The Sport Psych Show

Dan Abrahams
  • 4.7 (96)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Join Sport Psychologist, Dan Abrahams, on The Sport Psych Show as he aims to demystify sport psychology for players, coaches and parents by speaking with some of the most influential people in sports performance today. Dan is on a mission to learn more about how sport psychology philosophies, tools and techniques positively impact participation, progression and performance in sport. He wants to learn more about how to drive participation – what motivational tools engage players and inspire people to play and stay in their sport. He wants to explore how players can progress quicker and more effectively – what is great practice and training? And how does learning in sport really happen? Finally, he wants to hear what his guests have to say about the psychology of performance – how do they think players can improve their ability to high perform consistently under pressure? Discover simple and practical tools and techniques by listening in to Dan's conversations with elite competitors, sports coaches, sport scientists, and psychologists.

  1. 5d ago

    #346 Pip Henderson, Dr Will Vickery & Prof Shane Pill - Coaches' Definitions of Success in Sport

    In this episode I'm joined by Pip Henderson, Dr Will Vickery and Prof Shane Pill to discuss a paper which examines how sport coaches conceptualise success. Pip works in the Discipline of Trauma and Injury at Flinders University. She is a member of FHMRI's Health Equity Impact Program (HEIP). Pip's research practices are grounded in meaningful community engagement. Working directly with students, players, coaches, teachers, principals, and sport and community leaders across multiple projects has facilitated her deep understanding of the value and complexities of education, sport, and health across a variety of settings. Pip has worked with a range of local and national education, health and sporting organisations, including Oceania Hockey Federation, Tennis Australia, Volleyball Australia, the Department for Education, and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER). Will is a Senior Advisor at the Australian Sports Commission where he is responsible for the development and delivery of community coach education across Australia. Will has held positions at various academic institutions within Australia and the UK with a focus on sport coaching. He has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects across an array of disciplines (sport science, sports coaching, sport psychology). He has also held a number of cricket coaching and related roles ranging across community through to high-performance sport. Shane is one of Australia's leading coach educators and developers, and thought leaders in physical education. He is Professor of Physical Education and Sport at Flinders University. Shane's research is in the fields of sport coaching and physical education curriculum and pedagogy, and education leadership. He has authored over 300 peer reviewed and scholarly articles. Shane has been awarded Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) Life Member & Fellow status for his distinguished service to the fields of sport, physical education and recreation over many years.

    #346 Pip Henderson, Dr Will Vickery & Prof Shane Pill - Coaches' Definitions of Success in Sport

  2. Jun 29

    #345 Dr Jerry Lynch & John O'Sullivan - How to be an Exceptional Captain and Leader

    I'm delighted to welcome Dr Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan back to the show to discuss their brand new book "Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader". Jerry is a performance, leadership and coaching expert helping people of all ages and abilities in all arenas of performance to develop the qualities of courage, integrity, fearlessness, tenacity, patience, persistence in order to overcome mental and emotional blocks. Jerry helps individuals and teams to create confidence, mental toughness, inspiration and empowerment for competitive events and to better navigate the unchartered waters of life. He has worked with athletes and teams at universities such as The University of North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Oregon State, Stanford, Harvard, and more. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organisations, and has spoken for TEDx, the US Olympic Committee, US Soccer, USA Wrestling, USA Swimming, Ireland Rugby, Australian Rugby League and at numerous events around the world. John's work has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, ESPN, NBC Sports and numerous other media entities. John's background as an athlete and coach led him to start the Changing the Game project with the mission to put the 'play' back into 'play ball' by providing parents and coaches with the information and resources they need to make sport a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children. In their new book, 'Captain', Jerry and John share wisdom accrued from decades of consultation with well over 100 championship teams, dozens of Hall of Fame coaches, and hundreds of interviews with Olympic, world champion, and professional athletes and team leaders. The lessons in this book will help readers start leading in a positive and constructive way, stop certain behaviours before they destroy team culture, and face the many challenges of being a team captain. Through numerous stories of well-known leaders such as Tim Duncan, Steve Kerr, Carla Overbeck, Abby Wambach, Carles Puyol, Richie McCaw, and Simone Biles, as well as lessons from Eastern philosophy and Western psychology, this book will help readers become a respected leader and a trusted bridge between coaches and teammates.

    #345 Dr Jerry Lynch & John O'Sullivan - How to be an Exceptional Captain and Leader

  3. Jun 8

    #344 Dan Abrahams - Mark Peters Speaks to Dan About his new Book

    On this week's episode I hand the reins over to my long-time friend, Mark Peters, to discuss my new book Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport. Mark is Deputy Head and former Director of Sport at Hornsby House School and Chair of Governors at Lark Hall Primary Campus. Mark has a strong history of coaching a variety of sports and has experience as a coach educator. Mark and I discuss Compete in depth and I break down the contents chapter by chapter bringing to life some of the skills and techniques contained within. Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport is out now and available to purchase online.

