GIVING THE GAME AWAY

Martyn Rooney is a double 400m European Champion, a former captain of Team GB, and an athlete who has been at the top of their sport for over ten years. ⠀ ⠀ Despite the incredibly successful career that Martyn has had, he is no stranger to disappointment and controversy. With Martyn, as is often the case with track and field athletes, these highs and lows have unfolded on the biggest stage of them all – the Olympic Games.⠀ ⠀ At just 21, having been touted by Steve Cram as the next Seb Coe, Martyn represented GB at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Coming fourth in the final, losing to an unusually quick Russian team, Martyn was not the only one who was suspicious about their performance. 8 years later, when it emerged that a member of the Russian team had been doping, and they were rightly disqualified, Martyn received the medal he was owed in 2008. As Martyn touches upon in our podcast, winning a medal is undoubtedly life-changing, but when it comes eight years later than it should, it can lead to frustration and exasperation.⠀ ⠀ Perhaps his most famous Olympic moment though came in Rio in 2016; In a BBC interview straight after his individual race, when asked why the race didn't go well, Martyn famously claimed that he’d “ran like a dick”. In his last hope for a medal that year, Martyn was disqualified in the 4 x 400m final, when a team-mate was deemed to have stepped into the wrong area of the track. This was an incredibly frustrating thing to deal with, and his insights into how he coped with this were fascinating from a sports psychology perspective.⠀ ⠀ It was so good to get inside the mind of an elite athlete like Martyn, who has experienced the best that athletics can offer, as well as some of the frustrations that come with being involved in the sport. Martyn has his own podcast, called That Greaves and Rooney Sports Podcast, which we highly recommend – follow the link in our story for more of it.

As described by ESPN Cricinfo, "Lewis Hatchett achieved one of the most gloriously defiant careers in the history of cricket…" Lewis was born with a condition called Poland Syndrome, a rare condition which appears in only one in 100’00 births, leaving Hatchett missing a right pectoral muscle, and the two ribs that would have been behind it. At birth, Hatchett’s parents were told that he would not be able to play and compete in sport at all. In Lewis’ own words though, he knew he was different but wasn’t willing to be treated that way and, as a result, he continued to compete in sports. Whilst doing so, he would visualise signing a professional cricket contract at his home county Sussex and, in 2010, this became a reality. Having manifested his own ultimate dream, and having had a successful 6 year career at the height of his sport in the UK, it is no surprise that Lewis Hatchett is a firm believer in the power of visualisation as a tool for enhancing elite performance, which he now teaches other athletes. Alongside visualisation, he’s now helping other athletes, ranging from NFL Running Backs to Olympic Gold Medallists, realise the power of breathwork, meditation and yoga through his business Sport Yogi. In what we feel is an incredibly innovative way of enhancing elite performance, Sport Yogi allows Athletes to get every inch out of their recovery, and ultimately cope with the physical and mental stresses of professional sport. Lewis’ story is the epitome of making no excuses in order to live up to your dream. If you’d like to hear more of Lewis’ story, and how he now helps other athletes carve out their own journeys, check out his podcast Raising Your Game, by clicking the link in our bio.

With 27 ODIs and 7 Test matches under his belt, former England cricketer, James Taylor, was an extremely talented batsman and fielder, who was renowned for his work ethic and physical fitness. And it was his exceptional fitness levels that ultimately saved his life, when in 2016, he was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy or ARVC, a life-threatening heart condition, similar to the one sustained by Fabrice Muamba. If it wasn't for James' excellent fitness, it is unlikely that he would have survived. Unfortunately, the condition forced Taylor’s retirement and robbed him of more success as an England cricketer. However, prior to the diagnosis in 2016, Taylor had already achieved so much in an England shirt. He scored a 98* versus Australia in a World Cup, and later scored a hundred against the same opposition. He was a big game player, and was always confident that he would perform in high-pressured situations due to the hard-work and preparation he put in off-the-field. Perhaps James’ fondest memory on a cricket pitch was actually the two incredible catches he took in Johannesburg during a historic series win against South Africa. Such is the cruel nature of sport, it was just a matter of weeks after the highs of Jo’burg that James received the devastating news that his playing career was over. Not only could James no longer play cricket again, the sport that he loved and had spent most of his life playing, but he could no longer play any sport at all, or any activity that could increase his heart rate whatsoever. For someone who loved competing, training, and staying fit - that was an extremely tough blow. But what’s incredible about James is his sheer positivity, and shortly after the diagnosis, he changed his focus from what he couldn’t do to what he can do. He is still involved in the game, working as a coach, as a commentator and also as a selector for the England team. In his new role as selector, James was able to contribute to England’s World Cup heroics in 2019, and although James is unable to don the England whites any more, it is certain that he will still bring so much positivity to cricket in this country in the years to come. 

