This extraordinary photograph takes us right back to 1964... a time when everything... including sport... was just a little bit simpler! Any idea what the gentleman has wrapped in the blanket? This is Ron Greenwood, the Manager of West Ham United Football Club, and the object sitting on his knees is the FA Cup. That's right. West Ham had just won the FA Cup at Wembley … [Read more...]
What coaches can learn from a brilliant psychotherapist – adapting the views of a counselling professional to the world of sports coaching
What can a famed psychotherapist teach sports coaches? Quite a lot, it seems. I came across an interview with New York based psychotherapist and podcast superstar, Esther Perel, in the terrific magazine Dumbo Feather, the other day. While the whole of her interview about her life and counselling career was fascinating, the thing that most caught my eye most was … [Read more...]
Olympic success – the countries that (really) excel… and how Australia doesn’t rate!
Most of us sports-mad Australians like to think that we punch well above our weight when it comes to Olympic competition. Australians, and our media, just love the medal table that we believe shows what a superior sporting nation we are. If the numbers of medals that we win, per capita, are any measure of how well we perform at Olympic sports then we better think again. The … [Read more...]
The Queen – A sports lover with no time for uppity colonials…
Now that HRH, Queen Elizabeth II has departed this earthly domain we, her subjects, have been left to lament the loss of a remarkable woman. For weeks we have heard the personal testimonies of hundreds who had met her or "knew her personally" and countless stories of her acts of kindness have been recounted. Selfless, dutiful, witty, humorous, resilient, steadfast and dedicated … [Read more...]
What tika taka is… and isn’t
Tika taka is way more than just maintaining possession and being patient. Tika taka is a commitment to knowing where your team mates are... and vision of the full field rather than just the player next to you. Tika taka is about learning to keep your head up. Tika taka is about being committed to making two forward passes to every one back pass or lateral … [Read more...]