I began studying psychology at 19 whilst completing my Bsc in Sport Development and Coaching in Sheffield. Coupled with a series of harrowing escapades on the local gritstone, I became increasingly aware of the importance that the mental aspect plays in sport performance. Over the following years I moved into coaching within other sports, education and even a spell organising international competitive events. This gave me a huge broad range of experience across the entire spectrum of elite to grass roots. ⠀
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What I observed was that there is not one singular way in which people think. Instead there is a huge variety of different approaches and styles. What was also obvious, was that the better athletes out there clearly had a much better grasp and understanding of their own thoughts and beliefs. ⠀
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Therefore, could it be possible that despite athletes training harder and being fitter and stronger, that it is the misunderstanding of their own thoughts and beliefs that is continually getting in the way of their performance? If my role as a coach is to work with athletes (note the partnership) in the pursuit of their goals, then surely I also need to help them better understand their own thoughts and beliefs? ⠀

Coaching is Psychology

It seems reasonable to assume that competing in a World Cup final is the biggest moment in an athletes career. Such an occasion evokes all sorts of emotions including fear of failure, pressure and low confidence. In reality, a World Cup final is only as big a moment as that individual thinks it is. For some it truly is the most important moment ever while for others, well it's just another day isn't it. ⠀
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Whether there be medals or money or a huge crowd involved, how the athlete feels about this moment is often a result of their thinking, which can change dramatically. For coaches we are often highly involved in the creation of the training environment and as such have a responsibility to provide context (mimicking some of the competition experience) for our athletes. We are also often there at critical performance moments where we provide feedback and ask questions that trigger further cognitions.⠀
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As such, whether we like it or not, we are always working with psychology. We could be planning a training session, showing a feedback video replay or having a discussion but are ultimately effecting our athletes thoughts, feelings, beliefs and directly or indirectly performances. A much wiser coach than me once stated, "if there's no anxiety before a session it's just exercise, if there is then that's training".

Working with Youth Athletes

This is an area of real personal interest as former Team Manager and Coach for the @gb_climbing Youth Team. As well as being active in talent research, I just plain and simple enjoy seeing youth athletes have positive experiences and excel in climbing. This includes both on and off the competitive stage.

When working with youth athletes it's important not to simply see them as small adults and there are many elements to consider. I for sure have learnt a lot about what works and what doesn't over the years and I look forward to sharing some of this with you. ⠀

• Think Broad and Holistic ⠀
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  A career in sport is anything but a linear journey. There are a number of transitions not only within sport but also in life. Each represent various challenges and opportunities for growth, or dare I say crisis. Developmental psychology draws our attention to the development of self identity and that challenge is important for youth athletes’ engagement. This is complex enough without the added fears, perception of pressure and risk/reward of being an athlete. ⠀
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  As such, the primary focus for coaches should be to equip their young athletes with a broad range of cognitive, perceptual and of course motor skills. At the same time it's important for coaches to understand that the skills required to reach elite level are not the same as the skills required to succeed at elite level. Our role here is to provide them with the key fundamentals that act as a psychological foundation rather than the icing on the cake. ⠀
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  Here are a few aspects that I (this is just my opinion here) see as important psychological foundation skills:
  
  🎯 Goal Setting
  Help athletes learn the differences and nuance of long, medium and short term goals. Engage in regular discussions, ask them questions and even share your own with them.
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  🎯 Identify factors outside of their control ⠀
  Emphasize the value of focussing on things you can control or influence and not to waste energy in other areas.⠀
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  🎯 Planning and Organisation ⠀
  Work with your athletes to help them develop tools to manage their time. A major challenge for athletes as they progress is being able to balance demands of school and social life with training. ⠀
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  🎯 Develop a Climber Philosophy ⠀
  Help the climber better understand themselves through developing a philosophy that includes why they climb, what motivates them and how they express themselves.
  
  One of the major mistakes I see coaches do is to try and get too specific too soon. Research and my own experience has taught me to steer clear of integrating very specific exercises too early. This is something that we can progress too but only when the fundamentals are in place.

• Create Psychological Safety⠀

  
  You may have heard this term before as it often appears as a bit of a coaching buzz word. While it seems simple in principle, applying it successfully is in itself a skill and often something that requires forethought and planning to be done well. At its core, psychological safety is about being able to openly express ones authentic self without fear of negative consequences or judgement. Within a team setting, athletes feel both accepted and respected by coaches and other team members.⠀
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  It's been shown that psychologically safe environments lead to an increase in creativity, risk taking (trying new things) and autonomy. All behaviours which we know to be indicative of good performance. ⠀
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  So how do we go about creating Psychological Safety?
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  🎯 Active Listening ⠀
  Show your youth athletes that your open and engaged. Ensure your present during conversations and find time to connect with each of your± climbers. ⠀
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  🎯 Inclusive Decision Making ⠀
  Actively include your climbers in decision making. Seek out their thoughts and opinions and avoid a "coach knows better than you" dynamic. ⠀
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  🎯 Model Self Awareness ⠀
  Demonstrate that your mindful and create opportunities to explore mindfulness with your athletes. ⠀
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  🎯 Seek Feedback ⠀
  Sounds simple but when was the last time you asked your athletes "what can I do better to help you?". Use questioning to inform if your on the right track and confirm your approach is matching the athletes needs. ⠀
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  🎯 Avoid Negativity⠀
  Be sure to challenge negativity and be mindful of your own. ⠀
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  🎯 Create Shared Purpose, Goals and Values ⠀
  Champion the "team" ethos with shared objectives that all members can tribute too. ⠀
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  In may ways the above points are simple yet highly effective techniques to establish a great environment. If there was one thing we got right with the GB Youth team all those years ago it was a great environment.

Tom Greenall is an innovative, driven and transformative competition climbing coach from Great Britain and currently head coach of the GB climbing team. Over the past few years he has been a driving force behind the development of climbing coaching in the UK. 

Widely recognised for being a highly motivated and collaborative coaching professional, Tom has a grounded "process focussed but outcome aware" approach to high performance programming.

Tom is a strategic thinker with a challenging focus.

His approach is heavily influenced by the constraints based learning and is always striving to create training environments that integrate risk and challenge with support and curiosity.

If you have any questions for Tom or us, leave us a message here!