Introduction

Do you remember your adolescence and some of the difficult issues you had to navigate (e.g. identity, motivation, failure, comparisons with others)? In this session, you will focus on principles that underpin coaching and guiding teenagers (aged 13–20 years old).

You start by considering the impacts of physical growth in these years, before moving on to consider mental development with the help of a psychologist who works in schools and on the sports pitch. You also hear perspectives and evidence from an influential former physical education (PE) teacher.

Watch the following video featuring Alex Danson.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• recognise the influence of teenage growth and maturation on selection in sport
• consider how the teenage brain is evolving and how an understanding of this can help when working with teenagers
• identify how self-control, confidence and emotion are key topics for those working in sport, or with teenagers, to explore further
• describe the potential influence of role models on young people’s behaviour and aspirations.