It’s impossible not to love Padraig Harrington
The three-time major winner has been giving interviews ahead of his return to Augusta for the Masters next week.
Specifically Padraig is talking about how he battled back from the career slump which saw him fail to qualify for Augusta last year and fall to No385 in the world rankings.
Like many sportspeople, Harrington turned to Dr Steve Peters, the psychologist who has worked with Team Sky, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Liverpool among many others.
Peters’ acclaimed book, The Chimp Paradox, details how it essential to control your ‘inner chimp’ in order to fully manage your emotions and thoughts.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Harrington had already given a of thought to how his own inner chimp behaved. The explanation is Peak Padraig, as he told Ewan Murray in the Guardian:
“I started working with Steve last summer and he really helped me out. I don’t generally tell people about The Chimp Paradox. It’s a hard one to explain, that one. I rather tell people about the subconscious and the conscious. My big mistake was that I read the book – as I read all the sports psychology books out there – and didn’t think it applied to me.
“I assumed the chimp was very aggressive, loud, always jumping out there, the type of guy who throws clubs and loses his temper. Which isn’t me.
“My chimp is a lot quieter, a lot more behind-the-scenes sort of guy but he needs serious quietening down and a lot of reassuring like everyone else. My chimp was definitely doing a lot of damage and still does.
“But you accept it and get on with it and think that’s just the way it is. I don’t lose my temper. I don’t show it. It’s more deep-rooted. It never was a swing thing. It was a mental thing. I won my three majors because my focus was so good.”
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