Supporting all athletes

A young ballerina came to my studio a few weeks ago in need of flexibility and strength work. After hearing about her journey with ballet, I grew curious. How could a young woman, who’s been in her sport of interest for years, be moving in a body that was so restrictive and painful? I briefly reflected on my years of coaching; sometimes the ones in charge forget to consider the whole athlete as well as each individual athlete. Because every athlete is different and although it’s challenging to instruct and be responsible for a large group of athletes, sometimes details are missed and athletes go unseen. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. There are lots of things that can be implemented for entire groups that will make a difference for each athlete at the same time and also for the ones that may not always be in focus.

• See, recognize, meet each athlete where they are

• Teaching the why not just giving the work

• Flexibility testing and training

• Strength testing and training

• Vision writing/boards

• Journaling with or without prompts

• Individual and team goal setting

• Individual check-ins

• Giving space for athletes to speak up, lead, inspire, discuss, troubleshoot their experience