Exploring a Relational Approach to Athletic Development
Introduction
As a coach and athlete, I am constantly uncovering new ways to define my work and process. The term “relational” is a critical part of my massage practice, and a focus of virtually every interaction I have. This article is an exploration of the various ways that relational skills and frameworks can apply to aspects of sports performance, team building, athlete development, and programming.
Relational is a term “that relates to the relationship between members of a group of people or a family” (1). Often referenced through establishing a dynamic therapeutic relationship (2), ‘relational’ is applicable to any individual, team, and cultural interaction. I will argue that coaches and leaders should put more intention towards developing soft skills that directly inform the quality of interaction with individuals on a team. Some of these basic soft skills – presence, listening, empathy, and curiosity – are not quantifiable, but are essential in establishing healthy rapport and connection. My intention in sharing this perspective is to establish a framework with a relational base, and name some of the aspects and methods that successfully build a connective, athlete-centered team culture.
The purpose of this article is to examine a crucial piece of a framework that is not traditionally named. I think that bringing more attention to relational components can help everyone make better coaching decisions, and the rewarding process of deepening relationships can improve awareness of culture dynamics and interpersonal relationships in the future.
Existing Frameworks
Existing frameworks in the realm of athletics are diverse, contextual, and largely constrained by numerous factors one cannot directly control. Some coaches choose to not develop a perspective past what they were taught as a high school or college athlete, while some tirelessly educate themselves to the point of internal confusion, where contradictory methods are employed without balance. Some coaches are balanced, while most are not considered the traditional definition of “sane.” In short, every program is different, but there are some common threads that are all important to consider when developing an athlete, team, and culture.
In order to examine a standardized framework of athletics I will use the following developmental categories – physical, psychological, physiological, community, and educational (3). These categories do not exist in isolation. They inform each other and are held together by top down (authority figure) and horizontal (teammates/colleagues) accountability systems. A relational approach via accountability systems is the glue that holds developmental categories together. The interactions in a balanced top-down and horizontal accountability system (4) matter as much as the actual intervention framework (periodization, pedagogy, microcycles, etc) implemented by the coach. In fact, the degree of success of the training system is largely dependent upon the relationship the coach has with each athlete, and that each athlete has with one another.
Image 1: Athlete Developmental Framework
Physical: coordination, control, balance, speed, strength, work capacity, mobility…
Physiological: quality of nutrition, sleep, hydration, micronutrients, biological disorders…
Psychological: thoughts, emotions, beliefs, conditioning, relationship to self…
Community: home environment, support systems, family, developmental trauma…
Educational: learning ability, GPA, standardized testing, respect for authority figures…
It is less likely that these developmental categories will be fully addressed without establishing a solid relational base of accountability, safety, modeling, and agency; just to name a few.
A culture with a healthy relational base is comparable to geese flying. One goose never leads the whole time from departure to arrival. Flying in formation is a shared energy system oriented towards reaching the same aim, allowing for a conservation of energy for every goose except for the leader. And the ‘V’ allows for visual accountability of each member of the group (5). This metaphor can work to describe how sometimes a leader should take a step back to let the athletes lead (promoting agency), while sometimes athletes need to switch up roles on the team to keep the learning/teaching process fresh for everyone (6).
Key Qualities of a Relational Base
Connective Accountability – Trust
It is important that there exists a top down and horizontal accountability structure on teams. ‘Top down’ represents the need for a leader and an authority figure, and ‘horizontal’ represents the need of a balanced, connective, and dynamic feedback loop that keeps teammates and coaches motivated to achieve a common goal. As a new group forms each season, top down comes first, and then horizontal follows with time and layers of modeling (7).
Modeling
The essence with modeling is to lead by example, and with awareness that a leader’s words matter. People unconsciously model traits from authority figures and one another, especially if those traits lead to a positive (or negative!) consequence. Traits that are imperative to model – curiosity, creativity, listening, presence, personal responsibility, problem solving, authenticity, empathy, adaptability, impulse control, vulnerability… the list goes on (8).
