Tag Archive for 'mental coach'

How the role of the mental coach in elite teams has changed in the last 30 years

Published on September 26, 2024 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress and Tennis. 0 Comments Tags: mental coach.

In the past 30 years, the role of the mental coach in elite teams has changed radically, evolving from a marginal and sometimes overlooked figure to an essential component of the multidisciplinary team supporting athletes. Here’s how this transformation has occurred:

1. Growing Awareness of the Importance of Mental Preparation

In the 1990s, psychological preparation was often seen as a secondary complement to physical and technical training. Elite athletes focused primarily on physical training, strategy, and tactics, while mental aspects were neglected or handled informally. Over time, awareness has grown that mental skills are fundamental to athletic performance, especially when competing at the highest level, where physical and technical differences are minimal. Today, the mental coach is considered as crucial as the physical trainer or nutritionist.

2. Integration with Technical and Medical Teams

Initially, the mental coach often operated in isolation or was consulted only in times of emotional crisis or performance slumps. Today, they are part of a multidisciplinary team alongside athletic trainers, physiotherapists, and coaches, working in an integrated way to optimize the athlete’s performance in all its dimensions. Collaboration between mental coaches and coaches has become more fluid, with a focus on synergy between physical and mental preparation.

3. Proactive Rather than Reactive Approach

Historically, mental coaches were called in to intervene during difficult moments, such as injuries or confidence crises, in a reactive manner. In recent decades, the mental coach has become a figure who works proactively, providing continuous support to athletes to prevent problematic situations. This means ongoing work to improve aspects such as stress management, concentration, motivation, and psychological recovery, rather than just offering a temporary fix.

4. Application of Scientific Methods and Psychometric Tools

With the evolution of sports psychology as a scientific discipline, mental coaches have begun using increasingly evidence-based methods. In the 1990s and 2000s, techniques such as mindfulness, neurofeedback, biofeedback, and psychometric tools were introduced to measure and enhance mental performance. These tools allow for a more precise assessment of athletes’ psychological conditions and personalization of intervention strategies.

5. Focus on Resilience and Emotional Management

In the past, mental coaching focused mainly on improving concentration and self-confidence. Today, there is greater emphasis on mental resilience and emotional management, especially to cope with the growing pressures from media exposure and high expectations. Working on an athlete’s ability to quickly recover from setbacks, manage frustration, or face personal challenges has become a key objective of mental coaching.

6. Impact of Social Media and Public Visibility

In recent years, with the rise of social media, elite athletes face greater external pressures than ever before. The mental coach has had to adapt to help athletes manage not only internal pressures but also external ones stemming from constant attention from fans, media, and critics on social platforms. Mental training today includes strategies to protect athletes from the negative impacts of public visibility.

7. Increased Recognition and Professionalization

Over the past 30 years, the role of the mental coach has become increasingly recognized and professionalized. In the past, anyone could claim to be a “mental coach,” whereas today certified skills and specific academic training in sports psychology are required. This recognition has contributed to improving the quality of work provided and structuring mental coaching within elite athletes’ preparation programs.

8. Personalization of Psychological Interventions

In the past, mental coaching tended to adopt a more generalized approach, but today interventions are increasingly personalized according to the athlete’s needs. Every athlete has their own story, their way of handling stress, and their unique mental framework. As a result, mental coaches work to create individual plans that respond to the athlete’s specific personal and sporting needs.

9. Sustaining Mental Well-Being and Burnout Prevention

A key evolution in the mental coach’s role is the shift from an exclusive focus on performance to a greater emphasis on the athlete’s overall psychological well-being. Preventing burnout and promoting balance between sports life and personal life have become central aspects. Today, mental coaches help athletes find a balance between training, competitions, personal life, and mental recovery, recognizing that long-term well-being is essential for achieving lasting success.

10. Diversification of Areas of Intervention

Over the years, mental coaches have started working not only on individual aspects but also on team dynamics, leadership, and communication. For example, in team sports, the mental coach works to improve cohesion, communication, and collaboration among team members, while also strengthening the leadership of captains or coaches.

