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Mentally tough behaviors (MTbs) entail verbal or physical acts that allow athletes to engage their capacity to produce consistently high performances under pressure. However, researchers of mental toughness (MT) have typically focused on the characteristics that make an athlete mentally tough, rather than how these characteristics are developed through learning to, and reflecting on, the display of MTbs. Consequently, we explored the athlete MT development process within youth international football. Collaborating with a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) National Association, age-group international players (n = 6), coaches (n = 6), support staff (n = 7), and parents (n = 6) were interviewed regarding MTbs, the specific contexts (e.g., training) that require MTbs, and how key personnel (e.g., coaches, parents, teammates) might help develop players' MTbs in international youth football. Using thematic analysis, we found MT development to be a relational, multidimensional process, where players transacted with individuals (e.g., coaches) in their environment. These individuals' behaviors (e.g., autonomy-supportive) influenced players' propensity to engage in and reflect on contextually relevant MTbs, leading to MT understanding, development, and maintenance. We suggest organizations develop a common understanding of the MT development process and educate all relevant stakeholders regarding their role in supporting athletes to develop the capacity to perform consistently under pressure. Lay summary: We explored key stakeholders' perceptions of mental toughness (MT) development in international youth football. We found players' MT is developed via key relationships, with players encountering opportunities to display this capacity via mentally tough behaviors (MTbs). Players must reflect upon their display of MTbs to further develop and maintain MT. Practitioners should assist coaches in learning to consistently recognize MTbs in critical moments in training and competition and reinforce the display of these MTbs in players via autonomy-supportive practices. Practitioners should educate athletes regarding the importance of displaying and reflecting on MTbs under pressure to develop their MT capacity. Parents of international players need to be educated on what MT is and the role they play in developing their child's MT at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Athletes experience a number of within-career transitions that expose them to a multitude of demands. The club-to-international transition (CIT) is one transition that has received minimal attention. Through cognitive-motivational-relational-theory (CMRT), we sought to address this gap by exploring the psychosocial demands, and their situational properties, football (soccer) players experience during the CIT. Fourteen age-group international players, and 10 coaches (four club; six international) were interviewed. Using thematic analysis, a range of performance (e.g., competition intensity), organizational (e.g., new organizational culture), and personal demands (e.g., evolving identity), and situational properties (e.g., novelty, ambiguity) were identified. Further, the CIT was perceived as a unique adversity, due to its fluctuating and ambiguous nature. For example, international selection is never guaranteed and is predicated on current performance at club and international level. To positively negotiate this transition, we suggest players need to develop key psychological resources (e.g., mental toughness, resilience) and rely on organizational relationships (e.g., clear feedback processes), which assist them in taking ownership over their development. Our research has worldwide reach through offering international level organizations novel insights to help support players making the CIT and facilitate bespoke interventions that will positively impact both individual player development and long-term performance success. Lay summary: We explored the psychosocial demands experienced by international youth footballers' during the club-to-international transition. This transition was defined as an ongoing journey, with many ups and downs and no guaranteed outcome. A range of personal, organizational, and performance demands associated with 'being an international footballer' were also identified. Relevant stakeholders need to be educated about the demands associated with the CIT and its effective management in order to facilitate a more positive and successful CIT experience. Applied sport psychologists and coaches should convey strategies for the development of personal characteristics in players (e.g., mental toughness, resilience) that facilitate positive adaptations to CIT demands and thus support youth development. National Governing Bodies (NGBs) in international football should develop a structured feedback process, involving clear communication channels between the player, international coach, and club coach regarding players' needs during the CIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, researchers have reported positive life skills outcomes for young people participating in sport-based life-skills programs. However, to date, there has been a lack of consideration in the literature regarding the quality of the programs designed and the evaluation methods adopted. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the life skills literature to: (a) assess the quality of sport-based life skills program design and evaluation methods; and (b) identify characteristics relating to the quality of sport-based life skills programs where authors had evidenced life skills development and transfer. Using the PRISMA guidelines, we searched six databases for relevant research papers and applied inclusion and exclusion criteria to the papers returned, of which 15 papers met the criteria. We conducted two quality assessment exercises (design and evaluation methods) and found three moderate-high quality life skills programs, 11 moderate quality programs, and one low quality program. We present the characteristics (regarding quality) of intervention designs and methods, conclude with recommendations for designing quality sport-based life skills programs, and provide guidelines for researchers to evaluate sport-based life skills programs. Lay summary: Through engaging in sport-based life skills programs, young people can develop transferable skills. However, the quality of these life skills programs is unclear. We assess the quality of the design and evaluation methods of sport-based life skills programs, present the characteristics of moderate-high and moderate quality programs, and offer recommendations for future research and practice. The characteristics identified can be used to aid the development of the content, delivery and evaluation methods within future sport-based life skills programs. The quality assessment tool (QATID) that is embedded within this paper can be used by applied researchers to ensure that the design of their life skills interventions is of high quality. By using the QATID and the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) when designing and evaluating sport-based life skills programs, applied researchers can validate better subsequent claims of program effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this epilogue to the special issue of Journal of Applied Sport Psychology on the psychology of sports coaching, we provide a brief commentary on the field of sports coaching and some reflections on three key themes emerging from the research presented within the issue. In drawing our reflections together, we offer recommendations for the future directions of both research and practice in the area, namely: (a) coach effectiveness; (b) relationships within coaching; and (c) wider coach psychology research considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welcome to this special issue of Journal of Applied Sport Psychology dedicated to the psychology of sports coaching. In this editorial, it is our intention to provide some insight into the nature of sports coaching and the complexity inherent within the coaching process. Further, we offer some consideration of the importance of exploring sport psychology in the discipline of sports coaching before outlining the contributions contained within this issue. Finally, this special issue concludes with an editorial epilogue in which we offer some reflections and commentary on the psychology of sports coaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]