(Ep048) Sports Psychologist Peter Olusoga on the Dark Side of the Mamba Mentality and Why Athletes & Coaches Burnout
When Tim DiFrancesco was the S&C coach for the Lakers, he got to see Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality firsthand. Before facing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Kobe was so tight that TD and the training staff could barely get him off the floor of the visitors’ locker room. Yet somehow he willed himself to push through his pain, get out in the layup line, and put up the kind of offensive games MSG fans had to come to expect from the five-time NBA champ.
After TD shared this story on Twitter, British sports psychologist Peter Olusoga - a respected professor at Sheffield Hallam University - replied that while he respected Kobe’s mental toughness, there can be drawbacks to when athletes put everything on the line.
In this episode, Peter shares:
How a misinterpretation of the Mamba Mentality could put players in a dark place
Why a desire to show grit and resilience can go too far into overwork and burnout
What happens when the demands placed on a coach or athlete outweigh their ability to cope
Which techniques you can use to prevent burnout
How to practice self-awareness and create a more healthy, well-rounded sense of identity
Continue learning from Peter and his guests on the Eighty Percent Mental podcast and follow him on Twitter.
