Coaching Athletes with ADHD
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Authors
Pelley, Jocelyn
Issue Date
2025-10
Type
Capstone
Language
Keywords
ADHD , coaching , student-athletes
Alternative Title
Abstract
Imagine a 15-year-old male high school athlete standing on the soccer field waiting for the game to start. The whistle blows, and as everyone around him rushes to their positions, he is distracted by his untucked jersey and notices his shoelaces are untied. He bends down to tie them. At the same time, he gets passed the ball but misses it because he’s not paying attention, and the ball goes directly to the other team. The coach yells out instructions, but the player is too far away, and with so many instructions just given, he starts to feel overwhelmed, embarrassed, and frustrated - he didn’t mean to miss the pass. Teammates roll their eyes, some making comments under their breath, “not again, how does he keep missing it?” The coach means well but is untrained in how to support an adolescent with ADHD, interpreting the player’s actions as a lack of effort or care. The player, embarrassed and dysregulated, then shuts down and withdraws from the game. By the end of the game, the athlete, coach, and other players are annoyed and slightly angry. The athlete leaves questioning whether he belongs on the team; the other players exchange knowing looks, and the coach leaves feeling frustrated, wanting to help but unsure of how. This everyday scene highlights the gap between adolescents with ADHD and the need for coaching knowledge.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess