Thomas King is a sports psychology consultant, working for Winning Golf Mind and the Leicester City Football Academy. He has extensive academic qualifications, including a Psychology degree with Honours in Sports Psychology, as well as a Masters Degree in Sports and Exercise Psychology. His work with Leicester City involves psychologically profiling 160 athletes, from young players just starting out to more established players up to the age of 23.

Golf, however, is where Tom's specialty lies. His work with Winning Golf Mind sees him consult a wide variety of players, from seasoned professionals to amateurs with handicaps in the high 20s. He commonly works 1-on-1 with these players, however he also runs workshops and speaks to larger groups. The focus is, essentially, to help their game through the development of psychological techniques.

Tom's interest in sports psychology as it relates to golf stems from a strong playing history. He has competed for his county for a number of years, and in 2007 represented Wales in British colleges.

In this episode, Tom goes into significant detail about the processes which he tries to instill in his clients. These range from imagery and self-talk, all the way through to blood flow and emotional states.

Ep. 6: Thomas King from Winning Golf Mind Show Notes

Thomas explains his role as a sports psychologist. [2:20]
How do mindsets differ between golfers and footballers? [3:40]
What are effective questions? [9:10]
Swing thoughts. [14:30]
How do we get into the process of flow, and what is it? [16:00]
The Winning Golf Mind model. [17:40]
Pre-shot routines. [22:20]
Imagery. [26:10]
Self talk. [28:50]
Goal setting. [31:50]
Attitude and quality of thoughts. [35:30]
Mastery vs ego. [38:10]
Avoidance vs towards. [41:40]
Blood flow. [44:00]
Brain waves. [52:50]
Emotional states. [56:30]
Rapid fire questions. [64:00]
Thomas King's action challenge. [67:00]

Thomas King's Action Challenge

Go to a practice range and create an imaginary 50-yard fairway using two markers on the range.
Hit 3 drives in a row onto this fairway.
Create an imaginary 30-year fairway using two markers.
Hit 3 drives in a row onto this fairway.
If you miss your fairway, you go back to the start of the process. This establishes consequences to your poor shots and helps you to practice like you play. It does not have to involve driving, nor the exact number. The intention is to practice like you play.

Gear/Resources Mentioned

Thomas King

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