AASP Blog for Athletes, Coaches, and Parents
Category: Coaches
From Athlete-to-Coach: Going the Distance From Being the Flower to Being the Gardener
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The transition from athlete-to-coach entails exiting the known, accepting the unknown and uncertain, and finally developing the new. In this process, coach education, development, and support can be a starting point or at least a turning one.
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Developing Passionate Athletes: The Role of Parents and Coaches
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Parents and coaches both play an influential role in developing and maintaining passionate athletes. Therefore, parents and coaches who better understand the development of passion can shape the experiences of young athletes from a more holistic perspective.
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The 50th Anniversary of Title IX Comes With a Catch: Fewer Women Coaches
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The world of sport has historically been a place that does not prioritize women. It wasn’t until 1972 that the United States passed Title IX which, among other things, provides girls and women with the equal opportunity to play sports.
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Keeping the Sparks Aflame: Preventing and Addressing Burnout in High School Student-Athletes
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Student-athletes continuously navigate physical, psychological, and social demands including balancing academics and athletics, while striving to meet both internal and external expectations.…
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31-Day AASP Mental Wellness Challenge
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To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this May, AASP invites you to prioritize yourself by completing our 31-Day Mental Wellness Challenge: a series of daily tasks to bring mental health to the…
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Two Sides of the Same Coin: Turning Conflict Into Cohesion
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Conflict is a part of everyday life, and sports are no exception. This article outlines the different aspects of team conflict and ways sport psychology consultants can transition that conflict into cohesion.
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Coaching and Organizational Strategies to Support the Adaptation of International Athletes
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In the first post of this series, I wrote about how it is important that international athletes engage in efforts to adapt to the new culture and the receiving organizations attempt to learn about the…
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AASP 30-Day Mental Health Challenge
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To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this May, AASP invites you to take part in a monthlong series of daily tasks and activities to bring mental health and self-care to the forefront of your mind.
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Revisiting Growth Mindset as a Core Capacity of Sport Psychology
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A growth mindset guides our response to challenges and ability to self-reflect in the face of setbacks. Increased self-awareness and adopting a growth mindset can help athletes and performers reach their peak potential and regulate their emotions and thoughts.
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Enhancing the Well-Being of Division III Collegiate Athletes During the Pandemic: The Role of Coaches
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Student-athletes have faced canceled sports seasons, isolation from teammates and friends, transitioned to virtual learning, and encountered many unknowns regarding their academic and athletic endeavors. Coaches are in a unique position to understand student-athlete concerns and provide assistance amid COVID-19.
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Rethinking the Way Coaches Implement Team Building Activities During COVID-19
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With COVID-19 limiting in-person team building activities, is there a way to foster team cohesion without all team members being in the same place? Now is the time to get creative and reconsider approaches to building cohesive team environments.
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Navigating a Pandemic: Tips for Athletic Trainers Serving the Sport Community
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Everyone in the sport community is feeling the impact of COVID-19. AASP wants you to remember we are all in this together, and has compiled a list of resources and tips to help keep you updated, cope with feelings of stress, and keep you safe.
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Missing Time in the Competitive Arena: Managing Psychological Responses to Injury
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When an injury impacts performance or keeps a performer out of training and competition for a significant period of time, it is important to implement strategies and attitudes to positively and productively navigate the time away.
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Using Coaching Knowledge to Improve Support for Injured Athletes
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Many coaches already have the skills needed to positively impact their athletes’ recovery, but some may struggle or not know where to turn for assistance. Read AASP's effective coaching tips to help support injured athletes and improve outcomes.
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AASP Mental Health Awareness Month Challenge
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In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and as many seek support during the COVID-19 pandemic, join AASP for a two-week Mental Health Challenge!
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The COVID-19 Pandemic: Tips for Athletes, Coaches, Parents, and the Sport Community
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Everyone in the sport community is feeling the impact of COVID-19. AASP wants you to remember we are all in this together, and has compiled a list of resources and tips to help keep you updated, cope with feelings of stress, and keep you safe.
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Effective Communication in Critical Sport Moments: Key Principles and Cultural Considerations for Coaches
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Effective coaches embody a combination of sport knowledge, management skills, emotional intelligence, and, perhaps most importantly, effective communication. Here are three things to consider before speaking to your team during a critical sport moment.
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A Thousand Little Cuts: Addressing Microaggressions in Sport
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When athletes don’t feel included and safe, they can redefine sporting environments as spaces that don’t value them, potentially impacting performance. To create a safe space, enable continued participation and enjoyment in sport, and positively impact performance, it is important for sport professionals to be knowledgeable about microaggressions.
