Elite sportspeople are often seen as role models. They demonstrate physical strength, determination, resilience, talent, and hard work. They are successful in what they do. There is a stereotype that sportspeople are ‘squeaky-clean’. Quite often the media and the public image of elite sportspeople projects that they are perfect and that there is nothing ‘wrong’ […]

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Swimming Age Nationals, which was held in Brisbane at the Sleeman Sports Complex – Brisbane Aquatic Centre. Sporting events, such as Age Nationals, are a great opportunity to observe athletes in competition and in particular how athletes handle the pressure of a competition. What I observed was […]

Two of the most common questions I get asked as a sport psychologist are, “What do you do as a sport psychologist?” and “Why sport psychology?”. I think the best way to answer these questions is to give a snap shot of a day in the life of a sport psychologist… My day starts out at […]

Higher levels of Emotional Intelligence (E.I.) have been associated with superior performance by teams in business for some time and various coaching programs have been aimed at developing skills and abilities in this area.  Whilst E.I. has been thought to have a similarly positive impact in sport, the empirical evidence to support this has been […]

In the world of competitive sport where athletes are at times separated only by the smallest of margins we look for strategies to enhance physical performance.  Over the last decade there has been an increased interest in the role that music can play in the performance of athletes during training and competition.  Athletes across every […]

I recently finished reading Chris McCormack’s book, “I’m here to win: A World Champion’s blueprint for peak performance”.  The title grabbed me.  I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but I am glad I did on this occasion because I wasn’t disappointed.  I found this book enlightening, reflective, and awe-inspiring.  Chris is […]

Our role as a sport psychologist is about helping individuals change aspects of their lives they want to see change in.  We specialise in helping athletes of various ages and abilities in different sports to develop and integrate a range of mental skills to perform at their best on a consistent basis.  However, there is […]

First published in 1946, Man’s Search for Meaning by Vicktor E. Frankl has now sold over three million copies worldwide. In his bestseller, Frankl details his experiences in the concentration camp during World War II and how his observations of prisoners’ reactions (including his own) lead to the ground breaking theory, logotherapy. This theory helped […]

Here are some of the many lessons from the 4th Annual Coach Education Conference – Evolution of the Athlete – in Brisbane.  It was a great opportunity to hear from leading authorities in sports coaching and learn from their experiences… One of the keynote speakers at the conference was Ewen McKenzie who is the Head […]

In sport, we are always interested in ways to help enhance athletes’ performances. From a sport psychology point of view, one goal when working with athletes is to help them bring all the performance aspects (mental, physical, tactical and technical) together to get the edge over their opponents. What personality traits are helpful for peak […]