In episode 81 Dan Abrahams, a renowned sports psychologist, provides valuable insights into the mental aspects of sports, and how is a pivotal element influencing both individual performance and team dynamics. Emphasizing the importance of trust for players and coaches alike, Abrahams explains that trust is foundational in all sports, whether team sports like football and basketball or individual sports such as tennis and golf.
Discussing Ajax and Manchester United, Abrahams offers a comparative analysis of these renowned football clubs. He explores their distinct approaches to nurturing talent, team dynamics, and managing pressure. His insights reveal the unique psychological strategies employed by each club to foster a winning mindset and team cohesion.
He explains his “Game Face” theory, a groundbreaking technique that helps athletes achieve an ideal mental state for peak performance. He describes “Game Face” as a competitive persona or an optimal mental state, which is derived from a player’s memories of their best performances, imagination of dream games, and perceptions of what is needed during competition. This concept involves using specific action words, adjectives, or attitudes to guide players. For instance, a defender might adopt a “dominant and relentless” game face, while a striker might choose “positive and upbeat.” These game faces are not just abstract ideas but are meant to be embodied in every action, movement, and moment on the field, regardless of the game’s situation.
His perspectives offer valuable lessons not only for athletes and coaches but also for anyone interested in understanding the mental side of sports.
Ajax and Manchester United challenges
I’m not for one second suggesting that we can suddenly right now, Ajax is struggling and right now you could argue that Manchester United aren’t where they would want to be, so I think we can be a part of the process that can help over the short, medium and long term for an organization that is passionate about working holistically, integrating psychological solutions and having good, qualified sports psychologists help to do that is imperative in this day and age. We’re in row Z, though we work quietly behind the scenes, whispering our messages, coming down to row A occasionally to shout those messages, then running back up to row Z. So it’s not that, oh, suddenly Ajax and Manchester need a sports psychologist because that’s going back to old school, that’s oh yeah, we’ve got problems bringing in. No, let’s get the right systemic practices from a macro structure down in place in order to help us high perform, engage, learn, grow, thrive, flourish all those kinds of terms across the organization. That’s the most powerful position to be in.
Dan’s Game Face Theory
(…) is a competitive persona or an optimal mental state. I will give you an example of a Game Face to illustrate, and then we’ll talk about how you develop one. So at the moment I work with somebody who might be considered one of the world’s best strikers, and also another player who might be considered one of the world’s best defenders. Again, I’m talking about football here. The defender has a Game Face of dominant and relentless, dominant and relentless. And if all those people listening in can think about being dominant and relentless on the pitch, they might picture that even if they don’t play football themselves. And then the striker has a game face of positive upbeat Benzema, positive upbeat Benzema. Let me explain. So let’s think about the defenders Game Face of dominant and relentless. This is his competitive persona, his optimal mental state and that’s drawn from him at his best. I get players to tap into their memory, tell me about you at your best. I get them to use their imagination, tell me about a dream game. I get them to use their perception, who do you need to be out there when you’re competing? And I put in front of them some specific set of words, adjectives, action, words or attitudes, if you like. And this player picked dominant, relentless.