• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Should Coaches Practice Sports Psychology?

You are here: Home / Coaching / Should Coaches Practice Sports Psychology?
289
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

July 25, 2016 by Ryan Banta Leave a Comment

This excerpt is from the upcoming book The Sprinters Compendium, due to be released Fall 2016

Click here for other articles from Coach Ryan Banta. (highly recommended)

If you missed Ryan Banta’s last two videos & presentation, go to Long-to-Short or Short-to-Long? Comparing & Contrasting Different Training Models AND Defining the 100m Dash – Speed Development, Explosion, Acceleration, Max Velocity, & Speed Endurance.

Should Coaches Practice Sports Psychology?

A coach should do their best to lead by example when it comes to sports psychology. Leading by example doesn’t mean every coach must become a mystic guru that lives a transcendent existence. However, if a coach is interested in sport’s psychology they certainly can participate in any of the activities they are comfortable doing in practice.

Realistically, the coach’s primary responsibility is to show there completely invested in performance psychology of their athletes. A coach must be a rock of confidence and display as positive of an attitude as possible when interacting with their athletes. Being kind doesn’t mean you lie to your athletes when they know they have underperformed, but it is important when possible to find a positive spin.

From time to time, a coach may still need to use tough love when the situation calls for it. Even in these moments, your athletes need to know you care about them, have high expectations, and that if you didn’t care the conversation might not take place.

According to Brian Risk during the World Speed Summit, one of the most important aspects of sports psychology you can model to your athletes is how you handle yourself during track and field meets. Risk stated the coaches should avoid treating track and field events as a social gathering. Coaches are at meets to work, and it is important the athletes see the coaches are engaged in the process. At track meets, athletes will be nervous and often will project their fears on the coach. Even the most experienced coaches or athletes will get nervous.

See also  How to Run Faster (with your Arms)

Khalifa St Fort showing off her 100m silver medal with coach Ato Boldon at Cali 2015

Photo Credits: Socapro

Recently, world champion, NBC commentator, and now sprint coach Ato Boldon explains coaches experience perfectly in this quote:

“It’s the worst. I’ve been in four Olympic finals, I do live TV to a billion people for a living, and none of that stresses me. The minute Khalifa has to run, my stomach is upset, I can’t sleep, I’m nervous, I’m anxious. It’s taken me to a place I’m most uncomfortable with.”

Ato’s quote is so revealing to the process coaches go through when it is not them climbing into the blocks or toeing the line on the track. Described by Ato the emotions a coach feels during the days of competition is unique to the coaching experience. Even though these feelings are very real, it is important to “fake it until you make it” when it comes to confidence.

Personally, I can tell you the emotions of race day do improve and become healthier as you gain perspective. Many athletes are observant of changes in their mentor’s personality. At first, it may go against the coach’s nature but try and be positive or goofy the day of competition. High strung athletes might need a bad joke or funny story from the coach on the day of the meet. Talk about the fears the athletes may have and let them know those feelings are normal.

Often they forget that the athletes they are racing have similar sentiments. It is important to use the fear as fuel and to direct it in achieving higher performances. It is important not to ramp the sprinters up with some over the top motivational speech and instead give them the tools to reach optimal arousal for the meet. Keep things simple and focused on the task of achieving greatness.

See also  Clyde Hart Training: The Complete Series

Even the most confident and happy coach will still scare some athletes on race day. If this is the case, a coach’s mere presence makes the athlete worry. Coaches who train large groups will likely have an athlete that fits into this category. In these situations, the coach may want to use an assistant who doesn’t scare the athlete as much as the head coach to relay messages on race day or just a say a few quick things and give the athletes some space. I often have a coach who is responsible for our team warm ups during race day. I have found the usage of a warm up coach helps relieve some of the stress experienced at the meet and allowed me to take care of the other aspects of managing an event at times be overwhelming.

However, even in this situation, a coach should let the athletes know where they will be located most of the meet so if they have any concerns they can be found quickly. If the athlete does a great job be the first to greet them with a high five or a huge (or in my case a couple of goofy dance moves).

If the athlete doesn’t have a good race a quick pat on their back and letting them know you guys will talk before the day is over is enough. It has been my experience giving the sprinter some space makes for a more useful debrief when emotions are not so high on the ride home or before they leave the track.

Category iconCoaching,  Track & Field

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}