Often discussed was the apparent need of a “strong mindset” to continue within the recognised sporting pathway. That mindset mainly dealt with the participants [lack of] ability to deal with certain pressures and experiences as they navigated the pathway.
Harnessing Motivation and Commitment
Underlying the capability of being able to deal with various sporting challenges was the resignation that motivation and commitment to the sport were non-negotiables if participants were to remain within and progress through a pathway. In fact, participants often cited their need to consciously re-commit when they were exposed to other interests and opportunities outside of the sport.
“I mean with certain things, you kind of just have to like miss it because of training or because we have competitions as well, there could be a competition on the same time as a friend’s birthday party and you’d have to make the decision on, if you’re going to do [sport] or if you’re going to commit to going somewhere else” – FSM1, Central South
This need for commitment and motivation was even more apparent on the “bad days” when participants simply weren’t in the right physical or mental frame of mind to participate. Fluctuations in performance again forced the participants to sometimes re-consider and in other cases re-commit to the sport.
“Because there’s like some trainings, if you have like a bad training, you kind of like wonder if you still want to do it but then like, if you have a good training the next day, it’s like, oh I know why I’m doing it and stuff” – FSM1, Central South
The absence of motivation and a strong commitment to the sport often resulted in participants and their peers and siblings removing themselves from the pathway and sport altogether.
Dealing With Pressure
Presence within a recognised sporting pathway, and progression along it, seems to bring with it feelings of pressure. A dislike for the feeling of pressure was often apparent, including the preference for sport and sport participation to ideally be in the absence of such feelings.
“Because what’s the point in not competing? Because like you train for a reason…but I just feel like, when you don’t like the pressure, and the nerves and like all of that, it’s just like, competing’s just really difficult” – FSM1, South-West
The consequence of pressure was often cited as a reduction in athletic performance. In some cases, feelings of being overwhelmed with pressure result in a reduction in participation within the sport, or even dropping the sport altogether.
“He’s [brother] started [participating in sport] quite a bit less…I think it was because he had a lot of pressure on him, and he didn’t really enjoy that” – FSM1, Central South
Several sources of pressure were cited throughout interviews. Often, the source of that pressure could be traced to an individual or set of individuals whose presence seemed to increase the felt pressure of participants. For example, one participant noted the felt pressure of being “watched" in trials, and some even noted the perceived “embarrassment” if they failed to be selected. Yet another noted how their awareness of a scout added pressure to the situation they found themselves in.
“Basically, just a man that came along to watch and see who excelled in the sport…I think, I’m not sure if anyone actually got spoken to in the end but definitely put a lot of pressure on the situation and I reckon I could have performed better but obviously chances like that are very hard to come by and I’m not sure if I’m going to get another one again” – FSM1, South-West
However, the source of pressure also often seems to emanate from the participants themselves. Some noted how they have witnessed athletes before them on the pathway “put too much pressure on themselves to go far”. The feelings of pressure also seem to accumulate and build up over time, with some noting that they have witnessed athletes previously drop-out as it “eventually gets too much for them”, while others note that pressure grows as competitions near or the prospect of not meeting targets and performing well cross participants minds.
“The pressure does start to build a little bit more…because like they’ve set expectations for us and they’ve actually told us, like what they want to see but if you don’t feel like you’re going to make that level, you think, what’s the point…it gets like really frustrating after a while because if you’re like stuck getting bad, like worse times than your best times, it’s quite annoying” – FSM2, Gwent
Dealing With Poor Performance
The ability of participants to deal with successful and unsuccessful performance were also said to impact progression along the sporting pathway. Participants spoke of the need to emotionally navigate the highs and lows of their sport performance, sometimes within a small window of time.
“I like competing because I’m quite competitive…obviously every now and again, you have a bad day, so if you don’t get the times you wanted, or, beat the people you wanted to beat, you could be in a bad mood but then you have more races the next day or that same day…So, it’s just, a lot of ups and downs in the, in that space of two, two or three days” – FSM1, Central South
Participants spoke of poor training performances, and the discouragement they felt when they perceived they were not sufficiently improving. Such feelings of discouragements often led participants and others they’d seen to ultimately quit the sport, while others even cited not wanting to join a new club along the pathway because of feelings of “not being good enough”.
Others meanwhile spoke of poor performances in competitive settings, and the discouragement and disappointment that brought. Some noted their upset at not achieving a personal best or podium spot, sometimes resulting in the desire to quit the sport. Others meanwhile spoke of a loss of confidence when losing, even when the performance had been good.
