychology

I recently found Martin C. Perry's outstanding website on sports psychology. One section of the site comments and analyses current sports events, from GAA to golf to tennis, from a psychological perspective.

He recently commented on Padraig Harrington's first Open Championship win.

It follows the revelation of Harrington's astute mental preparations. In the psychology of sport, it is wise to prepare precisely for the outcomes that you want.

Golf: Padraig Harrington - Future History

When assessing why a Open Championship play-off has been won by one player and not the other, you have to take into account age and experience. You have to factor in the quality of their game. Then and most importantly of all, you have to throw into the mix their mental application. How they would be thinking about themselves. Their last afternoon's work. Victory spurned. Their opponents. Any slivers of doubt and uncertainty would tilt the advantage away from them.

When we learn of Padraig Harrington's attitude to the play-off, it starts to become clear why he is now the Open Champion. When he went to the putting green, he looked at Bob Rotella and said, 'I'm good. When you see me out in the play-off, doing this with my hand (waving it in the air like a salute) you are going to think I'm waving, but I am raising the Claret Jug to the sky'.

This is the mental preparation of an Open Champion. He is preparing exactly for the outcome that he wants. He is establishing a mental blueprint. Creating future history. Like Muhammad Ali and his famous pre-fight predictions.

Harrington's raised arm to the crowd technique works on a number of levels. Firstly it puts him in the state or feeling of an Open Champion. A place beyond hope or maybe. Doubts removed. I am the Open Champion. This allows him to negotiate the play-off as the Open Champion in waiting. A place of strength.

Secondly the feeling becomes powered and enhanced by the ringing applause of the crowd. They are confirming him in his intention. Endorsing him. He is holding the Claret Jug aloft. They are applauding him. Should we be surprised that this outcome manifests itself twenty minutes later? As Marcus Aurelius said, 'You become what you think about'.

Sergio Garcia would have to be even better mentally prepared to win this battle. This play-off may not have come down to who was the best player. But who had done the smartest mental preparation. Padraig Harrington's thoroughness was worthy of a true champion.


I particularly like the line "You become what you think about". There is another great article on Meath's recent win over Galway in the football qualifiers. The principles apply for any team sport. It highlights the signs that show a team that doesn't really believe in itself.

GAA: Galway - In Search Of Trust

It's early in the first half of the third round All-Ireland football qualifier. Galway are enjoying plenty of possession against Meath. So far so good. It's not the possession thats the problem. It's what they do with it. Simple passes to colleagues are on. Play it - now! Keep the flow. Build momentum. Establish a rhythm. Give your colleague confidence. Show your faith in him. Build sequences. Create trust. Assess - Decide - Execute. That's the formula.

But no. Passes are delayed for no strategic advantage. Momentum is lost. Everything is safe. Too safe. Too cautious. For no gain. Poor decision making leading to poor outcomes. Shortly after, Meath score two decisive goals. They don't lack clarity of purpose.

These are classic signs of a team not in harmony with each other. Good teams play the simple ball. They find their rhythm. That tempo dictates the movement of the ball. It becomes contagious. Everyone wants to get involved. Trust builds trust. It feels electric. Watch Manchester United at their best. It's all rhythm and tempo. Football you can set to music.

When players are not given the simple pass, you have to ask why? Does the player with the ball not trust their colleague with possession? Is this not in the game plan? Have the team been over coached? Over coached so that they can't make a decision for themselves. This can happen. Or are players frightened of making a mistake. Scared of the risky ball. Playing in a culture where mistakes are not tolerated?

All of this can have an impact on decision making. A simple game is made difficult. The team know it. Uncertainty prevails. Everything becomes a struggle. Compounded by defeat. Only straight talk and honest appraisal can rid the team dynamic of these unwelcome ghosts.

Check this site out.



35 comments:

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Two days ago I saw this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Xbox Live Tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Football game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

I am considering buying a new laptop with a TV tuner card which will allow me to connect my Playstation 3 to it and use the monitor as a TV.What will actually be connected to my laptop (cable wise)? From my understanding, all I need is the HDMI cable from my PS3 to the laptop and it will provide the sound and video. I am probably wrong though.

Anonymous said...

Netflix will begin streaming movies and TV shows to PlayStation 3 consoles in the U.S. from November, it said on Monday.

Anonymous said...

I am deciding on buying a PS3. I want to have Playstation 2 games on it as well. Can someone tell me what PS3 supports PS2 gaming?

Anonymous said...

Linux developer Terra Soft today announced the launch of its Yellow Dog Linux operating system for the Sony PlayStation 3 game console.

