EP13: Ashley Reece (MMA fighter)

MMA fighter Ashley 'The Beast' Reece joined Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Andrew Wilkinson ahead of his Welterweight Title fight in Arizona. Based in Staffordshire, Ashley is our first guest from a combat sport and therefore provided a unique insight into the demands of performing under pressure. Ashley is also a coach of young athletes and shares his advice on how he helps them to perform under pressure. Other topics are also discussed by the trio, such as the need to channel anger, the need to 'bank' criticism to use at a later date rather than persistently dwelling on it, and the good and bad side of self-talk. Ashley shares his 'hunter mentality' and how that helps him in the specific domain of his sport. Training to perform under pressure is also addressed, and Ashley describes the need to make training sufficiently challenging so that when the event comes, he feels relaxed and ready. Finally, he shares the importance of bouncing back after a defeat by using the near miss as fuel towards the next one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices