Gracie Myers

Psychology of Sports

MST Final

Portfolio Caption Sheet

Project Name: MST Program
Project Date: 8/28/19
Your Name: Gracie Myers
Project Description:
This project took everything we learned throughout the whole semester and concise it into one
big training program. You had to create a sports team you were going to coach for 12 weeks
and how you would take them through nutrition, health and wellness, school, game days and
energy management.

Competency:

Competency 1.7:

Description of what you learned:

This was a good opportunity to take the information I learned about health and wellness and
apply it to a program that I could actually use in a coaching job in the future. I learned how to
balance work, school, athletics and health from a coaching perspective. I also learned how
important it is to make meaningful connections with your athletes so that they respect you and
listen to what you’re telling them for the best possible outcome for the team.

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Psychology of Sports

MST Final

MST Program

As a coach, to begin the season and start my team off on the right note I would hold a

preseason meeting. I would be coaching a college volleyball team. In the preseason meeting I would

educate my players on what it truly means to be a volleyball player, what it looks like in our program,

how the game affects them mentally and physically and what mental training tools, skills and plans

can help them be the most successful throughout their career and life. I’d want to help my players be

the best people and players they can be off and on the court. After the meeting, I’d then use the first

week of the season to have 1on1 meetings with each player so that we could better get to know each

other and I could see where they’re at verus where they want to be at the end of the season. I can also

teach them how about mental training tools and skills and how they individually can use them to

improve themselves. While in the meetings I would have them fill out a self awareness initial needs

assessment to learn what each player brings to the table and how I can help them grow in certain

areas. In my example, I sent out a survey during the first week seeing what each player thought about

their abilities in self confidence, motivation, stress and energy levels and attention. I learned that this

specific team would need the most improvement on the mental skills of self confidence on and off

the court, energy management and stress management based on practices and their survey results.

Being a student athlete can really take a toll on someone when they don’t have a set routine and tools

to help them mentally. After learning this information, I then went straight into working on building

their confidence. Doing this by teaching them things they can say to themselves and to each other. As

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Psychology of Sports

MST Final

a team it’s important to build each other up instead of tearing each other down, and as a coach you

have to find the right balance between cheering them on nicely and getting in their grill and raising

your voice at them. This was major in the first week because they could then carry that skill into the

rest of the season. I had them retake the survey in the middle of the season and then again at the end

of the season to see if they’ve improved and allow me to adjust the program as necessary. After a few

practices I learned that they couldn’t make it through the whole thing without getting tired and

wearing out. Conditioning and tougher drills were set in place to help fix this as well as rest days.

Many of the players also were stressed about school so that played a negative effect on their game. I

put in place team study halls on Sunday nights to help take the weight off their shoulders and allow

them to be in a space where they could help each other, especially before a busy week. To make sure

my athletes were doing okay throughout the season, I put small groups and meetings for them every

Friday so that they could talk to each other about any concerns or ideas they may have and then the

leader would report back to me the coach with anything important that was said. This allowed my

players to connect with each other, feel more confidence and comfortable as well as showing me if I

needed to change anything for the following week. The small groups also then changed halfway

through which helped them get to know others and bond more. Some team bonding days were also

set in place so that the team didn’t feel as much pressure when they were on the court and to help

them relax and have fun, which helps with their stress and confidence. All of this can be shown in the

diagram below, along with explanations for why the day was planned the way it was. The education

phase is at the beginning when I have the preseason meetings, the 1on1 meetings and the meetings

throughout the season. After educating them, I use the acquisition phase by applying the information

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Psychology of Sports

MST Final

into drills and practices, for example the self confidence specific and endurance specific practices.

