COACH MALICK

Never stop chasing your goals
Coach Malick Master Thesis

Never stop chasing your goals

Sometimes you have to go the extra mile and kick yourself in the butt to finish a thing that has been on your to do list forever, right? Well, for me that was my master thesis. A struggle that I’ve carried several years with me, a goal that has been in the back of my mind but I never tackled properly until last year.

And guess who feels like the happiest person alive right now, holding this piece of paper in their hands? Coach Malick!

This blogpost might be about the master thesis, but it’s also about getting shit done. There is so much in this world that distracts us from our goals and keeps us from fulfilling our dreams. I hope to inspire you today, to put your phone away, to turn the tv off and to get whatever you wanted to do for so long done. I promise you that the reward, that feeling of being completely content and calm, is way better than to procrastinate yet another day. Whatever your goal is, write down the steps to achieve it and start today.

I did it! Call me master.

My thesis is based on the impact of goal directed motivational versus instructional self-talk on the lift performance of skilled CrossFit Athletes.

Self-talk, either instructional or motivational, is used to improve performance in various sports. Instructional self-talk can improve the focus on technique and skills, and motivational self-talk can be used to boost strength and endurance. Olympic Weightlifting requires a high level of both technical skills and strength, which is why I wanted to investigate which type of self-talk is more beneficial to improve lift performance.
To do this, I tested the lift performance of 15 CrossFit athletes while using different types of self-talk, i.e. none, motivational self-talk (“you got this”) or instructional self-talk (“stand up tall”). The number of failed lifts reduced with especially when athletes used instructional self-talk. Motivational self-talk on the other hand increased the number of technical errors during the lift, especially for those athletes with less experience. Given that the impact of the different types of self-talk was very variable, and that the level of experience seemed to play a role, this led me to conclude that a combination of motivational and instructional self-talk might be more beneficial. These gained insights help me in my daily coaching, whereby I encourage and support my clients to find the optimal way to maximize their performance.

Master of science in Sportwissenschaften universität freiburg

Coach Malick Master Done

My thanks go out to:

A massive MERCI goes out to Ellen. My beautiful wife-to-be who helped me to grow and tackle this way overdue project of mine. I would have never made it without her persistence, her support at home and her academic know-how that has definitely taken my work to the next level.

Thanks to my tutor, who helped me to finally get this last step in my “school education” done, and to everyone who believed in me!

But hey, don’t worry. I keep educating myself. Keep learning, keep striving to be the best and most qualified coach out there. My next studies are with OPEX, stay tuned for more infos about that soon.

I am very proud and stoked to finally hold this certificate in my hands.

Much love,

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