Show Notes
Description Today, David Charlton explores another dynamic within the coach–athlete relationship: differences in risk orientation (a sub-measure of Mental Toughness). He discusses a common scenario in sport, a coach who prefers structure, routine and predictability working alongside an athlete who thrives on experimentation, creativity and challenge. While structured environments can provide stability and clarity, athletes high in risk orientation often crave variety, stimulation and opportunities to explore different solutions.
When these two approaches collide, tension can emerge. The athlete may feel restricted or bored, while the coach may view experimentation as reckless or unpredictable. Drawing on Sophia Jowett's 3 + 1 Cs model of the coach–athlete relationship; closeness, commitment, complementarity and co-orientation. David explains how coaches can balance structure with controlled variety so that creative athletes stay engaged while maintaining clarity and purpose within training.
The episode highlights how strong relationships, open communication and thoughtful session design can help coaches channel adventurous mindsets into productive performance environments where curiosity and learning are encouraged rather than suppressed. >> Key Takeaways · Risk orientation reflects how comfortable individuals are with uncertainty, experimentation and challenge. · When coaches prefer structure and athletes crave variety, training environments can feel restrictive or chaotic depending on one's perspective. · Balancing structure with opportunities for creativity and exploration keeps high-risk-orientation athletes engaged and developing. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship: Ep309 – Interpersonal Confidence – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep308 – Confidence in Ability – When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep307 - Achievement Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep304 – Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Connect with David Charlton · Sign Up To The Mental Edge · Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub · LinkedIn
More from Demystifying Mental Toughness
To end a recent series on the coach-athlete relationship, in this bonus episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton is joined by Dr John Perry, Head of Department of PE and Sports Sciences at the University of Limerick, researcher, former coach and performance analyst, to explore how coaches can better support athletes through the lens of mental toughness.
In this episode David concludes the eight-part series exploring the coach–athlete relationship by focusing on a powerful concept within the Challenge pillar of the 4Cs model of Mental Toughness, learning orientation. Learning orientation reflects how willing athletes and coaches are to reflect on mistakes, setbacks and difficult experiences in order to improve. Without this mindset, progress in sport can stall and with it, challenges become powerful opportunities for development.
In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton explores an often overlooked aspect of confidence in sport, interpersonal confidence. He discussed a common dynamic seen in sporting environments: a coach with very high interpersonal confidence working alongside an athlete who struggles to speak up. Highly confident coaches often communicate clearly and persuasively. They lead conversations, provide direction and bring strong conviction to their coaching. Yet when this confidence dominates the interaction, quieter athletes can become increasingly passive, hesitant and disengaged.
Today, David Charlton explores a powerful but often misunderstood dynamic in sport: the highly confident coach working with an athlete who lacks confidence in their ability.
In part 4 of this mini-series, David Charlton explores a challenging but common sport dynamic: the high achievement-oriented athlete working with a low achievement-oriented coach. The athlete is organised, early, diligent, and constantly looking for ways to improvetechnical work, gym work, extras, metrics, and a "leave no stone unturned" mindset. But the coach may appear distracted, rushed, inconsistent, late, or disorganised and may find structured goal-setting and CPD stressful. When those worlds don't align, athletes can feel unsupported, unwanted, and even inadequate, despite doing "everything right". They may also become vulnerable to overworking, anxiety, and neglecting recovery especially if they're known as the "postman" who always delivers! Drawing on Sophia Jowett's coach–athlete relationship framework (closeness, commitment, complementarity and co-orientation), David explains how misalignment often comes down to unclear expectations and poor communication not a lack of care. The episode finishes by linking the dynamic to Peter Clough's 4Cs: confidence, control, challenge and commitment and offers practical ways both coach and athlete can meet halfway through recognition, structure, boundaries, and honest conversations. >> Key Takeaways · Misalignment is the issue: clarity and communication are more effective than blame · High-achieving athletes need boundaries recovery and priorities protect long-term performance · Small structure matters: simple session aims, feedback and recognition build confidence If you enjoyed this episode, check out the other parts of this mini-series and our previous podcasts on the coach–athlete relationship: Ep306 - Goal Orientation: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep305 – Emotional Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep304 – David Charlton - Life Control: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently Ep303: Doug Strycharczyk - Why You Think the Way You Do Under Pressure Ep293: Stuart Barnes - High Challenge, High Support: Mental Toughness in Cricket Connect with David Charlton · Sign Up To The Mental Edge · Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub · LinkedIn