Sports division launched at coaching firm
BUSINESS coaching specialist Saxton Partners has launched a new sports division following an increase in demand for performance enhancement techniques.
The Harrogate-based firm, which has worked with high-profile Yorkshire clients such as HBOS in Leeds, Parker Hannifin in Dewsbury and Smith and Nephew in York, is offering the new service to clubs and individuals at all levels of sporting achievement.
Saxton Partners has used Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) to help businesses improve sales and performance since its launch by international NLP expert and trainer Sonia Saxton in 1999.
The demand for key NLP tools such as visualisation and imagination to aid performance was thrust into the spotlight by triple gold medal winning cyclist Chris Hoy and Britain’s successful Olympic team, who secured a record medal haul at last year’s Olympics.
Ms Saxton’s colleague, Richard Cockell, who will lead the new division, has recently become a guest analyst on TV, advising on sporting topics such how the British Lions can use NLP techniques to help secure success on their tour of South Africa.
Ms Saxton said: “Our expansion mirrors the increased demand for help, advice and coaching that exists. These techniques have been shown to work by some very high profile performers, so now others want to use them to give themselves an edge or help them compete.”
“The work we do not only compliments traditional coaching methods, it can also give competitors the mental toughness they need to cope with high-pressure situations and high expectations and can help managers say and do the right things to get the most out of their players.”
The firm was founded after Ms Saxton used NLP techniques to help the sales team at Royal Sun Alliance beat its sales target by more than 100%.
