#300 Dan Abrahams (with Dr Chris Shambrook) - What I’ve Learned About High Performance from Hosting 300 Episodes

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Scott McLean this week. Scott is a Senior Research Fellow and the theme leader for Sport and Outdoor Recreation at the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems (CHFSTS) at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.  Scott has a background in Exercise Science (MSc, BExSc) and obtained his PhD applying Human Factors and Ergonomics methods in sport, in which he received the David Ferguson Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia for the best PhD thesis.  His research spans a broad range of domains including sport science, safety science, and systems thinking. During his PhD and current Post-Doctoral research, Scott has made a number of significant research contributions which have advanced knowledge in the areas of team performance analysis, coaching, sports system modelling, applying Human Factors and Ergonomics in sport, incident reporting systems in outdoor recreation, and complex system modelling of the road safety system.  Scott has experience working with and conducting research with industry i.e. professional sporting clubs and an international football team, government agencies, as well as international collaborators. Scott is also a successful and award-winning football coach, which ensures that his research has a focus on delivering practice implications. 

In this episode I speak with Bernadette Kellermann. Bernadette is a Sport Psychologist and PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh. Bernadette researches the Multi-Action Plan (MAP) Model and transitions between mental states in performance. The MAP Model is an action-focused, sport-specific intervention model that can be utilised to investigate and improve human performance. We discuss two fascinating papers Bernadette has written about transitions between mental states within MAP along with Prof Dave Collins, Dr Alan MacPherson, and Dr Maurizio Bertollo. In addition to her performance psychology studies, Bernadette is a violinist, composer, and tutor having graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

I’m delighted to speak with Mia KurtzFavero this week. Mia and I discuss a research paper she co-authored which explored the parent-coach dual role. In the paper a number of parent-coaches were interviewed to examine how they perceived their dual role to influence their coaching effectiveness and to hear what strategies they used to remain effective. Previous research looking into youth sport coaching indicates that a majority of coaches may also be a parent to an athlete on their team. While previous studies have also sought to understand how being a parent-coach might affect parents’ relationships with their own child(ren), little work appears to explore how occupying this role might affect an individual’s ability to remain effective as a coach. Findings from the paper indicated that parent-coaches have few formalised resources to aid them in navigating the issues associated with their challenging dual-role position. Given the number of parent-coaches in youth, more research needs to be done on this topic. Mia has just completed her Master’s degree in Sport Psychology. Her studies focused on coaching, specifically, helping coaches develop their inter and intra personal skills. Mia is a coach of volleyball, coaching club teams and high school teams, as well as the provincial youth boy’s volleyball team.

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Jim Taylor this week. Jim is an internationally recognised authority on the psychology of performance, sport, and parenting. Jim has worked with professional, Olympic, collegiate, and junior-elite athletes in skiing, cycling, triathlon, tennis, track and field, swimming, football, golf, baseball, and many other sports.  Jim received his Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and earned his Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Colorado. He is a former Associate professor in the School of Psychology at Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale and a former Clinical Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver. Jim has been a consultant for the United States and Japanese Ski Teams, the United States Tennis Association, and USA Triathlon, and has worked with professional and world-class athletes in multiple sports. He has been invited to lecture by the Olympic Committees of Spain, France, Poland, and the U.S., and has consulted with the Athletic Departments at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Jim has published more than 1000 articles in scholarly and popular publications, and has given more than 1000 workshops and presentations throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He is the author of 19 books and the co-editor of five textbooks. His books have been translated into 10 languages. A former world-ranked alpine ski racer, Jim is also a 2nd degree black belt, certified instructor, and tournament fighter in karate, marathon runner, Ironman triathlete, 2x national triathlon champion, and 3x World Championships medallist.

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Derek Panchuk this week. Derek is a skill acquisition specialist with over 15 years experience working with coaches across sport, including: the NBA, G-League, a wide-range of National Sporting Organisations, regional and community level organisations, and clubs. Derek helps coaches and leaders build bridges between the science of learning and art of coaching so they can discover new ways to grow talent and build teams. Derek completed his MSc in Motor Control and his PhD in Neuromotor Control at The University of Calgary. After completing his studies, Derek moved to Australia and was the first ever National Lead for skill acquisition at the Australian Institute of Sport. Here he worked closely with coaches to design individualised learning environments that aligned with their coaching philosophies and goals.  Derek now consults, working closely with coaches to transform how they coach and develop players. He uses an individualised approach to coach development grounded in the science of skill learning that helps coaches discover their strengths and uncover new opportunities so they can improve buy-in and have a big impact with their players. 

