Archive for the ‘PTFC’ Category

Partick Thistle performing at their peak

By: Anna

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Shona Duff, the Optimum Performance coach who has been working with Jackie McNamara and the team at Partick Thistle gave macb.co.uk this exclusive interview, ahead of this weekend’s ‘six-pointer’ against Dunfermline.

From looking at the team’s diet, hydration and sleep regimes to look more deeply at the mental strength needed to succeed, Shona talks to macb about what we can all learn from her experience with Thistle, and what steps we can all take to be our own very best.

1.     This weekend’s game against Dunfermline has so much resting on it.  What advice do you give Jackie and the team going into a game like this where so much is at stake?

It doesn’t matter what game is approaching the message is the same, we want to go out and win and to do that we need to work effectively individually and work well as a team.

So the main focus with Optimum Performance is empowering players to work constantly on themselves to enhance their personal thought processes, release fears and get them to start concentrating on what they want to achieve, not what they don’t want.

Using their instincts is also key along with constantly reviewing diet & hydration to optimise energy levels.

Jackie, Simon and the backroom team give the players the technical requirements and make sure they are physically fit, utilising each individual players skills and ability for Jackie and Simon to pick the team. The combination meets somewhere in the middle to get the result we are all looking for.

2.     What advice do you give the team on the rare occasions this season where the result has not gone their way?

That losing is part of the experience, Jackie and I only reflect briefly on a game, to see whether the team did the best they could or what areas they could have improved on. That could be energy levels of specific players, injures, goals conceded or set pieces that may not have come off as well as had been expected. From our discussion and the debriefs Jackie has with Simon and the other backroom staff, we all know what we have to work on for the week ahead.

3.     Is there any advice/techniques that you use to help Jackie and the team perform at their best that could equally apply to anyone in life?

How I work with the players and Jackie is no different from how I would work with people personally who want to change their lives or corporate clients.

The majority of the players have a drive and passion to be professional footballers and this is key in any career. If you love your job, you want to do well and you will give your best on all levels, no matter how hard it is, to get the results you want, and you NEVER give up, even when you are not getting the results you want.

You reflect on what you have  learned and identify what can be improved, ask for help and advice from people you trust and if required be willing to learn new knowledge in order to move forward again.

What I ask the players to do is reflect on their own performance:

- Did they prepare as well as they could have?

- Have they fuelled and hydrated properly over the week?

- Have they used the coping strategies we have given them to mentally be as focused as they can be?

- Have they trained to the best of their ability?

If they have, then that is all they can do, no one is asking any more of them. If they haven’t we address what they feel they could improve on, how they can implement it going forward towards training and the game the following week.

Tickets to Partick Thistle v Dunfermline are available from the club in advance or you can turn up and pay on the day.

Overcoming obstacles to achieve your goals

By: Mark

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Mark McGuigan talks exclusively to macb.co.uk

2012 has been quite a year for me.  I signed a two-year deal with Partick Thistle (scoring on my debut), graduated from uni, went through my first pre-season as a Jag (believe me it was tough!) and then just when I thought everything was on course BANG the gaffer (that’s Jackie McNamara to you) told me I was going out on loan to Albion Rovers.

I was a bit shocked and a bit worried at the same time cos my first thought was that the gaffer was trying to get rid of me. Over the summer he’d signed Steven Lawless and Steven Craig – attacking players who were in his starting 11 every week. They were scoring goals and we’d had such a great start to the season I knew it’d be difficult to get in the team ahead of them, but at the same time I wanted to be around and fight for my place because I love it at Firhill – the gaffer, the players, the fans – it’s where I want to be.

It didn’t help that I’d managed to pick up a back injury too which meant I wasn’t even on the bench. The loan thing was out of my hands, but after the gaffer explained to me he wanted me to go out and get game time I was happy to do it. It’s for my benefit and I know it will all be worth it in the long run.

That said, when they gave me the loan papers to sign I made sure I read the small print as I didn’t want to sign my Partick Thistle career away!

My ultimate aim is to be playing every week – and scoring goals – for Partick Thistle, but I’ve realised that sometimes you need to take a detour to get to where you want to go. My detour is via Albion Rovers where I must admit I’m loving getting the chance to play every week and I’m scoring goals (three in four games so far!). Everyone has been really supportive about my loan spell from the gaffer , the boys in the Thistle dressing room to the guys from the boardroom to the manager and players at Cliftonhill. In fact, they like me so much they’ve extended my loan spell to mid-DecemberJ I’m happy to stay because I’m playing every Saturday and scoring goals too.

If there’s a down side to it all, it’s that life is pretty hectic right now. I train full time with Thistle during the day, then two nights a week with Albion Rovers as well as putting my sports science degree to good use by helping out with Partick Thistle’s youths on their training nights. I rarely get much time to myself, but I’m loving every minute.

