Q&A: how does sport psychology influence scheduling?
Ireland U-15 sport psychologist James Claffey answers questions about his role in preparing the team for major tournaments, working with young players and the importance of multi-discplinary working
What role do you play in devising the team’s schedule throughout the year?
While the primary responsibility of creating the team's schedule might usually rest with the head coach, refreshingly, working under head coach Jason Donohue, all staff are sent the itinerary for each international trip months in advance and asked for their opinions or suggestions.
Staff can give feedback on various aspects, from minor issues like limited time before a game to important matters such as rest duration and pre-game activities.
As a sport psychology consultant with 15 years’ experience, I will always attempt to factor in elements such as:
a) Evaluating the potential stressors in the schedule and advising on sufficient rest periods to avoid burnout and overtraining
b) Psychological recovery, such as recommending specific periods of rest after intense competitions or training sessions
c) Implementing a variety of team building activities. For instance, I created a quiz on Kahoot for staff and players on a trip to Serbia last year, organizing outdoor challenges or group exercises to foster team cohesion and reduce post-game stress
d) Mental preparation for the tactical side, determining the optimal timing for information delivery, and customizing techniques based on individual players' psychological development stages.
In addition, there are consultations with multi-disciplinary teams around day-to-day activities.
Overall, the most important factor is player welfare, particularly given the age group. Away trips can potentially represent the first time a player has left home for an extended period without parents or guardians accompanying them.
The philosophy from the head coach means that each staff member is permitted to contribute to the schedule. Personally, I aim to optimise performance by ensuring that psychological well-being is considered alongside physical and technical training throughout the season.
Are there any points when you're more involved than usual (e.g. before major tournaments)?
Yes and no.
From the ‘no’ perspective, the staff are extremely close, so if I’m discussing psychological elements of performance or Seamus Mc Walter (the team physio) is speaking about recovery or Jason is presenting the team’s ethos, all members of the staff are present and supportive. I can genuinely say, based on experience with other international teams from different sports I’ve been involved with, that’s not always the case.
From the ‘yes’ perspective, it's evident that before tournaments, some athletes require more attention, while others prefer to focus independently. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception in sports that sport psychologists are only consulted when things go wrong. Consequently, some current and former clients, including international players or Olympic athletes, tend to reach out to a sport psychologist only in times of difficulty.
As a collective, we must challenge this misconception and emphasize that just as we train physically in both good and bad times, we should also prioritize our psychological training in sports. We might experience increased workload when a player returns from injury and requires a psychological return-to-play model, like the need for a physiological one.
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How do you determine how much rest is needed between games/training sessions?
This question is a perfect example of how - at international level - we need to blend academic material coming from journals and the practical situation (context-specific) that you are faced with at times, to effectively become a good ‘pracademic’.
It’s about fusing both together, so, for example, you can use information from a systematic review on recommended rest periods but also speak to the players about how they are feeling post-game.
Each morning, we use non-intrusive questionnaires to assess the players' physical and mental well-being objectively. My role involves delving deeper and exploring underlying aspects while interacting with players. I find that a key role for sport psychologists as the industry evolves is to be an integrated member of staff. Be at the pitch sessions, watch and observe while the players are noticing your presence: "Hey he or she is just one of us, and I don’t need to fear speaking with him or her". This is something that, after 15 years of doing it, I feel works best.
To answer the original question, it’s really a collaboration between the head coach, the staff, and the players. I recommend that younger practitioners become familiar with assessing psychological fatigue, integrating performance data related to sleep quality, and educating athletes on the significance of recovery for optimal performance.
A caveat to all of that is recognising the unique differences of each individual athlete/person.
What role do factors such as cognitive load play in this?
Although all factors are and must be considered at international level, we also have a duty of care to these adolescents: our philosophy is holistic because it is non- competitive.
After games, it's the time to analyse and consider concepts such as cognitive load. The coach typically plans for a low-energy evening after a 2pm game: returning to the hotel, having food, taking a short nap (no longer than 30 minutes), dinner, watching TV, a light walk, and then bedtime. These activities have low cognitive demands and do not require high energy levels.
We don't rely on extensive neural imaging or physiological metrics due to age-related suitability issues with these tools. While cognitive load is a recognized factor in international sports performance, the empirical measures used to assess it may vary in their directness and applicability in these settings.
Who do you work with to put together the playing/non-playing schedule?
Primarily, the head coach designs the schedule for both playing and non-playing days. Typically, the integrated system involves communication with coaching staff, physiotherapists, the strength and conditioning coach, medical team, performance analyst, and team operations for scheduling purposes.
James is two years into a professional doctorate in human performance and innovation at the University of Limerick, researching the relationship between REBT and sleep quality in international soccer players.
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Great to hear from this age group. Specifically the application of tools in areas such as CLT.