“Yeah, when you lose like, it’s like a sort of like self-esteem and like self-confidence. Being like pushed down because you’re like, oh yeah, I tried my best in that but I still didn’t win…Even though I tried my best” – FSM2, Gwent
Rooted underneath these feeling of disappointment and despair when losing or performing badly were the frequent comparisons with others in the sport / club that participants were inclined to make. The inclination to compare yourself with others was even evident when participants acknowledged it was an unfruitful exercise.
“Because the work you put in, the physical working, I’m not saying the easy part, but, in my opinion, it’s harder to, to keep a strong like mindset…just because you see someone that’s better than you or just because they’re faster than you or because they can go further than you, that shouldn’t like put you down because you don’t know what they’ve done. So, potentially that could bring someone down to not like want to carry on forward” – FSM4, Central South
The temptation to compare to others was present in both training sessions and competitions, and with those who they knew well and didn’t know so well. The persistent comparison to others often led participants to a resignation that it would eventually be others – their physique, their ability, their performance – that would ultimately be the downfall in their progression along the sporting pathway.
Dealing With Physical Demands
Often referenced was the physically demanding nature of sport(s), or the physical demands of being heavily involved within a sporting pathway. Some spoke of the physical implications of being involved in multiple sports, whilst others referenced the “exhaustion” of playing sport, needing to travel, and balancing schoolwork.
“When we come home, at like nine o’clock, and homework’s due tomorrow and we haven’t done it, just because of [sport]…because we’re all tired when we get in and like [sport]’s exhausting” – FSM1, Mid Wales
It also can be said that the physical and mental tiredness experienced by participants gradually increases, either as a result of a step change in training requirements, or most commonly, as the week progresses.
“It’s quite difficult to maintain the training you’re at, at like the start of the week, towards the end of the week because you’re really tired…Physically and mentally” – FSM1, Central South
However, the most common barrier it seems to maintaining and progressing along the sporting pathway – within physical demands - is the occurrence and coping with injury. That being said, the impact it has on participants seems to take many forms. For example, one participant spoke of how fear of injury led them to quit one sport to preserve them for another.
“I’ve been asked to stop playing [sport] a few times because of injury and stuff…I haven’t but they would recommend it…when I get into Welsh team, they do recommend me stopping playing [sport]…But I don’t know, I don’t know if I’ll do it or not” – FSM2, Gwent
Others emphasise how difficult it is to train and compete after their return from injury, noting how they are unable to regain the levels of performance they once did, making it difficult to progress through the pathway. Unfortunately, this can result in participants choosing to drop out of the sport altogether.
“And it ended up just, I had to change all my techniques, I had to, it was so much work and then I finally finished it, like my shoulder’s okay, now, but to get back into it, and to get to the level that I back, was, it would take me a, even more months, I just, it just, it just doesn’t seem like I was improving. So, I just gave it up” – FSM1, South-West
Yet others articulate a more straight forward impact of injury, explaining that it is the injury itself that inhibited their future participation and progression along the sporting pathway. Finally, others expressed a more complicated relationship between injury and progression, explaining how previous injury had psychologically impact their ability to train.
“I’ve got a knee problem, so I struggle to [participate] sometimes, and if I get a mental block then I can’t [participate], and then I just give up, I just sit down…like I can’t get over my feet and then I’ll fall over…So, I’m just not doing it, I sit on the floor, I sit down, I just have a strop” – FSM2, Gwent
Participant Cited Solutions to ‘Absence of Coping Skills’
Participants alluded to many a tactic which could help them either overcome the absence of, or even develop the necessary coping skills. Often mentioned was the role others in their support network could play in re-framing their adverse experiences into positive learning opportunities, or, driving their motivation and commitment to sport through positive reinforcement. Others mentioned the need for the support network to stay “positive at all times”, while yet others spoke of the need for coaches to provide emotional encouragement, particularly through the bad days and poor performances.
Participants also spoke of how they themselves could re-frame the experiences they have in sport(s) to help them cope with the challenges they face. For example, some spoke of maintaining the big-picture in mind, regardless of their performance and mood on any given day. Others spoke of having a clear focus on personal improvement in all situations, as opposed to a focus on competitive results or comparisons with others.
Lastly, participants spoke of the need to “celebrate good performances” and enjoy the positive moments that they have within the sport / pathway. It was said that such celebrations would allow them to better cope and gain perspective during the more difficult periods of their sporting journey.
