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  • Following a highly competitive tendering process that attracted bids from international research teams, the Irish Institute of Sport (IIS) has commissioned a team led by Prof Aidan Moran to investigate the experiences of elite Irish athletes in fifteen sports. This ground-breaking research will uncover the barriers that athletes have had to overcome during their sport careers and will be used to underpin the development of services at the IIS to ensure that potential medal winners have the best possible opportunities of achieving success on the international stage. The IIS decided from the outset that it wanted to create a system that was World-leading. To achieve this aim it is essential to conduct research to identify the specific and unique needs of Irish athletes. The aim is to learn from the best practice developed in other countries that have been running for some years but tailor IIS support services to target the key factors that will make a difference. The outcome from the research will be presented at the Institute’s inaugural high performance conference in January 2008. Further details on this conference will be made available shortly.
    The full research team is Prof Aidan Moran, Suzanne Guerin (both University College Dublin), Alan Ringland (Institute of Technology Tralee), Tadhg MacIntyre (University of Ulster), Deirdre Lyons (National Coaching and Training Centre)
    http://www.irishsportscouncil.ie/developing-hp-olympic.aspx
  • Irish Rugby Hero, Paul O'Connell, Defends Mental Toughness of Irish Team
    "I think the guys are mentally strong enough that there’s a collective
    thing there to put it right."
    Click here
  • Preliminary findings from a qualitative study by Tadhg MacIntyre with former Internationals suggests that the much feared Maori ritual may have more complex consequences than previously thought. Thus, it appears to be facilitative for some players on the opposition and may be detrimental to the performancne of several players in the All-Black team. Interviews with former players indicates that they used it to effectively arouse themselves for the big-game occasion. Furthermore, theories of anxiety would suggest that very high levels of arousal may impair performance on finer motor skills on the rugby pitch, such as place-kicking and drop-kicks. Essentially, a number of the Kiwis may be inappropriately hyped up for the match, given the task that they must perform in the early minutes of their matches.
  • During filming for a recent documentary on the possibilities of the
    Irish team taking home the trophy at the Rugby World Cup, Professor
    Moran, got his hands on the actual trophy. Of course, we still
    mathematically have a chance of winning the cup, but it may turn out
    that he will be the only Irishman to hold the trophy until the next
    World Cup. Incidentally, William Webb Ellis, was likely inspired by the
    ancient Irish game "caid" which he played when his father was stationed
    in Ireland.
  • The mental toughness lecture provided by Robert Weinberg was well attended. This author gave a brief summary of his work into mental toughness that is an extension of existing literature in the area (see Jones, Hanton & Connaughton). Mental toughness is a composite factor that includes a number of mental qualities /attributes including the ability to deal with pressure, positive attitude, psychological skills, motivation, leadership and physical attributes. The development of such qualities /attributes takes time and is a function of competitive experience, coach behaviour, and increased awareness. To build mental toughness, coaches should help build confidence, have intense practices, make use of visualization, and create a positive team environment.