All Blacks show mental toughness in winning year
massey-university
Mon Nov 25 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
All Blacks show mental toughness in winning year
Monday, 25 November 2013, 1:48 pm
Press Release: Massey University
November 25, 2013
All Blacks show mental toughness in winning year
A leading sport psychologist says the All Blacks’ historic unbeaten year is the result of the team’s self-belief, but they must now sustain that mindset through to the next world cup.
The All Blacks beat Ireland in Dublin this morning to become the first national team in the professional era to end a calendar year unbeaten.
Massey University sport psychologist Emeritus Professor Gary Hermansson says the manner of this morning’s win was pleasing.
“From a mental point of view they never got to the point of accepting the loss, which earlier New Zealand teams may have,” he says. “They had belief in themselves and one another and trusted that each person would do his job – it is from there that you can make your own luck.”
By contrast the Irish side seemed to play with the result in mind. “Once they had the lead they got a bit preoccupied and tried to hold on for the result. This leads to a split between mind and body. New Zealand, on the other hand, played as if they weren’t worried about the result and just focused on what was happening moment by moment.”
Professor Hermansson says mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka has been working to instil a strong team collective and it appears to be paying off now.
“From what I know he has been working to build culture and build leadership. Now there is something quite special there.”
The challenge now is to carry that sense of cohesion through to the next world cup in two year’s time.
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“There was pressure today and they have obviously achieved something special, but New Zealand has always been a good side between pinnacle events – now they have to translate that winning mindset to the next world cup.”
Professor Hermansson provided sport psychology services to the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games teams from 1998 through to 2012 and has also worked with New Zealand Cricket and Equestrian teams. He continues to work extensively with elite athletes and teams in a wide variety of sports and also with top-level performing artists.
He will be a guest speaker at the New Zealand Sport and Exercise Science conference in Christchurch on Friday: http://www.sesnz.org.nz/Conference/
ENDS
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