Inner Game Academy Podcast

Important podcast this. 

We talk theory all the time, but how do you actually apply this when it matters? Luke had a massive game away at Newcastle on Sunday, and in the eighth minute, he made a mistake that cost Sunderland a goal. 

How do you come back from that? 

How do you overcome that? 

This is what we talk about in this podcast. 

In this episode, Luke, Martin, and Rob dive deep into the parent-child dynamic in sports, exploring how post-game conversations, expectations, and communication shape young athletes' experiences.

🔥 Topics covered:

• 🚗 The "Car Ride Home" Dilemma – How post-game conversations can impact a child’s confidence and love for the game.
• 🧠 Managing Expectations – Why high parental expectations can lead to pressure, disappointment, and performance anxiety.
• 🎤 Parenting Styles in Sports – Lessons from Luke and Martin’s experiences with their fathers and how it shaped their approach.
• 🏆 Academy Pressure vs. Joy of the Game – The dangers of putting status over development in youth football.
• 💬 Effective Communication – Small language shifts can make a huge difference in supporting young athletes.
• 🎭 Role-Playing Parent Responses – Practical scenarios on how to handle post-game emotions and conversations.
• ⚖️ Balancing Coaching & Parenting – How to avoid over-coaching while still being a supportive parent.
• 📖 Future Plans – Luke’s vision for a children’s book series on life lessons in football and an upcoming masterclass at Sunderland’s training ground.

Your words as a parent or coach can fuel confidence or create pressure—learning how to communicate effectively makes all the difference.

Listen now and if you want to take your child's journey to the next level, apply for them to be mentored by Luke & Rob inside the Inner Game Academy by clicking the link below.

https://rob294920.typeform.com/innergameapply

In today's episode, Luke & Rob discuss how hard it is to be your true self in and around new environments.

We discuss:

• The importance of staying true to oneself
• Luke's personal story about maintaining authenticity despite teasing from teammates
• Not changing or losing oneself to fit in
• Luke's experience of losing authenticity on the football pitch
• A valuable lesson learned from the experience
• The importance of self-discovery 
• Luke's journey of questioning his identity and rebuilding himself

Our Brand new 6 Week Pro Accelerator program has now started and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In today's episode, we talk about expectations.

One of Rob's favorite sayings is "Expectations will screw you" so how do we get a handle on our expectations are they a good or a bad thing?

We discuss:

• Are expectations good or bad
• What were Luke's expectations and how they made his performance suffer
• Why Luke thought he had to perfect
• Why you need to change your language 

Our Brand new 6 Week Pro Accelerator program has now started and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In today's episode, we have performance nutritionist Richard Allison.

Richard worked for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger and Mikel Arteta.

We discuss:

• Where do footballers go wrong with their foods 
• How to get the basics right when it comes to fueling for performance 
• Should you be having supplements if so what ones?
• How much water do you need to drink, and what happens if you're dehydrated 

Our Brand new 6 Week Pro Accelerator program has now started and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In today's episode, we have Rotherham's Jordan Hugill, we love Jordan's mindset and how he deals with adversity so we discuss:

• Jordan's journey and how he made it into professional football 
• Why Jordan worked behind a bar and was on jobseekers before he got his chance at Preston 
• How Jordan deals with judgment and adversity 

Our Brand new 6 Week Pro Accelerator program has now started and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In today's episode, Luke & Rob discuss what it takes to be a great leader and captain.

we discuss:

• The best captains Luke's played under and why
• What it takes to be a great captain
• Do you need to change if you do have the captain's armband on?
• Why captains need energy 

Our Brand new 6 Week Pro Accelerator program has now started and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In this episode, Luke discusses his pre-season does he keep training or does he rest?

We discuss:

• Luke's past experience of being fear-driven and not finding a balance between rest and training
• Why you should be taking a break for the body and mind after a long football season
• Luke's recommendation of a 10-day to 2-week break before gradually starting a pre-pre-season training program
• Discussing the challenge of determining when to start training again after a break
• The importance of being in touch with one's body and allowing time to assess readiness before resuming training
• Luke's advice to prioritize rest, recovery, and listening to one's mind and body
• Highlighting the need for a structured program leading up to the start of the season
• Acknowledging the pressure some players feel to do more than their teammates and encouraging focus on individual needs rather than comparison
• Stressing the importance of finding a balance between pushing oneself and listening to one's body

Our Brand new 6 Week Pro Accelerator program has now started and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In today's episode, we talk about confidence for performance.

Is it the most component of performance?

We discuss?

• Is your confidence outcome orientated?
• Why Luke bases his game on intentions
• Where does Luke get his confidence from?

We have a BRAND NEW 6-week pro accelerator program starting soon and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.

In today's episode, we talk about how to deal with failure.

If you play football, then "failure" comes as a part of that package.

We talk about:

• Why failure is just learning
• How Luke deals with failure 
• Why there is no quick fix to getting over setbacks
• How you can take lessons to move forward 

We have a BRAND NEW 6-week pro accelerator program starting soon and we'd love to help you give you the best chance of becoming a professional footballer, all you need to do is to go to:

www.innergameprocourse.com

To see the details and apply, limited spaces are available.

If you liked this podcast please, subscribe, review, and share this with your friends.