Nov 17, 2017
On today’s show we have a brilliant opportunity to hear from someone playing at the very highest level of professional sport. Mind Factor client, Burnley and England goalkeeper Tom Heaton shares with us why and how he went from thinking about working on his mental game approach to actually taking action and DOING something about it.
Tom is the complete opposite of the caricature that is often unfairly attached to professional footballers. Amongst the clients I have worked with at the highest level he is without doubt one of the most dedicated to his craft.
He is wonderfully driven to explore the possibilities of what can be achieved with hard work and the right attitude
Tom last year made his full debut for England and had an outstanding season in the Premiership. In one particular game against Manchester United a couple of football experts commented that it was one of the finest goalkeeping displays they had ever seen.
Tom talks candidly about his early career frustrations. Being part of the squad at Manchester United as a junior but not being able to break through to the number 1 spot.
Some years in the wilderness and then from there signing for Burnley and then on to making his full England debut.
During the show we talk about the difference between having a long term goal and the actual mechanics of how you make it happen.
We also discuss
How Tom embraced and began to fully live out the principle of ‘good days’
How he began to own and personalise his own mental game training
Developing the ability to deal with whatever the game throws at you good or bad. Being able to have the resilience to deal with the bad allows you to embrace the good.
The role and benefit of effective pre match routines and rituals
How Tom felt ‘ready’ to go out and play in the biggest game of his life as he made his England debut.
The technique he uses to deal with poor performance and move on to the next opportunity
The ability to stay grounded on the ‘next task’ as opposed to trying to ‘make up’ for something that has gone and is in the past
The genius of Sir Alex Ferguson and how he was able to win so many trophies with a simple but highly effective approach.
Being part of a great culture at Burnley FC and how Sean Dyche gets the very best out of his players by understanding the importance of a sound psychological approach and how he has turned Burnley into a tough team to beat in the Premiership
Currently dealing with a very serious shoulder injury how Tom has been able to deal with such a huge setback when he was at the top of his game. For anyone struggling with injury this is a must in terms of effective attitude.
All in all a wonderful session from a very honest, dedicated and impressive young man. Enjoy the show