When athletes talk about the progress that they make, their achievements, their celebrations or how they have overcome challenges and setbacks they often talk about the importance of the support that they had around them through the journey. Briton Goldie Sayers will belatedly receive her 2008 Olympic javelin bronze medal in front of a home […]
The above image is credited IPTL World https://www.iptlworld.com/ Working in various youth sport environments and with several young athletes on an individual basis brings about numerous challenges in relation to athlete motivation and the motivational climate that is created by those supporting young athletes. The topics of this article are aimed at helping parents and […]
The 2018 Commonwealth Games has further reinforced the young age that some athletes are attending such high-profile events At just 11-years-old Anna Hursey became the face of the games in Table Tennis. Anish Bhanwala has become India’s youngest medallist as he earned a gold medal in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. The England Women’s artistic […]
Young athletes will experience times when they struggle with their confidence and it is low, they will also experience the opposite where confidence is high, and everything seems to be straightforward. With some effort and the right knowledge and support young athletes can take control of their confidence. This doesn’t mean that they will be […]
Introduction As a Trainee Sport Psychologist, I have been offered many opportunities to work with young athletes at various stages of their personal development and progression within their chosen sport. When these roles were first offered, it was challenging to understand the needs of each age group that I was working with and the best […]
Youth sport is a subject close to my heart. As a parent of three pre school-age children, participation in organised sporting activities is already a big part of our family life. We like to think that encouraging participation now is laying the foundations for an active lifestyle throughout school and participation / competition for many […]
Positive outcomes from sports participation cannot be assumed. This article explores the current evidence from Developmental Psychology on the right environment for positive youth development and discusses how the research recommendations from Developmental Psychology could be applied to sport sessions. Sport is often assigned mythological status in society. Politicians utilize sport to bring nations together […]
In my previous article about parenting in sport (link available below), it was concluded parents should support, praise and encourage their child’s involvement in sport. What failed to be detailed however, is when praise should be given and where it should be directed. Therefore I shall attempt to answer these questions in the current article. […]
The above is the title of a book by Guy Claxton that I read recently. At the time of publishing the author was Director for Real-World Learning at the University of Winchester. After teaching for a few years the book was a revelation about how poor and old-fashioned some practice in education really is, but […]
“With special populations, especially those who are particularly goal-oriented, particularly high achievers and particularly focused, there is still a sense of stigmatization, a sense of shame…One strategy for reaching out to athletes is to frame mental healthcare as a way to improve their performance in their sport.” (T.L. Schwenk, 2013) Student-athletes are often subjected to […]