For Coaches | Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health

For Coaches

As a coach, you understand that sport performances result from a combination of excellence in four important areas: technique, physical conditioning, tactics/strategies, and mental readiness. And when athletes and teams fall short in any one of these areas, their overall performance is likely to suffer. Some coaches, though, may be unsure what they can do to directly improve their athletes' mental toughness or their team's cohesion, confidence, and communication. Thus, we provide a wide range of FREE sport psychology resources that you can use to improve the mental training of your teams and athletes and help them develop the needed skills.

Quotes from famous athletes, coaches, professionals, and historical figures can serve as a source of inspiration. They can motivate you, help elevate performances, or illustrate an important point. Here we provide you with quotes that you may find useful and enjoyable.

In addition to the more comprehensive coverage of sport psychology topics offered in our newsletter, our Performance Notes provide specific suggestions for handling a wide range of issues that athletes and coaches may experience, including: coaching under pressure, handling athlete emotions, and choosing a sport psychologist, just to name a few.

Covering issues ranging from mental toughness, to preparing for the big competition, to successfully managing stress, to interviews with elite athletes and professional sport psychologists, each newsletter provides 2-4 articles on important and relevant sport psychology topics.

One of the most challenging, yet rewarding, tasks a parent can take on is coaching a youth sport team. In this role, you have the opportunity to (a) create a positive environment where kids can develop a love of sport, (b) teach new skills that they can develop over time, (c) foster teamwork and friendships, and (d) instill a sense of fun associated with being physically active.

As a Coach you it may prove beneficial to consider the following questions: