Coaching – Athlete Confidence
Research reported in the International Journal of Sport Coaching explored athletes’ perceptions of what coaches can do to build athlete confidence. Through surveys with collegiate student-athletes, five key categories were identified: creating a positive environment; responding to athletes productively; developing effective practices for training; developing interpersonal relationships with athletes; and coach possession of effective intrapersonal…
Unstructured Play
Unstructured play contributes to the mental health of children and youth by promoting positive feelings through experiences of joy, thrill and competence; building children’s resilience through challenging or risky play; and improving healthy relationship by building problem-solving and emotional intelligence. Download an infographic summarizing five key findings relating to unstructured play and mental health.
Sport for Social Development
The Government of Canada recently announced investments to expand the use of sport and physical activity programming as a means to improve social development in Indigenous communities. The application process for projects designed to improve health, improve education, reduce at-risk behaviour, and improve employability, is now open. The deadline for applications is July 19, 2019.
Developing Executive Functions and Social Emotional Learning Through Sport
This blog was adapted from a SIRCuit article written by Dr. Vicki Harber. For the full article, click here. Within Canada, there is some concern that an ethos of “winning at all costs” has infiltrated youth sport, degrading the quality of the sport experience resulting in reduced participation (Brenner, 2016) and increased injury (Jayanthi et…
Life Skills Blog
A focus on winning at all costs has created sport programs in which building psychological, cognitive, social and emotional skills are largely ignored, yet these are essential ingredients for successful high performance athletes. Today’s blog provides an overview of the development of executive functions and social and emotional learning through sport.
Outdoor Play Myths
Fear of injury and kidnapping, and a belief in the superiority of structured activities, have reduced the amount of time children engage in outdoor unstructured play. This infographic provides the evidence to debunk these common myths that are keeping kids at home on the couch, instead of outside playing.
Benefits of Play
Parents and other adults can place restrictions on the unstructured play of children, reducing child independence and limiting them to “boring” play spaces. Increasing access to outdoor, unstructured play promotes physical and mental health; improves social skills, creativity and team work; improves learning and attention at school; and improves resilience and risk management skills. Download…
Explicit Approach to Life Skills
Strategies to help athletes develop sport-specific physical skills can also be used to explicitly teach life skills through sport. A deliberate approach includes focusing on one life skill at a time, drawing connections, and using teachable moments. Learn more in the SIRC blog.
Life Skills Blog
Sport is often celebrated as a platform through which to develop life skills, such as communication, teamwork, and respect. Approaches to develop these skills are either implicit – where the inherent dynamics of sport provide opportunities for practicing life skills; or explicit – where intentional design provides opportunities to practice life skills. Learn more in…
Teaching Life Skills Through Sport
This blog is the second in a series by the authors on positive youth development in sport. If this is your first visit to this series, considering taking a few minutes to read the other two posts: Tips on How to Deliver a Quality Youth Sport Program and Supporting the Transfer and Application of Life…