Team Norms and Playing Through Injury in Sport

This blog is the first in a series in collaboration with Queen’s University. As an assignment to build knowledge mobilization skills, Dr. Luc Martin, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, tasked students in his third year team dynamics course to write a SIRC blog. The top five were submitted to SIRC,…

Football Canada and Concussions

Coaches and officials play an important role in Football Canada’s concussion prevention and management strategy. “Athletes need to know how to perform the skills properly, which means we have to give our coaches the tools to teach those skills and our officials the tools to deal with it effectively in competition.” Learn more in the…

Coaching Strategies to Maximize Long-Term Learning and Performance for Athletes

At a time when athletes and coaches have been inundated with pseudoscientific ideas about the importance of accumulating 10,000 hours of practice, the importance of practice quality often does not receive the attention it should. Contrary to popular belief, there is significant evidence that improvements in sport-specific skills during practice do not always yield the…

Coaching & Athlete Mental Health

Coaches can support the mental health of their athletes by creating a culture in which athletes feel safe disclosing psychological distress. This includes adopting a holistic coaching philosophy, building strong relationships, role modeling supportive behaviours for all team and staff members, and initiating confidential check-ins with struggling athletes.

Football Makes Bold Pivot

Football in Canada is enjoying a resurgence at a time when public angst over concussions in sport has never been greater. While most sports grapple with ever-more-worrisome trends – declining participation and increasing concerns over athlete safety – football is flourishing, especially at the youngest age groups. There’s no razzle dazzle here. The people behind…

Phsychological skills and factors related to ice hockey officials’ coping and performance

Project Summary Research focusing on the development of psychological skills in sport, has been conducted primarily with athletes and coaches. However, we know little on how to assist officials to enhance their performance. Thus, the general objective of this research was to better understand ice hockey officials’ experiences in their sport and factors that influence…

Managing Uncertainty Workbook

Game Plan’s Managing Uncertainty During COVID-19 workbook is a practical tool to support positive mental health through self-awareness, acceptance, adaptability and values-based behaviour. The workbook was developed for Canada’s high performance athletes but is great for anyone wanting to hone their skills and build resilience.

Masters Sport

Carol LaFayette-Boyd is one of Canada’s rising track and field stars – at the age of 77. The multiple world record holder is one of a growing number of Masters athletes forcing us to consider new frontiers in human performance. Learn about the physical, social and psychological benefits of Masters sport in the SIRCuit.

Understanding adolescents’ positive and negative developmental experiences in sport

Project Summary Currently, there is considerable public concern about youths’ healthy physical and psychosocial development. As such, researchers in both developmental and sport psychology highlight a need to better understand how organized sporting activities may be contributing to youths’ positive or negative development. The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of adolescents’ positive…

Podium Performance Webinars

In partnership with CoachNB, CoachingNL and CoachingPEI, the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic’s Podium Performance Webinars offer a virtual platform for coaches to connect and learn. The Coach Socialization Series consists of 3-4 sessions a week covering a variety of topics including mental performance, resilience, and a building a positive and competitive culture.