Shaun Hampson on Breakfast with Frank and Ox:
AUDIO:
https://audioboom.com/boos/4833576-shaun-hampson-on-breakfast-with-frank-and-ox-------------------------------------------------
Improvement's all in the mind for key Tigers AFL.com.au
20 JUly 2016RICHMOND'S "mindfulness" trainer has helped red-hot Brownlow Medal chance Dustin Martin and ruckman Shaun Hampson discover career-best form this season.
Emma Murray has played a key role behind the scenes at Tigerland and Hampson revealed the mental training has helped turn his injury-plagued career around.
"I've done a bit of work with her towards the end of last year and the start of this year and a lot of boys swear by her and she just gets you in a really good head-space," Hampson told SEN radio.
"She's fantastic."
Hampson, who has replaced veteran Ivan Maric as the Tigers' No.1 ruckman this year, said visualising his role on game-day had helped him reach new heights.
The 28-year-old has played 14 matches – one shy of his most games in a season – and his tapwork has been a feature, with the 201cm big man averaging career-best hit-out numbers (33).
"You can talk about things not related to football, but it's mainly about on-field performance," Hampson said of the mindfulness training.
"She talks to you about what that looks like, gets you to visualise about what you can bring to the game, just keep doing that and reminding yourself that."
Meanwhile, Hampson revealed star midfielder Dustin Martin has also sought help from Murray.
After a slow start to the season, Martin has been in scintillating touch of late, racking up 30 touches or more in seven of the last eight matches – including a 43-disposal, 14-clearance and two-goal performance against Essendon last Saturday.
"He's incredible. I think, again, Emma has been key for him. He had a couple of average games around the start of the season and he went to her and said, 'I don't want to play like that again'," Hampson said.
"He worked with her and then I think ever since he's done that he's just been a bull out on the ground.
"That's when he plays his best, when he's confident, shrugging blokes off and just hitting them hard.
"He's just been absolutely huge this year; he's such a nice guy too, so it's good to see him do really well."
Hampson played 63 games in seven injury-interrupted seasons for Carlton before joining Richmond for the 2014 campaign.
He underwent a double ankle reconstruction at the end of last season, but is finally having some luck with his body ahead of his 30th game for the Tigers on Sunday against Hawthorn – a team he's never beaten in four attempts.
"I feel like I've hit pretty good form patches in the past and they've been hampered a bit by some injuries that have kept me out for a few weeks, and then I've carried them into a game, don't play well and subsequently I'm dropped," Hampson said.
"But this year I've managed to get that continuity. I think I've missed two games through minor things that haven't hampered me too much, which is lucky.
"I always knew I just had to play consistently and keep the body right and I was capable of playing pretty good footy."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-07-19/improvements-all-in-the-mind-for-key-tigers
