Search Results for 'sports psychologist'

The Mayo club championship finally gets under way at the weekend and I have no doubt the two most nervous spectators will be Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly especially as the games are on a week later than planned as it will give their county players a week less to get over any niggles or strains picked up to be fit in time to face Galway.

James Horan couldn't but have enjoyed what he saw in front of him in Croke Park on Sunday afternoon. It was one of those days when everything fell into place, where all his decisions and ideas about how his team should and could play came to fruition. He was in flying form in the post game press conference to, but still with his eyes firmly fixed on what's coming up next over the horizon for Mayo in three weeks time. Asked about his first impressions of the game, the Ballintubber man said, “We're delighted with that performance, we're delighted to play like that in an important game. A lot of the stuff we've worked on our skills, our tackling and our movement, really a lot of the basics of the game that we put an awful lot of effort came through today. We'll take that win and prepare for the Tyrone challenge.” With Donegal weakened and not going at the same tilt as last year it was up to Mayo to exploit that he believed, which the did ruthlessly over the 70 minutes. “Donegal had a lot injuries, they had a lot of tough games but it was up to us to exploit that and to use our power and pace to maybe show up that if there was an issue today, but look we did that and I'm delighted.”

Galway swimmer David O’Sullivan has been chosen as the recipient of the 2012 BUA Emerging Sports Talent Award.

Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney loves his football and, particularly it would seem, managing football teams. I heard it said that a number of years ago when Banty was managing a local club side in Monaghan, he would often leave his bar in the early hours of the morning, and rather than go home and risk a sleep in, he would drive to the training ground, have a few hours’ kip in the car, before taking an early morning session with his charges. There can be no doubting his commitment to the cause.

Management continuously search for the edge when preparing teams. And because they do, there will always be a variety of opportunists offering their services in the hope of cashing in on the back of a successful outfit. I have fallen into the trap myself, when I got a call from a ‘friend’ championing the quality of a sports psychologist. He came so highly recommended that I couldn’t wait to unleash him on the football squad. I recall sitting back at the rear of the room with a few fellow selectors. Within minutes we realised we had a dud on our hands. Out of respect we allowed him to complete his gig that particular time, but cancelled the remaining five sessions that were supposed to complete the package. My message to unsuspecting managers is to be careful of the articulate incompetent.

It’s often said that a week is a long time in politics. Can I suggest then that three weeks is an absolute eternity in football? Just a few short weeks ago, all the talk around these parts was that Galway would be a shoe in to retain their Connacht championship. The fact that they would be playing the Connacht final (assuming it is Mayo) in Pearse Stadium added to that theory because the general perception is that the seaside venue is definitely worth a few scores to the Galway men. But the pendulum has very definitely shifted in the last two matches of the national league. Galway were the form team of the league for the first five rounds, getting standing ovations from their ecstatic home supporters on a number of occasions such was the quality of their play. But after a rather slow start by Mayo in their opening rounds, they have very definitely come thundering into the equation again as serious provincial contenders after their impressive one-point victory over the up to then unbeaten Galwegians in Tuam a couple of weeks ago. Mayo followed up on that victory with a very creditable performance against the All Ireland champions in McHale Park last Sunday, where both sides took a share of the spoils.