Supportive coaching is shown to be effective in having a positive influence on an athlete’s development, particularly when athletes are unsure of themselves, are less confident and lack mental toughness. 

Feel free to check out today’s solo episode where I discuss compassion, mental toughness and high performance to help with the development of sports coaches and to improve the experience for athletes.

Key Learning Points

High performing teams such as The Lionesses recognise showing compassion is hugely beneficial to individuals and the team as a whole. Fear cultures and giving out “tough love” are thing of the past in miliary circles. In elite sport top coaches are well educated and are aware of the need to balance support and challenge with their players. Compassion can help us feel safe and protected leaving us better able to learn and develop. Sarina Weigman’s response to Lauren James’ red card in a recent World Cup match versus Nigeria is a classic example of compassionate coaching. As a coach how do you naturally respond to difficulties or mistakes? Dr Kristin Neff has many helpful resources on compassion. Google Professor Sophia Jowett’s work on the coach-athlete relationship and the relationship with performance and well-being. 

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Relevant Podcast Episodes to Help Sports Coaches

Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes

Ep123: Richard Dorney MBE – Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military

Ep180: David Charlton - How To Work With Team Units To Improve Culture In Teams

Ep181:David Charlton - How to Improve Teamwork using a 4Cs Mental Toughness Approach 

Ep182: Doug Strycharczyk - An Introduction to Mental Toughness and Psychological Safety #BITESIZE

Other Relevant Resources to Upskill Sports Coaches

Blog – 5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

Blog – Mental Health Guidance For Coaches When Supporting Athletes

Blog: How Coaches Can Help Athletes Deal with Mistakes

Online Course for Sports Coaches developed by Professor Sophia Jowett - Empowering the athlete: The coach-athlete partnership

Dr Kristin Neff's Work on Compassion

Cath Bishop - Compassion can produce better performance – just look at the Lionesses

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