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Reflecting on the summer and what is coming......winter training!

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Focus So, the summer has sadly come to a close and the winter is on its way. From a rowing perspective, for me this means winter training, LOTS of ergo/land training and freezing early mornings on the river. Now, the summer for me consisted of a few regattas, the highlight being Stourport in August. We came very very close to winning, in both a mens coxless quad and a mixed 8, however no novices were lost for me but my jove they were exciting races. The one I want to focus on a bit here is the quad, as something rather interesting happened. We were against a fairly evenly matched crew, who had a small head start on us, about 4 seconds i think (we were on average a bit younger). We started ok, catching up on them fairly swiftly. From my own perspective I was so hyped up (high psychological arousal;  Moran, 2012) that technique went out of the window initially, then I settled (using simple focusing strategies, on specific key words linked to to solid technique i.e. keep it long, sit
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Physiological limits and psychological limits and the no-mans land in-between: The Erg - Part 1

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Ok, apologies for this rather delayed post. The rigours of a full academic life, as well as the not inconsiderate but rather wonderful demands of my two small children make writing tricky. Saying this though I still manage to erg. Oh yes. It’s time to talk erg. For my non-rowing readers this is the erg: Which in many ways is a modern version of this: Am I sellling this to you? A device of ingenious design, a design made to inflict both bodily and psychological pain. It’s a love- hate relationship you have with this thing (mostly hate for some people I appreciate). For me it keeps me fit, fitter than I have ever been, and it teaches me things. Mostly how to take increasing levels of discomfort and pain and to skirt the border between not-being-sick and being-sick. It’s an essential tool for the rower, ideal for training through the winter when light prohibits water time. I, being perhaps a little strange, erg all the time. Summer, winter, day, night, inside and outside
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Self talk - what I say to myself in the last 500 meters!

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Ok, so lets continue our psychological journey both into my rowing and the way psychology (sport psychology in particular) could be a way to improve my/your rowing. This post will focus on what we say to ourselves in training and in competition and how this might help or hinder performance. As I was singling the other day, an altercation with some aggressive foliage on the bank led to some 'stability' issues and I vividly recall saying to myself 'oh s*&t I am going in...I am going in' as I flayed both arms and blades in the air and as I went rather over to stroke side. A moment later however I also remember saying to myself 'get it together....you've got this' which led to me getting back in control of the boat and staying upright and dry. I do think that is was this positive self-talk that enabled me to get back control of the boat, allowed me to compose myself, and allowed me to carry on. There was certainly a degree of luck involved here I have to
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Confidence: why we need it to perform and why I don't have any (sometimes)

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We are going to forego the in-depth biography, the history of my growing love of rowing, my academic credentials etc etc, for now anyway. Suffice to say I love rowing, I love teaching sport and exercise and I am back in the business of research (the demands of modern academic life and two small human additions to the family meant my research aspirations have been on ice for a while). I have started this blog in an attempt to draw all these interests together in order, I hope, to bring together my interest in rowing, sport psychology and everything inbetween. I hope my cognitive meanderings will be of interest to my current students, past students and new students of sport psychology to be, as well as anyone else who has ever been in a boat and wonders how the hell they a) got there and b) how they row the thing whilst not falling in the river (I sometimes fall in).   My topic for this first entry is a big topic, a catalyst that is needed for any kind of success on the water. Co
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