Joseph Swift and Stephen J Peterson

Coaching young athletes with the intent of helping them develop into top performers in their sport is a challenging endeavor that requires a multi-disciplinary approach. Coaches must undergo continuous education on the various dimensions that comprise an athlete’s life, as a way of eliciting the highest levels of effort, dedication, and focus the athlete can muster, in order to accomplish the difficult task of expanding the limits of what they’re capable of. Without addressing the complex conditions of the athlete’s life as a whole, implicit tension can start to build between the coach and the athlete, gradually inducing a level of stress that can lead to burnout on both sides of the relationship. It’s not enough for the coach to simply get to know the athlete, which typically happens through conversation and observation.