Match-fixing is ‘the action or practice of dishonestly determining the outcome of a match before it is played.’ In this interview, we speak to someone who, themselves, has received eleven life bans for fixing cricket matches.  Before being embroiled in scandal, Lou Vincent was a world-class cricketer, famed for his fearless approach to the game and ability to score runs against any opposition. A hundred on Test debut against Australia is just one on a long list of Lou’s cricketing achievements.  However, his career ended when he was slammed with eleven life bans in 2014, after it transpired that he had been involved in fixing several cricket matches. Never before has Lou gone into so much detail about the sinister world he got entangled in, and over the course of the interview we are given a shocking insight into what exactly he was asked to do by the corrupt fixers, and how they kept him involved through intimidation and fear.  Lou is now seeking redemption, and is looking to turn that period of his life into a positive by educating young sportspeople about the dangers of corruption and match-fixing and he hopes that his experiences can help to ensure that no one else gets tangled up in the same mess he was.  You can see the work Lou is doing at the moment for his community in New Zealand by following @windyridgecricketclub. Follow Giving The Game Away on social media: Instagram - @givingthegameaway Twitter - @GTGAMedia YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_-ZyEHfjr8OImFRWJQD8A Website - www.givingthegameaway.co.uk

Having spent the last fifteen years advising and getting inside the minds of champions, including the likes of Frank Lampard, Shane Warne, Stuart Broad and Boris Becker, there is perhaps no one who is better qualified to make sense of elite-sporting performance than Jeremy Snape.  Jeremy had an incredibly successful 16 year cricket career, in which he went on to receive 10 caps for the England team. However, he is a firm believer though that failure was often his most powerful teacher and when he under-performed in front of 120,000 people against India in a One Day International in 2002, a life lesson was learnt. As he refers to in his podcast, named ‘Inside the Mind of Champions’, it wasn’t the opposition who caused him to fail that day, it was himself. In that moment he realised that for anyone to thrive in their careers, they need to win their own mental battle first and this is where Jeremy’s journey, to becoming one of the most respected and trusted names in sports psychology, ultimately began. ⠀ ⠀  In 2005, having qualified with a degree in Sports Psychology, Jeremy was enlisted by the Rajasthan Royals to help Shane Warne’s side win their first IPL Trophy. With Warne having famously said that “the only coach should be the one that takes us to and from the ground”, the hardest part of the job for Snape was opening Warne’s eyes to the benefits he could bring. Once he was able to do so and prove the impact that his methods had on the side’s performance, his services would be in-demand from the world’s top sporting sides for the next 13 years. Jeremy has since held roles at Crystal Palace, as well as advising England Rugby under Eddie Jones during their record 18 wins in a row. He has taken these learnings, alongside insights from the All Blacks and F1 teams, to help understand how to build the strongest and most agile teams in elite sport. Jeremy is a great inspiration to us, and we're so grateful for the conversation we were able to have with him. If you enjoyed this episode, check out Jeremy's podcast 'Inside the Mind of Champions' which delves into the mindset of elite performers. Follow Giving The Game Away on social media: Instagram - @givingthegameaway Twitter - @GTGAMedia YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_-ZyEHfjr8OImFRWJQD8A Website - www.givingthegameaway.co.uk 