I suppose the lesson that I need to take out of all of this and I guess it applies to anyone is that sometimes you don’t always achieve your goals quite in the way you’d imagined.  Things come along that seem insurmountable at the time, but they actually make you stronger and better in the long term.  I’m staying focused on that and would encourage anyone going through something similar to do the same.

So, this Sunday I’ll be at Cowdenbeath cheering the boys on in the Ramsdens Cup semi-final  – the final isn’t til next April so hopefully the boys can get us there and I’ll be back at Firhill fighting for a place in the starting eleven. C’mon the Jags!

 

Jackie McNamara on overcoming mental and physical barriers to success

By: Anna

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Photo courtesy of PTFC

Jackie talks exclusively to macb.co.uk about the psychology of sport

Four matches, four wins – one of them a nine goal heart stopping Hampden thriller –  and a trophy already in the cabinet – Partick Thistle’s season has got off to a flying start.

Firhill was quite literally buzzing on Saturday as the Jags opened their First Division campaign with a well deserved 3-1 win over Falkirk. It followed on from the pre-season ARR Craib Cup win – beating Celtic and Everton on the way – and two away victories in the Ramsdens Cup against Clyde and the Scottish Communities League Cup against Forfar.

Then there was that Ramsdens Cup clash against Queens Park at Hampden. Beautiful night, great crowd, 90 minutes of football that included nine goals – two last gasp ones that won the tie 5-4 for the Jags to book their place in the quarter finals – a nasty head wound for Sean Welsh (don’t worry he’ll be just as beautiful once the scars have healed) and just general this-is-why-we-all-love-football style entertainment.

The players look great and the fans are happy – all in all the signs look good for the season ahead.

What happens on a matchday when the players cross that white line is obviously what determines how successful a team’s season will be, but more and more managers are now placing a greater emphasis on what the players do off the park – something which is of great importance to Partick Thistle gaffer Jackie McNamara.

Over and above the daily training ground regime, match analysis and the rest and recovery sessions which are at the heart of every players weekly routine there’s other aspects to take into consideration like diet and nutrition, hydration and – perhaps the most crucial of all – mental agility.

We’ve all heard the saying ‘Healthy Body – Healthy Mind’ but the reverse ‘Healthy Mind – Healthy Body’ is also very true.

For Jackie McNamara, it’s about finding the correct balance for his players between the two and that’s why he turned to Performance Coach Shona Duff.

He explains: “We felt that last year the boys were too inconsistent. They’d play well one week then the next game their standards would drop – it was especially noticeable if we had a midweek fixture. It seemed like they couldn’t recover properly in time for the next game and we wanted to get to the bottom of why it kept happening. Shona had a look at things and discovered that the problem was they weren’t eating properly and so their bodies couldn’t physically recover adequately.

“She looked through their diets and put them on the right track. Now, with the backing of the board, we’ve addressed the problem from the start of pre-season and they’re getting the proper food so they’re properly fuelled up. They’re getting fed at the club after training and they know the correct foods to be eating when they’re at home. We also realised a lot of them weren’t drinking enough water, but that problem is solved now. Clearly having macb water as our main sponsor is a big help on that front.

“At the moment, she’s working with the whole first team and doing evaluations with our younger players too because we have to make sure that, first and foremost, our players are healthy enough to play football. It’s easy for players, particularly the younger ones, to fall into bad habits so we have to make them aware that what they put into their bodies affects their performances.”

It’s not just their diets where Shona’s having a healthy influence on the players. As an Optimum Performance Coach she knows how to identify any mental barriers the players may have and how to help overcome them. Whether it’s as group or a more personal one-to-one session, she’s showing the players how to come out on top when it comes to mind games.

Said Jackie: “We could tell that some of the boys were going out there on a matchday and playing with fear, and when that happens you won’t get the best out of them. So Shona’s been working with them to ensure they’re free of any fears or worries once they cross that white line and can focus fully on their jobs, particularly on match day when you need everything to be positive.

“I’ve been working with her too and I can see the results not just with me, but with the players. She gives them the tools to block out negative stuff that affects them and how to get rid of any fears or worries. Players don’t go out there to make mistakes, but if they do then you don’t want them being badly affected by it to the point where their heads to go down. You want them to be able to go out there and express themselves freely and be full of energy.”

The gaffer is delighted with how the players are shaping up physically and mentally for the challenge that lies ahead this season. No-one at Firhill is getting carried away so early in the campaign, but there is a renewed confidence and belief within the Jags dressing room.

“There’s not point having a fit body if you’ve not got a fit mind,” said Jackie. “Through Shona we’re giving the players access to stuff that will help them not just in their football careers, but in life too because no matter what you do it’s important you look after yourself physically and mentally.

“They’ll notice it when they leave here because no other employer will care about them and nurture them in the way we’re doing right now with Shona’s help.”

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