11. Importance of Dual Career for Today’s Athletes

A recent and increasingly important area of focus for mental coaches is the dual career of athletes—balancing their sports careers with academic, professional, or personal development. In today’s world, athletes are encouraged to prepare for life after sports, reducing the psychological pressure that comes from knowing their athletic careers are limited in time. Mental coaches play a key role in helping athletes manage the challenges of balancing competitive sports with education or other pursuits, enhancing their sense of purpose and well-being both during and after their athletic careers. This focus on dual careers helps athletes build a more sustainable future and prevents emotional crises when their sports careers end.

Conclusion

The role of the mental coach has evolved from being an auxiliary service to an essential and integrated component of elite teams. Today, this figure works proactively and scientifically to optimize athletes’ mental performance, protect them from external stresses, and promote their long-term well-being. The introduction of dual career management highlights the broader approach to mental well-being, preparing athletes for life beyond sports and contributing to their holistic success. This transformation reflects the evolving mindset in the world of sports, where the mental dimension is recognized as crucial to achieving excellence.

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Do unregulated psychologists pose a problem for English football?

Published on October 24, 2022 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: mental coach.

I gladly post this article by John Nassoori on the role of mental coaches in contrast to that of sports psychologists in English soccer and rugby.

What does a ‘mind coach’ do? It’s a question that was raised in June, when Bath Rugby Club announced that Don Macpherson – known as the ‘Monkey Whisperer’, according to Macpherson’s website – had joined their management team.

The appointment sparked something of a social media backlash, with a number of psychologists questioning Bath’s decision to appoint someone who, at the time of writing, is not listed on the UK’s Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register. You can get a flavour of the response to the club’s announcement from the tweets below:

The posts provide a snapshot of a view long held by accredited psychologists. The British Psychological Society’s Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology has received anecdotal feedback from members who “are very unhappy there is not more regulation.”

According to one psychologist I spoke to – who has worked with footballers that have received unregulated psychological support – the impact of an intervention by an individual not listed on the HCPC register can be profound. Indeed, the practitioner I discussed the matter with said they believed the experience had made players wary of seeking further mental health support.

It’s worth saying at this point that there were some prominent supporters of Macpherson’s appointment (and that the intention of this article is to shed light on an industry issue, rather than focus on a specific appointment). Indeed, current and former England internationals tweeted their appreciation of the news:

So, do unregulated psychologists pose a problem for English football? Well, before answering the question, it’s probably prudent to point out that this debate is only made possible by the paucity of regulation governing psychology provision across the domestic game.

English clubs with Category One Academies are required to employ a full-time psychologist either on the HCPC register or on one of the ‘approved training routes’ (overseen by The British Association of Sports and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and the British Psychological Society) to support young players.

But Wycombe assistant manager Richard Dobson, who, in 2012, established an academy psychology programme described as the ‘biggest in Europe’ by the FA’s former Head of Psychology, believes the rules provide too much leeway for top clubs.

“What I’m seeing now is a lot of people that are recently qualified from university going into jobs at clubs to tick boxes, because the Elite Player Performance Plan says you have to have a psychologist,” he said, speaking to The Football Psychology Show in September 2021.

Dobson also criticised the salaries offered to psychologists employed as a result of EPPP regulations.

“So, they (the clubs) go, ‘Well, we’ve we bought one in – although we are paying them peanuts – but we’ve got one, so we are doing psychology now’, but they’re not. It’s not as simple as that. You have to understand psychology at a far deeper level.”

“Clubs are playing at psychology” Wycombe assistant manager Richard Dobson with some strong words on the ‘box-ticking’ approach he believes some clubs are employing to meet Elite Player Performance Plan requirements

Perhaps of even greater concern is the regulation – or lack thereof – governing psychology provision at first-team level. There is currently no stipulation for Premier League or Football League teams to hire an accredited psychologist when enlisting support for their senior players.

“It’s often less about your qualification and more about who you know,” said Kristin McGinty-Minister, who I spoke to in 2021, after she’d finished a 12-month placement as a trainee psychologist for a Championship club.

“Of course, every industry has a bit of that going on, but it’s important that doesn’t happen in psychology. Everything that we’ve seen over the past year demonstrates that.