I’m delighted to speak with performance coach and scientist, Dr Mehdi Kordi this week. Mehdi began his career in biomedical science before moving into aerospace physiology. His first position in high performance sport was as a sports scientist for British Cycling before moving into coaching role with the GB Para Cycling Team. In 2018 Mehdi joined the KNWU – The Dutch National Cycling Union – initially as coach and scientist for the Track Sprint Team, and then as Track Coach for the Endurance Team. In 2022 he became the Head Coach for KNWU. During this time both the men’s and the women’s teams enjoyed unprecedented success in major cycling competitions including the Olympic games.   Mehdi has a PhD from The University of Northumbria in Sport and Exercise Physiology. Mehdi and I speak about the cultural and coaching interventions that transformed the Dutch cycling team from obscurity into Gold Medal winners.

In this 300th episode I've asked friend of the podcast, Dr Chris Shambrook to speak with me about all things sport psychology. In this conversation, I reflect on what I’ve learned from speaking with so many fantastic industry leaders over the last 6 years. And Chris is the perfect person to talk with having 25 years of coaching across multiple commercial sectors supporting leaders and performers. Chris also has 6 Olympic Games under his belt with the Great Britain Rowing Team, one of Team GB’s most enduringly successful sports. He has an honorary professorship from Staffordshire University and has co-authored three books. Additionally, Chris is the Group Performance Director at PlanetK2. He designs and quality assures all of the PlanetK2 programmes and content.   A huge thank you to all the brilliant guests who have joined me on the show and to you, the listener for your commitment to learning about sport psychology.

I’m delighted to speak with Duff Gibson this week. Duff has spent the better part of three decades in a hotbed of Olympic sport.  As an athlete, Duff was a provincial champion speed skater, a national champion and national team member in bobsleigh, and then a world and Olympic gold medallist in the sport of skeleton. As a coach he led six different athletes to podium finishes at a world level. Competing against, working with, and learning from numerous world-leading athletes and coaches has provided Duff a breadth and depth of experience.  Duff’s belief is that, despite its mischaracterisation in popular culture, the mental side of sport is perhaps the most significant aspect, and what very often makes the difference between success and failure, in particular at the highest level.   In his fantastic book ‘The Tao of Sport’ Duff explores the commonality amongst elite performers relating to purpose, passion, and growth, as a means to achieving high performance, or as a means to an end in itself. The book is an inspiring and informative read for athletes and coaches of any level, as well as parents, teachers, and anyone helping others to become the best version of themselves. Duff is also the founder of TheTaoOfSport.com which offers athletes and coaches courses on the mental side of sport.

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Kimberly Wagner this week. Kimberly is a licensed clinical psychologist and sport/performance psychologist. With a background as a competitive athlete and a passion for psychology, Kimberly focused on clinical psychology as well as specialising in sport psychology while at graduate school. Her doctoral dissertation research focused on sport psychology, specifically she studied the mental skills and characteristics which enhance performance in Major League Baseball players. During her research, Kimberly conducted extensive interviews with Major League Baseball players discussing what mental skills and characteristics they utilise to enhance their performance, and what gives them the competitive edge at an elite level of competition. Kimberly has presented her research at multiple international and national conferences including at the 2013 and 2016 annual American Psychological Association (APA) conference as well as the California Psychological Association (CPA) conference. Kimberly has experience working with high school and collegiate level athletes as well as junior professional and professional athletes on improving the mental component of their game as a way of facilitating peak performance.

I’m delighted to speak with Ben Ashdown this week. Ben is joined by return guest, Dr Mustafa Sarkar. Ben is a senior lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. He is part of the Sport Performance Research Group in the Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Centre and is a PhD researcher focusing on resilience in youth football. Ben’s research interests are observational methods and assessment in sport psychology, resilience behaviours in youth football and resilience development practices. Before moving into lecturing, Ben was a research associate at The University of Nottingham on the Steps to Active Kids (STAK) project that sought to evaluate the impact of a school-based physical activity programme on outcomes including self-efficacy and obesity risk factors. Ben is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a Postgraduate diploma in teaching in the lifelong learning sector. After graduating from York St John University on a BA (Honours) degree in Sport Studies and Psychology, Ben completed an MSc in Sport Psychology at the same institution. Mustafa is Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His main area of research is on individual, team and organisational resilience in elite sport. Mustafa has a background in teaching and research with most of his research focusing on the psychology of sporting and performance excellence, specifically looking at resilience in high achievers in sport and business. Mustafa also works with coaches and organisations helping them to develop resilience in athletes and teams. We talk about a brilliant paper led by Ben and co-authored by Mustafa and Dr Chris Saward and Dr Julie Johnston entitled “Exploring the behavioral indicators of resilience in professional academy youth soccer”. The study offers insight into the observable behaviours characterising resilience in youth soccer. Participants identified 36 resilience behaviours, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the concept in this specific context. The results provide a platform to support practitioners in observing resilience behaviours and structuring practices for resilience assessment and development. The findings of this study can support youth soccer players in reflecting on their behavioural responses to in-game stressors, and thus better understand how and when they demonstrate resilience.