Different things can add up in different ways whilst reaching an identical solution, just as ‘eleven plus two’ forms an anagram of ‘twelve plus one’ (Margot Gleave, A Classical Education) Teams are dynamic entities that change as the team develops (Moran & Toner, 2017). But what is a team? It is a collection of two or more individuals with a common identity, a shared purpose, who interact with, and depend upon, each other (Carron & Brawley, 2008). And popularly, people believ

Sport psychologists receive enquiries from coaches and managers about how they can get their team to function better. The coaches and managers wish to know how they can get the most out of their squads when it matters most with unbreakable team spirit. Researchers have explored how we can increase cohesion, communication, and confidence, as well as clarifying roles and undertaking those roles with acceptance, precision, and respect. Paradis and Martin (2012) offered a few way

If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologise. Muhammad Ali, American professional boxer, activist and philanthropist whose triumphs included winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics (1942–2016) We have all heard the maxim “there is no I in team”. Of course, we cannot spell team with the letter ‘I’ but perhaps we have been too hasty to dismiss the individual within the team. Perhaps this encouragement to give up yourself for the sake of the team missed a

Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. Matt Biondi, American Olympic swimmer (1965–). Succeeding seems gruelling. All the time, all the effort, all the sacrifices and so on. But what if we are looking at success in the wrong ways? What we mean here is that we often miss out on the signposts that are fundamental to our success. A purpose, process and progress are so easy to remember and use, we might dismiss them in favour of something more complex. Thi

Overcoming defeat in sports requires more than just moving on to the next game. Research on athlete resilience also highlights the critical role of emotional coping strategies and social support following setbacks. Self-compassionate individuals are more likely to admit mistakes, modify unproductive behaviors, and take on new challenges. This step-by-step recovery plan provides coaches and team leaders with practical strategies to help their teams bounce back stronger after a