By: Julie Hatfield-Still

Provided By: Beyond The Game Alliance

As a coach, you're constantly evaluating whether it's watching how athletes perform in a drill, tracking game-day stats, or observing who shows up ready to work. But the best coaches take it a step further: they assess intentionally and systematically.

They understand that assessment is more than numbers; it's insight, and when done consistently, it serves as a powerful indicator for progress or regression. It's about seeing the whole athlete, identifying their current state, and helping them reach their full potential.

When done well, assessments in athleticism, wellness, and behavior give us the data we really need- not just to make better decisions as coaches, but to teach athletes how to take ownership of their development.

Let's break down how and what to assess, depending on the age and stage of your athletes-and why it matters more than ever in the middle school and high school years.

1. Why Assessing Athleticism Matters

If you coach sports, you coach movement. And movement skill- agility, coordination, balance, strength, speed, power- should be assessed regularly. Not to rank or shame athletes, but to track growth, tailor training, and prevent injury.

For middle school athletes, the purpose of assessment is to establish baselines, identify movement imbalances, and begin introducing training awareness in a way that's age-appropriate and non-intimidating. At this stage, assessments are less about performance outcomes and more about observation, growth, and education.

We recommend the Big 5 Assessments, which you can learn more about in our Youth Athletic Assessment Specialist Certification

• Vertical jump
• Broad jump
• 5-10-5 Drill
• Push-up Holds
• Single-leg balance (eyes closed)
• Plank holds
• Basic movement screens (e.g., squat and lunge form)

A cadence of two to three assessments per year is ideal. This frequency allows for noticeable progress without overwhelming young athletes. The key is to keep the process light, engaging, and focused on effort and improvement, not comparison or ranking.

Middle schoolers are in wildly different stages of growth-what you're testing isn't necessarily performance, but readiness, patterns, and potential.

For high school athletes, assessments serve a more refined and targeted purpose. They're used to track performance over time, support the specific physical demands of each sport, optimize training programs, and proactively reduce the risk of injury.

As athletes become more physically developed and sport-focused, assessments should reflect a higher level of precision and intent. Useful tools at this level include:

• 10- or 20-yard sprints
• Broad jump
• Medicine ball throws
• Balance
• Repeated sprint ability tests
• Overhead squats
• Lunges
• Push-up holds/Timed push-ups

These assessments are most effective when conducted at key checkpoints throughout the year– typically in the pre-season, mid-season, and post-season - to align with training blocks and performance goals.

At this stage, assessment isn't just about collecting data. It becomes a strategic training tool that helps reinforce effort, identify gaps in development, and provide athletes with clear, measurable indicators of progress. It turns training into something they can see, feel, and believe in.

2. How to Choose the Right Assessments

Ask yourself:

• What are the movement qualities most important to my sport?
• What age/stage are my athletes physically and emotionally?
• Do I have the time, tools, and training to administer these assessments properly?
• What am I going to do with the results?

Keep it simple and actionable. It's better to do three assessments well and track them over time than to do ten inconsistently. Always ask: "What story does this data tell me about this athlete?"

3. Don't Forget the Invisible Game: Wellness & Habits

Not everything that matters shows up in a sprint time or jump height. In fact, some of the most critical factors influencing performance - like nutrition habits, hydration, sleep quality, and mental agility - are often the most overlooked and under-assessed. Yet these are the very foundations that either support or sabotage an athlete's ability to perform, recover, and stay consistent.

The truth is, if you're not assessing where your athletes stand in these areas, you're at risk of overtraining them and under-developing them. Performance dips, burnout rises, and you're left wondering why your athletes aren't progressing, despite solid programming.

One of the biggest questions I get from coaches is: "How do I assess this stuff?" The good news is, it doesn't have to be complicated. A simple rating system can go a long way. When athletes are asked to reflect and rate themselves on key wellness habits, something powerful happens: they begin to see those areas as important. They become more intentional.

In essence, what we assess and talk about, athletes will start to value more and more, and what we celebrate, we're more likely to duplicate.

When assessing lifestyle habits and mental attitudes, it's important to move beyond vague questions like "How's your sleep?" Instead, give your athletes crystal-clear targets and frameworks.

