Coaches are some of, if not, the most influential people in an athletes life. After interviewing twelve former collegiate athletes, the majority of their athletic experience was intertwined with their relationship with their coach. This relationship can largely impact their overall mental health and well-being even years after transitioning out of their sport. However, at the collegiate level, athletes are not the only ones struggling to stay afloat. Collegiate coaches are met with their own list of obstacles, including job instability, demands for successful results, and juggling their personal lives along with their coaching responsibilities. And what happens when we add injuries to the mix? It’s no secret to anyone that injuries are extremely common in sport, especially at the elite level. So, what are some of the resources you have to support players during the time of their injury? How do you handle the stresses of taking care of an injured athlete while managing a team?
According to Benson et al. (2020), ten Canadian university basketball head coaches revealed strategies to best alleviate the negative effects of injury while prioritizing the athlete’s well-being. These strategies included maintaining the injured athlete’s connection to the team, remaining composed at the time of the injury, and coordinating alongside staff throughout the recovery process (Benson et al., 2020). That connection to the team is vital for injured athletes. One former athlete described feelings of isolation and being disconnected from the team after being injured her senior year. She was asked from the head coach and staff to sit in the bleachers during practices and film the rest of the team. She remembered that experience as the biggest downfall and emotional state of her collegiate experience. I believe another factor that can have a huge impact as well would be to include doctors and trainers on your support staff and take into consideration the consequences that come from pushing your athlete past their limits. Another former athlete shared that her relationship with her former coach became strained after she got injured in the first meet of her senior track season. She explained that her coach had also experienced a career ending injury during his time on the track and recalled feeling very confused as to why he was not empathizing with her injury and pushing her to keep training despite doctors’ orders. Three years after her injury, she is still enduring knee pain and the repercussions of choosing to listen to her coach.
Of course, these are merely two examples of unfortunate incidents, however, it’s never too late to learn new things and continue developing as a coach. Here at Beyond the League, we offer consulting services and in-service education for sports organizations and coaches to understand the complexities of athletic transition due to an injury. We also provide evidence-based resources to help support you throughout your coaching journey.
More Mental Health Resources for Athletes
Beyond the League: This organization offers consulting and in-service education for sports organizations, parents, coaches or groups of athletes who would like to learn about how to prepare for retirement transition.
American Academy of Neurology: Sports Concussion Resources: This platform provides resources for coaches and trainers on how to better understand, prevent and treat concussions: https://www.aan.com/practice/sports-concussion-patient-resources
Mental Health Best Practices: Understanding and Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Wellness: This PDF lists resources for athletic departments on mental health screenings, referrals, and more: https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ssi/mental/SSI_MentalHealthBestPractices.pdf
Mental Health: Managing Student-Athletes’ Mental Health Issues: This handbook from the NCAA provides information on mental health symptoms to identify student-athletes who can be at risk, such as behavioral, cognitive, emotional and physical symptoms: https://sportsconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/NCAA-Managing-Student-Athletes-Mental-Health-Issues.pdf
References
Benson, A. J., Bruner, M. W., Woezik, R. A. (2020). Next one up! Exploring how coaches manage team dynamics following injury. The sport psychologist (34), 198-208. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2019-0148
Meet Diana Mellin!
Diana is a graduate student finishing up her doctorate in occupational therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in San Marcos, CA. She is currently working on her capstone project which focuses on the mental health impacts of athletic retirement. She was inspired to pursue this topic from her own personal experiences with athletic retirement. After being cut from her high school soccer team and then suffering a concussion that cut her last season of club soccer short, she had a difficult time adjusting to this “new life” without sport. Throughout her research findings, she realized that she wasn’t the only former athlete struggling to adjust during this transitional period. Her goal is to continue to advocate for proper services for this population and to provide the tools to engage in new roles, routines, and meaningful activities after sport.
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