Understanding Sport Psychology

The brain develops through a number of different processes in the early years, including the creation of neurons that act as processors and exchange information through electrical transmissions. During adolescence there is a rapid and significant reorganisation of the brain, often referred to as ‘the toddlers twin’, where the brain goes through massive ‘synaptic’ pruning and changes to increase the speed in which information is communicated to the brain.

‘Neurons that wire together, fire together.’

During these maturation processes, young people are still developing their decision-making and social functions, as well as being hyper-sensitive to rewards and criticism and engaging in risk-taking behaviours.

Understanding the developmental processes of the brain during these significant transitions can help you to better support each individual and their emotional, social and cognitive developmental needs. 

Holistic development emphasises the importance of meeting the physical, cognitive, personal, social, emotional, psychology and well-being needs of the individual.

Taking an individual approach enables you to assess the needs of each individual and provide a supportive and developed programme to empower them to develop and succeed in all areas of the sport and physical activity, as well as in life. It helps individuals connect with the world around them and understand their own development in the context of their specific situation.

Taking a holistic approach also enables you to plan effectively for future activities involving that individual, helping them to develop key skills, behaviours and qualities before they need them in competition, which will aid their overall learning and development and general well-being.

To achieve this, consider how the developmental areas connect and link up, and how progress in one area can influence development and growth in another area.

Emotions play a fundamental role in our personal growth and performance by influencing how we receive and detect important sensory information, and subsequently respond. This includes how we act and react to situations, and our behavioural responses, decisions, memory and recall, and interactions with others.

Emotional regulation refers to the strategies that can be developed to initiate, maintain, modify or display emotions, feelings that reflect current and past interactions and experiences with people, situations and the environment.

Developing an awareness of your emotions, including how long they last and their intensity, are all aspects of emotional regulation, which is especially crucial in sport and physical activity, where interaction with others, pressure and competition are often at the forefront.

It's important to consider how you can support emotional regulation in your coaching practice, as well as to consider how your emotions and behaviours may influence your participants.