How important is the mental game?

“The belief that a strong mental game can turn good players into great players is nothing new”

The headline to this article is the question I ask myself while waiting outside a lecture theatre at Hertfordshire University among an excited huddle of 150 conference delegates. Those present include coaches, psychologists and athletes from a wide range of sports.

There’s a buzz in the room and a sense that many questions are about to be answered by the man