PCDEs in Practice: How to Develop Psychological Skills through your Coaching

The aim of this Guide is to:

1. Introduce Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (The WHAT).
2. Outline their importance to athlete development (The WHY).
3. Introduce practical considerations for coaches who wish to develop PCDEs (The HOW).

PCDEs are a set of skills that underpin an athlete’s behaviour in the pursuit of excellence, through engagement with their performance environment. 

Ten psychological characteristics have been identified as being important when developing excellence, with each characteristic having a set of linked behaviours. 

Bringing these behaviours to life is the key for coaches when developing their athletes’ PCDEs.