Navigating early specialization sport: Parent and athlete goal-directed processes.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the relational processes that exist between parents and athletes when engaged in an early specialization sport. Using an instrumental case study design, 5 parent-athlete (M athlete age ϭ 11.40 years) dyads in Canadian competitive figure skating represented cases for individual and collective analysis. Contextual action theory and the action-project method were used to identify and describe the naturally occurring projects (i.e., joint actions over time) of parents and athletes as they engaged in the transition together. Data were collected longitudinally over a total of 10 months and included video-recorded parent-athlete conversations, video feedback-supported recall of thoughts and feelings, and 6 months of biweekly self-report data collected through telephone interviews. Data analysis occurred simultaneously over the course of the study using transcripts, a coding system, and a form of member reflection. Final cross-case analyses highlighted pertinent themes across cases. Parent-athlete dyads' joint projects were grouped based on three common themes: negotiating school, sport, and extracurricular commitments; progressing toward skating goals; and maintaining a developmental focus, including tailoring involvement in skating to accommodate growth and development and prioritizing wellroundedness and personal development. The joint projects were embedded in the broader parent-child relationship project. This study presents a goal-directed and relational perspective on the transition to specialized training in Canadian competitive figure skating. Together, parents and athletes not only focused on negotiating the various commitments, demands on time, and expectations for progress in figure skating, they also accommodated and fostered nonsport development.

Estudio piloto sobre las respuestas motrices y psicológicas de jugadores y entrenadores durante la competición a la propuesta de reglas para mini-balonmano playa (Pilot study on players’ and coaches’ motor and psychological responses during competition t

“…Además, esta es una regla también habitual en otros mini-deportes, aunque no muy extendida (Federación Española de Baloncesto [FEB], 2018;RFEBM, 2005). Según Wall et al (2020), existen diferencias entre niños y adultos con respecto a los factores que promueve la práctica deportiva, porque mientras los entrenadores se centran más en variables externas, los jugadores aluden a motivos intrínsecos.…”

The current landscape of youth multi-sport training: athlete and parent insight data

“…33 This awareness of growth and development from a parental view has been successful in other sports. 34,65 The complexity of multi-discipline sports training and the multiple pressures of discipline coaches makes the education and support of parents a recommendation moving forwards.…”

“…Parental involvement in sport is fundamental to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities and support navigating training and competition across multiple sports; therefore insight into parental management is important to consider. 34 This current paper aims to present the landscape of training in youth athletes aspiring to become pentathletes over a five month period capturing internal (session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), wellness) and external (time, training frequency, training mode) TL factors for each session completed. 35 Alongside the youth athlete data collection, parental interviews will provide information of how the training weeks are developed and what challenges are associated with training for a multi-discipline sport.…”

“…Parental involvement in sport is fundamental to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities and support navigating training and competition across multiple sports; therefore insight into parental management is important to consider. 34…”

Exploring human action in counseling psychology: The action-project research method.

“…At the cross-case level, the presentation of findings involves organizing the identification of projects, actions, and other content in a way that addresses the guiding research questions and illustrated by quotations from participants. For example, in a study exploring how parents and athletes jointly navigate the transition to competitive figure skating, Wall et al (2020) identified three kinds of joint goal-directed projects of parents and athletes: negotiating commitment, progressing toward skating goals, and maintaining a developmental focus. These researchers described each theme in turn, grounded their description in specific examples from their participants, and explained what each kind of project revealed about parental involvement in the decision to pursue early specialization sports at an elite level.…”