“But there are some people making industry-standard (pay), who don’t have the right training. There are a lot of ‘mental coaches’, who go into clubs, receive paycheques and don’t do a great job because they’re not exactly sure what they’re doing. That then makes sports psychologists look like they don’t know what they’re doing because there’s not a lot of education about who does what.”

McGinty-Minister’s concerns were echoed by Bob McCunn, Hearts’ Head of Performance, who also stressed that clubs are sometimes ill-prepared to recruit accredited psychologists.

“There are many people, including those recruiting psychologists, who probably don’t know that ‘sport and exercise psychologist’ is a protected title or that there is an accreditation pathway, which is very frustrating because there are lots of people out there who aren’t qualified, but who will try and work in this space,” said McCunn, speaking in late 2021.

“I think if there is a pathway to becoming chartered and someone just chooses not to do it and tries to get into the industry anyway, it’s not good enough, in my opinion.”

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Major League Baseball: 27 teams work with a mental coach

Published on April 4, 2018 in Allenatori, Generale and Mental coaching. 0 Comments Tags: baseball, major league, mental coach, US.

From USA TODAY

They’re not introduced in the opening-day pageantry. They don’t wear uniforms. They don’t have lockers in the clubhouse. Some even have weird titles, just to protect their anonymity. Yet, behind the scenes, there are proving as invaluable as any staff member in a Major League Baseball organization.

Mental skills coaches, employed by a record 27 baseball clubs to open the 2018 season, are valued more than ever.

“If you said mental skills before,’’ Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon says, “that was an absolute sign that you were weak among the old-school guys. Deep down, there were a lot of guys who wanted to talk to them, but they knew that if they were seen talking to them, it would be seen sign as a sign of weakness. And the manager might think less of him.

“That was an absolute fact, and even today, I don’t think that stigma has been totally erased. To think that psychology is an indicator of weakness, truly is an ignorant statement. When people are fighting it, it’s only because they don’t understand it.

“It’s no different than your hitting coach, your pitching coach, your infield coach. A mental skills coach is going to help you think better, think more clearly in the moment, and control your emotions.’’

In the words of the late Yogi Berra: “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.’’

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Mental coach or sport psychologist?

Published on January 31, 2018 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: Gazzetta dello sport, mental coach, psicologo, SportWeek.

In questi anni, il termine “mental coach” è diventato un’espressione diffusa per identificare una persona esperta nell’allenamento delle abilità psicologiche. Si riferisce alla pratica sistematica e distribuita nel tempo delle competenze psicologiche e mentali allo scopo di migliorare le prestazioni, incrementare il piacere tratto dall’impegno e sentirsi soddisfatti della propria attività fisica e sportiva. Lo psicologo, dopo un percorso che lo ha portato alla laurea magistrale e all’iscrizione all’ordine degli psicologi, è il professionista che è legalmente abilitato a fornire questo tipo di prestazioni. La psicologia dello sport è la disciplina che nell’ambito delle scienze dello sport e della psicologia, rappresenta il riferimento teorico e applicativo per l’esercizio di questa professione. E’ un campo piuttosto diffuso tanto che a livello internazionale sono presenti otto riviste scientifiche che pubblicano i risultati delle indagini in questo ambito di studio. Una di queste, International Journal of Sport Psychology, viene pubblicata in Italia da 48 anni e rappresenta un ambito di eccellenza. Stupisce quindi che il settimanale SportWeek della Gazzetta dello Sport abbia pubblicato un’inchiesta intitolata “I mental coach servono davvero?” a cui fornisce una risposta positiva: “A patto che ci si rivolga a un professionista ossia a uno psicologo dello sport o a un mental coach serio e qualificato”. In questa inchiesta si equiparano due figure professionali differenti. Per una di queste, il mental coach, non è previsto alcun tipo di formazione universitaria specifica riconosciuta e può essere svolta da chiunque decida per motivi personali di intraprendere questo lavoro nello sport. E’ sufficiente avere partecipato a un corso di pochi giorni o essere stato un atleta o avere una laurea in qualsiasi ambito. Persone di questo tipo sono sempre esistite in ogni professione, dagli esperti in benessere che propongono terapie mediche, ai personal trainer non laureati in scienze motorie, a chi si propone come allenatore solo perché ha svolto un determinato sport per molti anni. Le università e l’ordine potrebbero agire per migliorare la formazione e la professione degli psicologi che intendono lavorare in ambito sportivo ma ancora non ci sono riusciti. Spetta quindi direttamente agli psicologi agire in modo più propositivo. A tale riguardo, dovrebbero impegnarsi a migliorare la loro presenza sul mercato dello sport agendo su tre leve principali. La prima riguarda l’interesse a ottimizzare le loro competenze professionali con una formazione adeguata in psicologia dello sport che sia specifica e continuativa nel tempo. La seconda si riferisce al sapere interagire con il mondo dello sport in modo professionale e pragmatico, senza essere percepiti come troppo teorici o comunque inutili al miglioramento delle prestazioni sportive. La terza riguarda la capacità di formulare programmi d’intervento che siano percepiti come utili e innovativi da parte degli atleti e degli allenatori. E’ una sfida che si basa su una solida competenza in psicologia e nelle scienze dello sport e sulla capacità di saperle adattare alle situazioni pratiche e alle persone che s’incontreranno sul proprio cammino professionale.