    #344 Dan Abrahams - Mark Peters Speaks to Dan About his new Book

  4. May 11

    #343 Richard Fryer - Coaching Under Pressure

    I speak with Richard Fryer in this week's episode. Richard is a psychologist working in high performance sport in Australia. Richard works with many of Australia's highest profile sporting teams and athletes and has supported Australians at five Olympic and Paralympic Games. Richard's passion is helping individuals, teams, and organisations achieve their performance potential. Richard is a Senior Consultant with the Australian Institute of Sport, helping national sporting organisations design mental performance programs for athletes and coaches. Coming from a background in rowing coaching, Richard is passionate about helping coaches build their skills in the mental side of coaching performance. In this episode we discuss a paper Richard led which examines coaching under pressure.

    #343 Richard Fryer - Coaching Under Pressure

  5. Apr 27

    #342 Dr Séamus Harvey & Dr Chin Wei Ong - Assessing Mental Well-Being in Sport

    I'm delighted to speak with Dr Séamus Harvey and Dr Chin Wei Ong in this week's episode. We discuss a mental well-being screening process which was implemented at an elite youth football academy developed by Séamus, Chin and colleagues. Séamus is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the NetwellCASALA research centre at Dundalk Institute of Technology. Séamus researches digital health and health psychology as well as sport and exercise psychology. Séamus also lectures on Dundalk Institute of Technology's (DkIT's) Health and Physical Activity programme. Séamus completed his MSc. in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ulster University and a PhD in Sport Psychology at Bangor University. Prior to his PhD, Séamus worked as a Research Assistant with Liverpool John Moores University. Chin is a behavioural scientist and consultant with 15+ years' experience across elite sport, research, and organisational contexts. Chin's work focuses on how individuals and teams perform under pressure, and how organisations can design systems that enable sustainable performance. Chin previously worked across a global network of elite environments, designing systems that integrated performance, talent development, wellbeing, and risk. These are challenges that closely mirror those faced by organisations operating in complex, high-stakes contexts. Chin is particularly interested in helping organisations move beyond measuring talent to truly understanding it; using that insight to build stronger leaders, more effective teams, and resilient performance cultures.

    #342 Dr Séamus Harvey & Dr Chin Wei Ong - Assessing Mental Well-Being in Sport

  6. Apr 13

    #341 Daniel Coyle - Flourishing

    I'm delighted to speak with Daniel Coyle in this week's episode. Daniel is the award-winning author of multiple New York Times bestsellers including The Talent Code and The Culture Code. Daniel's work explores how people and groups grow, perform, and thrive. He combines immersive field reporting with behavioural science to create practical frameworks for building skill, culture, and meaningful connection. Daniel has worked as a consultant with the Cleveland Guardians since 2013, and as an advisor to military special forces, professional sports teams, schools, and other organisations. He has written for Outside, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Magazine, and Play, served as consulting producer on the ESPN documentary series, Enhanced, and worked as an adjunct professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. In this episode Daniel and I speak about his latest book Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy and Fulfilment.

    #341 Daniel Coyle - Flourishing

  7. Mar 30

    #340 Declan O'Connell - Adaptive Expertise

    I speak with Declan O'Connell in this week's episode. Declan is a coach and performance consultant with over 20 years working with elite sports, global executive teams, and high-performance environments across the world. Declan is currently finalising his Doctorate in Elite Performance Psychology at Dublin City University. His doctorate research focuses on developing adaptability in individuals, teams and organisations. In this episode we discuss a paper Declan co-authored with Dr Robin Taylor "What got me here, won't get me there – how the world's best sports coaches successfully adapt their expertise in different environments". The study explores how world-class coaches develop and apply Adaptive Expertise (AE) across multiple high-performance settings. The findings offer a practical framework for developing Accelerated Learning and underscore its value in navigating the uncertainties and transitions inherent in high-performance sport.

    #340 Declan O'Connell - Adaptive Expertise

  8. Mar 16

    #339 Dr Andreas Küttel - Exploring Mental Health and Performance Dynamics

    I'm delighted to speak with Andreas Küttel in this week's episode. Andreas is a Swiss former ski jumper who won five World Cup competitions from 2005 to 2007, and placed third in the overall World Cup in 2006. He won a gold medal in the individual large hill event at the 2009 Ski Jumping World Championships. Andreas also competed at three Winter Olympics, earning his best finish of fifth in the individual normal hill event in 2006. After his competing days, Andreas entered academia working in the field of sports science at the University of Southern Denmark. In this episode we discuss a research paper he led on which explores mental health and performance dynamics in elite sport.

    #339 Dr Andreas Küttel - Exploring Mental Health and Performance Dynamics
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About

Join Sport Psychologist, Dan Abrahams, on The Sport Psych Show as he aims to demystify sport psychology for players, coaches and parents by speaking with some of the most influential people in sports performance today. Dan is on a mission to learn more about how sport psychology philosophies, tools and techniques positively impact participation, progression and performance in sport. He wants to learn more about how to drive participation – what motivational tools engage players and inspire people to play and stay in their sport. He wants to explore how players can progress quicker and more effectively – what is great practice and training? And how does learning in sport really happen? Finally, he wants to hear what his guests have to say about the psychology of performance – how do they think players can improve their ability to high perform consistently under pressure? Discover simple and practical tools and techniques by listening in to Dan's conversations with elite competitors, sports coaches, sport scientists, and psychologists.

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