“Practice makes permanent”, how sports psychologist Jonathan Katz deals with things not going smoothly

Fencing: The Fenced In Podcast

As COVID continues to reek havoc through all of Europe and with stricter measures being taken Nationally, what effect is this having on our mental health and our fencing? We thought it was time to check in with psychology again.

In this episode Ben and Chris are joined by British Fencing’s Lead Athlete Development Programme Sports Psychologist - Dr Jonathan Katz. Jonathan’s expertise has taken him to multiple Paralympic Games, European, World and Commonwealth Championships, making him an ideal person to talk to when things don’t go smoothly, a little like trying to fence during a global pandemic!

Showing his cool, calm demeanour throughout this intricate episode, Jonathan talks us through some of the common myths surrounding psychology and mental training asking us the most important question - “What function does your sport serve for you and is it meeting that function?”

With high levels of national stress, maintaining mental health is challenging and with fencing restrictions becoming increasingly tighter, most of us are at risk of losing our deep emotional drive that creates the 'personal high' experienced at the core of our magnificent sport!

Jonathan goes deeper to explore what makes top athletes tick and how psychology training has changed in his long and decorated career -
“The idea that people can improve their mental skills in just the same way as their physical skills has resulted in psychology being more of a proactive component in the sporting environment”.

Through JK’s experience with show host, Ben, we discover what more British fencers could be doing to gain greater understanding of their progression and developing more of a ‘learning’ mindset - “It may not have gone as you intended, that doesn’t mean it was wrong. It means it was different”. Coining one of his most favourite phrases, Jonathan explains how easy it is to create habits. Leading to the name of this episode - “Practice makes Permanent”!

If you’d like to know more or speak to JK directly, you can get in touch via:

Thanks Chris. Should be good for me to go live. Please let me have the various 'handles' where folks can find the podcast so I can place on my social media.

Twitter: @DrJonKatz
Email: [e-mail]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjonathankatz