Coaching the Perfectionist Athlete

with Greg Dale, Ph.D.,
Mental Training Coach, Duke University

Have you encountered that self-doubting, high stress, self-battering athlete who feels that whatever they do never seems to be good enough? Be forewarned - you may be coaching a perfectionist! Among the most difficult challenges you may encounter as a coach is learning to deal effectively with the perfectionist athlete. In this video, Greg Dale offers a blueprint for coaching strategies that enable a coach to better understand the nuances of coaching the perfectionist! Dale offers helpful tips to identify the perfectionist and shares five specific coaching strategies that will bring positives, versus negatives, to the forefront of the perfectionist athlete's mind. Dale also discusses the importance of teaching the perfectionist athlete how to relax, how to keep things in perspective, and how to develop self-trust in their performance. He provides valuable information on how a parent can assist in their child's athletic success and offers ideas to involve the parent in a proactive plan for facilitating success for the perfectionist athlete. Dale then moves into specifics for how to bring the best out of the perfectionist during the contest along with strategies for post-competition evaluation and closure. Finally --- the perfect tool for coaches --- to identify, understand, and positively motivate the perfectionist athlete --- on DVD!

39 minutes. 2005.

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