Why GAA players don’t need to feel confident to perform — mental tools that actually work

Why GAA players don’t need to feel confident to perform — mental tools that actually work

From Humans of Gaelic by Kevin O'Brien

March 27, 2025 · 52 min · Season 1 · Episode 16

About this episode

Sports psychologist Eddy Sheeky discusses the importance of mental tools over confidence for GAA players' performance.

We’ve all heard it: “he’s low on confidence.” But what if confidence isn’t actually the key to playing well? Sports psychologist Eddy Sheeky breaks down why elite players perform regardless of how they feel — and how you can too. We discuss: The myth of confidence — and why elite players perform without it The reset triggers, breathing drills, and mindset habits used at inter-county level How stress outside of sport is secretly killing recovery and performance Tools for players who get sick with nerves or lose control mid-game What separates consistent performers at club vs county level The mindset mistakes most GAA players make when things go wrong You can follow Eddy on Instagram here: @esperformancepsychology ➕ We've got some great guests coming up. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any episodes. **************************** 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 **************************** Subscribe to the Humans of Gaelic podcast wherever you're listening. Leave a Review : If you found value in this episode, please give it a rating and review. It helps us hugely Share the Episode : Know someone who'd enjoy this show? Share it and help us spread the word…

People in this episode

Host: Kevin O'Brien

Guest: Eddy Sheeky

Topics covered

  • confidence in sports
  • mental performance
  • GAA players
  • mindset tools
  • stress management
  • elite performance

Keywords

  • GAA
  • sports psychology
  • performance tools
  • mindset
  • confidence
  • elite athletes
  • breathing drills
  • stress management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: humansofgaelic.com, Humans of Gaelic, esperformancepsychology

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