Safety
Safety is imperative to establish on day one, and then maintain consistently. If the team setting is not safe for reciprocal and honest feedback, then much will be swept under the rug and time will be wasted maintaining the integrity of the group container. Once again, the established blanket of safety is held together by the fabric of relationships on the entire team. Everyone should play an equal role in maintaining safety.
Agency
Giving athletes the permission to be an agent in their training process is what I’d consider ‘agency.’ Asking for input and feedback from athletes can be very helpful in building sport IQ, trust, and is also a reasonable way to find out best practices within a specific context – ranging from individuals to the whole team (9).
Physical Contact
Fistbumps, handshakes, and other healthy/positive forms of physical interaction reinforce a healthy connection.
Image 2: Relational Framework
Building Relational Skills
Journaling: some examples of prompts with planned debrief
Write about 5 Strengths you have. What are your strengths? Could you identify 5? Why or why not? Discuss in small groups.
Write about 3 Ways you contribute to the team culture in a positive way. Write about 1 Way you have contributed negatively in the past. What changed, or needs to change? What are some of the positive things you bring and why are they helpful? Discuss.
Why do you find track meaningful? What are your aims for this season? What should a team aim be? Discuss.
Give an example of a time you faced an obstacle and were unable to overcome it. Why did you fail? What did you do to change it? Discuss in small groups.
What is your relationship like with your teammates? Discuss in large group format.
Short Exercises to Build Relational Skills
Basic Listening: partner up – each person talks for 3-5 minutes about a topic or life issue of their choice. Other person has to listen with eye contact and no response. Nods and affirmation are okay. Debrief oriented towards difficulty of exercise and importance of listening.
Mindfulness: 5-10 minutes oriented awareness towards the senses and internal stimuli such as the breath. Best done at the end of practice and doubles as a cooldown if done intentionally. When describing, keep it simple and cut out mystical and spiritual language.
Small Group Debrief: reflections on a certain prompt or practice theme, or post competition day reflection seeking advice and listening from teammates. Can come together as a large group. Coach talks <10% of the time and is there to maintain the integrity of the container.
Discussion
In essence, the most pertinent indicator of a good relational base in a team context is the quality of interactions between everyone. The principles of accountability systems, modeling, safety, and agency all take time to build, but are very strong roots to establish while cultivating skills like listening, curiosity, and concentration. The concept of teaching relational skills goes beyond the duration athletes are on the team, as they are highly transferable to the world after athletics. Developing these skills allows for the athlete to have a higher chance of reaching their life goals; whether they be related to their work career, athletics, or even parenting.
In team cultures, relational interactions are always present. This high frequency is why establishing and developing relational skills is the most meaningful aspect of programming. Having a consistent relational approach should be a major theme of every athletics program, and should be complimentary to all of the other aspects of athlete development.
Works Cited
(1) “Relational,” RELATIONAL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary, accessed June 27, 2023, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/relational.
(2) Safran, Jeremy D., and J. Christopher Muran. Negotiating the therapeutic alliance: A relational treatment guide. New York etc.: Guilford Press, 2003.
(3) Adapted from: Byron, Justin. “Holistic Athlete Development.” USTFCCCA Convention 2018. Lecture.
(4) Pfaff, Dan. “Mental Resilience for Athletes.” 2019 Athletics Coaching Conference. Lecture.
(5) “Why Do Geese Fly in a V?” The Library of Congress. Accessed June 29, 2023
(6) See The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle; How to Have Impossible Conversations by Lindsay & Boghossian; Leading with the Heart by Mike Krzyzewski for examples of relational characteristics in action
(7) Reivich, Karen J., Martin E. Seligman, and Sharon McBride. “Master Resilience Training in the U.S. Army.” American Psychologist 66, no. 1 (2011): 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021897.
(8) Yaffe, Tal, and Ronit Kark. “Leading by Example: The Case of Leader OCB.” Journal of Applied Psychology 96, no. 4 (2011): 806–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022464.
(9) See “NARM and agency” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=YkKpMaVZV3w
