One of the points that we have not touched on yet but nevertheless one that the we value extremely highly at the academy is that of sports psychology, and before you unbelievers start murmuring "that mumbo jumbo". Believe me it really works.

I have seen my own daughter on many occasions go to a training camp feeling negative, lacking confidence and starting to think about giving up the sport, while I would feel totally helpless and at a loss about what to do. We as parents must have all seen that at times with our children. They compete in a sport where they are at such a disadvantage. Their training ground is over 500 miles away! They go to these training camps after perhaps not having put on a pair of ski's for 2 months. They may get one weeks training or 2 weeks if they are lucky, and then go into a competitive race pushing down the course at fierce speeds, on icy terrain against racers who practice every day on snow and ice.

That unfortunately is not the worst of it, as they get older the increased stress of competitions can cause our young athletes to react negatively both mentally and physically in such a way that it badly affects their performance. My daughter for instance will become very tense and stiff, the heart races, she will start to worry about the outcome of the race, will she fall and hurt herself?

With all this self doubt the fluidity of movement disappears and so does the chance of reducing those FIS points.

I was one of the unbelievers at first, but was lucky enough to belong to a ski club that had a coach who believed in it so much, that in his spare time went back to university to study the subject at length. I was still not totally convinced in its merits but watching my daughter over the last couple of years and more so last season, when she spent more time working with her club coach on the psychological aspects of the sport. I have now started to see the light and have done a fair amount of research on the subject myself.. She is at last beginning to be able to properly balance her school work with that of her sporting aspirations and is becoming much more relaxed and confident with both. She is looking forward to next season more than ever.

If you, like me are worried about your young athlete, spare some time and do some research on sports psychology, in particular competitive anxiety and the following areas: concentration, confidence, control and commitment. When after reading a few articles if you think you would like to speak to an expert, send me an e-mail and I will gladly forward the contact details of our coach. I cannot speak to highly of him and I am more than happy to recommend him to all you unbelievers

There is a lot of things parents and coaches can do to help the young athletes they care for, the number of youths that are participating in sport is on the rise. Children as young as five are participating in one or more sports offered in a variety of organized programs available at the club, community, and school levels for youths. Adults who are involved in youth sports as coaches or officials, and educators as well as coaches themselves should understand that the main reason children are drawn to sport is to have fun. Therefore, adults should try to structure the sport environment so that the children enjoy their sport experience. Teaching the basic fundamental skills like drills thoroughly in a fun environment is recommended.

Although winning and losing is part of organized sport, a focus on outcomes rather than performance can be detrimental. When children lose, some may feel like a failure and perceive themselves to have less ability than others. Children should be told that their effort during practice and/or competition is under their control and that they do not have to win in order to have a successful performance. Coaches and parents need to help children learn that the outcome is not the most important thing. Adults should help children realize that personal achievements and the child's individual effort are more important than the outcome. High effort and the accomplishment of personal goals can provide a sense of success for the child.

In order to help children cope with losing, parents and coaches need to focus their attention on other aspects of the competition instead of the outcome. Helping children develop a positive self-concept and self-confidence is important. After youngsters lose, they need to be reassured that they are not less important and that it is their effort and personal achievements that are most important. After a competition, instead of talking to young athletes about what went wrong in a race, communicate what was done right. Telling children what they did right will enhance their self-confidence and motivate them to work for improvements.

Coaches should always treat all athletes equally. If a child is ignored by the coach for whatever reason, their self-confidence will go down. Every child needs to be given equal attention to decrease their feelings of inadequacy. The feeling of inadequacy can result in a low level of effort in training and racing and can eventually lead to the child dropping out of the sport.

With youth sport becoming increasingly popular, coaches and parents need to help children learn how to deal with bad results or performances in a way that self-confidence does not suffer. By focusing on the effort displayed and personal achievements instead of outcomes, children will learn that hard work and determination will help them to eventually create the outcomes that they want. Finally, remember to treat each child equally and make sure that children are having fun. Efforts by adults designed to help children to enjoy their sport participation will help to keep kids in sport longer.

The academy realizes and understands that its coaches, trainers, teachers and staff have a tremendous impact on a young athlete’s values, beliefs and behavior. A coach especially can effectively teach an athlete the value of hard work and persistence not only in their sport, but also in all aspects of their life. The behavior patterns of alpine ski racing coaches, influence the motivational climate they create for their athletes and the utmost importance should be given to creating an enjoyable sporting experience, as it is only within this environment that young athletes will improve and reach their full potential. We have a significant role in helping to develop a competitive environment that is both fun and intense. The academy understands this and has taken these steps to improve upon the good work done by all our team over the last two seasons, whilst also strengthening an area that was highlighted for improvement last season, when observing the behavioral patterns of our coaches and athletes in their working, training and leisure environments.