SCI TV Covers Athlete Development with Duncan Fletcher
Portland, OR (PRWEB) February 28, 2015 -- In a recent episode of SCI TV, Duncan Fletcher of Game Change Athlete Development Services and Consultancy talks with Joshua Gordon and Shannon Leinert about the benefits of athlete development and player engagement during and after their careers. He underscores some of the unique challenges that athletes face and how off-field activities are a critical component of on-field and future success.
Fletcher became involved in athlete development issues while in graduate school coaching Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University. He has since worked with the NHL, the NHL Players Association and other groups on issues around player performance and athletic transition.
Athlete development is often thought of in physical terms like running faster, throwing farther, and jumping higher. Fletcher and his colleagues think about development in much broader terms.
“It’s dealing with issues from the neck up,” Fletcher says. “Peak performance is derived not only from what’s taking place physically, but what’s taking place mentally. We view athlete development from a holistic perspective.”
Fletcher’s goal is to help athletes improve their performance, effectively leverage their career, and be able to transition out of sport when the time comes. But addressing life after sport can be tricky.
“No athlete wants to talk about their funeral; they are living a dream in this particular moment,” Fletcher said. “What we really advocate is giving the athlete tools that allow them to succeed now, be a better performer, but also allow them to be introduced to what may be beyond their sport.”
Fletcher sees athlete development as a way to compresses the time between when an athlete leaves the game and when they can start having a meaningful impact in another area.
“Athletes are developing a very unique skill set, but in a lot of ways they are punished for it,” Fletcher said. With the right approach, “You’re empowering these folks to be more successful coming out of the game and more effective for their family, themselves, and the community.”
There can also be performance advantages to off-field activities that reduce stress and build versatility and resiliency.
“Focusing all the time on one thing is exhausting,” Fletcher said. “On multiple occasions I’ve had athletes engaged in courses that had massive performance spikes in a very short time frame.”
Fletcher thinks the next frontier for athlete development is at the college and university level, helping student athletes identify and develop transferable skills while still encouraging them to perform on the field at the highest level.
Read more about Duncan Fletcher and Game Change at: http://www.gamechange.ca/
Watch the full episode at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de3Qg2iaI7A&spfreload=10
About SCI
SCI supports competitive goals in athletics through understanding, preventing, and resolving destructive conflict both inside and outside the lines. SCI serves as a knowledge center and provides a range of services to help ensure student-athlete experience is part of a healthy university culture while optimizing performance on and off the field of play. Conflict is inevitable, but how we respond determines whether success follows or costs mount. SCI Founder Joshua Gordon has over 20 years of conflict management experience.
Joshua Gordon, Sports Conflict Institute, LLC, http://sportsconflict.org, +1 (541) 887-0724, [email protected]
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