ABSTRACT
For many coaches and practitioners, teaching life lessons and promoting positive youth development is their ultimate goal in sport. However, they are often challenged and conflicted by the dual goal of developing good people at the same time they are developing good athletes. This chapter seeks to help practitioners create a dedicated approach to developing youth as people, as well as developing them as athletes. Scientific research and practical approaches in sport-based positive youth development are examined and used as a guide to highlight how to effectively develop life skills in young athletes. Practitioners are first encouraged to get to know who their athletes are as individuals on and off the sports field to maximise their potential in facilitating the development of life skills. A series of strategies are then provided that are designed to explicitly and implicitly develop life skills through sport at the same time as developing skills for sport performance. Finally, practitioners are encouraged to expand their commitment to athletes to beyond the sports field by helping young people effectively transfer life skills to other areas of life.
