Parents beware: Dr Gericke on raising young athletes
Got a young sports star at home? Renowned sports psychologist Dr Henning Gericke tells To The Last Drop that high expectations can weigh heavily on young athletes. Listen here.
What does it take to have a winning mentality? What does it mean to be mentally tough? Can mental toughness be taught? All these teasing questions are answered in the latest episode of To The Last Drop with renowned sports psychologist Dr Henning Gericke.
Dr Gericke, arguably the best-known mental coach in his field in this country, also has a message for parents who harbour high sporting expectations for their child prodigies.
He’s helped parents navigate these treacherous waters and he explains what sets champions apart and delves into the topic of mental toughness.
Dr Gericke is a former middle-distance athlete of some repute and is perhaps best remembered for being part of the Springbok medical team at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He currently consults with the Bulls.
The Springboks' Test against England on Saturday also comes under the microscope in this episode.
To the Last Drop hosts Liam Del Carme and Brenden Nel look ahead to the clash as well as France's meeting with New Zealand, whom they beat at the start of last year's Rugby World Cup.
Listen at the top of the page or directly below. The interview with Dr Gericke starts from 9mins.
About the 'To The Last Drop' podcast hosts
Liam Del Carme
Liam is one of the country's most enduring sports writers. His time in the newsrooms pre-dates rugby turning professional in the 1990s. Del Carme has been in the employ of broadsheet newspapers The Argus, Sunday Independent, This Day and Beeld, and is currently the rugby writer at The Sunday Times.
Del Carme has reported at six Rugby World Cups and around 20 Currie Cup finals.
He loves cooking and travel and is the author of the book 'WINGING IT – On tour with the Boks'. When time allows, he is a television pundit and writes a regular column on timeslive.co.za under the title ‘The Worst of Times’.
Brenden Nel
Rugby has always been a passion for Brenden, so much so that he made it a career. Since first entering a newsroom at the Citizen almost three decades ago, he has written for some of the biggest titles in the world, including Rapport, the Independent (UK), The Times (UK), South China Morning Post and a host of others. Currently, he covers all things rugby for Supersport.com and has reported on no less than four World Cups, five Sevens World Cups and around 250 test matches in total.
Brenden is also the author of "Derick Hougaard - Dieware storie van Loftus se Liefling” and has a popular YouTube channel under his name. He loves nothing more when away from the game than a glass of good red wine, a good fire and spending time with his wife and four rescue dogs.
Listen to previous episodes via the full 'To the Last Drop' channel below: