Long-Term Athlete Development
If coaches adopted the principles of long-term athlete development and focused more on building self-esteem and helping athletes develop mental skills, they would have a significant impact on preventing the overprescribing of psychiatric drugs, particularly for normal mental health challenges such as performance anxiety.
David Carmichael, who developed the Sport for Mental Health information portal in 2025, delivered the presentation below, which is well aligned with improving the mental health of athletes, in 1990 to coaches in Toronto, Canada.
There are 8 parts to the presentation, which was filmed by Maclean Hunter Cable TV, that focuses on creating a sport system that supports both high performance development and lifelong participation in sport; a system that would help people of all ages stay physically and mentally healthy for life.
Section 1
Review of Literature about Children and Sport
- Putting winning into perspective (4:55)
- Acute and overuse injuries (8:10)
- Psychological stress, self-esteem and anxiety (7:41)
- Participation motivation, perceived success and overemphasis on winning (6:27)
- Maturation considerations and problems with focusing on winning (6:04)
- Co-ed participation and developmental differences (4:40)
Section 2
Long-Term Athlete Development System
