David McHugh - Performance Psychology

08/03/2017

If there was ever an example of changes in psychological momentum influencing performance in a a football match, that Barcelona vs PSG game was it!

Barcelona 4-0 down in the first leg and come back to win 6-5 with 2 late goals in the 2nd leg!

At the highest level it is the psychological factors that make the difference and highlights the need for teams to actively train aspects such as creating and responding to changes in momentum.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275038650_Psychological_Momentum_in_Team_Sport_An_Intervention_Program_in_Professional_Soccer

This article presents an intervention program with an under-17 soccer team, in which a coach and a sport psychology consultant integrated training of psychological momentum (PM) into daily...

27/12/2016

With all the Football on over the festive period it is easy to think that footballers have it easy, earning lots of money and doing something that they love.

The reality is quite different. This article highlights the reality for the majority of footballers around the world.

It also highlights the importance of psychological support for footballers, to support the person first and player second in facing the challenges of trying to make a career in professional football.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/dec/24/serious-sacrifice-and-little-money-welcome-to-world-of-just-about-managing-footballers-laurence-bell?CMP=share_btn_tw

Professional players are meant to live a life of fast cars, yachts and glamour, but as a pro who is just about managing, I can assure you that is far from the case

08/12/2016

With Dundalk playing their last Europe League group game fixture tonight needing a win to qualify, how has Stephen Kenny turned a club around from near liquidation to being one of the best if not the best Irish club side ever?

Tam McManus who played under Stephen Kenny highlights his man management as being one reasons he is able to get such good performances from his players.

What relationship do you have with your athletes and are you meeting their needs?

http://www.tammcmanus.com/single-post/2016/09/16/Man-Management

"The ability to control and organise people who work in a business or organisation.” That sounds about right, doesn't it? But how does it apply to football? To ...

01/11/2016

This interview with Jamie Fullarton highlights the importance of sport psychology support for staff and players.

"We've done our badges, but at no point do they talk about coping strategies, about dealing with theses stresses and pressures. Wellbeing is a key factor, how you look after yourself."

BBC Sport

Jamie Fullarton learned the hard way about the stresses of football management during his brief spell in charge of Notts County.

07/10/2016

Great 5 days on the Uefa B License with the FAI in Cork. We had the privilege of coaching players on the u17 girls national team, learning from tutors working with international teams with the FAI, meeting coaches from all over the world and most importantly were constantly challenged to improve ourselves. The real work starts now in putting into practice all that was learned.

06/09/2016

As a coach have you wondered about the options available to manage the behaviour of your athletes? The article below gives some useful tips in creating positive environments for athletes. http://www.sportscoachuk.org/blog/managing-behaviour-sport-ignore-punish-appease-praise-incentivise-banish-humiliate-aaaaaahhhhhh

sports coach UK supports UK partners to recruit, develop and retain sports coaches to achieve their participation and performance goals.

18/07/2016

Interesting evening ahead. I have the pleasure of attending a talk by Sport Psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella. He will be speaking tonight about his work with Padraig Harrington.

http://m.independent.ie/sport/golf/harrington-and-guru-rotella-looking-for-the-ideal-blend-between-mental-and-physical-34875165.html

Pádraig Harrington plays in the Open Championship for the 20th time in his career at Royal Troon this week.

15/07/2016

Want a break down if some of the tactical trends in Euro 2016?

What is interesting is that verbal and non verbal communication were given as reasons why teams did not implement their game plans effectively. This highlights the importance of sport psychology in developing communication skills and may be a reason Wales performed so well with their focus on the Psychological factors of performance.

http://spielverlagerung.com/2016/07/13/the-tactical-trends-of-euro-2016/

As the competition has progressed, we have been able to witness a number of tactical trends shared by many teams in the tournament. Whilst there hasn’t been a particular pattern in terms of formations like we saw with the back 3 in the 2014 World Cup, there have been clear trends in marking schemes,...

06/07/2016

Wales and Swansea FC Sport Psychologist giving an insight into his work.

"focus on your strengths and the process of success"

Chris Coleman has described Ian Mitchells Sport Psychology work as the final piece of the jigsaw.

If Sport Psychology plays such an important role in supporting performance, how much emphasis do you or your team place on it?

https://ianmitchell9.com/2015/11/25/performance-psychology-in-professional-1st-team-and-international-football/

The link below is to an interview that I carried out with Fran Donovan for Premier League Productions regarding Performance Psychology in professional 1st team and International football.   &n…

29/06/2016

Access to quality facilities, educated coaches and participation for all... Reflections from first hand experience of some of the factors underpinning Icelands journey so far http://m.teachlikeachampion.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fteachlikeachampion.com%2Fblog%2Fcoaching-and-practice%2Ficelandic-lessons-reflections-youth-system-produce-icelands-triumph%2F&dm_redirected=true #2839

Even before Iceland took the Euros by storm, miraculously qualifying from group F (above Portugal and Austria), and then stunning England yesterday in the round of 16, they were the story of the tournament. With a population of 330,000 or roughly that of Bakersfield, California, their qualification…

28/06/2016

Do you wonder how Iceland have achieved some great results not only in the Euros but over the last few years? Qualified coaches work with all players regardless of ability, giving all participants the opportunity to be the best that they can be. A lot of sports and countries can learn from Iceland promoting sport participation for all and not just for the most "talented".