Sports Psychology Blog

Book on Footballer Robert Enke life and suicide wins award

2011-11-28T13:42:00.001-08:00

A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke, by Ronald Reng, today wins the British William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2011.

Reng tells the story of the German goalkeeper Robert Enke, his life and tragic death by suicide in November 2009. A national hero, he appeared to have it all. His teammates and management had little idea that Enke was battling depression for some time. The book serves as a reminder that top sports people can struggle too, just like the rest of us, and need to have access to psychological help. Such help needs to be based on what helps people address their psychological problem (e.g. as endorsed by the NICE Guidelines for the treatment of psychological disorders in the NHS in England) and does so with an understanding of their life as a sportsperson.

Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
www.sportspsychologist.com

Suicide in football: Players and managers: Gary Speed & Robert Enke

2011-11-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sports stars, footballers and managers are human too. What I mean by this is life still happens to them. Challenging life events or experiences still happen. So, just like the rest of us, they end up in challenging relationships, enter into marriages that break-up acrimoniously, have loved ones who get sick with nasty illness, cancer or mental health difficulties. They can experience accidents and get into car crashes like we all can. Just like the rest of us.
What we see is them performing on the pitch or under the spotlight. What we don't see is their life outside those 90-minutes a week, when they are training, at home, with their family, at the hospital….
We see them composed, focused, coping, performing athlete. This is what we expect.
We don't see the struggles, challenges, emotions, arguments, angst, doubts, fears. Who expects this from high paid stars doing what we dream about doing?
Sports stars are able (mostly) to cope with competitive pressures and they can apply these same skills to other situations in life - well, up to a limit. After this, they can struggle just like the rest of us.
So, although I am deeply saddened to hear about the suicide of a sportsperson (Gary Speed, Wales Football Manager this week and Robert Enke in November 2009), it doesn't surprise me. Footballers, coaches and managers are human, they will experience struggles and at times need help to cope with their life – both on and off the pitch.And, for young men, suicide is an option that many will consider and some will act on, when life becomes too difficult.
It takes a brave person, professional athlete or not, to seek help during their darker days. These are days when the sufferer likely feels detached from others, has withdrawn from teammates, family and friends, and the number of solutions become more and more limited. Sports associations, managers, coaches and teammates should all be able and open to help them access the right professionals. Then we can significantly reduce the chance that suicide is their most attractive solution to end their struggles.
Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
www.sportspsychologist.com

Can you be too mentally tough?

2010-03-06T02:29:00.000-08:00

Encouragement in the media and sporting contexts to show mental toughness, hanging in there, show grit, dogged determination...is common. But is this always a good thing? Sure, being determined and remaining undeterred in pursuit of your goals is a good thing - especially if you are susceptible to being knocked-off track, or find it difficult to get going in the first place. However, I believe that there is a flip-side to this emphasis of rising to all challenges, quitting being for wimps...

Take the example of the runner who runs twice a day according to the schedule they have from their coach. They run no matter what. When they are shattered they don't do less or run at a lower intensity, they push it even more on these days because they fret that if they don't they are somehow a lesser athlete or not mentally tough enough, perhaps reminding themselves that "Winners never quit, quitters never win." They don't ease off on easier weeks, for fear of losing fitness. Perhaps they even get up in the middle of the night and sneak out for an extra one-hour run a couple of nights a week. You may think that this is extreme, but I've seen athletes who've done it.

What's the result? Faster running? Improved performance? Accelerated development? No, or at least not for long. Instead the result will be a mixture of overtraining, colds, aches, pains, injury, illness, a performance plateau or decline.

For other over-motivated athletes risks develop if they persevere during competitions when they should pull-out. They develop an injury or their body gets into difficulty during an event which can risk long-term consequences. Now, I can write from first-hand experience about this as in 2006 I developed gastric problems during an Ironman after 3.5 hours and continued for another 8 hours, then need medical attention (but received the opposite of what I needed), then needed adrenaline, my heart reshocking and 36 hours on a ventilator in ITU.

So what's the solution?

1. To prevent a similar situation developing as the runner's scenario above: (a) introduce regular reviews of training volumes, intensity and progress where honest feedback is received from someone in the know (e.g. a coach); (b) be on the lookout for performance plateaus, injury, and illnesses; and (c) schedule and follow periods of less activity and activities that boost recovery.

2. To prevent a similar situation developing during an event (as in my scenario): (a) have reviews throughout competition where you look at key performance indicators such as intensity, speed, power and low the body is functioning (stiffness, pain, stomach/gut function etc.) and consider if you can receive feedback from someone else at the competition (e.g. a coach, family member etc.); and (b) decide before hand what the likely scenarios will be where the best thing would be to pull-out of the competition in order to look after yourself and be able to have a better race on another day

Dr Victor Thompson
http://www.sportspsychologist.co.uk

Could rugby star Brian Moore's career have been shaped by his reported child abuse?

