Sign up to my FREE motivational psychology newsletter:Subscribe| Labours of Sport Coaching - The Self-Determined CoachLearning more about what you should do as a coach should directly help improve your behaviour, right? Not quite. More information on your what, without knowing you why and how, leads to frustration for coaches, their organisation, and propagates a false formula that sets coaches up to fail. Coaches are increasingly audited and sold monitoring products that don't fix their behavioural problems. This is wrong. My PhD research taught my that information is the start line, but understanding yourself and your surroundings better is critical for putting in place meaningful training and support that lead to real change (if change is even what should be targeted). Listen in and I'll talk you through - just don't think this information is useful without taking further steps!

If you enjoy this episode, I suggest checking out this other episode too:

Why effective coaching needs reflexivity

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This episode explores the psychological needs of coaches in sport, prioritising coaches' own sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. I discusses how these needs impact coaches' performance and their inclination towards supporting athletes' needs by extension. As coaches we are performers and people in our own right, deserving of feeling empowered, effective, and connected. A listen for coaches, coaching teams, and operational leadership alike to consider the interaction of coach and athlete support to achieve positive outcomes.

Chapters

00:00 The Psychological Needs of Coaches

02:50 The Role of Autonomy in Coaching

06:11 Competence and Its Importance for Coaches

09:04 The Significance of Relatedness in Coaching

12:09 Creating a Supportive Coaching Environment

14:59 The Impact of Coach Need Support on Athlete Need Support

21:09 The Interconnection of Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness

24:07 The Importance of Community Among Coaches

27:12 Long-term Development and Career Pathways for Coaches

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https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/consultancy/

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Sign up to my FREE motivational psychology newsletter:Subscribe | Labours of Sport Coaching - The Self-Determined Coach

In this episode I chat with Dadi Rafnsson about his latest research working with football clubs to establish a position specific 5 Cs psychosocial language for football coaches and players to use to tangibly bring psychology alive, as a precursor to nurturing their psychosocial development in training and on matchdays. Coaches have a massive part to play in unlocking the developmental potential of psychology in young athletes, and this latest development is a key next steps to realising our potential. I'm currently supervising a PhD project wherein establishing a bespoke psychosocial player profile for an academy forms the first part of this mission, taking massive inspiration from Dadi's work.

Paper discussed:

Rafnsson, D., Harwood, C., Steptoe, K., Matthíasdóttir, Á., Sveinbjörnsdóttir, B., & Kristjánsdóttir, H. (2025). Enhancing Role Clarity in Youth Football: Applying the 5Cs to Role Descriptions by Position. International Sport Coaching Journal, 1, 1-13.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Psychosocial Profiling in Football

01:25:31 The Role of Coaches in Psychological Development

01:28:29 Understanding the Five Cs Framework

01:31:20 Practical Applications of Psychosocial Skills

01:34:21 Developing a Common Language for Coaches and Players

01:37:15 Measuring Psychosocial Behaviors in Training

01:40:13 Integrating Psychology into Daily Training

01:43:05 The Importance of Context in Coaching

01:46:28 Commitment and Its Impact on Performance

01:49:08 Creating a Supportive Environment for Development

01:52:24 Accountability and Communication in Coaching

01:55:27 Future Directions in Psychosocial Training

02:05:12 Systematic vs. Organic Coaching Approaches

02:08:04 The Role of Emotional Control in Youth Development

02:10:45 Lessons from the Project

02:13:47 Engaging Parents in Youth Sports

02:16:55 Position-Specific vs. General Player Development

02:22:42 Cultural Influences on Coaching and Player Development

02:29:00 Balancing Performance and Psychosocial Development

02:40:43 Integrating Psychology into Coaching Practices

Learn more about your host and access my services:

https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/consultancy/

Connect with me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markjcarrollresearcher/