APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2020 , Vol . 6 all the guys behind the scenes , and if I don ’ t do it I ’ m letting them down .”
Achieving the right balance is key .
“ It ’ s about the individual , and they are clear that it ’ s about them . But that ’ s done in such a way that they don ’ t feel pressured that everyone else is depending on them , or their performance , but they know they have resources around them .”
The challenge of adopting person-centred approaches in large group settings was also highlighted .
4 . A focus on holistic development
A core theme to emerge throughout the focus groups was the importance of developing the whole person beyond the athlete . Success being defined as producing healthy and rounded individuals , some of whom will continue into high performance sport , but most will not .
“ I think it ’ s about developing people . They ’ re a person first before they become a sprinter , a rugby player or a golfer . It ’ s not just about the player . It ’ s that whole person approach and the holistic view of their development as a player .”
“ I guess it builds on this idea of holistic players . From a player perspective , holistically feeling supported and understood by all the parts of the system , so seeing them as people as much as they are athletes and being recognised as that .”
“ We ’ re really looking at the fullness of the individual . That is all our jobs to make sure we don ’ t lose sight of the person and actually , we should be trying to make them a better person as well .”
As such , there was recognition around not only developing the physical and psychological attributes of individuals along their respective pathways , but also paying attention to the wider social contexts of their lives and preparing them for a life beyond of sport , whenever that may occur .
“ We need to spend at least some time trying to work on the personal attributes , if not the academic attributes , so they are prepared for when they leave the sport and to manage them through the sport . I know full well the players I work with aren ’ t going to be able to do A-levels , but you can definitely develop their psycho-social skills as well as their life skills .”
The importance of allowing and encouraging learners to engage in other sports and other opportunities outside of sport ( eg education , work ) was highlighted .
“ Some sports do it well , they have good educational development alongside the pathway , social development alongside the pathway , and allow people other opportunities . So , they can do some other good things on their journey rather than just being the cyclist or the rugby player , or the football player .”
“ There was really value-based off the pitch stuff , like they did philosophy and still , I think , run a philosophy club and are getting players into doing degrees and doing further education . They started up a crèche so that actually the players could bring their kids into work . The crèche was then provided onsite at the training venue . Loads of stuff like that which I think takes into account that sense of it being about the whole person . It ’ s not just about the player .”
“ So , especially when they ’ re competing at international levels , we ’ re supporting them if they want to learn a language , take a class , learn other skills and providing the resources for them to do that .”
Providing a healthy balance of opportunities is key . This will help to ensure that learners have an identity beyond sport and are equipped for life outside of the development pathway .
5 . Open , accessible and inclusive
Creating and maintaining an open , accessible and inclusive learning and development environment was regarded a key priority for a number of people . The importance of casting the net wide open , and for as long as possible , in order to ensure a wider and open pool of potential talent higher up the pathway was also highlighted . This affords the time and space to nurture and develop learners holistically , and also reduces the pressure to identify talent early .
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