LBP Sport Psychology

Edie McClurg is not an athlete or sportsman but has had many trips around the sun to be able to impart some wisdom that everyone can benefit from.

The American actress and comedian poignantly refers to self-doubt as a killer of talent, and it is relevant regardless of what that talent is for.

Would Simone Biles have made history as the first woman to perform the Yurchenko Double Pike Vault at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium last year, if she doubted how far her talent could take her?

Sometimes, self-doubt kills talent on a global stage but can feel as disheartening on your Saturday morning round with mates.⛳️

Either way, it’s all about the mental game.

At the Open Championship last week, Billy Horschel said that this year, he’s tried to visualize himself holding the trophy for whatever tournament he’s playing before he goes to bed every night. He admitted he did a better job of that at Royal Troon.

But really, it just comes down to one word Horschel mentioned: “belief.”

Even though it wasn’t his time to take the trophy, it is all about truly believing in your capabilities and that you CAN win. 🏆

Happy weekend!

💭 If you’ve been following us for a while, you might be thinking one of these things:

1. I’m not a professional sportsman/ athlete so a sport psychologist or mental coach won’t work with me.
2. I am a professional but don’t need mental coaching to improve my performance.
3. I can’t afford a sport psychologist or mental coach.
4. I don’t live somewhere with access to a sport psychologist.

If you said yes ✅ to any of the above, why don’t you check out our online LBP store and training videos on topics ranging from putting to chipping, and how to shake the dreaded “yips”…

✅ More affordable than an in-person session with a crash course in some of the topics and tips that could help your game, regardless of status.

✅ Available anywhere, to anyone and on-the-go at www.lbpsportpsych.com/store

Congratulations to Xander Schauffele for winning his second major title at The British Open in Scotland, yesterday. 🏆

The 30 year-old also won this year’s PGA Championship after a long wait for a first major crown, and now seems to be on a roll.

Special shout-out and honorable mention to one of our own, Thriston Lawrence for keeping us on the edge of our seats hoping for a South African win. Lawrence achieved his best major performance with a fourth-place finish, securing a Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour.

May their efforts inspire you to keep pushing through the hard work and long waits for breakthrough 💪

Rounding off this week’s motivational quotes with inspiration from Netflix’s ‘Full Swing’ documentary.

We came across the “3 Steps to Sharpen Your Mental Game” that bloggers have pulled from the show:

1. Reframe failure - “A champion doesn’t dwell on a mistake.”

2. Take the stage with gratitude - “A reminder that your mindset before you take the stage will influence your performance.”

3. Always look for the positive - “Build on your strengths and you’ll grow more confident with each presentation.”

Which one do you feel is most relevant to you? ⛳️⛳️

Keeping on the Netflix train, in the first episode of Full Swing titled, “Frenemies”, Justin Thomas addresses the reality that even the pros struggle with their games just like everybody else.

Thomas spoke about how “brutal” the game can be on you following his poor third round at the PGA championship where he nearly played himself out of the tournament, right before pulling a full 180 the very next day.

Golf can be a rollercoaster and certainly keeps you humble. It’s about keeping mentally strong through the ups and downs.

Have a good week! ⛳️ ☀️

In case you’re keen on some good weekend viewing, the immersive docu-series on Netflix called Full Swing follows a diverse group of professional golfers, both on and off the course, as they battle what is a relentless season of competition.

This quote by Tony Finau is a snippet from Episode 6, titled “Don’t get bitter, Get better!” - something we’ve spoken about before…

With this quote, Finau displays what can only be interpreted as keeping a healthy mental state and balance between work and the other important factors in your life that hold value too.

Have you watched the show? What were some of your key take-aways?

Bringing you a special edition of with our “Cure for the Yips…”

If you’re looking to brave the cold weather and head to the range to practice this week, be sure to check out the latest drills available at our LBP online store at the link below⛳️😎

https://www.lbpsportpsych.com/store

Is it July already?? 😱😳

How the last month flew by with all of these incredible achievements by our LBP clients!

Congratulations to the following athletes on their excellent performance in June 🏆🏆🏆


⛳️ MJ Viljoen
Winner Zambia Open

🚣 Kristyn Xavier
Selected to represent South Africa at World Rowing U19 Champs

⛳️ Lisa Coetzer
Limpopo Ladies Champs Junior Winner & selected to represent South Africa at the 2024 R&A Junior Open

⛳️ Abdul Malik Ebrahim
Winner GNGU Junior 36 Hole

⛳️ Jasmine Furstenburg
T1 WP Nomads Junior Girls

⛳️Lameez Kourie Winner KZN Mid-Am & Winner Limpopo Mid-Am

⛳️Bongi Shabalala
Winner Mid-Am and Senior Championship

⛳️Orateng Maphake
Winner GNGU Junior Match Play girls

Testing your mental strength, today.

How do you react when faced with an obstacle?
Is your instinct to find an exit strategy or to work on a way to overcome it?

❄️ The winter chill has officially set in and you might be experiencing “brain freeze” on a different level… 🧠

It’s time to consider what your attitude i.e. mental reaction is to less than ideal weather conditions and how it affects your performance. 💭

🎾 Tennis players allow hot temperature to mentally take them out of the game early in the tournament.
⚽️ Some football players dread the cold while golfers assume they cannot putt well on wet greens. ⛳️

But bad weather is 100% out of your control. And success requires mental toughness.

