By Cara Cocchiarella
(October 5, 2021)

On the heels of an unprecedented Olympic Games, mental health in athletes has emerged as a heated topic. While there have been efforts to bring wellness concerns to the forefront well before this summer, addressing issues within sports culture may finally be gaining much-needed traction. The fact that in order for athlete wellness to garner legitimate attention required public awareness of formidable challenges faced by athletes like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles is heart-wrenching – and to those who are invested in athlete-centered coaching and sports experiences, such struggles are tragically unsurprising. It is beyond time for a critical look at sports systems and coaching through a wellness lens.

A variety of gaps arise when we examine the promotion of comprehensive wellness (or frequently, the lack thereof) in athletics. While coaches and coach developers are encouraged to support their charges holistically, often we provide little guidance in that direction. Wellness establishes a structure for investing in coaches and athletes as people; however, compounding the missing links in the coaching world is the general misunderstanding and narrow messaging we encounter around wellness as a whole.

To help bridge the gap in understanding and push practitioners to engage in wellness-enhancing behaviors, I co-authored, with Camille Adana Winning Well: Maximizing Coach and Athlete Wellness. As health educators, we combined our teaching, coaching, and coach development experience to create a text that is research-based, informative, and practical in nature. It is geared toward supporting both coaches and coach developers in the promotion of not just athlete wellness, but that of the coach as well. The purposeful application of wellness in sports provides coaches and coach developers with a framework for supporting individuals holistically and authentically, allowing them to strive for excellence both on and off the court.

The following is an excerpt from Winning Well which addresses emotional wellness:

One of the most productive steps you can take for athletes in an effort to promote emotional wellness is to demonstrate it yourself. Athletes have much to gain when coaches express emotions and discuss difficult and happy times both on and off the court…. Let athletes know you are there to help and that you will serve as a part of their support system. Show them your human side. It may be foreign to the industry, but it’s healthy, and it forms a foundation for not just strong individuals, but strong athletes and teams. In addition to modeling emotional wellness, the following are a few coaching practices that will allow you to support this important aspect of athletes’ lives:

• Foster your own emotional intelligence and make time for expression of emotion so that you can better understand athletes and react with empathy.
• Throughout the season and in your routines, give players a voice. You may have to help teach them how to express emotion without harming themselves or others, but if they are never given a chance to share, they may never learn. In meetings before and after practices and games, allow for player input, keep the door open to feelings, and always express your appreciation for their sharing.
• Embrace the spectrum of emotions that may surface when you create a safe place for athletes to feel, and remember that what athletes need emotionally from their sport will vary from day to day. They may benefit most from a physical workout to help release stress or anger. They may need the freedom associated with play to help them find calm. They may also need the connection with you and other teammates to feel supported.
• Be cognizant of the emotions associated with injuries and the ending of sports careers.
• Recognize the role that trauma may play in a person’s life. Many different coach development organizations offer research-based training in trauma informed care and coaching practices.
• Be open to discussions about depression, anxiety, and suicide. For young people, suicide rates are as high as they have ever been. Mainstream culture has created significant stigma and fear around the topic of suicide that has led to people feeling too embarrassed to reach out for help.
• Equip yourself with emergency mental health resources, such as crisis lines, that you can consult as needed. If you are coaching in a school or league, be informed of all policies and reporting procedures associated with safety concerns. Build a network of mental health professionals that you can consult when looking for referrals and advice to pass along to athletes. School based mental health services are a great place to start.

Whether guiding coaches through coach development efforts or in the classroom, wellness can no longer be neglected as an essential component of our work. It has taken a back seat for far too long, and the consequences have been grim. The same does not have to ring true for future generations in sport. We can all do our part to help support coaches and athletes as people and in those efforts, promote a more person-centered, inclusive, and fulfilling sports culture. It’s not about striving to win or doing the right thing – it’s about doing both simultaneously.

More on Winning Well:
Winning Well examines physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, financial, and occupational wellness within the context of athletics. Each chapter highlights challenges related to a dimension of wellness, provides tangible guidelines and tips, encourages self-reflection, and shares personal testimonies from a variety of perspectives to help demonstrate wellness in the field. Each of the dimensions of wellness, when approached in this manner, support coaches and coach developers in taking a step toward more inclusive, holistic, person-centered leadership while also maximizing performance. Winning Well acts as a handbook for all leaders in sport, including specific considerations for coach developers within each dimension of wellness. It serves as an excellent read for any coach or coach developer, regardless of their sport, competitive level, and/or their current emphasis on wellness in coaching. Academic programs that prioritize athlete-centered coaching may be particularly inspired to employ this text.

Winning Well is scheduled to be released in November 2021 and is available for preorder.