I met Steve and Val from Parkinson’s UK today along with Alex Flynn. Alex is 38 and was diagnosed with PD 3 years ago. He is currently part way through a 10,000,000 metre run to raise money for and awareness of Parkinson’s. We has a conversation about how coaching and NLP could help those who have been diagnosed, and their families, deal with the news and ensuing difficulties. I am looking for people who have experience of using NLP with Parkinson’s sufferers. You can find out more about Alex at http://alexflynn.co.uk/ or Parkinson’s UK at http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/

I will be appearing on the Caio Buddha Indie Show on Hayes FM on 25th October from 9pm to 11pm with presenters Hughie Dixon and Steve McKenzie. I will be talking about the Academy of the Sporting Mind and playing some records that have a special meaning to me. You can listen on 91.8FM or online at http://www.hayesfm.org.uk.

Fiona Bugler is a lady with an ambition to run a sub 3 hour marathon. She actually wants to run a sub 2:45 but isn’t ready to admit it yet. We are working together to help her achieve her goal and she is writing about it in her blog http:/www.therunninginn.co.uk/category/blog-news. Have a read and follow her progress.

Alex Flynn is an incredible guy. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 3 years ago. Rather than give in he has set himself an amazing challenge. To run 10,000 kilometres and raise £1 million. Having met Alex only yesterday, I am blown away by his courage and feel compelled to share this. If any of you can help him to get publicity or to find sponsors do get in touch. Also have a look at his website http://alexflynn.co.uk/

David Brown and Martin Maynard will be talking on Radio London 94.9 at 3.00pm on 8th May 2001. They will be talking about the work they do with athletes and sports people on the Sunday Sports Show. They will also be discussing stories that are currently in the sports news.

In interviews after his spectacular unravelling at the US Masters, Rory McIlroy said a couple of things that stood out to me. Firstly, he said that it was the first time that he had been in that position. By that, he meant that it was the first time he had been in the lead at a major tournament on the last day.

Secondly, and less obviously, he stated in an interview that “you have to lose before you can win.”

Now, we all have beliefs. Some of them we know about, so they are conscious. Others are held much deeper within us at a subconscious level. The subconscious ones tend to come out in conversation and especially when someone is not thinking too much about what they are saying.

What is significant about our beliefs is that they drive our behaviours and impact hugely on the quality of our experiences.

If we believe in God, we are likely to go to church or read the bible. The belief drives the behaviour.

When someone pulls out on you in their car, if you believe that this is a sign of disrespect, you are likely to have a strong reaction to it. If you believe that it is just an innocent error of judgement, you are likely to drive away in a far more positive frame of mind.

We form our beliefs over the course of our lives and what we believe is often learned from others. If told often enough that you are stupid, you will begin to believe it.

I wonder which significant person in Rory’s life told him that he has to lose before he can win, and if this really did form a belief that caused him to blow what would have been an amazing victory.

Martin Maynard (formerly of ProFound Sports Coaching) has now join The Academy of the Sporting Mind!!

“Martin’s addition to the team is a huge step in the right direction. His passion for what he does will surely help us achieve our goal. That goal is to ingrain transformational mind coaching into the development of anyone who competes at a high level in sport” – David Brown

Please have a look below to see a brief biography of Martin and David.

Martin Maynard

After a brief Snooker career early in his life Martin has spent his recent years studying the mind of sports people: what makes them win, what makes them lose, what they do before, during and after their performance.
He was always curious as to how he could perform to a very high standard on the practice table but when it came to performing in competition “under pressure” he had an unusual mental and physiological reaction. He would experience self doubt in the form of negative self talk, his cueing arm felt like it belonged to somebody else and the meaning he attatched to each match was far greater than it needed to be which heaped more pressure onto his shoulders.
By studying NLP along with the way sports people tick he has found that all of the problems that he had encountered in his own career could have been addressed if he had the right help.

“My passion today is to see people perform at their very best. There are so many talented sportsmen and women out there that are technically brilliant but fall down in the areas of belief, confidence and positive self communication. My goal is to work together with these athletes to help them reach their full potential, to be able to know they did all they could to be the best they could be” – Martin Maynard.

David Brown

David has spent many years in manufacturing industries such as aerospace and print working with a diverse range of products from ejector seats to greetings cards. More importantly, he has spent this time working with teams and individuals as both a colleague and manager.

He has always been fascinated by people and what makes them tick. His own use of coaching has taken him from a career which, despite being successful, he was never really passionate about to doing something that he absolutely loves.

“I am still regularly surprised by the limitations that people put on themselves without even knowing it. I have experienced this first hand and, until I had the opportunity to understand myself more, had no idea of the positive changes that were up for grabs.

Even at the highest levels of sport there is a massive advantage to be gained by being very clear about what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it. In addition to helping sports people to get clear about this we also work with them to eliminate the things that cause them to get in their own way” – David Brown.

Having just watched the footage (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/9412825.stm) from the Old Firm game last night I found that I have a strong response to what happened and it raises a number of questions: -

Is the behaviour demonstrated by players and coaches indicative of individuals who have lost all concept of what is really important in life?

Alternatively, is it simply passion gone too far?

Is it a demonstration of what football has become?

Is it right for a footballer to openly defy a police officer and throw his shirt into the crowd in front of tens of thousands of supporters?

Is football a sport that can be considered honourable?

Has it lost its way amid all the money that is involved?

Given these questions you should be in no doubt where I am coming from, football has or is in the process of losing its very heart. As someone who used to follow their team fanatically, I have found that over the years I am less and less joyful when they score or win. Less bothered when they lose. That, I think, comes from my view of how football has changed over the years. I am all for change, but only for the better.

What percentage of sport is technical and what percentage is mental?

I have asked this question to many sportspeople and enthusiasts and I don’t think I’ve got the same answer twice, and I have to say I quite agree. It is such an individual phenomenon.

Does it differ between sports?

Are there sports that are more technical and less mental and vice versa?

Does having a strong mental game improve your technique?

Does having a great technique improve your mind?

How often have you heard a commentator say, in all kinds of different sports, “He’s got one of the best techniques in the game but he just can’t seem to produce when it matters”?

I believe technique is important, of course it is, but being mentally prepared means going into a game with an “I know I’ll perform” rather than “I hope I’ll perform” attitude.

One thing is for certain; to be at the top of your game on a regular basis, both of these areas must be addressed.