Libsyn Directory

274 How You Can Challenge Yourself To Feel More In Control

Release Date: 01/24/2025

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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Key Learning Points:

· Incorporate self-care practices, such as taking breaks from screens, doing breathwork, or a gratitude practice to aid your emotional control.

· Danielle Collins showed a degree of emotional control and a sense of humour to turn negative fan comments into motivation, rather than letting them affect her performance.

· Many driven athletes can take things too seriously impacting their emotional control and ability to challenge themself.

· Play the observation game to improve your awareness of behaviours that you carry out, focusing on your reactions, inadvertently the outcome can then be improved performance.

· To help children in sort, parents should lead with love and care, avoiding pointing out flaws, focusing on positive reinforcement.

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Relevant Podcast Episodes To Help You Improve Your Control and Challenge Levels as Relayed in Episode 274

Ep172: Brandon Epstein – Working With Your Subconscious Mind To Achieve Better Results

Ep168: Andrew Simpson – How To Navigate Youth Sports So That Children Enjoy The Experience More

Ep162: Sun Sachs & Ed Gibbins: How to Find a Flow State to Improve Your Performance

Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course

Ep083: Billy Schwer – Life Lessons from a World Champion Boxer

Ep081: Stuart Wade – Mental Toughness in Combat Sports

Ep033: Aly Dixon – Mental Toughness Lessons from a World Champion