Ep 9. The more I talk to elite rowers and coxes, the more I understand the importance that sport psychology plays in creating the best performances both on and off the river. That’s why I was so delighted when expert in sport psychology, Chris Shambrook, agreed to come on the podcast. We had a fascinating chat, covering:

• Chris’s path into sport psychology
• His experiences of working with the GB Rowing Squad
• Whether rowers have unique psychological needs compared with other sports
• How to deal with a personality clash between athletes or between coach and athlete
• The psychology of the Olympic cycle
• Developing a challenge mindset instead of a threat mindset
• Learning to observe your thoughts and emotions
• Chris’s work with Planet K2

Chris went on to answer listeners’ questions about the following:

• Mind over body on the erg
• Coping with the fear of the erg test – the gold-silver-bronze approach
• Not finishing an erg test
• The connection with mindful meditation and using your fear of failure
• Imposter syndrome and perfectionism
• Helping adult learn-to-rowers
• Dealing with the ageing process as an athlete
• Supporting young rowers with varying growth rates
• What resources are available if you don’t have a sports psychologist to hand
• How to cope with the uncertainties of the pandemic as an athlete

The books Chris refers to in the interview are as follows:
Chris’s own book, The Mental Game Plan, which can be found here.

The Positive Power of Negative Thinking by Julie Norem

Learnings from Five Olympic Gamesby Frances Houghton

Mind Games by Annie Vernon

The Long Win by Cath Bishop

The blog posts on the Adidas site Chris talks about are here:
https://www.gameplan-a.com/2020/09/how-to-stay-on-track-when-the-finish-line-is-out-of-sight/

https://www.gameplan-a.com/2020/04/when-goalposts-shift-adapting-to-the-changing-world-around-us/

https://www.gameplan-a.com/2021/01/2021-an-unmissable-opportunity-to-live-the-new/

Other resources referred to by Chris :

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences

British Psychological Society

Performance Room including covid self-care resources https://www.theperformanceroom.co.uk/category/cov

Believe Perform

Chris’s business, Planet 2K

This week I released a fun, behind the scenes video to Patreon subscribers. To get perks like this plus early access to episode, click on “support the show”!

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/girlontheriver)