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Webinar: Lo psicologo come mental coach

Published on January 18, 2018 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Mental coaching, Stress, Tennis, Tiro a volo and Webinar. 0 Comments Tags: mental coach, ordine psicologi Lombardia, psicologo.

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Mental coach and sport psychologist: confusion also among the psychologists

Published on November 30, 2014 in Generale. 0 Comments Tags: Fiorentina, laura messina, laurea, mental coach, psicologi dello sport.

To work in sport performance is necessary to have a specific preparation. For the psychologist is necessary to have a university degree in sport psychology, as well as a physician becomes sport medical physician through post-graduate studies. This idea is quite simple, and in most other countries there are institutionalized paths to build these competences. Therefore the specialist in sports psychology is the professional who is responsible, for the training received, to do the work of mental coach. Why today it’s so widespread the use of the terms “mental coach.” The reason is that it’s used by anyone who wants to work in the psychology fieeld without having the degree, therefore it has been found this expression, clear and understandable that allows to stay on the sport market (and beyond) without carrying illegally the psychologist profession. Therefore anyone can be called mental coach without finding any opposition from institutions or organizations. Specifically these people propose miracles in short term to an environment that largely ignores the job of the sports psychologist . Often managers, coaches and athletes fall into this trap because they do not want to select truly competent consultant but they just want to dump their problems on someone else .

I’m really shocked by the interview that the psychologist Laura Messina wanted to give to those who asked what was the difference between a psychologist and mental coach. These are answers that continue to spread misconceptions, superficial and harmful to the world of sports

“But what is the difference between the psychologist and the mental coach?

The psychologist has specific training focused on the behavior of individuals, their mental processes and the inner part of the conscious and unconscious. The mental coach does not work in a clinical setting, it has no competence to manage the psychological distress. He is focused on improving the performance, helping the individuals to express themselves at their best.

Besides a different training (the psychologist must have a degree, and the mental coach just a training course) is different the work context (the psychologist works on pathology and clinical recovery; the mental coach works in the field of motivation, concentration, performance) and the scope of intervention (the mental coach operates on a demand for improvement; the psychologist uses psychodiagnostic tools and operates on a demand for change).

Underlined the differences I would say that it would be desirable that the two professionals could integrate synergistically and be complementary to an excellent result. “

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Shooting mental coach

Published on November 6, 2014 in Generale, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: albano pera, Alberto Cei, andrea benelli, atlanta, ennio falcio, mental coach, olimpiadi.

I’m often asked how long I work with the shooting. In response, I want to show this photo of the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, we find: Albano Pera (silver double trap and current coach of the Italian trap team ) and Ennio Falco (skeet gold) and Andrea Benelli (bronze skeet and current coach Italian skeet team).

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Commonwealth Games

Published on July 23, 2014 in Mental coaching, Olimpiadi and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: commonwealth games, glasgow, Malta, mental coach.

Glasgow’s moment has arrived after seven years of waiting as the Commonwealth Games will officially get under way following tonight’s opening ceremony. It is a unique, world class event which is held once every four years and is the third largest multi-sport event after the Olympics and the Asian Games. This year’s event will see a total of 18 sports and 261 medal events being contested. I am here as mental coach of Malta team.