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Life Skills Through Youth Sport: Be Their Champion
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Simply playing a sport does not guarantee kids can fully maximize the opportunity to learn life skills through sport – just as simply sitting in a classroom does not teach a child math. We must purposefully create an experience that facilitates their growth and practice of life skills, such as emotional control, work ethic, and goal setting. Read more on how to be their champion.
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Easing the Transition for Retiring Collegiate Student-Athletes
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When an athlete leaves sport, whether the exit is chosen or unpredicted, there is an adjustment in the way they define who they are. How can we help college athletes transition to the next stage of their life? Retiring from sport can be thought of like the first time on a rigorous hike. You might be nervous, but you are capable of more than you know.
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The Role of the Coach in Elite Athletes' Pre-Performance Routines
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Explore competitive preparation through the lens of pre-performance routines (PPRs), looking specifically at PPR development, content, and consistency by showcasing information from athletes and their respective head coach. By integrating these considerations into fieldwork, coaches can help athletes experience successful PPR development and implementation, and contribute to the attainment of successful performance.
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Coaching Generation Z Athletes
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While more research is needed on generational differences in today’s athletes, early studies have provided insight into some unique characteristics of Generation Z. Coaches and support staff can benefit from this knowledge and adapt their teaching and coaching philosophies to suit today’s young athletes. Read more to learn new coaching approaches.
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From “Me” to “We”: Promoting Team Cohesion Among Youth Athletes
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Have you coached a high school sport program for many years? Have you volunteered to coach a youth sport team in a recreational league? Either way, team cohesion has a big impact on the success of…
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The Science Behind Expert Teams: Insights From Sport Psychology
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Blog image credit attributed to: https://www.epicebike.com/ High-performing teams are high in cohesiveness, shared understanding, and a sense of team confidence or collective efficacy. In other words…
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Managing Emotions in Sport
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There is no construct of human psychology and functioning more prevalent in sport than emotion. Mood, emotions, and general affect can influence every movement in every sport. Consider a typical 45…
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Freaked-out Kids in Sports: Keys to Stress Reduction
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A 20-year trend in youth sports emphasizes teaching coaches how to create a healthy psychological environment for their athletes. However, there’s also an important need to educate parents, so they…
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Coaches Have Their Own Needs
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Sport psychology offers many suggestions for providing psychological services for athletes who need assistance with problems in performance, communication, time management, transitions, relationships…
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Understanding Student-Athlete Burnout
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There is a school of thought in American sport today that "more is better." Parents and coaches, perhaps dreaming of the spoils of athletic success, are encouraging kids at increasingly younger ages…
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Effective Strategies for Dealing with Coaching Burnout
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Coaching is one of those professions where passion for the job is a key ingredient. However, over time, the ups and downs of the season can make us question that passion. While this response is normal…
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How to Choose a Mental Performance Consultant
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Each mental performance consultant possesses a specific set of skills that defines the scope of their competencies. Thus, when choosing a consultant, it is important for athletes, coaches/parents, and…
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Disordered Eating and the Controlling Aspects of Aesthetic Sports
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Although there are several benefits to sport participation, achievement and performance pressures can be highly stressful especially in aesthetic activities such as gymnastics, diving, cheerleading…
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Developing an Effective Team Culture
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One of the most important jobs as a coach is to develop and foster a team culture. This culture, or identity, is really the foundation of all effective teams. As a coach, this culture is your vision…
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Reducing Anxiety in the Competitive Environment
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It is the last match of your regular season. If your team wins, they will advance to the championship game. All season the team has been improving steadily and the last few games the team has played…
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Encouraging Good Sport Conduct in Athletes
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Parents often enroll their child in a sport program to build the child’s character. Sport participation by itself, however, does not develop character in athletes. Just like any physical skill,…
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Tips for Including Athletes with Disabilities
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Johnny is 13 years old and wants to join your swim team. He has been a recreational swimmer for a couple of years but never really competed. Johnny also has an above knee amputation and cannot wear…
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The Good Coach: From Beginner to Expert
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We live in a culture of now. More and more things are available at our fingertips instantly. We often expect amazing results after just a few weeks of effort. This quest for quick upgrades is on par…
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Coaching Through Conflict: Effective Communication Strategies
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Sport is full of conflict! Whether it is on or off the playing field, effectively dealing with conflict goes a long way in determining success. Internal team conflict can have a major impact on team…
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Making Your Team Work: How Coaches Can Transform Groups into Teams
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Whether it is on the field, in the locker room, or on the water - effective coaches need to understand the strategies to turn a group of individuals into a cohesive and successful team. Not all groups…
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NCAA Swimmer Develops Mental Skills That Carry Her Beyond Olympic Medal
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Western Kentucky University graduate Claire Donahue set many records as a swimmer for her NCAA Division I school. Today she is a member of the USA Swimming team competing internationally, as well as…
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