Kevin Durney

28/01/2024

When looking at performing with confidence preparation is often discussed but have you given a thought to recovery. For this discussion I turn to sport where you 1) physically and mentally warm up / prepare for the upcoming event, 2) compete in the event and 3) recover from the event which will have...

30/11/2023

How much time do you practice? And how much of that time is productive?

We have all heard the old saying, "practice makes perfect," which works for some but I prefer, "practice makes permanent." Setting your mind to practice is necessary to achieve greatness but I see a lot of athletes and musicians placing their focus on an incorrect measure, 'Time.' Setting a practice...

29/08/2023

Always remember why you started playing 😊

As a tennis professional tennis coach I work with a range of players and abilities and I often see the journey of the player a long time before they do. A question I often ask is, "why do you play tennis?" And the general response is, because it's fun :-) One response however worried me as a coach f...

11/05/2023

When it comes to performing in front of an audience a common sentence I hear is, "I don't like it." Now if you're in a profession that doesn't require you to give a presentation or performance, no problem. BUT if you are a performer, guest speaker, musician, etc, then having an audience would be see...

30/12/2022

When it comes to a task which may frustrate you, what would you do first?

I was working at my computer completing a lot of forms in a bid to buy a house. They (whoever this globally re cognised group of experts known as 'they' are) say that buying a house is one of life's great stressful events. While filling in one 36 page document it wouldn't let me proceed unless I ans...

07/05/2022

With exam time coming up I wanted to give my thoughts on ways to stay prepared and in control through what can be for some a challenging time.

It is that time of year where a lot of the juniors I work with are taking their exams and I thought I would write down some ideas that have helped me perform with confidence under exam conditions. 1) Self talk. Common phrases that I don't see as helpful are; 'I need to pass xyz' or 'if I don't get x...

18/04/2022

How do you use your time in the day?

Yesterday to me felt like a waste of a day, BUT sometimes it's needed. For me these days help me recharge and reflect and the question on my mind was am I using my time on this planet well? So I did a little awareness check and today I feel great, productive and energised. This is my process but ple...

22/03/2022

https://www.kevindurney.com/post/birds-fly-higher-than-me

A topic that has been raising its ugly head recently when individuals (or parents / friends) compare themselves to others. On my drive home I noticed the birds in the sky and I thought, they can fly higher than me. This seems an absurd comparison because we are a different species. An equally useles...

06/03/2022

An observation with performers recently opened my mind to what I would consider an impossible task. The discussion went like this, Me: If you make one mistake in a performance, it is still a good performance isn't it? Performer: No if I make a mistake it's trash. Me: So if you took an exam and made....

30/01/2022

A student of mine messaged me today and asked if I had any advice regarding an upcoming driving exam. Of course it helps to talk but I also put together this simple list. You have been put forward to take your test because you are ready. Prepare your morning routine. This could include; what time yo...

16/01/2022

A recent visit to a music school to discuss performing with confidence brought with it a look into what children are nervous about and what they feel they can do about it. A question that came up was, how do you feel when ... ? Now this led to lots of different feelings and emotions causing a variet...