Physical Activity and Emotional Development
Research from the Université de Montréal found that children with low or no participation in organized sport from ages 6-10 showed higher emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, and social withdrawal at age 12 than those who participated regularly. The authors suggest that emotional skills learned through sport can help youth successfully navigate the transition from primary…
Reframing Quitting
While sport is often used to teach lessons about commitment and overcoming adversity, sometimes it makes more sense to quit. According to Psychology Today, parents can help their children navigate this decision by helping them assess their goals and motivations, reframing quitting, and encouraging them to explore alternative pursuits.
Mentoring Young Employees
Whether in the office or on the field, sport leaders can provide valuable mentoring for young employees or volunteers. According to the Harvard Business Review, leaders can support the future success of young people through four important conversations: how to build resilience; how to influence others; how to job craft; and how to break out…
Bianca Andreescu & Mental Toughness
Bianca Andreescu made history on Saturday as the first Canadian tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles championship. Her success is attributed, in part, to her mental toughness. Learn how athletes manage stress and stay focused through goal setting, self-talk, imagery and arousal control in this article from The Conversation.
CPC Health and Wellness Video Series
In a series of videos developed by the Canadian Paralympic Committee in partnership with Pfizer, Para sport athletes share the value of sport in their lives, and talk about the mental component of training and competition. Featured athletes include Tess Routliffe (Para swimming) Keely Shaw (Para cycling), Rob Shaw (wheelchair tennis), and Nathan Riech (Para…
Second Person Self-Talk
New research reported in the Journal of Sport Science examined the impact of a subtle grammatical difference in self-talk. When using second-person self-talk (e.g. you can tolerate the pain, you can keep going), participants completed a 10km cycling time trial significantly quicker, worked harder, yet did not perceive a difference in effort, compared to when…
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…
Super-Elite Athletes
Evidence suggests that a number of preconditions are necessary to achieve at the highest levels of sport, including a family culture of striving and achievement, positive sport-related experiences during early development, late sport specialization, and an ability to “push yourself to the maximum” in competition and practice. But what differentiates elite athletes (those that compete…
Psychological Skills and Overuse Injury
Research from a sample of elite youth tennis players in the Netherlands showed that girls with low to moderate self-regulation skills (i.e. planning, self-monitoring, evaluation and reflection) were 10.8 times more likely to miss training or competition due to overuse injuries. Although this is a new area of inquiry, evidence to date suggests that improving…
First Impressions for Coaches
Facing the parents/guardians of youth athletes for the first time at the beginning of the season can be a daunting task for coaches. New research from Nipissing University recommends that coaches focus on demonstrating their competence during early interactions, and focus on warmth-related characteristics as the season progresses.