Nicol - 'Lessons I Have Learned'

Yet another excellent feature on the BBC website, again centring on 'squash legend' Peter Nicol.

The feature is part of a series of video interviews with successful athletes where they describe lessons they have learned and their motivations to reach the top of their chosen sport.

While some of the Nicol's advice (such as techniques to develop the mental strength to perform at the highest level and gain an advantage over one's opponent) could come from high-performance coaching manuals, others such as a commitment to over-training as a means of knowing one's own limits are more idiosyncratic.

What the interview reveals is an incredibly strong-willed individual and suggests that coaching (even at professional level) cannot substitute for a singular ability to succeed on one's own terms.

Indecently, each time I've seen Nicol interviewed on the BBC he comes across as a natural media performer - why don't they sign him up?

Peter Nicol - Lessons I Have Learned
Watch the interview here.