Changing Attributes Shaping Behavior - A Brief Intervention With Youth Tennis Players

I have the pleasure of being joined by Dr Paul McCarthy and Zoe Moffat in this episode.

Paul is Programme Director of the Taught Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University and has his own private practice supporting athletes and coaches in a range of sports, particularly in golf & football.

Zoe is in her final year as a DPsych student and is a trainee Sport and Exercise Psychologist at Glasgow Caledonian University. Zoe is also a tennis player and tennis coach.

Zoe and Paul, along with Dr Bryan McCann, have written a research paper which reports a brief attribution-retraining (AR) intervention with youth tennis players. Athletes were struggling to maintain emotional control, resulting in problematic on-court behaviour (e.g., racket throwing). The intervention used a Think Aloud protocol and AR. Evaluation suggested that AR and Think Aloud interventions can improve athletes’ emotional control and attribution capabilities, and, in turn, their behaviour. The case seeks to present a novel approach to working with youth athletes, highlighting the importance of practitioner adaptability.