ZEPP FM | Sport psychology for athletes, coaches & future sport psychologists - ZEPP FM 006 - About good and really bad advices in sport psychology with Grzegorz Wieclaw

ZEPP FM 006 - About good and really bad advices in sport psychology with Grzegorz Wieclaw

09/05/18 • 115 min

ZEPP FM | Sport psychology for athletes, coaches & future sport psychologists

Grzegorz is one of only very few sport psychologists who work in Poland with athletes, teams and coaches – both in able-bodied and in disabled sports. It took us several months to finally schedule a date for our interview because he is so busy travelling and working with his teams, that it’s hard to get ahold of him. However, we made it – and I’m more than happy that it finally worked out!

Grzegorz studied psychology and sport psychology in Canada, Germany, Finland and Poland, and one of his first lecturers, Prof David Cox from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver/BC, Canada) was such an inspiration to Grzegorz that he decided to focus on sport psychology and try to inspire others the way Prof Cox inspired him. From what I know about Grzegorz and where his journey lead him so far, I’d say, that he’s on a very good way to be an inspiration for athletes, coaches as well as current and future sport psychologists.

In today’s episode – which is longer than regular episodes – Grzegorz and I talk about his experiences in sport psychology, his purpose for working with able-bodied and disabled athletes, what strategies he teaches athletes to better deal with stress, what we can learn from athletes (especially disabled athletes), the worst advices he regularly hears being dispensed in sports, what advices he would give future sport psychologists to enter this amazing field – and much, much more!

I really enjoyed talking with Grzegorz and we’ve already planned to do another episode on sport psychology - specifically, how and which movies can help coaches and teams to learn from such movies. No matter if you’re an athlete, coach or (future) sport psychologist – this episode is full of great experiences, stories and advices!

Previous Episode

ZEPP FM 005 - Acceptance and gratitude in sports with Daniel Kirk

Daniel Kirk used to play Australian Ruled Football quite successfully – until he injured his ankle during a match, needing several surgeries that unfortunately left him with only 20% range of movement in his lower leg. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to return to his sport. However, he didn’t give up, fought his way back into sports and found a way to be an active athlete and a role model for other people instead.

I think it’s safe to say that many of us experience setbacks in life. Some setbacks might be small – some might be massive. I don’t have the right to judge if the setback Daniel had after he injured his ankle was a small or a huge setback – but it definitely made him struggle. But: he didn’t give up. He identified ways how to deal with the new circumstances, how to accept what has happened and how to use this situation to make the next major steps in his life – both, as a person and as an athlete.

If you have ever been in a situation where you didn’t know how to react and behave, how you could use it as a stepping stone for your future self, or where you thought: “I’m done – I can’t take it anymore” – then Daniel has some great thoughts and experiences to share with you. I’m grateful that Daniel took his time to answer all of my questions, that he shared how his first athletic career ended and his second career started, how he overcame his inner struggles and what it feels like to be a national team athlete today.

This episode is full of inspiration and great advices from an athlete who experienced a career ending injury, accepted his new identity, found a way to deal with his new situation, and started to represent his country at World Championships – and maybe in Tokio 2020, too.

Next Episode

ZEPP FM 007 - Playing volleyball with Khmer Rouge soldiers in Cambodia with Senghay Ly

Back in the early days of the Cambodian National Volleyball League – Disabled (CNVLD), Senghay was one of the first players to compete in the only volleyball league for disabled athletes in the world. His effort, his motivation and his determination helped him deal with his disability, social adversities, as well as several other challenges in his life. However, he never quit.

Senghay was a national team member of the Cambodian National Volleyball Team and competed in various international competitions. His effort, his motivation and his experiences helped him improve himself every day a bit more. After playing volleyball and studying Applied Economics in Cambodia, he was awarded the development scholarship at the University of Auckland/NZ, where he received the degree of Master of International Business only recently.

In today’s episode we look at Senghay’s history in playing volleyball, what it meant to him to play volleyball in the CNVLD, and what it felt like to represent Cambodia at World Cups. One topic we also discussed was what it was like to play together with former Khmer Rouge soldiers who arrested, tortured and probably executed Cambodian citizens between 1951 and 1991 – a topic that always interested me since I met Senghay and his fellow team mates in 2007.

After actively working together with the CNVLD between 2007 and 2010 it was a pleasure for me to talk to Senghay and hear about his own development as well as how some of my former athletes do today. He shares many great insights into sports and life as an athlete in a developing country, and what challenges he and his team mates had to face. All of this will probably leave you humble and grateful for the life you’re able to live today – and it will encourage you to look at obstacles and adversities from a different perspective. Thank you Senghay for sharing your experiences with us!