The podcast features Aaron Walsh, a mental skills performance expert, discussing the importance and integration of mental skills in sports performance. Aaron, with a background in sports and a passion for understanding performance, delves into the mental aspects that differentiate successful athletes from others. His journey, which includes experiences in the US and New Zealand, highlights the significance of mental skills in sports, particularly in high-pressure situations.
Walsh emphasizes that while physical and technical skills are crucial, the mental aspect often becomes the differentiating factor at the highest levels of sport. He categorizes sports into those where athletes initiate movement and those where they respond to it, noting that sports requiring initiation of movement, like golf or penalty kicks in football, have a higher mental demand. Walsh argues that mental skills should be treated like any other skill, with a focus on knowledge, tools, and support for development.
He also touches on the role of mental skills in team environments, stressing the importance of integrating mental skills into coaching, recruitment, and training decisions. Walsh criticizes the common approach of only addressing mental skills when athletes underperform, advocating instead for a proactive and integrated approach.
If you're someone who wants to develop a rounded programme that involves more than just sets and reps, this episode is for you.
Main talking points:
Testing and training the foot for rehabilitation and improving sports performance (part 1) with Romain Tourillon
#Bitesize - Barriers encountered by women in strength and conditioning with Sophia Nimphius, Brian Gearity and Lorena Torres
Optimising athlete recovery and managing load effectively across multiple sports with Carmen Colomer
Maximising resisted sprint training and speed training with youth athletes with Micheál Cahill
#Bitesize - How to maximise heart rate variability (HRV) data quality with Marco Altini
Blood flow restriction training: Applications in rehab, recovery and strength training with Stephen Patterson
#Bitesize - What is maximal aerobic speed (MAS) and how it can be used to programme conditioning with Nathan Heaney
Developing and maintaining an injury risk reduction strategy at the Kansas City Royals with Austin Driggers
How to develop an NBA player: Assessments, programmes and methodologies with Nathan Spencer
#Bitesize - Data visualisation principles with Johann Windt
Deceleration testing and training: Applying the research in college football with Joey Guarascio
#Bitesize - How to programme and coach resisted sprints with Håkan Andersson
Maximising the impact of RPE data and other subjective measures with Shaun McLaren
Science and application of velocity based training with Dan Baker, Lachlan Wilmot and Jonathon Weakley
#Bitesize - Managing tendinopothies with blood flow restriction training and isometrics with Luke Vella
Maximal aerobic speed vs. Tempo: Which is optimal for team sport aerobic fitness (?) with Nathan Heaney
#Bitesize - The current state of hamstring rehabilitation practice with Jurdan Mendiguchia
Maximising the use of eccentric training for sports performance with Pete Burridge, Mike Young and John Wagle
A critique of the “knees over toes” phenomenon and maximising cross training prescription with Nathan Kiely
#Bitesize - Managing and monitoring the menstrual cycle in World Cup winning athletes with Dawn Scott
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