ABSTRACT
Researchers have found that the better the quality and quantity of feedback from coaches the higher the athlete’s perception of their competence, self-esteem and enjoyment will be. The encouragement can come from a coach or other involved expert or from others within the athlete’s support network but must be authentic so related to something they have expertise in. A nice process to go through with athletes as the end of season nears is to look at where their support throughout the season has come from. The pressures the athletes will face; relationships, feelings, stress and of course injury all impact on their performances and if they have a ‘go-to’ person for each area of their worries they will be a better and healthier athlete; both mentally and physically. Specifically developing a training partnership with another athlete has been found to improve work ethic, pain tolerance and accountability.