For example (1-Never, 5-Always):

• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I get an average of 8-9 hours of sleep at night"
• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I drink eight 8oz cups of water per day"
• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I eat a meal including protein, carbs, and fruits & veggies 3x per day"
• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I feel strong and athletic"
• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I can stay focused and bounce back quickly after mistakes"
• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I feel connected to my team and coach, I belong."
• "Rate yourself from 1-5 on: I am confident in my abilities as an athlete."

These are just a few examples of many. You can easily implement by creating a Google Form and sharing the link with your athlete/team.

This self-assessment approach creates awareness without judgment. It opens the door to better conversations, builds accountability, and allows coaches to spot trends that may affect training outcomes. Over time, it shifts the culture. Athletes begin to understand that performance isn't just built in the gym or on the field, it's built in their daily habits, their recovery, their mindset, and their routines.

And that's the real win.

The goal is not perfection, but awareness. When athletes see that these things matter to you, they start to matter more to them. Since this is often the case, you want to be mindful of the things you assess and how you reinforce them. If you choose to assess certain areas, but you don't reinforce the principles, athletes will see and feel the incongruence.

4. Every Good Coach Keeps Stats-Beyond the Scoreboard

Too often, coaches focus solely on game-day stats– points, wins and losses, goals, turnovers. While those numbers matter, they only tell part of the story. The most impactful coaches go deeper. They gather data that reflects the full scope of an athlete's development, tracking things like training consistency, practice attendance and effort, physical progress over time, recovery and wellness patterns, and even leadership moments or behavioral shifts.

Why does this matter?

Because progress doesn't always show up on the scoreboard. Sometimes, it's found in increased resilience, smarter decision-making, fewer injuries, or stronger team culture. When you track what really matters, you create a fuller picture, one that allows you to coach more intentionally, adjust more precisely, and communicate more effectively with both athletes and parents.

This kind of information becomes your coaching compass, helping you guide athletes toward sustainable growth, not just short-term results.

5. Assessments Build Buy-In

When assessments are done with care, not as judgment, but as a tool for information, they become a powerful part of the development process.

• They help validate the effort an athlete puts into training and growth, reinforcing that progress is being made, even when it's not immediately visible.
• They encourage athletes to take ownership of their improvement by showing them where they stand and what they can work toward.
• They open up important conversations around areas like sleep, recovery, and nutrition, topics that often go unspoken but significantly impact performance.
• Most importantly, assessments give both coaches and athletes a shared language for measuring and discussing progress.

All of this is especially valuable in the middle and high school years, when young athletes are forming habits, identities, and beliefs about their potential. With intentional assessment, we teach them that their body, brain, and behaviors are all interconnected, and that every part of who they are plays a role in how they show up in sport and in life.

Final Thought

Assessments aren't just about measuring performance. They're about elevating awareness, prioritizing what matters, and coaching the whole athlete. Whether you're coaching middle schoolers still figuring out their bodies or high schoolers striving for the next level, don't let your coaching stop at the scoreboard.

Keep track. Pay attention. Share the data. And use it to create athletes who are not just good at the game-but built to thrive beyond it.

Written by Coach Julie Hatfield-Still

Julie Hatfield-Still is an entrepreneur, coach, author, and advocate for empowering athletes to unlock their full potential in their game and beyond their game. With a passion for developing mental strength and resilience, Julie has authored books for Female Athletes and Mental Strength in Softball and Soccer.

She is also the Founder and President of Beyond The Game Alliance. This non-profit organization provides holistic and proactive workshops in Nutrition, Mental Strength & Sports Psychology, Injury Resilience, Recovery, Career Development, and more. Beyond The Game Alliance comes alongside Teams, Schools, and Sports Organizations to support their athletes' needs by providing awareness, access, and affordability for services and coaching for athletes. When Julie isn’t writing, running a non-profit, or coaching, she’s most importantly dedicated to educating her two sons and creating a simple life with her family.

Learn more about Beyond The Game Alliance at BeyondTheGameAlliance.org or Follow Us on Social Media (Facebook and Instagram).

Find Books for Athletes used by Coaches on Amazon.

