6 Ways to Set Boundaries that Support Athlete Well-Being

Your role as a coach doesn't begin and end with practice and game days, and your responsibilities extend far beyond skills, drills, wins, and losses. When it comes to keeping athletes healthy and motivated, boundaries are essential and you can help athletes create boundaries for themselves, as well as establish team boundaries that promote both mental and physical well-being. Here, TrueSport Expert and licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Melissa Streno, explains how coaches can make simple adjustments to how they interact with their athletes to improve mental and physical well-being on and off the playing field. 

1. Hold a pre-season or early season team meeting
   
   Team boundaries should be clearly stated from the very beginning, says Streno. Athletes should never have to wonder about things like communication protocols, the ability to skip a practice or competition if needed, or what's expected of them outside of regularly scheduled practice sessions. At the beginning of each season, hold a team meeting and lay out these boundaries and rules, and make sure that athletes and families have access to a document or email for future reference.
   
2. Encourage honesty about health
   
   From the start, ensure athletes know that they won’t be punished for needing a break. It's often better to let an athlete skip practice one day to recover from a cold or a minor muscle strain rather than forcing them to play through it, since that can potentially exacerbate the issue. Some athletes may even need occasional mental rest days, simply because the demands of school, work, and sport are weighing on them. Streno notes that it is important to truly stick to your word here and not penalize athletes who do miss practice for health reasons.