Bill Beswick

[The Bard]

Pat Lam namechecked him on Friday night saying he is working with  Bristol Bears.  You would hope there may be a chance of him working with City's players given his background.

[Unan]

Who?

Bill Beswick is an English sports psychologist. He has had roles with English football clubs Derby County, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, and FC Twente in the Netherlands. Additionally, he has worked with the England U18 and U21 teams. 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Banned User

[Davefevs]

[View from the Dolman]

He was involved with us during Lee Johnson's time: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lee-johnsons-secret-weapon-who-2161690

[The Original OTIB]

I wonder if he's still around. We need somebody to get inside their heads.

[maxjak]

6 minutes ago, The Original OTIB said:

I wonder if he's still around. We need somebody to get inside their heads.

And their pheckin boots?  Ha!

[Major Isewater]

On 15/03/2021 at 08:16, View from the Dolman said:

He was involved with us during Lee Johnson's time: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lee-johnsons-secret-weapon-who-2161690

That went well then.

[BTRFTG]

On 15/03/2021 at 07:16, View from the Dolman said:

He was involved with us during Lee Johnson's time: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lee-johnsons-secret-weapon-who-2161690

Ah, is that why Vyner and Bakinson deploy the 3 second count when in stressful situations? He might start with looking to modify their 'fight or flight' responses as that's one way traffic at present.

[Mad Cyril]

4 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

Ah, is that why Vyner and Bakinson deploy the 3 second count when in stressful situations? He might start with looking to modify their 'fight or flight' responses as that's one way traffic at present.

As in "close your eyes and count slowly to 3"?

Never ideal on the pitch.

[Roger Red Hat]

1 minute ago, Mad Cyril said:

As in "close your eyes and count slowly to 3"?

That's only if you're going to head the ball.

[BTRFTG]

2 minutes ago, Mad Cyril said:

As in "close your eyes and count slowly to 3"?

Never ideal on the pitch.

It's either that else both must be ultra polite: After you, Sir ....

[Coxy27]

Bloody Steveo isn't going to let a valuable asset who's working with his favourite sports team spare any time for little old us is he!

[The Original OTIB]

All joking aside, do you not think that mental fitness is helpful in sport? Our honorary vice president would think that it is in all respects.

[Major Isewater]

3 minutes ago, The Original OTIB said:

All joking aside, do you not think that mental fitness is helpful in sport? Our honorary vice president would think that it is in all respects.

I believe that a big percentage of what we achieve in life is ruled by our ‘ mental ‘ capacity. 

If you think you can or cannot do something then you are right. 
 

The brain is an organ which will take the easy option based on habit. When you realise that you can control your thought processes then you are starting to get somewhere.

So, in answer to your question, I am certain that training a person, in any field, in how they think is valuable. 

[Cowshed]

16 minutes ago, The Original OTIB said:

All joking aside, do you not think that mental fitness is helpful in sport? Our honorary vice president would think that it is in all respects.

Yes. 

If you do not adopt a growth mindset (Beswick uses the term) you will not improve. We choose to fight or freeze or flight. We choose to word hard, or not. 

Mental drives physical. Physical doesn't drive mental. 

 

[Northern Red]

37 minutes ago, Coxy27 said:

Bloody Steveo isn't going to let a valuable asset who's working with his favourite sports team spare any time for little old us is he!

He isn't employed full time by the Bears, he's a consultant who works with various teams and individuals.

[The Original OTIB]

11 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

I believe that a big percentage of what we achieve in life is ruled by our ‘ mental ‘ capacity. 

If you think you can or cannot do something then you are right. 
 

The brain is an organ which will take the easy option based on habit. When you realise that you can control your thought processes then you are starting to get somewhere.

So, in answer to your question, I am certain that training a person, in any field, in how they think is valuable. 

I highly recommend this: https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/

[Coxy27]

36 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

He isn't employed full time by the Bears, he's a consultant who works with various teams and individuals.

I was being facetious

[oldstandrobin]

1 hour ago, Major Isewater said:

I believe that a big percentage of what we achieve in life is ruled by our ‘ mental ‘ capacity. 

If you think you can or cannot do something then you are right. 
 

The brain is an organ which will take the easy option based on habit. When you realise that you can control your thought processes then you are starting to get somewhere.

So, in answer to your question, I am certain that training a person, in any field, in how they think is valuable. 

Hasn't trained me much Major.  I Still go down the gate to watch attractive football !!!

Where am I going wrong ? 

[cheese]

1 hour ago, Cowshed said:

Yes. 