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  ]]> https://coachesinsider.com/volleyball/why-every-great-coach-assesses-their-athletes-beyond-the-scoreboard-stats-4/feed/ 0 123915 https://coachesinsider.com/volleyball/mental-toughness-a-skill-that-can-be-developed-with-dr-colleen-hacker-team-usa-pacific-lutheran-univ-9/ https://coachesinsider.com/volleyball/mental-toughness-a-skill-that-can-be-developed-with-dr-colleen-hacker-team-usa-pacific-lutheran-univ-9/#respond Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:00:40 +0000 https://coachesinsider.com/?p=105032 Watch as Dr. Colleen Hacker explains that mental toughness is a skill, and it can be developed. It is about how an individual responds to adversity, difficult situations, setbacks, and failure. Mental toughness is not required when everything is going well for an athlete. She explains that you don't get to pick when you experience mental toughness moments and gives several examples of possible situations. When these instances happen, it is an opportunity for an athlete to develop their mental toughness capabilities. She explains that iron sharpens iron, and it is under pressure that diamonds are made.

Achieving Excellence by Dr. Colleen M. Hacker with Mallory E. Mann - Book with Online Resource - click here.

This clip comes from our AD Insider | Thursday 30 episode #112. Click here to view full episode.

By: Kevin M. Bryant, CMAA

Many times, in my 35-year career in college and high school athletic administration I have heard coaches share their frustrations about their athletic director. While I would like to think that I was immune from such conversations, I know there were coaches on my various staffs that had varying degrees of appreciation, respect, and positive feelings about me personally and our work together. I can honestly say that I tried to be and do my best each day for each of my staff but that does not mean that every coach received everything they needed from me, despite my best efforts. Like you coaches, often despite your many sacrifices, late nights, early mornings, off-season work, fundraising, parent issues, not every student-athlete would say you were a positive and impactful person in their lives. That is not easy to live with at the end of the day. Our goals as coaches and ADs are to be the best teammates we can be to serve our student-athletes and communities. What follows are a few thoughts from one AD's perspective as to how YOU can make the coach-AD relationship the best possible.

• Start with unconditional warm regard. As we are often encouraged to do with our assistant coaches, parents, and student-athletes, despite past incidents, approach the AD-Coach relationship with Unconditional Warm Regard for your AD. Both AD/Coaches are under tremendous stress daily. With so much going on we can assume the worst about the AD vs. the best. ADs need to grow and be better, seems like the AD takes a growth mindset toward their jobs, they have a chance to grow every day with complexity they face. Give your AD room to grow and do not assume the worst when something goes awry. Start here as you work with your AD.
• Details matter. As you share with your team(s) you have expectations of what it means to be a GREAT teammate. I always communicated and deeply felt that my coaching STAFF was my team. I was the head coach so to speak. We often get myopic, my sport, my facility etc. An AD sometimes has 70-100 coaches and 20 plus sports to manage. Be on time with your requested items. Whatever it might be. When asked to do something related to information and details take care of it. This builds trust and respect between you and the AD. Remember the phrase, poor planning on your part does not make it an emergency on mine. Be on top of the details of your program.
• True friends stab each other in the front! Great relationships are not just the job of the AD; relationships are a two-way street. If you have a frustration with your AD do not share it with everyone but the AD. In fact, if you want a GREAT relationship with your AD it should begin and end with your AD. Nobody else needs to know. You are just as responsible for the climate and culture of our athletic department as the AD. Again, if you want your athletes to act this way, you are the model of confidence and trust to them.
• Treat your AD like a teammate. I loved it every time I was invited to a team meal, post-game meeting, coaches meeting, celebration, birthday party, pre-season BBQ etc. Does not mean your AD can make it to all, but I was always honored to be asked and included. My constant goal as HS AD was to make it to as many games, home and away in every sport as humanly possible. That was one way I could visibly thank my coaches, was by showing up. When your AD shows up thank him or her for coming. Lastly, I love gear like any sport related person. Your coaching shirt, sweatshirt, tee shirt, hat etc. I LOVED. Another example of how you treat your AD like a teammate.
• Work through the fact that you have a boss. As humans we often push back against leadership in our lives. We have a million reasons for this, he/she (AD) did this, or did not do this etc. so you allow that to become a barrier ( See 'Unconditional Warm Regard' above). My world view tells me (and I see it every day) I am selfish and self-centered to the core of my being. That is called being ethnocentric or thinking I am the center of my own universe. You as a coach are heroic in my mind because every day you are doing your best to form a team from selfish and self-centered student-athletes. That is heroic, challenging and worth our best efforts each day. Drop your guard, and be teachable, humble, and be willing to be led. Your athletes are watching you to see, do you DO what you tell us to do in your own life?
• Say thank you. Kevin Hoffman in CAD magazine in June 2018 authored an article titled "Dear ADs: Show appreciation for your coaches". Basically, he said coaches are looking for respect and appreciation from their ADs. Guess what, ADs are looking for the same thing in return from their coaching staff. It does not take much effort to take a moment, and thank an AD for their work on your behalf, and that of your coaching staff, program, and student-athletes. Time spent on HS athletics is not a contest between the AD and you as coaches. But it is easy to head toward, "my AD has no idea how much time, effort, money I put into this program etc." I would say in return, unless coaches have sat in the HS AD chair you have no idea about the other side of the equation either. Find ways to appreciate each other is not just an AD responsibility.
• Culture is how we think, act, and interact. It might appear that the AD is solely responsible for the athletic culture at your school, however, the AD cannot help to create vision or energy around the athletic program without your investment in it. As coaches you are the ones who are living out the athletic culture in the lives of your assistant coaches and student-athletes. As you have said many times to your own athletes, attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching? Be someone who is a true believer in your athletic culture and you are a constant example of living into the culture.
• Unasked for advice always comes across as criticism. A good friend of mine gave me this "advice" years ago and it has helped me enormously with my own 30-something children, my wife, and close friends. I try to live this out every day. If you want feedback, ask for it from your AD. Let them on the inside of your joys, frustrations, and desire to improve. Your willingness to share what is going on inside of you is a gift. I ALWAYS came away with great appreciation and thankfulness for my coaches from these conversations. Even if the information shared with me was how I could be and do better.
• Deal correctly with your expectations of your AD. Unmet expectations often result in either anger or depression. We are disappointed that what we thought was going to happen did not. We know this intrinsically from all of our working relationships, family, friends etc. Expectations need to be agreed upon to have a basis to accomplish them or live them out. You and I really have no basis for either anger or depression over unmet expectations if we have not communicated them and have agreement on them. Check yourself before you get angry or down about things related to your AD if you have not done this. As you become better at communicating your expectations you might be surprised by the results of that work with your AD.
• Character is more than a word. If we were able to get everyone reading this in a room and brought up words like character, sportsmanship, and leadership as the words were mentioned we would see "bobble heading" take place around the room as each person acknowledged these words as they connect to sport. However, nearly every person would have a differing definition of these words. Sport participation does not teach Character just by participating like some kind of osmosis. The research shows that the higher one goes in athletic participation the less morally developed they become, because winning becomes the highest value. Former UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden's college basketball coach was asked how his team would be that year, he said in response, "Ask me in 20 years." My hope for each of you is that 20 years from now your former athletes will remember far more than just the technique and tactics of sport. However, they will not unless you make sure you teach it just like you teach sport skills, intentionally. Character has two parts: Performance character (be on time, work ethic, teamwork, sacrifice, resilience) and Moral Character (Honesty, Justice, Respect, Responsibility and Love). You know how you teach sport skills: demonstrate fundamentals and then correct repetitions toward automation. This will happen with character too if you decide that you want to teach values intentionally like you do with technique and tactic of sport.

This work we are all about is exciting and potentially life-changing for those you are coaching. You and your AD can be powerful allies in this joint pursuit of impacting high school student-athletes. Perhaps one or two of the ideas mentioned in this article will help you to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship with your AD. I certainly hope it does, thank you for your daily work and passion around sport and student-athletes. Each one of you have enormous potential to be a person of lifelong impact in the lives of others.

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire; it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."
Nelson Mandela, 2000

About the Author

Kevin Bryant, CMAA, is an adjunct professor at Pacific University (Forest Grove, OR.) in Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM). Pacific is an NCAA D-III school. Bryant was named Athletic Director of the Year twice in the State of Oregon (2005, 2020) and has received two national awards from the NIAAA and NFHS for his work on a local, regional, and national level in high school athletics. Bryant is married to Sara for the past 43 years, is the father of three children now in their thirties and he and Sara have enjoyed their two grandchildren, Oliver 9 ½ and Blythe 6 ½. Besides loving his SLAM students, he is an avid Spin Biker and Pickleball lover. He can be reached at brya6641@pacificu.edu.

