Body composition in sport

Athletes’ body composition results from a mix of genetics, sport demands, diet, and training. Metrics like fat and muscle mass play a significant role in athlete health and performance, influencing factors such as injury risk and recovery.

Heart rate variability in athletes

In sports, there are various measures for athlete psychology, with heart rate variability (HRV) becoming an increasingly popular method of measurement. Different factors such as stress, overtraining, and performance have been found to impact HRV, thus influencing athlete psychology.

Transformational coaching

Coaches’ leadership styles can play an important role in fostering strong and effective connections with athletes. For example, a transformational leadership style, characterized by its proactive nature and emphasis on empowering, inspiring, and challenging athletes or teams, has been positively associated with the quality of the coach-athlete relationship.

Burnout in NCAA athletes

The prevalence of athletes specializing in sports has increased in recent years. Substantial literature on youth sports has linked early sport specialization to negative consequences, such as burnout and injury. A recent study conducted on NCAA athletes found that athletes were more likely to experience elevated levels of burnout if they identified as female, were…

Strength training for injury prevention

In soccer, preventing injuries is crucial for player performance and long-term health. Current evidence supports strength training, including methods like eccentric and flywheel training, to reduce injury risks effectively.

How coaches can increase athlete enjoyment and commitment

How a coach interacts with athletes can be significant predictor of athletes’ enjoyment and intentions to stay in sport. A study of 202 elite-level artistic swimmers from 22 countries showed that athletes under the guidance of democratic-style coaches reported elevated levels of athletic enjoyment and expressed greater intent to pursue their athletic careers. This finding…

Perfectionism in high performance athletes

Many high-performance athletes scrutinize their own performances and often aim for perfection. A recent study delved into how perfectionistic athletes view success and failure in sports. Through interviews and season-long diaries, researchers found that an athlete’s ability to deal with failure depended on the type of perfectionism they exhibited.

The practice environment and athlete learning

The coaching environment influences athlete development. Research shows that for coaches to create effective learning environments for athletes they need to deliberately plan each practice session. To do so, coaches need to know their athlete’s capabilities and needs and should differentiate or individualize practice instead of adopting a “one size fits all” approach.

Sport psychology and coaching efficacy

Coaching efficacy is influenced by factors such as formal education. In a study involving high school coaches, sport psychology education and contact with sport psychology practitioners significantly increased coaching efficacy. While we traditionally think of athletes as benefiting the most from mental health and performance supports, coaches can also benefit from opportunities to engage in…

Keto diets for elite endurance athletes

Ketogenic diets are gaining attention in elite endurance sports for their ability to boost fat burning, potentially transforming performance. However, concerns linger about their impact on glycogen use and high-intensity exercise, with mixed results among athletes.