Highly successful athletes must learn how to optimize factors that facilitate flow and effectively manage factors that inhibit flow. This article explains what coaches can do to push the flow button and motivate athletes to have peak experiences and improved performance.

Expectations in sport cause many athletes to struggle with their performance. Athletes enter competitions with high expectations and when things don't go as planned, frustrations happen, and performance suffers. To improve performance and increase enjoyment, athletes need to learn to manage their expectations. This article uses golf science to…

This article speculates that the benefits of competition may derive from the enjoyment and absorption of intrinsic competition, while the many negative effects of excessive competition, especially as seen in children and youth, may be due to extrinsic competition, the pursuit of wins for their own sake. Twelve practical suggestions are offered for…

When students feel alienated, they develop various avoidance strategies, such as becoming spectators, blending into the background, faking participation, pretending to be sick or have an injury, or simply not attending class. Consequently, students lose out on opportunities to improve their skills and interact with others, which alienates them…

This article illustrates the repercussions of coaching aggression, how this type of negative behavior can affect athlete well-being and performance, and what actions can be taken by coaches to bolster current and future chances of success. Coaches need to be aware of how their actions, specifically those which are negative in nature, affect their…

Research supports the "broaden and build" nature of positive emotions on child socio-emotional outcomes. This article describes three lesson plans that can promote learning while helping students express positive emotions.

Sexualized dance routines for young girls are becoming more and more common in dance competitions. The appropriateness of these dance routines is being debated by parents, dance instructors, and public audiences as prepubescent children are frequently presented in risqué costumes to perform sensual movements that critics argue are inappropriate…

Coaches have the possibility to shape their athletes' experiences in sport and build a strong skillset, particularly the growth of mental toughness. It is important for athletes to develop the mental and physical components needed to overcome obstacles and maintain consistency. This article provides strategies for high school coaches to implement…

Sport participation can be a stressful experience for some high school athletes. Sustaining a sport injury can further increase athletes' stress levels. Coaches may feel uncomfortable interacting with injured athletes and can unconsciously or purposefully marginalize them. However, coaches have a responsibility toward all of their athletes,…

Physical and sport educators care that Johnny and Susie cannot move as well as their peers. They try their best to improve their skill levels because they value participation and skillfulness in sport and physical activity. However, many times there is a deeper problem as to why Johnny or Susie cannot move as well as their peers. Physical and…

A key to controlling competitive anxiety under pressure is to develop an effective attentional strategy to use before competition. This article: (1) examines the causes and psychological mechanics of pre-competitive anxiety; (2) provides athletes with an easily understandable mental strategy for practical use; and (3) provides coaches with…