Annie Vernon author Mind Games Book

Annie Vernon rowed for Great Britain at two Olympic games and had a rapid ascent through the womens sculling crews to the top boat.  Now retired, she has written a book about the mental skills of elite athletes - Mind Games.  We discuss nature, nurture and training the mind and the techniques which have propelled some seemingly unlikely candidates to the pinnacle of sport. Timestamps to the interview: 0.00 Background in rowing and Adrian Cassidy as Annie's first coach to take her towards high performance. 03:00 What is in your head as an athlete?  How did you become aware of mental training - Chris Shambrook. 06:00 Nature, nurture and training - confidence building.  Belief, honesty, trust, composure, momentum and the fraud mentality 16:00 What is an emotional driver?  When the going gets tough... 21:00 Does talent need trauma  Judy Murray - tennis star.  "Prepare the child for the path; not the path for the child." 27:00 The talented athletes often don't work hard. Why? 30:00 Decision making under pressure - you are committed to whatever the person doing the calls says 37:00 Competitiveness and perfectionism ; courage can be trained. 45:00 Train like Tarzan, compete like Jane.  Should we do this? 47:00 Selecting a crew - decisions that go against the evidence 50:00 Transitioning out of sport is an upheaval.  Elite sport and the law - employment and bullying. Thank you to our sponsors. You can help keep RowingChat going by visiting our sponsors websites www.rowing.chat/sponsors Mind Games by Annie Vernon, sports psychology book Rose & Thorne the Active Bra with built-in confidence JustStrong athletic gear, especially for women