So start the day with a positive mindset, and practice, practice, practice in all weather conditions.

For more tips on how to get the mental edge in tough weather conditions, check out Peak Performance Sports online.

In your attempt to perform better under pressure, do you spend most of your time just trying to reduce the actual pressure?

According to Condor Performance based in Australia, they reckon that if so, you may want to rethink your strategy. 💭🧠

Perspective is everything. 💭

Congratulations to LBP client, MJ Viljoen on winning the 2024 Mopani Zambia Open! 🏆🇿🇲

Always fantastic to see hard work paying off 🙌👌 It’s been a pleasure working with you.

To many more…

It’s a double whammy, today - the good kind! Celebrating our young athletes and the supportive dads, today 🙌🇿🇦

Shout-out to our clients who are fathers, playing both on and off the field. 🏀⚽️🎾🏐🏈

Your midweek reminder to keep flexing that mental muscle and to keep going. 💪

In order to be physical strong, it needs to established internally first. 🧠💭

We’ve all heard about visualisation as a tool, envisioning what success looks and feels like. So by that understanding, faking it until you make it is well, half the battle of making it.

That, and resilience is key.

That’s a wrap on the month of May! 🎉🙌

Congratulations to these top performers and LBP clients for their achievements. 🏆

1. Charl Barnard
2023/24 Tour Championship Bushveld Tour Winner

2. Kristyn Xavier
Winners WA8+ and WA4x SA Senior Championships

3. Lara Van Niekerk
50m Breakstroke Winner XVI Africa Aquatics Swim Champs

4. Lisa Coetzer
Winner Free State Women’s Open and Junior Winner

5. Riaan Kotze
Kingswood Junior Open Strokeplay Winner

6. Jasmine Furstenburg
Kingswood Junior Open Girls Strokeplay Winner

7. Gemma Huxham
Winner Girls 11-12 SA Kids ERPM

Another shout-out to Lisa Coetzer for being named the “Most Improved Women’s Player of the Year” by Golfrsa

Proud to work with each and every one of you! 👏

Election Day is here! ✅ 📦

Make your vote count and get in line early so you can still make that afternoon tee-time. ⛳️

🇿🇦

The mental state sometimes extends to the player who is not playing, supporting his teammates.

Or to the athlele who just lost to a worthy, or even unworthy, opponent.

Your reaction is indicative of something more powerful than a win, and it’s most likely what will get you over the line next time.

A tragic reminder of the stark importance of prioritising your mental health…

At only 30 years old, Grayson Murray died by su***de a day after he withdrew from his second round at the Charles Schwab challenge.

Murray was a two-time PGA Tour winner and some may say, at the peak of his career.

No one is untouchable and may the news of his passing encourage others to speak up and seek help.

For South Africans, you can contact SADAG, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group or call the Su***de Crisis Helpline on 0800 567 567.

Work, work, work... on both the physical and psychological. 💪🧠

So often we underestimate the power of the latter without realising that it is the fuel that fires the first. 🔥🔥

It’s also the physical proof of how hard you’re working. 💦

Keep going, even when the spectators and competitors can’t see it. ‼️

Famous Golf Psychologist, Bob Rotella explains why you play better when you are having fun... ⛳️

When you are having fun, not only do your muscles relax but your mind gets quiet. 🧠

“You have a choice,” he says. Rotella candidly points out that you are more likely to feel like a talented athlete if that’s the case OR you can turn yourself into a “serious uptight nerd.” 🤓

Happy weekend golfing, folks!

👌

May the G.O.A.T himself motivate you on this Monday morning, reminding us very simply of the power of a change in perspective.

One letter is all it takes for a positive mental shift. 🏆🏆🏆

Have a great week!

⛳️ UNDENIABLE ⛳️

There is no doubting that Scottie Scheffler is at the top of his game and proving why he is the world #1, securing his 2nd green jacket in three years, yesterday.

An interesting angle is not necessarily the mental state that got him there, even though he won the Masters again while his wife was on labour watch.. but that of the spectator.

Do you get as excited watching a man on a winning streak, amazed at how he carries on doing it or is it more entertaining watching an underdog steal the win at the last minute?

Either way, these tournaments keep us glued to the game and there’s something special about all of the once-in-a-lifetime moments that we get to watch. Another example of this being an amateur getting to make his debut playing alongside the GOAT…

What was the highlight for you from this weekend’s 88th Masters tournament? 🏆

What’s fuelling you?🔥

Fuelling you to train, to improve or even, to succeed?

Remember to fill the (mental) tank, first… 🧠💪

Anthony Kim’s story is one of redemption.

Marking his return to golf with the LIV tour, spectators were sceptical of his ability to compete but the real victory was the mental game.

While many were watching him play, not as many knew the journey that led him there. According to Kim, the birth of his daughter is ultimately what encouraged his return to golf after 12 years. A battle of addiction and depression seems to be behind him with a renewed sense of purpose.

What’s your take on Kim’s return to LIV golf? Will you be following as he works to redeem his value as a professional golfer?

Can the emotion behind his return to professional golf drive him to compete with the best in the world? A final round 65 in Hong Kong last month would suggest he’s slowly finding something.