Time Required: 20 minutes

Format: Interactive practice with communication exercises

Materials Needed: Practice partner if possible

Target Ages: 8-18 years

How did your pre-competition routines work this week?

Did anyone notice feeling more prepared or confident before competing?

Which part of anxiety reframing was most helpful?

Any moments where you successfully used nervous energy to help performance?

Celebrate progress in working with anxiety as energy rather than eliminating it.

Building on personal mindfulness skills from previous modules, this session extends mindfulness to team interactions.

Young athletes will learn to apply mindfulness to team dynamics, communication, and leadership to enhance team cohesion and performance.

By the end of this module, athletes will be able to:

• Apply mindfulness skills to enhance team communication
• Practice mindful listening to improve understanding and connection
• Develop techniques for maintaining focus during team interactions
• Use mindfulness for conflict resolution with teammates
• Create team-based mindfulness practices to enhance cohesion

Address leadership responsibilities and team captain roles

Include complex team dynamics and conflict resolution

Connect to college team preparation and adult team skills

Discuss team building and culture development

Include preparation for mentoring younger athletes

Use advanced team psychology and group dynamics terminology

Include research on team cohesion and performance

Connect to leadership skills and career preparation

Address team culture and organizational behavior

Include professional sports team examples

Complex team scenario analysis with multiple perspectives

Leadership opportunities in facilitating team activities

Advanced conflict resolution and mediation skills

Connection to life skills and career team work

Sophisticated team building and culture development

Model mindful listening during team meetings and individual conversations

Create team communication guidelines and expectations

Use team mindfulness moments before games or important practices

Address team conflicts immediately using mindful communication principles

Celebrate athletes who demonstrate good team communication

"I want to hear everyone's perspective on this"

"Let's practice really listening to each other"

"How can we communicate better as a team?"

"Show me your mindful listening skills"

"What did you hear your teammate say?"

Start practices with brief team mindfulness or communication activities

Use mindful listening during team meetings and strategy discussions

Create opportunities for team bonding and positive communication

Address team conflicts using the PAUSE framework

Build team culture around mindful communication and inclusion

Li, X., Chan, R. H. Y., Sit, C. H. P., & Sum, R. K. W. (2024). Mindfulness and acceptance-based training for elite adolescent athletes: A mixed-method exploratory study. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1401763.

Wong, R. S. K., How, P. N., & Cheong, J. P. G. (2022). The effectiveness of a mindfulness training program on selected psychological indices and sports performance of sub-elite squash athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 906729.