259 The “I MUST FEEL CONFIDENT” to perform well myth
Release Date: 10/11/2024
283 How To Help A Swimmer Who Is Online A Lot Checking His Rivals Out
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Today, the case study that David Charlton and his colleague Colm O’Donoghue discuss is connected to a 16-year-old swimmer who spends a lot of time online checking his rivals out, be that on social media or reviewing stats and results. The implication is that his motivation and focus when training fluctuates and negative emotions such as jealousy and anxiety are triggered. As well, potential challenges with his own self-esteem and how he feels about himself can be evident. David and Colm offer some ideas to shift his focus so that he is able to enhance his motivation...
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282 How To Help An Emotional Tennis Player Perform Better
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this episode, David Charlton and his colleague Colm O’Donoghue discussed a case study of a 12-year-old tennis player who struggled with her emotions on the court. She often became overwhelmed by with anger and frustration or disappointment after making mistakes or losing points, leading to a loss of focus, poor performance and less enjoyment. Her parents also found it very difficult to watch her play and contain themselves as a result too. David and Colm go on to offer some advice for managing these strong emotional responses so that she can perform better and...
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281 How To Help The Golfer Who Searches For The Perfect Swing
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Does the perfect golf swing exist? NO. Does the perfect golf swing equal lower scores in golf? NO – Yet many golfers continue to strive to attain the “perfect swing.” This is the topic of conversation today, where David and colleague Colm O’Donoghue talk about the problem with this approach and the implications for your golf game. They also share some advice on what you could consider doing to improve your scores and your enjoyment of the game. Key Learning Points: Studies suggest that the variation in technique between low handicap amateurs and...
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280 How To Help A Golfer Who Struggles Playing Strokeplay
Demystifying Mental Toughness
David Charlton hosts the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast with his colleague and a fellow competitive amateur golfer, Colm O’Donoghue today. Colm discusses his journey from playing golf as a child to returning to the sport in his mid-20s, driven by an interest in the psychological aspects of golf. He shares his struggles with perfectionism and the importance of maintaining a present-focused mindset. Together they talk about a case study of a young golfer, who excels in match play but struggles with stroke play due to focusing too much on the score. Colm and David...
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279 How To Help A Cricketer Overcome Selections Difficulties
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Today, in episode #279 David and Gerard discuss the challenges faced by a 12-year-old cricketer named Amir (pseudonym), who is a leg spinner struggling with inconsistent selection due to the club's preference for pace bowling. Amir's fluctuating motivation and confidence, as well as the potential for dropping out of cricket are attributed to poor communication from coaches and his own difficulty in expressing frustrations. Key Learning Points: · Helping the cricketer develop psychological flexibility to separate his self-worth...
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278 How To Help Young Athletes Who Are Distracted By Shouty Coaches Subtitle:
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In today’s episode, #278 David and Gerard discuss the impact of a shouty coach on an 18-year-old rugby player named Tom (pseudonym). They explore how such coaching styles can lead to self-doubt, low self-esteem, and increased self-criticism, affecting both on-field performance and confidence levels. They emphasize the importance of coaches fostering a supportive environment where players can express themselves freely. Key Learning Points: · The conversation highlights the broader issue of youth sports participation and the need...
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277 How To Help An Extra Competitive Footballer
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In episode #277 David and Gerard Fitzgerald discussed how to help shift the focus of an extra competitive footballer or athlete, using the example of a boy named Joe who hates losing. Key points included the importance of harnessing anger positively, as seen with Wayne Rooney's iconic goal in 2005 for Manchester United versus Newcastle United. They also share the need to normalise emotional responses like anger where footballers may kick out, tackle over aggressively, shout at team-mates or display poor body language. Parents and coaches are advised to avoid...
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276 How To Help A Footballer Who Focuses Too Much On Other People
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Today marks the start of an 8-episode series where David Charlton is joined by a colleague. Gerard Fitzgerald features in this episode, as well as the next 3 episodes. They go on to discuss a case study of a young female footballer, 11 years old with a pseudonym name called Carly who is a sensitive soul who worries too much about other people (team-mates specifically in this case). We go on to normalise emotional sensitivity in young athletes, highlighting that it can be a strength if managed properly. We also talk about the challenges of emotional sensitivity where...
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275 Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast – What happens next?
Demystifying Mental Toughness
After a short break from creating and broadcasting episodes of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, in episode #275, David discusses a change in format to the podcast for the rest of 2025. He also highlights the benefits of having a support system and the benefits of reading and acting on advice from The 12 Week Year, book written by Brian F Moran and Michael Lemmington. Key Learning Points: · Taking a break can revive our motivation and creativity similar to the power of periodisation in sport or strength training. ...
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274 How You Can Challenge Yourself To Feel More In Control
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this week’s episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast #274, we focus in on the control and challenge measures from Professor Peter Clough’s 4C’s model of Mental Toughness. David highlights how US tennis player Danielle Collins' managed fans heckling at the Australian Open to aid her performance. Insightful guests, Sport Psychologists, World Champion Athletes and Olympians also offer tips: where they focus on self-care for perfectionists, emphasise why getting clarity on your "why" is important, stressing present-moment awareness and a lot more. Key...
info_outlineIn episode 259 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David discusses why thinking that you must feel confident to perform well is unhelpful. He uses getting in an ice bath as an analogy to illustrate the mindset of athletes who believe they must feel confident to perform well. He argues that this belief is unrealistic due to the unpredictable nature of sports. David references Novak Djokovic's admission of getting ahead of himself, highlighting that even top athletes experience doubts. He emphasizes that emotions fluctuate, and athletes often have negative thoughts, with 80% of our daily thoughts being negative. David concludes that acceptance of varying emotions and performance is crucial, as athletes can still excel despite feeling anxious or tired.
Key Learning Points:
- Athletes have a tendency to draw on past experiences of feeling confident to predict future success.
- The average person has around 70,000-80,000 thoughts per day, with about 80% of them being negative, making it unrealistic to think positive all of the time.
- How many times have you played well after a poor warm up or following a disappointing last performance.
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To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Confidence
Ep251: David Charlton - How To View Big Events As A Challenge
Ep248: Trevor Jones - Embracing Fear And The Dreaded Yips
Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf
Ep110: Dan Steele – How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian
Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness
Relevant Resources To Help You Improve Your Confidence
Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians
Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great
Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?
Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?