In different sports such as golf and cricket, athletes can be placed in situations where they have a lot of thinking time. Too much thinking time for some!  Due to their high level of motivation, focus of attention, fatigue, emotions and many other factors this thinking time can create havoc in their minds. As a result, indecision, fear and self-doubt can take over.

In today’s episode, Dr James Hegarty, co-author of the book ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment shares some ideas on how athletes can help themselves so that they don’t view this thinking time as a negative and are effective in how they get mentally ready. Psychological flexibility is at the heart of our discussion.   

Key Learning Points:

• All athletes can get caught out thinking ahead predicting future events.
• As humans, athletes also can easily dwell on past mistakes.
• Developing psychological flexibility is a hugely beneficial skill to have in your armoury as an athlete.
• Athletes should practice basic mindfulness of the breath to build a foundation.
• Cricketers can focus on sensations of the sun or cold wind on their face after dropping a catch to refocus.
• Mindfulness allows athletes to step away from over-analysing mistakes and get their head back in the game.
• My challenge for May 2024 is to see if I can dial in and be mindful at least 100 times per golf round of golf I play! I’ll report on how I get on.

Connect with Dr James Hegarty

Website

Email: [email protected]

Book – ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment

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Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course

Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions

Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes

Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE