Supporting Champions

In this episode of the Supporting Champions Podcast, we're joined by Dan Abrahams, a highly respected sports psychologist known for his insightful and practical approach to team dynamics and performance psychology. Our discussion offers a deep dive into the psychological elements that are crucial for team success, making this episode a valuable listen for coaches, athletes, and leaders alike. We explore a range of topics including the creation of environments that foster psychological development in teams, the intricate balance between focusing on individual players and the overall team, and the complexities of managing diverse personalities within a team setting. Additionally, we delve into tactical aspects such as strategies for maintaining a lead during a game or making adjustments when facing challenges. This conversation with Dan Abrahams is packed with insights and strategies for anyone looking to understand and improve team dynamics and performance. Enjoy! Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-abra

In this episode, we're joined by Ben Sporer, a Canadian sports physiologist whose recent work challenges traditional notions of success in high-performance sports. His book introduces the concept of focusing on 'output'—the aspects of performance within our control—rather than 'outcome,' which is often subject to variables beyond our influence. Throughout our conversation, Ben breaks down the components of output, including physiological indicators, performance metrics, and psychological states, and discusses their relevance to both athletes and coaches. He also offers insights into how these principles can be applied in broader contexts, such as personal growth and professional development. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of performance with Ben Sporer, where we discuss practical strategies for enhancing output and the implications of this approach for long-term success.   Links Output book https://output-book.com/ Ben's Website https://resync.ca/   ATHLETE NOW The Supporting Champions Podcast is sponso

Today we're diving deep into a topic that's not just timely but also timeless: resilience. Our guest is Mustafa Sarkar, an expert in the psychology of resilience, particularly in the context of sports and high-performance environments. Mustafa's work has been pivotal in helping us understand what resilience is—and perhaps just as importantly, what it isn't. Whether you're an athlete, a coach, or anyone striving for excellence, understanding the nuances of resilience can be a game-changer.  In today's conversation, we'll explore the psychological elements that contribute to resilience, how these factors may vary among different roles within a sports setting, and the strategies that can be employed to build both individual and team resilience. We'll also discuss the role of environment, the importance of balancing support and challenge, and the future frontiers of resilience research. So, if you're interested in building a more resilient mindset, either for yourself or for your team, this episode is packed with

Today, we're venturing into the ever-evolving world of strength, power, and muscle growth. I'm thrilled to introduce our guest, Brad Schoenfeld, who hails from Lehman College  in New York and is a luminary in the field of strength and conditioning. Brad is not just an academic, he is an applied scientist and advisor. But in his work he is true to the principles of science in that while he advises people based on sound principles, as evidenced in the literature, if that evidence evolves his advice evolves.  His research has done just that so much so that some find the findings to be disruptive or challenging. His groundbreaking research has been shaking up long-held beliefs and sparking animated debates among athletes, coaches, and scientists alike. If you've ever questioned the conventional wisdom around strength training, today's episode is your gateway to the latest evidence-based practices. We'll be navigating through the shifts that have occurred in strength and conditioning research over the past 15 year

Please take the time to fill in our survey about performance staff skills https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/skills/   In today’s episode we’re exploring a topic that sits at the very heart of performance, yet is often overlooked: the coach-athlete relationship. And I couldn't think of anyone better to discuss this with than our guest, Sophia Jowett.  Sophia is a leading expert in the field, known for her extensive research and innovative models that explore the dynamics between coaches and athletes. She's got a knack for breaking down complex ideas into memorable acronyms and alliterations, making the science not just accessible but also unforgettable. We'll be delving into how the landscape of coaching has evolved over the years, the psychological underpinnings of a successful coach-athlete relationship, and even the challenges and conflicts that can arise. We'll also touch on the broader implications of her work, including parallels in the business world and the evolving role of coaches. This is essenti

"PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO FILL IN OUR SKILLS SURVEY" https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/skills/   Welcome back to the podcast proper! In this week's episode, we're tackling a subject that's crucial but often not given the attention it deserves: the recruitment process within high-performance teams. Our guest, David Slemen, is uniquely qualified to shed light on this topic. David is the founder of Elite Performance Partners, a consultancy that specializes in identifying and placing exceptional talent in performance-driven environments. With a rich background in professional rugby and a deep understanding of team dynamics, David has become a sought-after expert for organizations looking to build or enhance their performance teams. This episode is a must-listen for anyone involved in sports, business, or any field where team performance is a key factor. We'll explore practical, real-world insights into how to identify the right talent, integrate them effectively into your team, and foster a culture that attrac

This week we're launching a major new survey. We've teamed up with Jamie Pringle to create one of the must comprehensive surveys about "what it takes to be successful as support practitioner". Please take 30 mins of your time to contribute to the survey. SURVEY  *** Academics, Professionals and Students - WE NEED YOU TO HELP US HELP THE INDUSTRY!*** In this discussion, Jamie and I talk through what the survey is, why we are working on it, how we believe it will help create clarity for those recruiting, developing and training the next generation of performance professionals and likewise how it will help the students of today, who will become professionals and leaders of our industry tomorrow. Summary

This week’s guest is Michael Johnson. Michael will not need an introduction to many of you, but for those who are not aware of one of the greatest athletes of all time and for those who want a recap here are a few highlights. Michael has won gold medals in 200, 400m and 4 x 400 at the Goodwill games. He took gold medals at the 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999 World Championships and golds the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics Games. Unforgettably, Michael broke the world 200m record in an astonishing time of 19.32 s at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, having a few days before won the 400m title. Michael also broke the world 400m record in the Seville World Championship final in a time of 43.18. Those records stood for 14 and 17 years respectively. Since Michael retired he is familiar to many as a commentator and pundit for athletics, where he offers great depth, perceptive insight, challenge and clarity of thought about performance. He is also an entrepreneur, running Michael Johnson Performance, providing speed, agility

This week's guest is Nigel Adkins. Nigel is a former professional football player, coach and manager. He's also trained as a physiotherapist, so not only does he have experience of playing coaching but also has been part of the backroom staff too. Nigel is sharing, describing, and supporting others through the demands placed upon modern managers. He is passionate about helping others realise that the managers identity, worth and health should not necessarily be impacted upon due to the role of coaching at the top end. However Nigel does describe the prevailing philosophy in football clubs being that if they don't win the manager is likely to get sacked. We get into this in the conversation and discuss what you can do and take ownership for, the right and wrongs of this approach and what might help you as a modern manager thrive in this world where you might not have much time to do your best work.   Links   Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_cha

This week’s guests are Zoe Knowles and Brendan Cropley Zoe is a Professor of Engagement and Learning at Liverpool John Moores University and Brendan is Professor of Sport Coaching at University of South Wales; and both are sports psychologists by trade. They are also pioneers for reflective practice in sport and have been moving this field forward together with a band of researchers and applied scientists and they’ve recently released the 2nd Ed of Reflective Practice in the Sport and Exercise Sciences. In this discussion we get into the value that reflection brings, the evidence of whether reflecting enhances your performance, some potential downsides of reflection, whether personality type or biases effect how one engages with reflection, the potential effects of reflective practice on mental health. Of course we explore different models of reflection and Zoe and Brendan take you through a fuller reflective cycle and a shorter, snappier version - which gets us on how, when and under what circumstances you m

This week’s guest is Sian Allen. Sian is a vastly experienced performance scientist having worked at the English, Scottish and New Zealand Institute of Sports. Sian received her PhD in Statistical Modelling of Sports Performance from Aukland University of Technology, while working with British and New Zealand swimming teams. Sian headed up the performance intelligence work for the New Zealand Sorts system, carving out data informed insights into how, what, where, when and who new Zealand athletes and teams could gain an advantage. She is now at Lululemon – an athletic apparel company that designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel and accessories. Beyond this Sian, has been creating some fascinating insights and sharing them on Twitter about wearable technology, with a blend of data-driven observations about herself, research based insights and questions and ideas about how us humans interact, benefit, misuse and get confused by the various devices that we purchased and stick on on ourselves in an att

This week’s guest is Jean Gomes. Jean is a New York best-selling author and a business consultant to 100s of CEOs and businesses. He is CEO and founder of Outside who utilise the latest research to support and develop wellbeing, leadership and organisational culture. His clients over the years include Google, Nike, Schneider, BMW, Tik Tok, but also includes the Lawn Tennis Association, UK Sport and Manchester City. In his new book ‘Leading in a Non-Linear World’ Jean delves into the latest research into mindset and how we’ve been limping along with an outdated definitions for years - making the case that it is more than just the beliefs and mental models that we carry. We get into this idea in our discussion and explore self-awareness, how we need to be more aware of how our emotions are formed, how to build a healthier, more agile mindset, the value of interoception and perspectives of resilient people. Ultimately this is a book about self-management - how we lead ourselves so that we’re better able to lead

This week’s guest is Dr Mark Burnley Mark is an exercise physiologist by trade, currently an academic at Loughborough University, having previously been at Brighton, Aberystwyth, Kent and Wolverhampton. Mark’s background is in oxygen uptake kinetics, having undertaken much of the pioneering work on priming - which I’ve used extensively in my work with athletes. Much of Mark’s work has centred around the concept of Critical Power and the physiological landmarks that distinguish different exercise intensities - essentially exploring ways in which we can distinguish the way our body responds differently in different domains of exercise. This is relevant because these landmarks offer us some logic to how we might go about setting training zones. And that is what we get into in this discussion. We delve into what the key landmarks are, what happens when you exercise in, below or above different landmarks. We explore the strengths, mistakes and pitfalls of different types of zone structures, debating laboratory, fi