If you do not adopt a growth mindset (Beswick uses the term) you will not improve. We choose to fight or freeze or flight. We choose to word hard, or not. 

Mental drives physical. Physical doesn't drive mental. 

 

Ha, you should try telling my body that!

[Major Isewater]

19 minutes ago, oldstandrobin said:

Hasn't trained me much Major.  I Still go down the gate to watch attractive football !!!

Where am I going wrong ? 

Gallows humour is developed as a coping mechanism for dealing with pain. 
Most City fans could have a Master’s degree in Gallows humour ! 

 

[BTRFTG]

Vince Lombardi, Sports greatest Psychologist, cut through all the modern day, sports mindfulness BS.

"Show me a loser & I'll show you a loser."

The desire to win at all costs is innate, you've either got it or you haven't. If you've played sport at any level you know quickly who you may dominate and those who'll pose you a problem. The very best don't need to tinker with psychologists to tell them what to do or how to improve, they just get on and do it. When the going gets tough ...

Psychologists have far greater influence in individual sports where the pace of the game is slow, there's much downtime and space for minds to wander,  but in team sports? The English cricket team have incorporated them for decades so how come they mentally imploded again yesterday?

I studied psychology at Uni and the major problem is there's little or no benchmarking. Take  'visualisation' which is often used as an example where performance may be improved. Cognitive dissonance theory explains why, if you've invested in undertaking a visualization programme, you'll claim your performance has improved (you'd look pretty stupid if it hadn't.) But that's not benchmarked against the likes of Brady, Ronaldo or Jordan who never doubted, given the relentless practice and sacrifice they put in, that they'd score, that they'd succeed. They do not visualise, they don't need to as they believe in their talent.

And whilst lesser talents as we have at City may be marginally assisted I'd suggest they be far better off learning how to kick, trap, shoot and run, learning through repetitive graft, rather than sitting contemplating their mindfulness. That's never got the ball over the head of the near post marker....

Edited November 11, 2021 by BTRFTG

[Cowshed]

6 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

Vince Lombardi, Sports greatest Psychologist, cut through all the modern day, sports mindfulness BS.

"Show me a loser & I'll show you a loser."

The desire to win at all costs is innate, you've either got it or you haven't. If you've played sport at any level you know quickly who you may dominate and those who'll pose you a problem. The very best don't need to tinker with psychologists to tell them what to do or how to improve, they just get on and do it. When the going gets tough ...

Psychologists have far greater influence in individual sports where the pace of the game is slow, there's much downtime and space for minds to wander,  but in team sports? The English cricket team have incorporated them for decades so how come they mentally imploded again yesterday?

I studied psychology at Uni and the major problem is there's little or no benchmarking. Take  'visualisation' which is often used as an example where performance may be improved. Cognitive dissonance theory explains why, if you've invested in undertaking a visualization programme, you'll claim your performance has improved (you'd look pretty stupid if it hadn't.) But that's not benchmarked against the likes of Brady, Ronaldo or Jordan who never doubted, given the relentless practice and sacrifice they put in, that they'd score, that they'd succeed. They do not visualise, they don't need to as they believe in their talent.

And whilst lesser talents as we have at City may be marginally assisted I'd suggest they be far better off learning how to kick, trap, shoot and run, learning through repetitive graft, rather than sitting contemplating their mindfulness. That's never got the ball over the head of the near post marker....

Ronaldo uses visualisation techniques. He uses mental process as a routine including visualisation with his free kick taking. 

 

[BTRFTG]

22 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

Ronaldo uses visualisation techniques. He uses mental process as a routine including visualisation with his free kick taking. 

 

When, aged 12, he told his teammates he was going to be the best player in world I reckon he'd never heard of visualization. If he died use it and it makes him feel better about himself, good. But it's the first in, last out at training, the endless repetition of heading, free-kicks, shooting that sets him apart. He scores because he's done it hundreds of thousands of times in practice.

I visualise picking multiple winners each afternoon. Doesn't work out that way. ...

[The Original OTIB]

45 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

When, aged 12, he told his teammates he was going to be the best player in world I reckon he'd never heard of visualization. If he died use it and it makes him feel better about himself, good. But it's the first in, last out at training, the endless repetition of heading, free-kicks, shooting that sets him apart. He scores because he's done it hundreds of thousands of times in practice.

I visualise picking multiple winners each afternoon. Doesn't work out that way. ...

