Have you ever heard the phrase ‘do what you love’? And there are few instances, rare but indeed true, where you come across the embodiment of that saying. Well, there’s this one gentleman… cricket, football and rugby Psychologist, Adrian McInman, a Kiwi Sports Psychologist who is currently employed by the Zimbabwe Cricket Board. Having also worked with a number of other cricketing nations, for both male and female national teams, McInman was an ideal choice to have this conversation on the field of Psychology and its place in the world of sports, more specifically, cricket. So when he agreed to speak with me on the topic, I was grateful for the opportunity.
With 12 years as a researcher, over 15 years of applied work in the field and with the aid of technology, he stresses, from all the way in Sri Lanka, the distinction between therapy or counselling and his methods, he shares some experienced-based thoughts and expresses his desire to work with the West Indies team in the future.
Who exactly is a Sports Psychologist?
There are many types of sport psychologists. Perhaps you can artificially split them up into two camps. There are some who are based primarily in universities that focus on research and teaching. Their work is invaluable. Without them, we are just guessing what we think works and what doesn’t. Without them, we might just be suggesting a placebo and wasting clients’ times. So, we need their research findings. Then there are those, like myself, in the applied “real” world, helping athletes, coaches, managers, sporting staff, and administrators. Sports psychologists often fall into both camps. In my case, I completed 10 years of university study, then worked as a researcher for 12 years (while completing 4 more full-time years at university), before switching in 2005 to the applied world.
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