2010-03-06T02:25:00.000-08:00

Brian Moore, England Ruby’s ‘Pit Bull’ discloses in his second – and much more frank – autobiography, that he was sexually abused during childhood. Why should it shock us that it should happen to him? Is it because he was big, powerful and ferocious? Perhaps, but he wasn’t always. Like other children, when they are small they are at risk of being taken advantage of by bigger more powerful adults.

Could it be that what he experienced as a child fuelled him to become the rugby star later in life? Well, quite possibly. This is because as children, if we should get abused by adults, we usually end-up with a different mix of intense emotions than those with a more ideal childhood. The abused can grow up with more anger towards other people for having been taken advantage of, which can remain throughout life. They can experience more anxiety as they fear being taken advantage of again. Or, they may experience low mood or depression as they learned that they weren’t good enough or that there was something wrong with them – why else would they have been mistreated in such a way?

How do we know that someone like Brian Moore’s competitive career has been influenced by his abusive experiences? You can’t know for certain, but any of the following would indicate that they have been:

If the sportsperson believes that his or her childhood experiences are linked – e.g., they use these earlier experiences to get them fired-up and to motivate them.

If the intense anger emotions that are channelled into sport remain or even become more intense after retirement from sport.

If memories of these experiences from childhood become more frequent and troubling after retirement.

If the sportsperson engages in successful psychological therapy for these issues during their competitive career and the anger, drive, motivation and performance then drops.

This sports psychology comment was written following an interview that Dr Victor Thompson gave to the Independent newspaper following the release of Brian Moore’s autobiography in Jan 2010.

Understanding and conquering pain and discomfort in sport

2010-03-06T02:19:00.000-08:00

Discomfort is common when you do anything that involves effort. This is just as true for us non-painters as we paint a ceiling and get shoulder ache, as it is to cycle up an Alp at our maximum limit. The discomfort, burn, ache we experience from a given task, varies greatly among different people. The experience of pain and rating of pain intensity is very personal. How we interpret the experience is central in the unpleasantness and intolerance of it.

Sports psychologists believe that the athletes who can push themselves and endure more intensity do so because they view the experience in helpful ways. For instance, they view it in one or more of the following ways:

1. It is discomfort, not pain
2. It is tolerable, not something to stop
3. It is there for a good reason (helping me get fitter, beat opponents…), not a bad reason
4. Or, as much as they are feeling this discomfort, other people are experiencing the same or more and that is fine

Knowing this, we can start to notice how we view the discomfort and choose to interpret it in a different, more helpful way.

Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
http://www.sportspsychologist.com

Develop confidence for race day, then keep ontop of nerves on the day

2009-04-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

For many athletes, as the race comes closer and closer, confidence starts to evaporate and nerves start to build. Here are some tips for what the athlete can do in the lead-up to race day and on race day itself to have a smoother and more enjoyable day.

Developing race confidence:

Tip 1: Prepare by going through race simulations. Set up training to practice for the event(s) you’ve entered. Make your training physically and practically similar to the event. For a triathlete, then this means that you at least once swim, bike and run:

• At the same speeds as you expect to in the race
• Over the same distance (or close to the distance if it is a long triathlon)
• On the same terrain (open-water swim, hilly or flat bike and run courses)
• With the same equipment as you expect to use in the race

If you aren't a triathlete, then run similar simulations in your sports where it is practical and safe to do so.

Tip 2: Use your imagery skills to visualise yourself completing your event with things going well, or when presented with challenges or setbacks, then you see yourself cope well with these challenges and finish feeling proud with how you reacted.

Tip 3: Generate a race day plan: This will include what will you do when, how you will tackle different elements of the day and how you will remind yourself of your plan.

Squashing nerves on race day:

Tip 1: Think about why you have chosen to do the race. Is it for fun, camaraderie with your friends, to beat your friends, a challenge or something else? Keep this in mind on race day.

Tip 2: Catch the wild horses’ thoughts. When nervous our thoughts often try to run amok. We think in more extreme and catastrophic ways. For example, we may think: “Something must be wrong,” “Something must be about to go wrong,” “Something bad will happen,” and so on. Then you predict what these nightmare situations may be.

For a tennis player it might be starting off terribly, being physically tense, double-faulting on the serve... Expect that your thoughts may become more extreme, negative and unhelpful in the lead-up to the event. Reframe them if they appear as simply a feature of being up for the event and wanting to do well for yourself. Refocus on what you are there to do, your plans for the event and goals. Remind yourself that you are there to do your best, that’s all. Then go out there and try to enjoy it.

Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
Based in London, UK
www.SportsPsychologist.com

Tour de France Drugs Cheats: Why do they do it?