This week’s guest is Costas Karageorghis Costas is a professor of sports psychology at Brunel University. I first knew of Costas, many years ago as “Piano Man”, as he was sat at the piano in a bar at a BASES conference, skilfully and joyfully playing away entertaining conference attendees. Only the next day did I find out that that music was his specialist topic. Since, Costas has become renowned for his research on the effects of music on exercise and sports performance. In Costas’ book Applying Music in Exercise and Sport, the preface begins with a quote from Confucius, “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”. What is fascinating is that the link between music and sport isn’t more widely explored. In this discussion we explore the connection between sports and music, starting with on one of my favourite indulgences -the sports montage. We delve into how music can support exercisers, how it can make exercise seem easier, how it can be used to help performers get ready for com

This week’s guest is Dr Kate Hays Kate is Head of Women's Performance Psychology at The English FA Kate is just about as richly experienced a practitioner and leader in sports psychology as you are likely to meet. Kate has worked on the Front line in Olympic sport, in particular in the sport of diving, working with Olympic Champion Tom Daley; she has worked in professional rugby at Harlequins RFC and as a leader Kate was the Head of Psychology at the English Institute of Sport. In this conversation I speak to Kate about her experiences in support of the England women’s team in the lead up and during the winning run at the European Championships. Kate shares the insights into handling the pressure, embracing the excitement and buzz of the tournament while staying in control and delivering to the plan. Kates shares the characteristics that you should be interested in developing if you’re interested in developing a winning culture, some of which are non-negotiables and some of which are created from within. If y

This week’s guest is Joe Baker Joe is a Professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University in Toronto Joe’s work specialises in optimal human development, largely to understand how someone gets to, and stays at, the highest levels of performance. This means he works in the areas of skill acquisition, talent identification and athlete development. He has recently written a book called the Tyranny of Talent, which pokes and probes of the ideas of what talent is, how it is typically thought about, worked with and developed (or attempted to be developed) in many elite environments. What are the pitfalls, pivot point and priorities in supporting people all the way through their athletic, sporting and exercising journey. Joe is a true expert in the field and he brings an erudite wisdom to this discussion, but he is also active in helping others switch their mindsets to begin to think again about how we can develop people.   Links Link to The Tyranny of Talent - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/173

Happy New Year! This week’s guest is Christian Swann. Christian is an associate professor at Southern Cross University and specialises in research around goal setting and mental health. In Christian’s early research he noticed an interesting observation. While working with elite golfers he asked them what sort of goals they set for themselves. To his surprise the types of goals they set didn’t conform with the typical, off-the-shelf literature, such as outcome specific goals. This led him to delve a lot deeper into the area and astutely began to question many of the premises upon which goals setting methods are based, finding in many instances, that frameworks such as SMART goals do not comply with the basics of goal setting theory. Who knew? Well, probably a lot of us who have tried to use them? This is what we get into in this discussion, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of different ways of setting goals, weighing up process goals, outcome goals and performance goals. We discuss the use of open goals

Nick is a senior research fellow in Exercise Physiology at Harbor UCLA Medical Centre. For over a decade, Nick has been scrutinizing the commercial health and wellness industry through the critical lens of scientific skepticism. Where he finds nonsense he has called it out, campaigned for a stronger stance against snake oil, bogus claims and myths. Nick is also the author of The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science which we discuss in this conversation. The book was named one of Book Authority's "Best sports science books of all time". As you will also hear Nick is passionate, sometimes frustrated, some times exasperated with this area. Kudos for him for taking it on - I think we all have a role to play in this area and as you’ll also hear, I passionately believe this book is essential reading for any coach or sports scientist.   This is the last podcast of the year - we'll be back in the New Year with a super helpful episode about goals!   Links Nick's website https://www.nbtiller.com/ The Skeptic's Guide to Sp

This week’s guest is Dr Lucy Gossage Lucy is a triathlete and doctor and on underpinning that a phenomenal person. Lucy started her career almost by accident, just trying out in triathlon for fun, then got the bug, entering her first ironman and steadily realising that she could go pro and taking 12 Ironman titles. In between swimming, biking and running, Lucy studied medicine at Cambridge, where she also undertook PhD in kidney cancer and is now a consultant oncologist at Nottingham University Hospital We talk about how it all started for Lucy, her rise to being pro, how she managed the effort of medical and triathlon training. We discuss how she preferred not to overcomplicate her training, keeping things simple and unfussy, in this case not use a scientific approach. We also discuss her career as a cancer doctor, how this gave her perspective through the hard days training and racing, how she copes working with patients suffering each day and how she is campaigning through the charity ‘5k your way’ a commu

This week's guest is Andy McNab Andy McNab is perhaps the most recognisable name of any special forces operator in the world. Andy served in the Royal Green Jackets in Northern Ireland where he was awarded the Military medal for gallantry, he entered the Special Air Services in 1984 and worked on both covert and overt operations including and drug operations in the Middle East and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland Andy is best know for commanding an 8 man SAS patrol designated Bravo Two Zero in Iraq, which he wrote about in the book bearing the same name. The book tells of a mission that was compromised leading to three of the eight dying and four (including Andy being captured, held and tortured for 6 weeks). I wanted to talk to Andy about his choices to join the military, what selection is like for special forces applicants and what qualities are selected for. And Andy as you’d expect tells it like it is. There is a clarity of understanding about what is required, how you undertake hi