Book Private Mental-performance Lessons with Coach Dr. Shane

Originally from England, I won 3 national championships and ranked the number 1 bowler for a year in cricket (ever heard of it haha?). I played cricket, baseball and field hockey for my college too (Loughborough University). Other than that, I've played all sports at high school level ranging from field hockey, rugby, tennis, golf and soccer.

I'm sure we all agree that without sufficient mental focus and motivation, we can't expect our body to perform at it's best, right? I first work with athletes to become aware of their own mental performance and how this impacts their physical performance. I then work closely with the athlete tailoring different mental skills from my large library of resources and contacts to cope with pressure and perform at their best. Mental skills are like physical skills so I encourage my athletes to practice mental skills in practice and between our sessions. I can and also sometimes use psychometric assessments and general surveys to measure changes in mental skills. Of course doing this kind of work and seeing progress is less "obvious" than your physical skills. I then provide progress updates for parents. Just like a coach!!

Initial Assessment

- During our very first session I walk through a detailed assessment asking questions about athletic background, current challenges or successes and what they know about mental performance coaching.

- Based on this initial assessment I design a tailored plan which I share with the athlete.

Beginning

- I start with asking the athlete to identify one good thing that happened in their sport since we last met. Training your brain to think in a positive way is an important skill!

- I give time for general updates and a chance to share some recent experiences.

- I then ask if they have any questions or anything they would like to work on. If no response, I continue with my planned session.

Middle

- Sometimes we do a lot of just talking and other times I use technology to do fun activities.

- Typically a thought or emotion is paired with a mental skill. We then practice the mental skill and even give some of the fun science behind it!

- I use a wide range of resources from videos, activity sheets, podcasts and games.

End

- I finish by asking if the athlete had any final thoughts or comments.

- No matter what, I then ask what their 2 key takeaways of the session was. This helps the athlete stay engaged during the session and finish with their main lessons learned for the day.

While this is a typical training session, I adjust accordingly for every athlete based on their needs! My approach is rooted in basic psychological needs satisfaction and a strengths based approach, SO the athlete is in charge of the session and I help guide them (best approach to learning).

His name is Jon Ross and he was my coach in high school. He was the best because he cared about me as a person and as a player. So I had a lot of respect for him and was willing to work on anything he asked me to. I also knew I was safe if I failed and was overjoyed when I succeeded. Later on in my research, I've come to learn that athletes perform their best when we care about them as people first, then athletes.

Personally, I grew up in South Africa and England for most of my life. I also lived in Australia for a year, and now for the past 4 years I've been living in the U.S. where I met my wife, Paige. So I love culture, language and a good old adventure! While in the U.S., I received my PhD from the University of Tennessee conducting research on psychological skills training and practicing mental performance coaching. I'm also a certified mental performance consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. So my approach is rooted in research and science (so we know it works) while at the same time being a fun loving type of person who enthusiastically wants you to succeed!