Winning the mind games can keep Yorkshire on right track

According to an expert in psychology and sport at Leeds Metropolitan University, their hopes of maintaining their blistering start lie not on the pitch, but in the mind – by simply making a balance of positive and negative thoughts.

"Human beings are programmed to deal with negative things immediately, because they see them as a threat – they supercede everything," says Jim McKenna, professor of physical activity and health at the University's Carnegie Research Institute.

"Because of that, it's important to maintain a ratio of 3:1 – that's three positive thoughts, to every one negative. Once you have that, then you have a chance in professional sport. It's important to have positive people around you, but you need negatives, too."

Not bitter negatives, McKenna explains, but something in their games that the young players can work on – which is where Yorkshire's experienced players, such as Jacques Rudolph, Anthony McGrath and Gerard Brophy, become invaluable to a squad whose average age is 24.

"The older guys in the squad can come in and keep the younger lads grounded, and remind them that they haven't done anything yet," he continued. "Or if they see a youngster who looks down after a loss of form, they can tell them: 'I know what you're going through, it's happened to me before. It's not the end of the world'.

"But, of course, it has to mean something to you – you must have the dedication to work hard at the corrective advice, too."

McKenna, along with Leeds Met bursary student Jon Finn, will publish an academic paper in a journal for coaches this summer, exploring the findings. Much of his knowledge was gleaned during a spell working with Gloucestershire during the 2000s – when they picked up seven one-day trophies.

"John Bracewell, the New Zealander, was their coach then, and it was the most successful period in their history," said McKenna.

"I did a lot of their preparation work, and John understood what I was talking about – how it's important to focus on the next ball, and not the last one.

"It's about the player's response. People are adaptive, but the way they deal with a set of circumstances is already in place. The job of the coach is to create an environment which encourages them to make the right decisions."

As well as studying the physical effects of developing from academy to first-team level, as youngsters such as Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Jonathan Bairstow and Joe Root have recently done, the report also looks into the psychological, psychosocial and academic changes in a young athlete's life.

"The project is all about how people handle the transition between junior and first-team levels, which we believe is the hardest transition to go through," added McKenna.

"It involves a number of different perspectives, from athletes to coaches. During the transition, their job is likely to be changing; their whole social network changes; and their psychological make-up changes. This becomes serious now; this means something.

"Not all these transitions happen at the same time, so how on earth do any of these youngsters transit through all that?

"Only a few, extraordinary ones do. A lot of people don't – and that's where we see the death of so-called talent. Talent is no good without hard work – it's completely worthless."

McKenna believes the fact that a number of White Rose youngsters have moved up to the first-team squad together, within such a short space of time, is a positive factor – but also a potential problem.

"There'll be a definite solidarity within this group of young players, and that can be useful because there'll be plenty of positive vibes going around," he said.

"Especially when the team is winning, and performing well. But then the issue becomes: does it create too much comfort, and does belonging in that group become sufficient? There's always a danger it could become a team inside a team.

"It's a difficult one, there's no definite answer. Does a cohesive group come as a consequence of good performances, or do good performances come as a consequence of being a cohesive group?

"Yorkshire cricket has seen fixed minds before – it's good for the individual, but not so good for the team."

So, with Yorkshire defying the odds and challenging at the top of the County Championship, how do they continue their impressive form? According to McKenna, the answer is simple: "Get used to winning".

"These youngsters have to be prepared for the boredom of hard work, and for the boredom of success," he said.

"They must be prepared to go to training every day, so when they hit that ball out in the middle they don't have to worry about how far it'll go; where it'll go; how fast it'll go.

"Look at the most successful systems around the world – Australian cricket, New Zealand rugby, American basketball. These systems are built around coping with the monotony of success. Michael Jordan, for example, was on the court every day.

"You have to get used to winning, but at the same time not get over the top about it. If you get overwhelmed by how great you think you are, then the will to develop disappears. It's important to remember that there's a long way to go – even though you may have won something, or done something else, there's always something to do next."

For Yorkshire, that next target remains capturing the County Championship title – which

they have not won since

2001, and only once in 42

years.

"There's something specific about Yorkshire, something odd," said McKenna smiling.

"No-one else has enjoyed so much resources, and yet produced so many poor performances."

If their youngsters can see through the transition as seamlessly as they have to date at Headingley, then those days may be well and truly over.

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