2009-04-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

This isn't anything academic, but simply some straight-forward thoughts I've typed-up after I was interviewed on this topic on Sky News.

Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen has been asked to leave the tour after questions over whether he failed to tell the drug testing authorities where he would be during his preparation for the Tour. It has emerged that despite telling the press for over a week that he was training in Mexico, his wife’s homeland, he was actually in Italy. Suspicion has increased as to whether he purposely deceived the testers so he could take cycle of drugs or other blood doping (e.g. EPO) during this period, and only looks worse now there is evidence that he lied.

Two other riders have tested positive this week for banned drugs and pre-Tour favourite Alexandre Vinokourov displayed traces of someone else’s blood – all three have been kicked out of the Tour. Worse still for British hopes, two entire teams have left the Tour along with their disgraced riders. So hopes of Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins finishing in Paris in less than a week are over.

So why do riders take the drugs or blood dope when the risks to them and others are so high?

1. We are creatures of habit. We do today what we did yesterday. We do this year what we did last year. Riders too will generally follow the same regime and take the same performance enhancing choices as they did before.

2. There is pressure to perform: From sponsors, team management, team mates, and the public/fans. Can you as a rider perform up to those expectations, live with the consequences on not performing up to those expectations, or will you give in to the temptation of taking something illegal to give you more confidence in your performance?

3. There are personal needs to be satisfied. Riders are competitive. Some have a strong need to be successful, gain glory, be seen on TV, beat a key adversary, show that their training has been worth it, that they are as good as or better than before. It’s tempting then to take something that would give you an edge – or level out the playing field if you think the other riders are ‘on something.’

How can riders ride clean?

1. Realise that taking banned performance enhancing products is a choice, your choice, no matter what pressure may be exerted on you.

2. Accept that the probability of getting caught is high.

3. Accept that the consequences of getting caught are prohibitive – whether this is loss of face, embarrassment, shame, dent in income, long-term ban or whatever is severe enough to be a deterrent to you.

4. Accept that cycling is being cleaned up and you are playing Russian Roulette if you continue to dope.

5. Choose to be a leader in this newer healthier cycling.

6. Have faith that the cheats will be caught.

7. Have confidence that if your performance drops you’ll be able to absorb this and won’t be crushed by it. Your performance is important, sure, but not life and death.

Dr Victor Thompson
www.sportspsychologist.com

How to keep your motivation to run after you have signed-up to the event

2009-04-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

What is it you want again?

Think about what you want out of the event: to finish, to run/jog/walk it, to enjoy it or something else. This is important because it will help to keep you motivated and focused during training if you not only know what you are training for (the race) but also know what you want out of it (so you'll know how to run the event). It will also help to tell you what you need to do between now and then to reach your goal.

Variety is the spice!

Keep motivation high by keeping your runs varied and fun (or at least interesting). So, do runs of different lengths or durations, do some flat and hilly runs, runs with faster bits, road and off-road runs - variety will be good for keeping your interest high and give a good training effect on the body too.
Try to run with other runners. See if you can get some of your non-running friends to run or join a running club. Knowing that there is someone expecting you at certain place and time will help get you out the door when otherwise you might talk yourself out of the run.

Go racing!

Enter some races that will act like stepping-stones to your main event. For instance, if you have entered a half-marathon you could enter a couple of 5K and 10K races to keep your motivation high and give you a target to aim for. Then, you can learn from your experience to help you manage your main event (e.g., how fast should I start off, how do I drink during the event). Also, completing these events successfully will give you great confidence that you are on route to being well prepared for the big day.

Dr Victor Thompson
www.sportspsychologist.com

Golden teams: What surrounds you, counts too.

2009-04-11T03:03:00.000-07:00

Imagine the scene: You’ve just won the Olympic gold medal in your sport. You can hear the adulation: “Well done.” “You’ve done it.” “You’ve done so well.” “How did you do it?” Yes, if you were that athlete, then you were the one to finish first. So they are right, you did do it. However, was it only you that got you there? I’m not so sure. First, even before you moved a muscle, there was Mum and Dad and their cocktail of genes that directed your development. Then there were opportunities at school and outside school to exercise and compete. Somehow, you managed not to give up competitive sport in your teens, when the majority of your peers quit. So, how did you get from there to the Olympics?

I believe strongly that you did it because you had a good team around you. These are the unsung heroes, the people who are almost always in the background. Like in a theatre production, these are the people who built the stage and organise the lighting that allow the performer to perform. In sport the unsung heroes include the athlete’s family and friends but also sport and exercise professionals including physios, strength specialists, podiatrists, sport masseurs, equipment technicians… Few of these support staff really make much money out of working with athletes, often doing it more for the love of the sport or because they are genuinely nice people and want to help. Few get the chance to work with an Olympic gold medal winner, an Olympian, world champion or even national champion. However, for those of us who are support staff, no matter who it is we are working with – a competitive athlete or gym-goer working towards their own important goals – we make a significant contribution to their achievements, satisfaction, injury-free performance, health and avoidance of the couch potato syndrome. Our clients know it and we should bear this in mind too. So, the next time we are with our clients lets remember that we are part of their golden team.

