coaching

Coaching Self-Confidence in Sport: An Evidence Based Approach.

There is no doubt that developing self-confidence is one of the hottest topics in sports coaching. Coaches universally agree that helping athletes to develop a strong sense of self-confidence: one which is resistant to the pain, pressure and fatigue of preparation and performance is at the core of what sports coaching is all about. So how do coaches help athletes to develop self-confidence? This article presents some practical ideas for helping athletes to develop a strong, real sense of self-confidence: self-confidence which is built on a solid foundation of evidence rather than on hollow rhetoric, shallow praise and cheesy motivational sayings.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

The Commitment Continuum.

Everyday I get emails and calls from coaches, athletes and parents looking for the secret to success. They get really disappointed when I tell them the truth. That is that there is no secret training set, no miracle powders, no super-supplements, no NASA developed training equipment – nothing – that guarantees sporting success except commitment. Giving 100% of your time, energy, resources, drive, enthusiasm and passion to the achievement of your sporting goal is the only real non negotiable in sport if winning is your aim. This article discusses commitment and challenges coaches and athletes to challenge themselves about where they fit on the Commitment Continuum.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Mental Toughness: What is It and How to Coach It

Start talking about mental toughness in sport and you’ll soon find out that everyone’s got an opinion about it. People will start using words like “hard” and “tough” and “mean” and phrases like “never quits” etc to describe their views about mental toughness. But what is mental toughness? Can it be measured? Can it coached? And if mental toughness can be coached, how can it be coached? This post and podcast discuss mental toughness in sport and suggests a new way of looking at measuring and coaching mental toughness.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Talent Identification and Development: So Much More Than Physical Ability

There’s a great phrase that goes”real talent is harder to hide than it is to find”. Athletes with real physical talent stand out – their physical talent is obvious and it will be demonstrated at training and in competition in many ways. But to realise your full potential as an athlete, it’s about so much more than muscle. It’s about all the mental, emotional and character qualities like passion, commitment, dedication, determination, drive, desire and toughness. This podcast and post discusses the concept of talent identification in sport and challenges coaches to look for more than obvious signs of talent – to look past the physical aspects of talent and to adopt a more holistic approach to developing talented athletes: one that focuses on the less tangible areas and harder to measure aspects of performance.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Sports Psycho-physiology: The Way Forward in Successful Coaching and Sports Performance.

There is nothing new about integrating the Mind and the Body to realise successful sports performance. However, what is new is integrating Mind and Body in all aspects of sports coaching and athletic performance every day. This article discusses Sports Psycho – Physiology and challenges athletes, coaches, sports scientists and sporting organisations to reassess how they go about applying the integrated Mind-Body concept in their daily athlete training environment.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago