What the research covers.
What the research found, and what families get because of it.
1How to talk to kids at every age.
- What the research found
- Children judge themselves differently as they grow, and what helps a beginner can slow down an experienced player.
- What families get because of it
- Every update is written for the player's age, skill level, gender and sport: encouraging for a beginner, plainer and more direct for an experienced player.
2How to deliver feedback that sticks.
- What the research found
- Feedback works when it points to what the player did and says where to go next. That next step is the part most often left out.
- What families get because of it
- Strengths and areas to develop tied to real moments, with drills for each area.
3How often and how much.
- What the research found
- Feedback lands best in manageable amounts, given regularly, rather than all at once.
- What families get because of it
- An update every 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks, on your program's schedule, with a few points at a time.
4How to say it so they understand.
- What the research found
- Children told what they did keep going longer than children given a label, even a positive one. Small wording choices change how they respond.
- What families get because of it
- Every point describes something the player did, in plain words a player and a parent can both follow. Never a label.
5Getting players to reflect.
- What the research found
- Players engage more with feedback, and with goals they set themselves, when they are asked to think it through.
- What families get because of it
- Every update ends with a question for the player, and progress is measured against their own season.
Sources include Balyi, Way and Higgs, 2013 · Bartholomew, Ntoumanis and Thogersen-Ntoumani, 2009 · Bartholomew et al., 2011 · Brummelman et al., 2014 · Burhans and Dweck, 1995 · Butler, 1990 · Cimpian et al., 2007 · Collins and Taylor, 2026 · Corpus and Lepper, 2007 · Cowan, 2001 · Dijkstra et al., 2008 · Grossoehme and Lipstein, 2016 · Guskey, 2001 · Harter, 2012 · Hattie and Timperley, 2007 · Henderlong and Lepper, 2002 · Jacobson and Truax, 1991 · Jako and Murphy, 1990 · Kalyuga, 2007 · Kalyuga et al., 2003 · Kamins and Dweck, 1999 · Keil et al., 1990 · Kyllo and Landers, 1995 · Locke and Latham, 2002 · Mageau and Vallerand, 2003 · Malina et al., 2015 · Miller, 1956 · Mueller and Dweck, 1998 · Nicol, 2010 · Pomerantz et al., 1995 · Roberts et al., 2020 · Ruble, Feldman and Boggiano, 1976 · Ruble et al., 1980 · Ruble and Frey, 1991 · Ruble, Grosovsky, Frey and Cohen, 1992 · Saldana, 2003 · Schorer et al., 2017 · Scullen, Mount and Goff, 2000 · Shute, 2008 · Smoll and Smith, 1989 · Sweller, van Merrienboer and Paas, 1998 · van Duijvenvoorde et al., 2008 · Williamson et al., 2022 · Winstone et al., 2017 · Wiseman et al., 2014 · Wulf, 2013. Full list on request.