Dr Victor Thompson

www.SportsPsychologist.com

Triathlon tips: Turn race day nerves into race day confidence

2009-04-11T02:48:00.000-07:00

Experiencing stress before a race is common: bad sleep the night before, waking early, difficulties getting breakfast down, frequent urges to go to the loo, worries about what might go wrong, a thumping heart while we stand still... These experiences can be unsettling. Why do they happen?

They happen because:

The race represents a test and we may fear that we'll fail to perform compared to others or our own standards (i.e., finish time or position), or
We fear some catastrophe (e.g., getting punched in the face during the swim, losing our goggles or drowning; crashing on the bike...)

When we arrive at the race site, our body's arousal is boosted further by the race environment - hearing the pump-you-up music blaring out of a PA system, or seeing lean, mean and excited (and stressed) triathletes. This increases the chance that our arousal level spills over into stress or anxiety - where it can become a problem.

What's so bad about pre-race nerves?

They make it difficult to rest well and get a good night’s sleep before the race
They make it difficult to keep down a good pre-race breakfast and fuel properly
They limit enjoyment - if we are stressed, then we won't be enjoying the experience
They distract us from the race as our mind searches for threats and problems
They cause unnecessary muscular tension, making our movements less efficient (slowing us down)

The stress reaction developed thousands of years ago to keep humans safe by focusing our mind on potential threats and getting the body ready for action. We all have this reaction. For instance, we'd all experience it if we were walking alone down a dark alley at night and heard footsteps closing in on us from behind. This reaction can be a life-saver, but can easily become a problem if it’s too easily activated in situations that aren't actually that threatening - well, not life-threatening anyway.

Okay, back to triathlon and how to tackle pre-race stress. Before race day itself, try to catch and challenge any threat-focused thoughts you have about the race. Ask:

What do I really not want to happen to me in the race? (e.g., drowning, crashes, getting beaten, letting others down...)
Rank these from most to least worrying?
Rate how likely each is to happen (0% to 100%)?
Can each situation be viewed differently? (e.g., less likely, less threatening, something you could cope with, something that is actually manageable...)
Can any steps be taken to reduce the chance that each situation will occur or to reduce any negative impact it might have? (e.g., wear the wetsuit more so you cope with the tightness and sense of claustrophobia easier, learn to navigate in open-water better, develop better bike-handling skills, do a 10K flat-out run to become more confident in your run, do a pre-race ride in race setup...)

Then there are useful tips for race day itself:

Take control of your breathing: slow deep rhythmical breaths, focus on slowing-down your breathing, body and thoughts, focus on you, not on any other madness that may be going on around you
Challenge those thoughts: catch any negative predictions and unhelpful thoughts, then counter them with an alternative that you have already prepared (e.g., turn the thought "my body is on edge, a sign that something is going to go very wrong" into "my body is up for this, ready to go when the gun goes off")
Refocus: switch your focus from aspects that are making you feel more stressed onto something less stressful (see last month's 220 piece on race focus)
Move: stretch, walk, jog, or warm-up for the swim while noticing how ready you are for the race
Follow your routine: gain confidence from following your preplanned routine in the lead-up to the start
Recall success: relevant successes in training and races, see how they show that you are ready
Recall your goals: achievable and desirable goals for the day. Remember to make sure these are doable and include something about enjoying the day and learning from it. This way your goals won’t add even more stress.

Use these tips to prepare for any race nerves so they don't get in the way of enjoying your day and a great performance.

Dr Victor Thompson

Conquering preseason nerves in sport

2009-04-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

For most (summer season) athletes this is the time of the year that we set our sights on the competitions ahead. What we will target, what performance we expect (want) and put ourselves out there to be tested. As the excitement builds, so do the nerves. So what can we do about this?

1. Set up training so you can have opportunities to practice for your events - the distances, speeds or skills you will want to execute come competition day. Nothing helps us feel confident (and to squash nerves) like real experience. So set up practice to run competition simulations.
2. Trawl your memory banks to find the experiences that show that you have done what is required for you to perform on competition day. These could be experiences from training/practice or previous competitions. What experiences show that you are prepared, or becoming more and more prepared?
3. Plan for the period up to the competition so you can see a progression to the event, in which you become more and more prepared.

These are things you can do right now - weeks or even months out from you important competitions.

Best of luck with your season.

Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
Based in London, UK
www.SportsPsychologist.com