You can instil added belief with tools such as hypnotism. It has manifest results. You can also use better habits to create better outcomes more consistently over time (yes, drills, practice, etc.). Read about Tony Dungy in this (see link), it shows me why certain coaches can go in and transform sides quickly. I'd wager they largely eradicate the bad habits and create better ones: https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by The Original OTIB
Spelling

[The Original OTIB]

2 minutes ago, The Original OTIB said:

You can instill added belief with tools such as hypnotism. It has manifest results. You can also use better habits to create better outcomes more consistently over time (yes, drills, practice, etc.). Read about Tony Dungy in this (see link), it shows me why certain coaches can go in and transform sides quickly. I'd wager they largely eradicate the bad habits and create better ones: https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/

 

From a review: “The Golden Rule of Habit Change” (If you want to know what it is, you have to read the book). Duhigg devotes a significant portion of the chapter to former NFL football coach Tony Dungy who used habit as a key differentiator in his teams.

Dungy was different than most coaches. In a field where the best are known for working around the clock and sleeping on a cot in their offices during the season, Dungy routinely went home at a normal hour. His philosophy was based on his teams developing better playing habits than the competition.

Dungy was coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting in 1996, and despite reaching the playoffs in six of eight years, was fired. He was signed the following year by the Indianapolis Colts and reached the playoffs every year he coached with the team, winning at least 10 games in each season.

When his teams reached the playoffs though, they had a reputation for losing in an early round. What would happen is that, due to nerves, they would abandon their new habits and try to do everything as they did before they developed Dungy’s habits. But in the 2006 season, something changed, Tony Dungy’s son tragically committed suicide. The team came together to rally around their coach and agreed to let the good habits take over in the playoffs.

As you may already know, the Colts won the Super Bowl that year and Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the big game.

The lesson for leaders is twofold: First, working smarter is usually better than working harder. Dungy was an extremely successful coach and still had balance in his life. Second, it is not only important to help your teams develop good habits, but to also get them to trust that they will work in crucial moments. Sadly, it took a tragedy for the Colts to realize their potential. For our teams, we have to watch to make sure we are not victims of our own success by changing good new habits when we get into crunch-time situations.

[Cowshed]

39 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

When, aged 12, he told his teammates he was going to be the best player in world I reckon he'd never heard of visualization. If he died use it and it makes him feel better about himself, good. But it's the first in, last out at training, the endless repetition of heading, free-kicks, shooting that sets him apart. He scores because he's done it hundreds of thousands of times in practice.

I visualise picking multiple winners each afternoon. Doesn't work out that way. ...

I reckon he had not heard of a lot of things till he got to Sporting Lisbon then Man Utd. And what you are highlighting is a psychological growth mindset. Endless training can be ineffectual. What Ronaldo was introduced to at Sporting Lisbon and Man Utd is deliberate practice. Its whys and how skill is internalised and produced on demand is psychological.

What sets Ronaldo apart is his mindset. He is blessed physically as are millions of people but his psychological aptitude to practice and preparation is exceptional. 

In regards to his free kick yes, he used visualisation. He uses a routine. Steps, scan, ball position were used to cut out noise and doubt, but also to control his mind and breathing. He would visualise the task right down to striking the ball with the medial cuneiform just below the centre of the ball, how the strike felt and how success felt. That was couple with the deliberate intense physical practice over and over. It could also explain why since 2014 his success has dropped down to 5% from 16% pre-2014. His technique, the velocity of strike, angle etc appears not have changed so maybe his superhuman mindset has allowed human negative doubt to creep in.    

Edited November 11, 2021 by Cowshed

[BTRFTG]

Well we could try and get this psychologist to sit the players down and visualise crossing the ball from corner or dead ball and actually getting it into the box, of taking a throw-in and City retaining the ball after the first touch, of shooting and the ball actually heading on target.

I visualise all of those things every minute of every match. Never seems to happen though ....

[Red-Robbo]

I think it's more to do with demoralisation. Psychology can be used to lift a demoralised team, just as it can lift a demoralised person.

It isn't just about skills. They can obviously do the skills in training.

Why does the ability desert them en masse in matches - because they are demoralised. A depressed office worker performs worse than a happy one. Particularly when under pressure. Ditto footballers. 

A good manager can lift the morale by himself, instinctively.  Perhaps it's harder for an ill and absent manager, and a stand-in who hasn't known the players for long.

[Street red]

On 14/03/2021 at 23:04, Marcus Aurelius said:

Who?

Bill Beswick is an English sports psychologist. He has had roles with English football clubs Derby County, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, and FC Twente in the Netherlands. Additionally, he has worked with the England U18 and U21 teams. 

Look at those clubs why would that fill you with confidence