Mindfulness-based interventions are a popular form of mental training for athletes. Because most existing research relies on quantitative methods, the present study explored student-athletes’ experiences with mindfulness training, specifically mindful sport performance enhancement, using postintervention interviews and the consensual qualitative research protocol. A secondary focus examined potential differences based on intervention session scheduling. Ten male college rugby players were interviewed after participating in mindful sport performance enhancement either before or after rugby practice. Results indicated that athletes enjoyed exercises involving movement and informal mindfulness and reported sport-related benefits for self-regulation, awareness, and acceptance following mistakes. They also described increased present-moment attention and awareness in their daily lives, nonjudgmental reactions, and better stress coping. Additionally, athletes shared challenges related to session length, staying focused, establishing a practice routine, and managing distractions at home. Integrating mindful sport performance enhancement before sport practice reportedly helped with mental/physical readiness, whereas postpractice integration helped more with physical recovery and relaxation.

Aims: Think aloud (TA) is a tool that has been used in sport and exercise psychology research and applied contexts to understand participants’ cognitions. We aimed to explore applied sport and exercise psychologists (ASEPs’) perceptions of using TA in their applied practice. Method: Following a workshop on TA, 10 ASEPs engaged in semistructured interviews about their experiences of using TA with clients. Data were analyzed via content analysis. Results: TA was used as part of the needs-analysis process and to facilitate reflection and evaluation. The following considerations were highlighted: client factors (e.g., individual differences), consulting factors (i.e., teaching participants how to TA), and the client–consultant relationship (i.e., strength of the working alliance). Conclusion: This is the first study to consider ASEPs’ perspectives on how TA can be used in applied practice, and it offers considerations to ASEPs on the use of TA as a tool in service delivery.

Decades of research have illustrated the value of sport psychology interventions in high-performance sport settings. Research has also explored the effectiveness of sport psychology practitioners, the sport psychology practitioner–athlete working relationship, the role of reflective practice in ensuring effective learning, and the delivery of sport psychology services in various sport contexts. The purpose of the present paper was twofold: (a) to explore athletes’ perceptions of the effectiveness of a yearlong psychological-skills-training program in the context of the Chinese sport system and (b) to enable athletes to reflect and personally develop in sport and for their life outside of sport. Guided by a narrative methodology, pre- and postprogram interviews were conducted with 13 volleyball players on two Chinese provincial women’s volleyball teams. The four narratives illustrate the athletes’ experiences that speak to the effectiveness of the yearlong program and the issues faced that hindered that effectiveness.

On the road to success, team members combine efforts to cope with stressful situations they face together. This case study explores communal coping in a professional ice hockey team during the COVID-19 crisis, involving 20 male players (Mage = 28.5). Using template thematic analysis of semistructured interviews, three shared stressors were identified: the suspension of competitions, uncertainty about logistics and career stability, and the loss of social opportunities. These stressors affected psychological well-being, interpersonal relationships, and team performance. Findings reveal various communal coping strategies including problem-focused efforts (e.g., effort expenditure), relationship-focused coping (e.g., team days), and communal emotional management (e.g., compassionate conversations). Leaders contribute to the communal coping process by fostering a positive social environment and initiating coping strategies. By introducing the concept of transactional space, this study highlights the importance of communication and group dynamics in coordinating efforts against adversity and suggests that training leaders could enhance team resilience.

Strategic self-talk is a powerful mental skill that athletes can use to self-regulate the effects of pressure and enhance task performance. Multistates (MuSt) theory considers the combination of emotion- and action-centered self-regulation to be the most effective strategy to optimize athletes’ performance and subjective experience. The aim of this study was to test the tenets of MuSt theory on a pressurized performance task, involving male junior football players (N = 20, Mage = 18.6) competing at the elite level in Finland. The task tested the players’ passing abilities over six trials while they applied different self-talk strategies in attempts to improve passing performance. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of strategic self-talk as a form of self-regulation. Specifically, the combination of emotion- and action-centered cue words proved to be the optimal strategy for coping with the demands of the task. The study findings have relevant practical implications for players, coaches, and practitioners.

This study examined how coaches working in Norwegian competitive youth soccer viewed a mastery motivational climate and how they worked to create such a climate. Seven coaches participated in semistructured interviews (six men and one woman; Mage = 27.43, SD = 4.50, average coaching experience = 8 years). A reflexive thematic analysis was used, and results yielded three higher order themes, namely (a) providing opportunities for skill development, (b) interpersonal relationships as a vehicle, and (c) contextual barriers and facilitators. The overall results indicated that while creating a mastery climate seemed to be an ambition for the coaches, they narrowly defined it as balancing the level of mastery and challenge for their players. They found it challenging to maintain a mastery focus when competitive results had real-life consequences for them, and contextual aspects, such as working conditions and the peer climate, could function as either barriers or facilitators.

The purpose of the study was to explore how supervision influences trainee sport psychology practitioners’ development of evidence-informed decision-making competence. Six trainees (three female, three male; average age 26.7 ± 1.9 years; average years in training 1.4 ± 0.9) and six training supervisors (three female, three male; average age 44.7 ± 14.2 years; years supervising 19.5 ± 4.2) participated in semistructured interviews. Participants represented all three sport and exercise psychologist training routes in the United Kingdom. Employing an interpretive phenomenological analysis methodology, three superordinate themes emerged that represent applied experiences of developing evidence-informed decision-making competencies: understanding the athlete and environment, translating research to practice, and becoming self-aware. A further three superordinate themes highlighted learning experiences during supervision that contributed to the development of evidence-informed decision-making competence: knowledge exchange, exploring thought processes, and self-development. The findings provide a better understanding of how trainees can develop competent and confident evidence-informed decision-making capabilities for applied sport psychology practice through supervision.

Elite athletes frequently experience disrupted sleep, which can harm both performance and mental health. This feasibility study evaluated a 5-week guided digital sleep intervention for elite athletes ( N = 16, M age = 20.5 years, M weekly training hours = 18.6). The intervention combined an in-person workshop, a structured sleep application, and weekly motivational cues. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we examined preliminary changes in sleep problems (e.g., difficulty maintaining sleep), symptoms of depression and anxiety, and well-being, alongside application engagement and implementation feedback. Outcomes were assessed baseline, preintervention, postintervention, and at 2-month follow-up. Athletes engaged consistently and rated the program relevant and acceptable. Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed reductions in sleep problems and depressive symptoms from baseline/preintervention to postintervention but not maintained at follow-up. No meaningful changes appeared for anxiety symptoms or well-being. Findings suggest that the guided digital sleep intervention is feasible for elite athletes, supporting further evaluation in a larger controlled trial.