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…

Improving Para sport through coaching

Ensuring equitable access and quality experiences for disabled people in sport is an ongoing challenge. Well trained coaches are crucial for delivering good opportunities, especially in Para sport. They play a key role in helping disabled individuals achieve important sporting and social goals.

Coaching your own child – 5 tips for the parent-coach

Being a parent-coach presents a unique set of challenges. Coaching is all about relationships, but sometimes the relationship between a parent and child poses different demands to that of an athlete and their coach. Balancing both can be difficult; particularly in team environments, where we must strive to be fair not only to ourselves and…

Coaches and athletes for activism

In the ongoing discussions about sport management, most of the focus is given to revenue generation through sport. However, this new study sheds light on using sport as a platform for coaches and athletes to be activists, driving societal change. Through exploring the factors shaping this activism and its impacts, this study offers insights for…

Para sport coach mentorship

In a Canadian study of mentor and mentee coaches involved in a virtual Para sport coach mentoring program, the mentee-mentor conversations regarding disability-specific knowledge enhanced the mentees’ confidence. This finding highlights not only the importance of effective communication between mentors and mentees, but also the crucial role it plays in mentees’ development.

Mentorship in marginalized communities

Mentoring appears to offer distinct benefits for marginalized people, particularly within the Black community. A study investigating how African American male athletic directors manage diversity and inclusion in college athletic departments revealed that these directors were uniquely positioned to support Black individuals, including athletes.

Mental health, cultural competence and sport

For coaches to be able to fully support the mental health of athletes they need to be culturally competent. Cultural competence is defined as understanding the social and cultural factors that influence one’s health beliefs and behaviours. Sport organizations need to ensure that everyone involved in sport receives the proper training and resources so that…

Inclusive language

The language used by coaches plays a significant role in fostering inclusive environments for 2SLGBTQI athletes. As a coach, some ways to make the language you use more inclusive include using athletes’ preferred pronouns and avoiding the use of gendered language, for example, by saying “hello everyone” rather than “hello guys.”

Mentorship in Para sport: The value of experiential coach learning

Coach mentoring in Para sport  In many ways, coaching athletes with and without disabilities is comparable as their training, dedication, and motivation to succeed are the same. However, there are contextual differences that make coaching in the Para sport setting unique. For example, it is important for coaches to have a strong understanding of specialized…