  ]]> https://coachesinsider.com/volleyball/how-coaches-can-develop-an-outstanding-working-relationship-with-your-ad-10/feed/ 0 123282 https://coachesinsider.com/volleyball/the-sports-nutrition-challenge-hiding-in-plain-sight-2/ https://coachesinsider.com/volleyball/the-sports-nutrition-challenge-hiding-in-plain-sight-2/#respond Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:28:54 +0000 https://coachesinsider.com/?p=121591

By: Greta Jarvis, MS, MPH,

Founder of: Center for Active Women

It was around sophomore year of high school when my classmates, teammates, and friends started restricting their eating: the Flat Belly Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, MyFitnessPal, and the like. Eventually, this felt normal, expected, and just part of being a disciplined, competitive athlete.

When I returned to my high school over ten years later – this time, as a coach – it's easy to see that, unfortunately, not much has changed. Coaches are still not trained on how to discuss sports nutrition with their teams, and athletes still experience stress around what, when, and how much to eat. With most of my high schoolers on social media, nutrition misinformation and confusion abound.

The conversation around how we can better support our athletes nutritionally is vast (I spent years studying this as a graduate student and have dedicated my career to serving this population!), but understanding one core concept is a valuable first step.

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) occurs when someone is not eating enough to meet their body's needs. This impacts a shockingly high number of athletes:

• The International Olympic Committee estimates that 23% to 80% of female athletes and 15% to 70% of male athletes experience REDs, crediting the wide range of statistics to the different ways researchers measure and categorize under-eating (Mountjoy et al., 2023)
• Another team of researchers reviewed the literature to identify 63% of athletes as at risk for REDs (Gallant et al., 2024).

This condition touches every sport, every team, and every school, but most coaches, athletic directors, athletes, and even healthcare practitioners remain unaware of this condition and its devastating impacts on body, mind, and performance (Gallant et al., 2024; Mountjoy et al., 2023). Prevention and education are two of our most powerful tools – and we need all hands on deck.

You don't need advanced nutrition training here. Start by recognizing your role as a leader who helps define the culture and norms in your community. Encourage your athletes to speak kindly about their bodies and to think about food as a valuable teammate rather than an opponent to fear. Remind them that our bodies require a lot of food, every day, to function – especially as an athlete. Our beating hearts and expanding lungs require calories. Adolescent athletes require calories for appropriate development and growth. Even digesting food and regulating body temperature require calories!

Many athletes fear "eating too much," but make sure your athletes are aware of the very real (and very common) risks of not eating enough. The International Olympic Committee outlines the effects of REDs into two categories: health and performance. You can read their full consensus statement for a deeper dive, but here are some signs and symptoms that we commonly see:

Health:

• Compromised bone density (recurring stress fractures are common here!)
• Irregular or absent menstrual cycles
• Gastrointestinal distress
• Urinary incontinence
• Mental health challenges
• Sleep disturbances

Performance:

• Reduced power and endurance
• Reduced motivation and focus
• Reduced coordination and concentration
• Reduced muscle strength

The truth is that no number of "superfoods" can override the negative impacts of under-eating. Not eating enough, whether from intentional restriction or just not understanding how much food our body really needs, holds far too many athletes back from reaching their full potential. When we – as coaches and athletic directors – better understand the signs and symptoms of REDs, we are better positioned to protect our athletes from under-eating and identify when someone may need further support. Our athletes deserve nothing less.

About the Author:

Greta Jarvis, MS, MPH holds her Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Master of Science in Nutrition, as well as certifications as an Intuitive Eating Counselor and Integrative Health Coach.

As the founder of the Center for Active Women, the heart of Greta's work is supporting women and girls in building peaceful and confident relationships with food, body, and movement. From customized workshops, classes, and lectures to one-on-one coaching and consultation, she equips students, parents, coaches, teachers, athletes, schools, teams, and organizations to navigate and prevent the all-too-common realities of under-eating, disordered eating, body image disturbances, and hormonal imbalances. This work fills a gaping hole causing women and girls lifelong, preventable harm.

Connect with Greta and learn more at Center for Active Women

Citations:

Gallant, T.L., Ong, L.F., Wong, L. et al. Low Energy Availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med 55, 325–339 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-02130-0

Mountjoy, M., Ackerman, K. E., Bailey, D. M., Burke, L. M., Constantini, N., Hackney, A. C., Heikura, I. A., Melin, A., Pensgaard, A. M., Stellingwerff, T., Sundgot-Borgen, J. K., Torstveit, M. K., Jacobsen, A. U., Verhagen, E., Budgett, R., Engebretsen, L., & Erdener, U. (2023). 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(17), 1073–1098. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994

Learn more about Randy here: FoxPoint.Net.

