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The Champions Journal

The mental game, explained simply.

Real sporting situations, what they trigger, and tools to deal with them.

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When the mind takes over: the story of Nafi Thiam
  • Adversity, Failure, Performance

When the mind takes over: the story of Nafi Thiam

“It’s foggy in my head.” These words, spoken by Nafissatou Thiam to RTBF, reached far beyond the stadium in Tokyo. They were a stark reminder that even the greatest and the strongest can get lost in a mental fog.

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Preparing a high-level season: review, goals and strategic planning
  • Goal setting, Performance

Preparing a high-level season: review, goals and strategic planning

At the end of every season, a structured review is not optional but essential: it shows what worked, what needs to change and how to build new long-term progress.

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Parents of young athletes: 3 common mistakes to avoid to support them better
  • Communication

Parents of young athletes: 3 common mistakes to avoid to support them better

Vous êtes parent d’un jeune footballeur ou athlète prometteur, mais vous ne savez pas toujours comment bien l’accompagner ? Vous n’êtes pas seul… Au fil de nos années de préparation mentale avec de jeunes sportifs, une chose est devenue évidente pour nous : les parents ont un impact colossal sur la progression – ou la pression – que vivent leurs enfants.

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Autosuggestion: when words shape performance
  • Goal setting, Performance, Visualisation

Autosuggestion: when words shape performance

Self-suggestion is the art of talking to yourself deliberately and purposefully, to influence your emotional states, your decisions and your performance. Behind this apparent simplicity lies a real lever for psychological and cognitive regulation.

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Impostor syndrome in high-level sport: understanding it, supporting athletes, overcoming it
  • Self-confidence, Mindfulness

Impostor syndrome in high-level sport: understanding it, supporting athletes, overcoming it

In the collective imagination, elite athletes embody success, confidence and mental strength. Yet behind the image of the champion there can be a very different reality: a silent inner struggle called impostor syndrome.

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Nutrition: its impact on the mind and performance
  • Performance

Nutrition: its impact on the mind and performance

Nutrition plays an essential role, not only in physical performance but also in athletes’ mental health. As Dr Guillaume Fond, a psychiatrist specialising in nutritional psychiatry, and Émilie Steinbach, a neuroscientist specialising in integrative biology, explain, a balanced diet directly affects our brain, our emotional state and our cognitive abilities.

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RWDM, Zulte Waregem, RAAL: how to prepare mentally to make history?
  • Self-confidence, Performance, Visualisation

RWDM, Zulte Waregem, RAAL: how to prepare mentally to make history?

This weekend, the Belgian Challenger Pro League will experience one of the most intense moments in its recent history. Three clubs – Zulte Waregem, RWDM and RAAL La Louvière – can still win promotion to the Jupiler Pro League, and everything will be decided on the final matchday. Between pressure, excitement, the weight of the past and a unique opportunity, the players will have to face much more than an opponent: their own minds.

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How to overcome adversity: Alexander Volkanovski's lesson at UFC 314
  • Adversity, Failure, Performance

How to overcome adversity: Alexander Volkanovski's lesson at UFC 314

In the unforgiving arena of elite sport, few manage to return to the top after hitting rock bottom. Alexander Volkanovski, former UFC featherweight champion, did just that with a mastery that commands respect.

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