Anonymous said...

Last night, Sony rolled out the 3.0 firmware for the Playstation 3, just in time for the launch of the new, lower priced "PS3 Slim.

Anonymous said...

I have a ps3 but i don't know much about the trophies. I was wondering what games have them and how to get them. Also when is playstation home coming out and how do you get it?

Anonymous said...

I am simply curious what technilogical improvements/advances were made to playstation 2 that is justifying this rush on finding PS3s. Is it just that they are made for high def TVs like xbox 360? This curious mind just wants to know!

Anonymous said...

Netflix will begin streaming movies and TV shows to PlayStation 3 consoles in the US from November: itworld.com/personal-tech/82305/netflix-coming-playstation-3

Anonymous said...

Have you heard about GlideTV Navigator for PS3?

Anonymous said...

I was just wondering what kind of playstation 3 system should I get because I am planning getting one for a my best friend this winter.It been awhile for me since I'd played the Sony Playstation gaming system. I want too know which version is best one to get?

Anonymous said...

PS3 backwards compatibility to PS2 games gone for good...

Anonymous said...

I have a ps3 but i don't know much about the trophies. I was wondering what games have them and how to get them. Also when is playstation home coming out and how do you get it?

Anonymous said...

Hello! I'm just wondering if Blueray disks compatible to be used on all of the Playstation 3 (PS3)? As well can PS2 (Playstation 2) games be compatible with all models of the PS 3/Playstation 3?

Anonymous said...

Fallout 3 DLC Coming To the PS3, New Content Announced on games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/20/0514242

Anonymous said...

Sony upscales PS3's PlayTV to HD and also adds Aino 'PlayStation phone' support now: reghardware.co.uk/2009/11/05/playtv_update/

Anonymous said...

I am deciding on buying a PS3. I want to have Playstation 2 games on it as well. Can someone tell me what PS3 supports PS2 gaming?

Anonymous said...

I have a ps3 but i don't know much about the trophies. I was wondering what games have them and how to get them. Also when is playstation home coming out and how do you get it?

Anonymous said...

I just got a new Tv and new surround sound...we have an HDMI cable from the cable box to the tv then and HDMI from the surround sound, an audio cable from the surround to the cable box...the surrond works when watching tv however it doesn't work when playing my playstation...the playstation is plugged right into the tv...I tried putting the playstation into the surround and the audio wires into the tv but then it only works for the playstation and not when watching tv...anyone know what i'm doing wrong?

Anonymous said...

A slide was shown citing "New Revenue Stream from Subscription" as one of the "5 Key Advantages of the Playstation 3. ...

Anonymous said...

Hiya were can i get playstation games to download to disc then play on playstation,free if possible.....are there any file sharing sites that share games?

Anonymous said...

Sony Teases 3D Playstation 3 now, do you know that?

Anonymous said...

Finally, Sony uncloaks Ps3 Motion Control... Controller spied, features hidden reghardware.co.uk/2009/09/24/motion_control_pictures/

Anonymous said...

New York will beam disaster alerts to Xbox gamers soon. 'Liberty City' to test emergency broadcasts via consoles reghardware.co.uk/2009/11/25/xbox_ebs/

Anonymous said...

US Air Force orders 2200 Sony PS3s... Extending supercomputing Linux cluster

Anonymous said...

I am considering buying a new laptop with a TV tuner card which will allow me to connect my Playstation 3 to it and use the monitor as a TV.What will actually be connected to my laptop (cable wise)? From my understanding, all I need is the HDMI cable from my PS3 to the laptop and it will provide the sound and video. I am probably wrong though.

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Today I played around this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Ps3 Live Tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Football game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

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[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Play Ps3 tournaments for cash[/url]
They say you can play online Nhl2k game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Last week I trapped on this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Playstation tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online sports game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. A week ago I had fun with this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Wii Live Tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Madden game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Last week I had fun with this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Playstation tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Football game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Last week I played at this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Playstation tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Football game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Last week I played at this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Ps3 Live Tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Madden game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Two days ago I discovered this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Ps3 Live Tournaments[/url]
They say you can play online Football game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

A little off topic, Guys... I have a question. Yesterday I saw this site:
[url=http://www.rivalspot.com]Rivalspot.com - Wii tournaments for money[/url]
They say you can play online Madden game tournaments on any console for cash... had anyone tried that before? Looks like a cool idea...
Are there any other sites where you can play sports games for real moneys? I Googled and found only Bringit.com and Worldgaming.com but it looks these guys don't specialize in sport gamez. Any suggestions?