Ronnie O’Sullivan
Whether we are talking about the resurgence of Ronnie O’Sullivan, snooker’s answer to Pele, or Liverpool’s remarkable season, they both have one name in common; Dr. Steve Peters.
A renowned sports psychiatrist, Peters began working with Ronnie, someone he regards as an amazing pupil, almost two years ago. A very humble and skilled practitioner, Peters managed to persuade the four-time world champion to return and play at the Crucible. Before enlisting the services of the Sheffield-based doctor, the Rocket was ready to call it a day and turn his back on the sport that needs him as much as he needs it.
After a prolonged break from snooker, Ronnie reached the final of this year’s World Snooker Betfair Championship, losing to Mark Selby in a thrilling final. Ronnie recently gave an interview and said; “A lot of the time I was beating myself up. I wouldn’t throw matches but I’d lose matches because my chimp got out and I mentally gave up.”
His “chimp” — what the hell is he talking about? Well, the chimp is a direct reference to Peters’ teaching process. Basically, without getting too technical, Peters’ invented a scenario where a chimp sits on the client’s shoulder (not literally). Ronnie or whoever can then hand over all of their expressive thoughts to the chimp, as these feelings prevented them from performing at their very best.
A man with a remarkable CV, Dr Peters has a long and diverse history of work experience. He previously assisted Britain’s police force with the investigation into some grizzly murders, before achieving remarkable success with Britain’s 2008 Olympic cyclists, playing a vital role in their triumphs. Along with Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, Peters has also assisted Britain’s track athletes win silverware. Somewhat surprisingly, before accepting Ronnie’s proposal of employment, Peters admits he knew very little about snooker.
He recently remarked: ‘I didn’t really know anything about Ronnie and snooker. I knew of him.” After learning and appreciating the nuances of the given sport, Steve is able to get a better understanding of his client. According to the doctor, the average person holds an average of six beliefs that we are unaware of, and these beliefs are detrimental to the way we function in everyday life. It is the goal of Dr. Steve to uncover the hidden beliefs that are hindering the way an athlete is playing. In doing so, the client can then understand and appreciate the influence this negativity is having on their capacity to deal with emotional inclinations.
Steven Gerrard and Sports Psychology
From Ronnie to yet another legendary sportsman; Steven Gerrard. One of the EPL’s greatest ever players is not sure if he would have ever recovered from a career-threatening injury had it not been for the assistance of Dr. Peters, a man who will accompany Gerrard and England to this summer’s World Cup. It is the success of Peters in the world of sport that has led the FA to secure his services for the Brazilian excursion. Sport Psychology is a fascinating topic of discussion, playing a pivotal role in the performance of countless athletes.
Recent research highlights two valuable strategies for easing performance anxieties; they are meditation and channelled imagery. Both are forms of mental rehearsal. Peters and other professionals acknowledge the fact that remembering the past can fuel our anxieties, whilst imagining the future can obliterate them. In essence, our judgment shapes our reality, so we should control it to serve our deepest needs.
Sports Psychology and the Golden Bear
Jack Nicklaus is probably the most talented man to have ever played golf. However, he was never the cleanest of striker of the ball, and Bobby Jones, a golfing legend in his own right, famously stated: “He (Jack) plays a game I am not familiar with.” A somewhat ambiguous statement, but Jones was alluding to a unique style of play possessed by Nicklaus. Bobby was highlighting the fact that Nicklaus was playing an inner, psychological game that out maneuvered his opponents’ mechanics, despite his own questionable swinging style.
Interestingly enough, before ever swinging the club, Nicklaus visualized an encouraging result, constantly reiterating self affirming messages. Finally, when completely prepared, Nicklaus turned to automatic pilot mode and made a pass at the golf ball, all the time comfortable in the power of his muscle memory.
Among the diverse fields of research in Sport Psychology, one of the more commonly investigated topics is the manifestation of competitive anxiety. As we have seen with Fernando Torres, quite possibly a victim of this mental affliction, competitive anxiety can have a demoralizing impact on the performance of an athlete in performance environments. With Dr. Peters “goal imagery” routine, clients expressed higher levels of self confidence and a positive outlook toward upcoming competition.
Finally, as most of us know, “choking under pressure” refers to a maladaptive reaction when suffering from performance anxiety. The choking occurs when athletes pay too much conscious attention to rigorously rehearsed routines, customs that work much better when an athlete is actually on autopilot, a “mode” that Dr. Peters attempts to introduce his clients to. Choking is not to be confused with panic, something that occurs under unexpected, timid circumstances, often causing the malfunction of conscious thought. This shutdown often causes athletes to revert almost entirely to impulse.
Regrettably, on the field of play or in the boardroom, choking is innate and may happen to any person in any environment, even accomplished folk whose perfected actions are almost always instinctive. But, with huge psychological assistance, methods of combating the undesirable force are easily accessible.
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