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Rose highlights greater use of Sports Psychologists needed again


Danny Rose highlights a greater use of Sports Psychologists is needed again

THBN-Danny-Rose
Could a Sports Psychologist have prevented Danny Rose's depression?

The recent Danny Rose interview where he revealed mental health issues, once again demonstrates the importance of mentality in top-level sport.

Seeing a psychologist seemed like a last resort, by then it is too late. You have to first admit you have an issue before you can get help with it, but prevention is better than cure. As a coach, you are taught to look for the root cause and treat that, not the symptom. Don't always tackle a players mistake, tackle why the mistake was made so it doesn't reoccur. You can coach a player how to deal with a mistake, but if the root cause remains they will keep making the mistake or it will manifest itself in a different form.

Regular readers know I have spoken about this for years now and we continue to miss a trick. The margins in top-level sport are very fine and thus every angle should be explored to get that edge over your competition.

Sports psychology isn't tapped into as it should be. Spurs could gain an advantage by using them with all players as part of their weekly training and to assess potential transfer targets mentality.

Sports science rules the games, so let's lead the way in mental science, make ourselves a magnet for every player that wants to be the best they can be.

Marcus Edwards wants to leave because he thinks he should be playing now, yet as the Norwich City boss said, he has mentality issues, his attitude isn't right. Like Sterling he arrives late which demonstrates a lack of commitment. How many of you are late for your holiday flights?

None I suspect because it is too important to you, arriving late for training demonstrates the same and that is unprofessional. More than that it suggests a selfish streak and a streak where the individual doesn't listen to or respect those in authority.

How many people regularly turn up late for a job they love? It's the people who are unhappy in their job who turn up late regularly because they don't care.

Why let things get to that stage, why not have weekly session with a sports psychologist to improve the mentality of all players. Of course, mentally strong players like Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane strive to be the best they can be without their use, but those players are not the norm. They get to the top of the tree by wanting to improve every day.

I can improve, I can learn, I can get better is a far better mentality than I should be playing, it's not fair, it's not my fault.

In his interview, Danny Rose looks to blame everyone else, it comes across strongly that he blames the club. Perhaps, had he been having weekly sessions with a sports psychologist things might have turned out differently, they certainly would not have been any worse.


COYS


5 comments

  1. This is a big can of worms Clive...just how far does a club venture down this path...there are many specialist fields in psychology but I'm not convinced there is one for sports.
    The 'Danny Rose situation' can and does occur in many fields of employment especially where there is pressure to perform but TBH if you're earning 5 figs a week in your twenties then 'pas soucis' be happy, enjoy the fact that circumstance has provided you with a means to chose between early retirement (and I do mean early) but with options to continue in your chosen field of endeavor.
  2. Following on from my post above...it seems there is a difference of opinion as to what constitutes a 'Sports Psychologist'...it would appear that it intrudes into other recognised fields of psychology.
    In Danny Rose's interview he points to a number of situations (albeit THFC being the main one) that have contributed to his state of depression.
    Look, it's not unusual for anyone one of us to suffer a period wherein our self-confidence
    desserts us (usually caused by a unexpected setback) and, in Danny's case, perhaps one too many at the same time.
    On the other side of the coin there are people (players) whose self-confidence infects their behaviour to such an extent that they fail to recognise their own shortcomings...Marcus Edwards perhaps...so are they 'a suitable case for treatment' also?
    I do not for one moment believe that we are not a 'caring club'...everything that I read and witness on the media suggests otherwise.
    p.s. do not assume that 'Spo…
  3. I don't subscribe to the view that getting a massive pay check at the end of the week is a reason for mental welfare. Obviously, there are some that handle it better than others. Some are able to keep a positive mental state in spite of adversity and problems, while others appear to be ill-equiped for such situations. In my experience the pay check has little to no bearing on an individual's ability to stay positive and motivated.

    Sports psychologists are specialists that can help those who need it to keep focus on their goals and to maintain their equilibrium when things aren't going their way. It's not as simple as just that obviously, but I agree with Clive that these professionals could be a great help. The difference between great players that have a positive attitude at all times and those that don't - is that the latter simply don't exist. Attitude of the players is largely the responsibility of the manager, but getting experts in to help seems a no…
  4. Is there anyone out there who doesn't think that 'Sport' is a competitive business?
    Sports persons do not enter their professions thinking (believing) that they will suffer a mental breakdown, depression or whatever at the first hint of adversity...they are by definition competitive, maybe even extrovert in nature, which encourages them 'to do better the next time out'.
    Let's face it, the demands on a professional footballer are such that he (or she) has little time to become depressed.
    Are we really going to enter a period of 'if I don't get selected for the first team I need the help of a psychologist?'(note that I did not use the term 'sports psychologist').
    Would Anthony Bourdain be alive today if the help of a 'chef psychologist' had been available?
    Would Kate Spade have been likewise saved at the hands of a 'fashion psychologist'?
    p.s. if there are any professional footballers who feel that the burden of their recompense is a…
  5. Are sports-men & -women better prepared to handle the mental side of competition and the sporting life? I would say in most cases probably yes. Does that translate into their never having to handle mental situations that are beyond their current capability? Absolutely not.

    Yes. Sporty types certainly have an advantage in that area, I believe. Nevertheless, they're not always the deepest thinkers. They're not always the best at finding the absolute best way forward for themselves. There are far too many examples of that for it to be in question to my view.

    I'd be the last to say that a sporting life, with its competitive aspect, is a bad life or even a hard one for many that take that course. Nor have I said that a massive wage is necessarily a burden. I do say that it isn't the fix that many would assume though. It doesn't magically counteract all problems.

    Sports psychologists (You can refer to them as you choose.) can help players, even those without &…