FAQs

Sport psychology is a specialised field which studies how psychological factors influence athletic performance.

Sport psychologists works with individuals and teams to develop mental skills and strategies to achieve peak performance and boost overall well-being in sports settings.

A sport psychologist can work with an athlete to assess, diagnose, and enhance psychological factors such as: confidence, motivation, concentration, and resilience, all with the aim to increase performance and wellbeing.

Sport psychology is important as it optimises our greatest organ, the brain. The brain controls every single thought that we have controls every single movement that we make. In sport this is imperative. Years of psychological literature has informed us of how we can think and move better. A sport psychologist can help increase your confidence, your motivation, your concentration, your anticipatory skills, your motor skills and so much more. Sport psychology is not just important, it is everything.

Athletes often seek support with a perceived issue that is affecting their performance. Typical examples are: low confidence, pre-performance nerves, lack of motivation, concentration difficulties, poor athlete-coach relationships, dealing with injuries or issues managing the sport/work/school balance.

Some athletes do not report an issue, but are instead looking to optimise performance by exploring the mental side of sport.

Anyone with a supporting role in athletic performance can benefit from learning the principles of sport psychology.

A sport psychologists can help an athlete by providing essential mental skills training. This training can increase a number of psychological factors, such as confidence, motivation, concentration, and the ability to regulate symptoms of anxiety.

A sport psychologists can also offer support individuals managing the psychological challenges which come with injury rehabilitation.

Additionally, at a macro-level, a sport psychologist can work with teams to enhance aspects such as communication, cohesion, and leadership.

Sometimes we are helping individuals re-wire their brains, whereas sometimes we are just a pair of ears ready to listen.

Many sport psychologists primarily focus on working with athletes, coaches, teams, and larger organisations.

However, a sport psychologist can also support individuals involved in alternative performance settings, including dancers, performers, and military personnel.

Furthermore, we can also assist those in non-sport related businesses to increase performance and wellbeing.

Sport psychologists work closely with parents of athletes to optimise the psychological well-being and performance of young athletes. We provide guidance on both understanding and managing the psychological aspects of their child's sports involvement. This may include managing expectations, emotions, communication, fostering a positive environment, and promoting resilience.

You don’t have to be ‘sporty’ or competitive to benefit from One More’s services. If you exercise for a healthy lifestyle and well-being, One More can help you set goals, stay motivated and reach personal targets. One More can also help those looking to return to exercise after injuries or time away from activity.

Exercise psychologists also work with organisations to help promote healthier, happier lifestyles in targeted populations. If this is an area you are interested in, please feel free to contact me to discuss options.

Performance psychology can help anyone seeking optimal outputs, even away from sports. Many key concepts explored within sport psychology also occur across different occupations (e.g., enhancing confidence, concentration, motivation, creating high team moral etc).

Businesses often look to maximise staff output, staff satisfaction or teamwork by using key psychological principles. Those within the performing arts also benefit from performance psychology due to the various overlaps with sport.

This is dependent on a number of factors, including your needs, competition deadlines, progress and availability. Timescales vary considerably: you may need only one or two sessions or we might work together for a number of months. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in sport psychology!

However, after our initial consultation, during which I will conduct a needs analysis, I will create a proposal with an estimated timeline.

One More is a mantra I’ve long used to push myself and achieve difficult goals. It teaches you that you can take action in the moment to go above and beyond your expectations.

I would encourage myself with ‘one more rep in the gym’ or ‘one more mile on a run’, and use it in daily life to ask what more I could be doing. Now I like to challenge athletes by asking them: ‘what is one more action you could take right now to improve?’

One More inspires us to never settle and to push further than we ever thought possible.

The popularity of sport psychology has grown exponentially in the last decade. There is an abundance of research-led, scientific studies which support the importance of sport psychology for enhancing performance and improving overall wellbeing. Anecdotally, nearly every great athlete (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo, etc.) has spoken about the importance of the mind, their involvement in psychology practice, and the integral role it played in their illustrious careers. Scientific evidence and anecdotal support from the sporting greats would suggest that sport psychology works.