The implementation phase happens throughout the season and by the end you can see that the team

didn’t need as many tailored practices and they had continued to learn and teach themselves how to

become better players. I made this diagram with the information I learned over this course and in

chapter 14 specifically for the final.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Week 1 Preseason Begin coach Meetings Meetings Meetings Create small Send out
meeting to 1on1 cont. cont. cont. groups for surveys to
discuss meetings to Conditioning Conditioning Conditioning teammates players,
concerns see where Practice and Practice and Practice and to get to asking
and info on the athletes Team Team Team know each questions
how to be are Bonding Bonding Bonding other and about self
successful individually have a safe, confidence,
and get to secure place stress levels,
know them to talk energy
without the levels,
coach motivation
First week
and
of attention.
practices

Week 2 (On the Begin Confidence Hard Hard Small Team

surveys and practice by Building Conditioning Practice w/ groups meet Bonding
in practice teaching Practice Practice to confidence after Breakfast
you see them ways build their practice. with fun
there’s a lack they can
building. Leaders of
endurance activities
in self build each each group
and work
confidence, other up on report to
energy and the court and
on helping coach how
they seem off. each other the group is
Confidence even when feeling about
stressed.)
Building it’s hard. confidence,
Rest Day Practice stress and
energy.

Week 3 Team Scrimmage - Longer Normal Longer Short Hard Rest Day
you notice Practice, Conditioning
Study Hall Practice Practice
they did Team Dinner w/ Drills
to help really well in to help afterwards to help Practice
with the to help
with their with their
school beginning regroup and Small
stress. but they energy continue energy groups meet
couldn’t manage help being manage & discuss
finish comfortable, how they’re
without ment confident ment feeling,
being super and less report to
tired. stressed. coach.

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Psychology of Sports

MST Final

Week 4 Team Normal Game Light Game Small Rest Day

Church Practice - groups meet
Service - to
Practice Day Play a game Day after
provide (another practice.
relaxation sport) that Leaders of
no one on each group
for their
the team is report to
minds and good at for coach how
fill them fun, to boost the group is
with grace. their feeling about
confidence confidence,
in their stress and
volleyball energy.
abilities

Week 5 Team YOGA for Game Light Game Small Game

Practice to groups meet
Study Hall Day Practice Day Day
ease their after
to help - Encourage practice.
minds and
with & Leaders of
prepare for
school a big week. compliment each group
stress. each player report to
on coach how
something the group is
they did well feeling about
& something confidence,
they can stress and
work on energy.

Week 6 Rest Day Recovery Game Normal Game Rest Day, Send out
Day - Have surveys to
Day Practice Day let them
players talk players,
about what catch up asking
has been on school questions
working and work, about self
what hasn’t. sleep and confidence,
Come up stress levels,
with new
recover. energy
drills, goals levels,
and plans as motivation
a team and
attention.

Week 7 You notice Normal Coach Game Coach Create New Tournament
on the 1on1 1on1 Small
surveys Practice Meeting
Day Meeting Groups to
most of the with the with the mix up the
athletes feel athletes athletes team and
more
who who allow for
confident
and
showed showed them to get
comfortable, lower lower to know
don’t feel as survey survey others a bit
stressed and results. results. better.
they can Provide Provide Meet after
play/practice guidance guidance practice,
without and help to and help to leaders
getting tired get them get them report any
and losing where they where they issues or

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MST Final

focus. need to be. need to be. new news

to coach.

Week 8 Team Game No Practice, Game Hard Short Off

Study Hall Listen to a Energy Practice to
Day Day Weekend
to help with motivational Expending allow those
school speaker, Practice who can to
stress. previous go home for
professional the weekend
athlete, ask
questions
about the
game and
life

Week 9 Off Normal Game Normal Game YOGA for Game

Weekend Practice to
Practice Day Practice Day ease their
Day
minds and
prepare for
a big week.

Week 10 Team Normal Game Senior’s Light Tournament Tournament

Control Practice -
Study Hall Practice Day Practice- let get their
to help them choose bodies ready
with what they for the
school want to do weekend
stress. and work on

Week 11 Tournament Sand YOGA for Game Fun & Game Off Day
Volleyball Practice to Goofy
Practice for ease their
Day Practice,
Day
fun minds and let them be
prepare for competitive
a big week. but have a
good time
playing
games

Week 12 End of Exit 1on1 1on1 1on1 Off Day Team

Meetings, Meetings Meetings Meetings Meeting/
Season 1on1 with Party -
Cont. Cont. Cont.
coach - ask celebrate
how they the season
are feeling and
vs. how discuss
they felt at how you
the grew as a
beginning. team and
Ask if the the
coach obstacles
could’ve you
done overcame.
anything Praise
better/ them and

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 Gracie Myers

Psychology of Sports

MST Final

different. yourself for

Have them your hard
retake the work.
survey
from the
beginning.