Dear Coach,
Thank you for considering the Mental Coaching #101 course.
During the first part of the Covid lockdown in April 2020, I had the opportunity to write this new course. Some background: in 2011, I travelled from SA to Orlando in the USA to meet with leading Sports Psychologist, Dr Patrick Cohn. At that time I was working as a mentor with the SA Springbok rugby team. The outcome of that meeting was that an initial Cohort of 10 people met in my home in South Africa and Dr Cohn mentored and taught us his Mental Performance course, via Skype – many years before we were doing online teaching in the way that we do it now. Thereafter Coach Cohn mentored me for the next few years, I am incredibly grateful for his investment in my life. I want to honour him as a mentor and he has shaped my outlook in terms of how I practise the discipline of Applied Sports Psychology.
I have had about 200 students complete the new #101 course, including international hockey coaches. Many International hockey players and leading athletes and coaches from other sports codes: cricket, soccer, rowing, water polo, horse show jumping, karate…. have benefited from the principles contained in the course. Most of the coaches who take the course do not coach at the elite level – only very few do. 99% of sport is played for the love of it! Recreational sport! We trust that you will benefit from the principles we share, whatever age group and skill level of the player you are coaching.
I have been immensely fortunate to be part of the SA Men’s Hockey Coach’s staff for the last three years. Our team is on an amazing trajectory and achieved above expectations in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Commonwealth Games. On the afternoon that we lost the Commonwealth bronze medal match, Ernst Baart from The Hockey Site made contact and we spoke for the first time. Our connection was instant and we have teamed up to bring Hockey coaches a Hockey specific version of the course. The course notes still contain examples from different sports but we have filmed video clips for you with leading coaches and players to bring you specific application to your world
I have designed the course materials and an approach to learning that we believe has the potential to be both professionally and personally transformative.
As we embark on this journey together, please keep the following points in mind to make the most of your learning experience:
- There are 5 Modules and a final assignment.
- Every Module has notes, a video, Actions and Reflections.
- The Modules follow on from one to another, so be sure to do them in sequence.
- At the end of every module you need to capture your thoughts in your personal Coach’s Diary – I will be able to see your progress here. The successful completion of your diary will contribute 20% to your course mark. This will only be marked on completion of the course.
- The course culminates with a reflective exercise and an assignment
- If you want to book a 30min one-on-one session with me, make use of the booking facility. Please note that there is an additional charge for this
Enjoy the journey and the process
Iain Shippey (and Ernst)
