SportsPsychologist.com Blog by Dr Victor Thompson

What do professional cyclists think when they approach a climb? This depends on how they perceive their climbing ability, the challenge of the upcoming climb, the importance of their performance on this climb and their current sense of fatigue. If they perceive that they have the skills to do well on the climb, based on the gradient and length of the climb and the relative abilities of others, then they will approach with confidence. If instead, they believe that they don’t have that great an ability, then they may have some anxiety, trepidation, and worry with thoughts along the lines of: “This is going to hurt.” “I’m not good at this.” “I’ll get dropped.” So, how would a good climber approach a climb?   A confident rider approaches feeling calmer, more ready for the challenge, perhaps even welcoming and relishing it. They see it as a good test or a good part of the course. They may be thinking along the lines of: “Yeah, here it comes. Bring it on. This is my terrain. ...

With all the time energy, effort, hope, worry and expectation that goes into our marathon campaign, once we cross the finish line and the dust has settled, we can experience a post-marathon dip.  For some this dip is mild and not-too-significant and others, the post-marathon blues are more significant. There are many reasons why we can have this experience. One of the main ones, which is often overlooked, is that when the body is physically tired, along with this can come at dip in mood. Another reason is that the marathon is such a big goal in our lives and when it passes we can feel somewhat lost without another goal to pursue. If we don't have another event planned, training can seem quite pointless. Or, if we have another goal, it can be difficult to get up for it. So how do we remedy this and bounce-back after a spring marathon? If you feel the post-marathon blues, and recognise it as a common and normal experience. Rest up and recover, take it easy for a whil...

If you have a niggle, something is wrong. Perhaps your body is under recovered and will be fine, but often this is not the case and bad things develop after spotting a niggle. Act. Consider getting some help: physio, sports masseur. Consider modifying your training: back-off, take more rest Don’t ignore it, or it might derail this season or your whole sporting career. (It happens.) Don’t ignore it (for most people, this is worth me repeating) Dr Victor Thompson www.sportspsychologist.com

BBC website announces today: ‘Former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards is happy the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drug cheats looks set to be overturned.’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17818958   Without going into how we as spectators think or feel about this issue, I’m interested in the impact that this issue might have on other competitors – those competing in the sports that the previously banned athletes compete in. Athlete A:   With a strong sense of right and wrong, Athlete A gets further fired-up and motivated to show the drug cheats that they are better, that they can win clean, expecting their performance to do the talking. This news of allowing, or potentially allowing, the banned athletes back in, is motivating, helping them prepare and perform. Athlete B:   With a belief that the sports officials, system or the world lets them down, Athlete B becomes angry at the developments. They may either get fired-up...

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 perfor...