8 Summary

The main learning points of this first session are:

• Sporting success can only be explained as a complex interaction between a range of components, which some writers have grouped under the three categories of the performer, the social environment and training/practice.
• Coaching and psychology link and interact with a number of these components. The examples of injury rehabilitation (Saracens rugby club) and the design of learning environments (Tokyo 2020 canoeists) begin to show some of the potential interaction between coaching and psychology.
• Coaching can be enhanced by exploring psychological aspects of sport: two main examples emerged in this session:
  • Psychology can help develop understanding of how different individuals are motivated.
  • Coaching for better performance can be partly viewed as a balance between appropriate challenge and support.

In the next session, you will explore how fun, friendships and the number of sports you played as a youngster all have an impact on your experiences of sport and likelihood of continuing. However, we all have different interpretations of what ‘fun’ means in sport, which is why children’s sport is so fascinating.

You can now go to Session 2.