By: David T. Morris

Originally Published in: Student-Athletes: Control Your Own Destiny

 
Definition of Bullying:

As defined by the organization, stopbullying.gov, "bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. There are three types of bullying: verbal, social, and physical."

Definition of Hazing:

The National Federation of State High School Associations defines hazing as "any humiliating or dangerous activity expected of a student to belong to a group, regardless of their willingness to participate. Some practices associated with high school hazing carry the potential for serious bodily harm or even death. These practices include—tattooing, piercing, head-shaving, branding, sleep deprivation, physical punishment, kidnapping, consuming unreasonable/unacceptable foods or beverages, being deprived of personal hygiene, and/or inappropriate sexual behavior."

Coaches, administrators, parents, and students need to understand what bullying/hazing is, how to recognize that the activities are taking place, and how to handle and take care of the violations. Athletic teams sometimes have traditional activities to initiate or accept new members to a team, but these activities should not include any of the activities that are defined in the definitions for both concepts. Bullying and hazing are not acceptable behaviors for athletes/teams to participate in, and they should not be tolerated. Rules and regulations need to be established and put into place!! There have been too many injuries, humiliation stories, and even deaths related to high school and college incidents of bullying/hazing.

Effects of Bullying and Hazing

Bullying and hazing can affect many people. Bullying/hazing is linked to many negative outcomes, including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide. It is important that coaches, administrators, parents, and student-athletes understand and are able to recognize the signs and effects of each.

Student-athletes who are bullied/hazed can experience negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues. Those who are bullied are more likely to experience:

• Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.
• Health complaints
• Decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation (They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.)

By: Chris Szabo - Rewild Coaching and Consulting

After a Tough Loss for student-athletes, the aftermath of a tough loss can be emotionally challenging, especially when the pressure to perform is amplified online. Social media provides an outlet for fans, friends, and anonymous users to express opinions and unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to online bullying. As a coach, you can guide your athletes in managing and overcoming the negative effects of online harassment. Here are a few actionable strategies student-athletes can use to navigate this challenging experience:

1. Validate Their Feelings
   Always acknowledge the emotional toll a loss can have on your athletes. Whether they were directly blamed for the defeat or just feel the weight of the loss, their feelings are valid. Encourage open communication and ensure they know it's okay to feel upset, frustrated, or angry. Validating their emotions can help them feel heard and less isolated.
2. Encourage Positive Self-Talk
   Online bullying can amplify self doubt and insecurity. Remind your athletes to refocus on their strengths and past successes, both on and off the field. One loss doesn't define their abilities or their future. Teaching them how to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations can empower them to rise above hurtful online interactions.
3. Set Boundaries with Social Media
   Student-athletes may feel tempted to check social media after a loss, yet this often leads to more pain. Advise them to take a temporary break or adjust their privacy settings to limit exposure to negativity. This pause allows them time to self regulate their emotions. Encourage them to unfollow or block toxic accounts that contribute to their distress. It might also be helpful to establish a team policy or personal boundary that discourages engaging with online critics this works best when there's buy in from team leaders.
4. Offer Support Networks
   The emotional impact of online bullying can be reduced when athletes have a strong support system. Make sure your athletes know they have people to turn to, whether it's teammates, friends, family, or a counselor. Encouraging peer support within the team fosters a sense of community and reminds athletes they're not alone in their struggles.
5. Teach Resilience and Digital Literacy
   Resilience rules the day. Equip your athletes with the tools to build mental strength in the face of online negativity. This includes understanding that criticism is often a reflection of others' opinions not objective truth. Remind them that it's easy to be a critical outsider; it's much harder to be in the ring doing the work. Provide resources on digital literacy and online safety, and teach them how to manage their online presence and respond to trolls without escalating conflict.
6. Report and Block
   It's crucial that athletes know when and how to report online bullying. Most social media platforms have mechanisms to report harassment, and it's important they feel empowered to use them. Remind your athletes that blocking toxic individuals is a form of self care and that their mental health should always be a priority. Open communication with the coach about these issues is also key.

Losses can sting, but they hurt even more when compounded by online bullying. With the right tools and support, student-athletes can successfully navigate this challenge. As a coach, your role is to provide a safe space for emotional expression, share effective strategies for handling online negativity, and guide them in building resilience both on and off the field. It may not be realistic to eliminate negativity online, but with your help, they can overcome emotional hurdles and emerge stronger, ready for the next challenge.