Hypnosis, Al Pacino and lies - how I tried to motivate my players
Tony Pulis recounts unconventional methods he used to motivate players during his managerial career, including bringing in a hypnotist and drawing inspiration from figures like Al Pacino and Sugar Ray Leonard. Some tactics, such as the hypnotist session that led players to sneak out of the room, did not go as planned. Pulis reflects on these experiences as part of his broader approach to team management over three decades.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/hypnosis-al-pacino-lies-tried-071749016.html","headline":"Hypnosis, Al Pacino and lies - how I tried to motivate my players","datePublished":"2026-05-01T07:27:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-01T07:27:11.000Z","keywords":["Premier League","Blackburn Rovers","Getty Images","Al Pacino","Sugar Ray Leonard","Martina Navratilova","AC Milan","Bournemouth","Arsenal","Chelsea","Italy","England"],"description":"Tony Pulis explains some of the unorthodox ways he tried to motivate players during his 30 years as a manager, including how some of them did not work.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Yahoo Sports.