Why the England Cricket Team could benefit from a tea-cup!
Over the last few days I have been watching the Pakistan v England test match in Dubai. England, the current number 1 ranked team in the world, were comprehensively beaten by 10 wickets inside 3 days! Let me give you some insights from the perspective of an experienced sport psychologist.
Apart the magnitude of the defeat the thing that really stood out about the defeat was the psychological frailty of the English batsmen. In the first innings England lost four of their top order batsmen for 12 runs, and in the second innings lost 2 wickets with the score on 25, 2 wickets with the score on 87, and 2 wickets with the score on 135. The issue is that England consistently lost wickets in quick succession.
This characteristic is typical of teams low on self-confidence and lacking mental toughness – not something you would expect to find in the best team in the world. In test cricket when you have lost a wicket it is important to stabilise the team and ensure that you take your time to play yourself in. What happened to England was that when they lost a wicket the incoming batsmen made some poor shot selections. When working with athletes I refer to this as the ability to think clearly under pressure – ‘T-CUP’. A team low on confidence and with fragile mental toughness will struggle to think clearly when they are put under pressure and become distracted by irrelevant factors instead of just thinking about the task in hand.
T-CUP is an invaluable asset for any team in sport or business. Most people, in sport and business, are able to think clearly and make rational and correct decisions in everyday life, but what happens to your ability to stay focused and make informed decisions when the pressure is cranked up. T-CUP when under pressure is something that I help athletes and businesspeople with all the time, in order to ensure that they can stay focused and resilient when it really matters. Whether it is your ability to make the correct decision on the pitch to ensure victory for your team, or the correct decision in a pressurised business meeting to secure a contract for your company, T-CUP will give you a winning edge over your competitors.
At Watt Works we offer a range of consultancy, training and coaching services within the areas of sport psychology, life coaching and executive coaching. Contact Us to find out how we can help you perform at your best.
Tags: application of sport psychology to business, Coaching, performance, sport psychology, Sports Psychology
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