308 Confidence In Ability: When Coaches and Athletes Think Differently

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.

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.

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.

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