This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com In our last newsletter, Jonathan Harding wrote about a new study examining the link between personality and performance, focusing specifically on how the ‘Dark Triad’ of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy impacts sporting relationships. This week, we’re taking a deeper dive into the subject, bringing you a 30-minute podcast based on Jonath ..read more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com “There are so many ways to do sports psychology: it just so happens that I believe an optimal culture for the incorporation of sports psychology bases its language and behaviours around a shared mental model. “That's because you can help the coaches, the physios, the club doctor, the sport scientists, the strength and conditioning coaches - who do sport ..read more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com You’re 2-1 down to your arch rivals in a game that might decide who wins the league. You’ve played as though you’re chasing only your second title in 25 years: the nerves are palpable. You have 45 minutes to put things right. The stakes don’t get much higher than Feyenoord’s match against Ajax in March 2023. The game at the Amsterdam Arena setup the pos ..read more

How do you convince an ageing centre back to swap the security of a low block for a high press that might make Ange Postecoglou blush? Karl Marius Aksum may have the answer. The Mjallby assistant coach, who is part of a backroom team that has helped the Swedish club to the highest position in its 85-year history, was refreshingly honest in an explanation which exemplifies how he’s taken his doctorate knowledge onto the training ground.  “It's by using video clips in a manipulative way,” he jokes. “So, it starts with me showing a lot of positive clips where we play a high line and we are s ..read more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com “Most athletes compete at one Olympics, so they might have been working forever for this one moment, and then, that's it, it's gone. “There's only one heat that you get to compete in. You've only got one chance to do your beam routine. It lasts a minute, but you've trained for it for 15 years. “It's about how you prepare for those moments.” Misia Gervis ..read more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com “If someone calls themselves a sports psychology consultant and they're not licensed, what do you do? There's no punishment. There's nothing you can do to change that. The psychology board can send them something that says, ‘Please don't do this’ and maybe the club can sue them if something goes wrong, but by and large, there's not an accountability me ..read more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com Geir Jordet has spent most of his professional career studying penalties. The Norwegian professor, who has worked with several of Europe's top teams over two decades in football, knows the psychological subtleties of spot kicks as well as anyone.  All of which means that, as Euro 2024 moves towards the knockout stages and the drama of penalty shootouts ..read more

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com Barely a week goes by without mentions of ‘culture change’ within sport. Some of the commentary is vital: in sports ranging from rugby to swimming, there are serious issues to confront, requiring systemic reforms and widespread behavioural change. In other instances, the term is in danger of becoming a buzzword, meaning anything from dressing room camar ..read more

Former Lionesses psychologist Misia Gervis drops by for an exclusive interview, explaining how she prepared the England women's side for their last visit to a European Championship final and the lessons the current team might learn from 2009.    Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/ Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themindroom.substack.com ..read more

We welcome back Wycombe assistant manager Richard Dobson and regular guest Dr Misia Gervis for a discussion about the secrets of a successful coach-psychologist relationship. After almost a decade of working together, Richard and Misia reflect on how they formed their partnership, the key elements behind their sustained success and offer some advice for coaches and psychologists on similar journeys.   Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/ Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow &nbs ..read more