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Brumbies take mental approach to pre-season training
BY PETER FITZGERALD
10/01/2009 9:46:00 AM
There's mental toughness, then there's calling in the shrink.
ACT Brumbies coach Andy Friend has no concerns about his players' physical readiness for a Super 14 season but when it comes to the mental aspect, he's not entirely convinced.
So what else better to do than call in a psychologist to sort his troops out.
Dr Pieter Kruger, who worked with Friend at UK club Harlequins for two-and-a-half seasons, is spending three weeks with the Brumbies to test their mental skills and if need be, toughen them up.
Players and coaching staff have this week undergone a two-stage psyche test which included a written questionnaire as well as a heart rate and brain performance examination.
The questionnaire asked about the players' perception of their ability to deal with pressure and the type of thought processes that would be present when playing in a high-pressure game.
It also explored the thought content during critical moments, the ability to block out distracting thoughts or interference from external sources and the pressures felt as a result of internally or externally-created expectations.
Asked how the results were, Kruger said ''I haven't got around to all of them and completed them yet ... but apart from [forwards coach] Owen [Finegan] the boys have been quite good.''
Friend was pleased with Kruger's finding.
''It means he's accurate,'' Friend joked, in reference to Finegan's unstable findings.
Even prop Nic Henderson was taken back by what the tests could reveal.
''There could be a few psychopathic killers in our team, we're still to find out,'' Henderson laughed.
While the addition of a psychologist at training has its humorous element, those involved also saw the serious side of the short-term addition to the coaching staff.
Kruger's main aim during his stint with the Brumbies is to assess the psychological state of the players in terms of rugby prowess and their ability to perform under pressure.
He believes mental toughness is as vital as physicality when it comes to being a perfectly rounded rugby player.
''The problem in professional sport is everyone is fit and strong and therefore the basics are in play but if you get that cemented by psychological skills, it's actually how you apply those physical skills under pressure,'' Kruger said.
''The players need to create a level of awareness to discover how they would react under certain circumstances of pressure and adrenalin.''
When Friend arrived at the Brumbies last July to take over from Laurie Fisher as head coach, mentally improving his players was high on his agenda.
Friend believed self-confidence was a key aspect to a sportsperson reaching their potential and wanted to ensure the Brumbies players were not lacking in that department.
''It's about the players knowing that in crucial times, that they're not going to break down and that they have the confidence to make the right choice and succeed,'' he said.
''Elite sport is a lot about skill but a lot also about what happens in the top two inches.''
The Brumbies travel to Jervis Bay tomorrow for a week-long camp.
Picture S12 final 2004
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news...px?storypage=0
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