Miles Hammond started off his career as a promising young bowler, travelling the world with the England U-19 side, and taking wickets for his county. However, a potential battle with the ‘yips’ followed, and Miles had to adapt and change his game entirely. The ‘yips’ was coined by golfer Tommy Armour in the 1920s to describe his sudden inability to hole short putts, and it has since become one of the most fascinating areas of sport. Psychologists still know little about the cause of the yips, which can come on suddenly and cause an athlete to have a complete mental block – unable to perform a skill they have practised thousands of time before. Miles’ case meant that he was unable to bowl, and resultantly he was left out of the Gloucestershire side for three years, left questioning whether he had a future in cricket at all. However, Miles demonstrated immense resilience to adapt his game and focus his energy into becoming a batsman instead. He bounced back from the yips and ended up returning to the Gloucestershire team three years later, scoring a hundred on his comeback match. His journey is another example of an athlete reframing a setback into an opportunity. We’re grateful to Miles for opening up on his experiences and providing his insight into the psychology of cricket – which is probably one of the most mentally demanding games in the world. We learned a lot from this episode, and hopefully those listening will be able to pick up some techniques for dealing with the pressures of sport too.

Kenji Gorré is definitely more than just a footballer. Son of Dutch football legend, Dean Gorré, Kenji was tipped to stardom from a young-age, when he played for both Manchester City’s and Manchester United’s academies at just 6 years old. This was the perfect footballing education, as he learned from the likes of Giggs, Scholes and Ferdinand on a daily basis on the training ground. During this episode, Kenji talks about the winning culture that was instilled at United, and what he learned from his time there. Unfortunately, at 18 years old, Kenji received a brutal setback when he was informed by Sir Alex Ferguson that he was being released by United. However, Kenji didn’t give up on his professional football dream and ended up playing for Swansea City in the Premier League – proving that setbacks can become opportunities with the right attitude. Although, while in Wales, another difficult period ensued, with Kenji battling a gambling addiction. Fortunately, Kenji overcame the addiction and he’s now happier than ever, enjoying his football for Nacional in Portugal and playing for the Curacao national team. Kenji is using his experiences of dealing with setbacks to help other footballers fine tune their own mentality. He’s recently founded On the Ball - a service where elite footballers can learn more about developing the correct mind-set for elite sport. He also hosts Konversations with Kenji, a podcast discussing the mental side of football. His positivity and energy is infectious and we really enjoyed hearing his ideas about the mental side of the game. If you liked this episode – go check out Konversations with Kenji for more insightful interviews with elite footballers.

The incredibly technical nature of cricket means that many of the games current professionals had to have been born “with a bat in hand”. For Tymal Mills, the case could not have been more different. At 13, as someone who was largely unaware of the sport, Tymal was asked to fill in for a friend in a local after-school club game. A clear natural to the sport, within five years of first playing Tymal already had a contract at Essex CCC.  At aged 22, Tymal experienced his first injury shock when, during a spell for Essex CCC, he began feeling odd sensations in his legs and lower back. After numerous consultations, and fears that the shocks could have been early signs of Multiple Sclerosis, Tymal faced the decision of whether or not to retire from cricket. Although the severity of the injury meant he had medical grounds to retire, Tymal made the decision to continue his career, but to focus solely on T20 cricket.  At the time, due to the realisation that he would no longer be able to play Test Cricket for England, this felt like a setback. However, no one could have predicted what was to come. Looking back, as Tymal claims, the injury was “the best thing to have happened”; the subsequent focus on T20 cricket allowed Tymal to become one of the games most famous players and he is now the true epitome of a modern, franchise cricketer.  Shortly after making his England Debut, Tymal was bought for £1.3m in the 2017 IPL Auction, having been selected to feature in a team alongside Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers. These are opportunities that may not have been available had he focussed on four-day cricket, and it is testament to the fact, in sport, often minor setbacks are part of a much greater end goal.  Tymal is now using his story to help inspire the next generation of fast bowlers and his book, called ‘the Book of Pace’, can be purchased online @pacejournal or on their website. Tymal's story is one of raw natural talent, combined with immense resilience, and we hope you enjoy it.