Professional Development

When athletes like DeMar DeRozan and Alysa Liu speak up on mental health, they remind us that their well-being isn’t separate from performance; it’s foundational to it.
Young athletes today are carrying more than just their gear onto the field. Between school pressures, social dynamics, and the expectations that come with competition, many are navigating a constant undercurrent of stress.
Youth sports have the potential to either add to that weight, or help relieve it. When coaches ensure sports are done right, they can be one of the most accessible, consistent places where young people learn how to regulate emotions, build relationships, and develop mental wellness skills in real time.
Mental wellness doesn’t happen by chance, it’s built through the consistent, intentional actions of coaches.
Sports Done Right Supports Mental Wellness when coaches…Notice Every AthleteWhen coaches recognize each athlete as an individual, they can adapt their coaching to fit each athlete’s needs, demonstrate the athlete’s value, and show their care for athletes as people beyond the sport. 

• Use preferred names
• Ask about their day ‘How was school?’
• Recognize that their unique experiences may impact how they show up

Lead With EmpathyLeading interactions with empathy builds trusting relationships, which can combat the impacts of stress, lead to lower rates of anxiety and depression, and increase each athlete’s own understanding and practice of empathy.

• Pause before reacting
• Acknowledge how the athlete might be feeling
• Be curious and listen to understand the athlete’s perspective

Reinforce Effort and GrowthEffort-focused skill development helps young people feel competent and in control of their own growth, boosts self-confidence, and builds a sense of purpose. 

• Praise effort, improvement, and resilience
• Normalize mistakes as part of learning
• Identify short-term goals that contribute to longer-term objectives

Value All AthletesCreating a sense of belonging for all athletes is critical for a positive sports experience. Taking time to understand and celebrate differences helps deepen coach-athlete connections and peer relationships.

• Seek out alternate voices
• Rotate leadership opportunities
• Reflect on your cultural biases and potential blind spots

Youth sports will always come with pressure points, close games, missed opportunities, and emotional highs and lows. Our role as coaches isn’t to remove those moments, but to make a lasting impact by helping athletes navigate them.

A Triple-Impact Competitor® recognizes the power and influence an athlete has and seeks ways to use that to improve the school community. There are a number of ways, large and small, that you can enhance your impact and contribute to your school being an inclusive space.

These include:

• Connect with a local program and volunteer: Mentoring, coaching, or running clinics for younger athletes help you create great leadership skills and give young athletes someone to look up to.
• Look out for those who aren’t included. Like former professional football player Joe Ehrmann says, “No one eats alone.”
• Get involved with anti-bullying activities. Model inclusive and kind behavior.
• Support other classmates’ activities by showing up and cheering them on. This works best at events few attend, like junior varsity games.
• Participate in community service activities as a team or on your own.

To take action now, athletes can:

• List what you, your team, or you and a group of teammates can do this season to make a positive contribution to your school community.
• Create an Athlete Action Plan – what steps can you take to make your list come to life? Some examples:
  1. Talk to your coach. 
  2. Bring this topic up at a team meeting. 
  3. Involve teammates; you’ll make a bigger impact with more people involved.
  4. Volunteer to look up opportunities and handle the logistics. 

​Every coach has been there: athletes who are not able to follow directions, disruptions during practice, or a player who just can’t seem to focus.

It can be frustrating, and it is easy to assume it’s all about attitude or effort. But what if it’s not? What if misbehavior is a signal, not a choice?

This workshop gives coaches the tools to respond with purpose, building connection and accountability while keeping practices productive and athletes growing.

LINK: ​https://positivecoach.org/training/workshops/

Strategies for Responsive Coaching

Use Self Regulation Techniques
Responsive coaching requires thought and intention. When responding in the moment, coaches may need to manage their own emotions to have a better response. Before responding, coaches can:

• Close their eyes. Turn their head to the right until they feel a stretch in their neck. Then turn their head to the left until they feel a stretch in their neck. 
• Move their chewing gum from the right side of their mouth to the left side, then back again. 
• Take a deep breath in through the nose for six seconds, then out through the mouth for eight seconds.

For a more detailed list, check out PCA’s Regulation Checklist for Coaches.

View behavior challenges as opportunities for growth (1)
Many challenging behaviors stem not from willful defiance, but developmental gaps in skills like emotional regulation, frustration tolerance, executive functioning, and social skills. 

• When witnessing a behavior challenge, coaches can ask themselves(2):
  • What need is this athlete expressing?
  • What could be overwhelming their ability to cope?
  • What support or skills will help them respond better?
• Coaches can track patterns for individual athletes and reflect on the best ways to develop their skills in future practices.

Ask responsive questions and engage athletes in solutions (3)
When expectations are not met, a coach should try to connect with the athlete as soon as possible. Responsive questions are intended to guide the athlete through taking responsibility for the impact their actions may have on others, while exploring potential solutions. Coaches can:

• Ask the athlete to chat during the next water break or split the team into groups of two for a skill activity, with the athlete as the coach’s partner. Engage them in thinking through:
  • What happened?
  • What were they thinking/feeling at the time?
  • Who was affected by their actions?
  • What can they do to make things right?
• Involve athletes in determining how they can remedy a situation to give them ownership over solutions. Guide athletes through this thought process to help them learn from the experience and identify how to better respond in the future. 

Set and Maintain Clear Expectations
Set clear expectations and boundaries so athletes know what is expected of them. Setting high expectations shows athletes that you believe in them. 

• Establish standards early on and revisit them consistently throughout the season.
• Allow athletes to contribute to and provide feedback about team values..

Support Athletes’  Strengths
Meet athletes where they are and acknowledge that some athletes may require different support than others based on their unique skills and development.

• Approach athletes through a healing centered lens – shift the focus from ‘what is wrong with you’ to ‘what is right with you’ and build upon their strengths while supporting development where needed.(4)

When athletes feel supported to achieve clearly defined, high expectations, they are more likely to learn, focus, improve, feel a sense of belonging, and perform.

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