Projects
Promoting Athletes’ Motivation and Engagement: Towards a Refinement of Coaches’ Motivating Style Based on Self-Determination Theory KU Leuven
Besides its health-enhancing benefits, sport participation has shown to positively affect youth athletes’ psychosocial (e.g., cooperation), behavioral (e.g., being persistent), and leadership (e.g., being assertive) development (Côté, 2002; Eley & Kirk, 2002; Wright & Côté, 2003). Coaches take up a crucial role in motivating their athletes towards long-term sport participation, as they can be considered as the most important ...
Neuromuscular & biomechanical control in athletes returning to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction KU Leuven
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common during dynamic sports activities in the young, active population and often have important short and long-term physical, psychological and professional consequences, resulting in a lengthy absence from sports and a high economic cost for society. Unfortunately, the success rates for return to sport (RTS) still remain low with only 55% of the athletes who underwent an ACL reconstruction ...
The social identity of athletes in artistic swimming and gymnastics before and after retiring. Developing and testing interventions to assist their wellbeing and their mental health. KU Leuven
According to Torregrosa, Boixados, Valiente, and Cruz (2004), athletes have much better transition from being active athletes to retirement when they have already planned. The athletes’ perception of being relocated to sports rather than losing their athletic identity is very helpful for their mental health and their wellbeing. Especially, athletes who are forced to retire have more chances of facing challenges to a smooth transition to their ...
Data Science Approaches for the Analysis and Interpretation of Training Load Data of Athletes KU Leuven
Research on the analysis of real-world sports data dates back at least to 1958 (Lindsey 1959; Rubin 1958). Advances in technology have caused an explosion of the amount of sports-related data about sports. The abundance of data has attracted the interest of both the academic community and the industry. The aim of this sports analytics community is to leverage the available data to help decision makers to gain a competitive advantage (Alamar ...
When the going gets tough: the impact of coaches' and athletes' leadership on team resilience and the development of mental skills in youth sport teams KU Leuven
Athletes’ resilience refers to the psychological processes that protect individuals from potential performance decrements when the stakes are high. At team level, a sports team’s resilience refers to the processes that protect the group, as a whole, from stressors collectively encountered. It has been found that a team’s resilience is more than the sum of the individual athletes’ resilience. Team resilience is rather determined by the group’s ...
When the final whistle blows: Managing social identities to facilitate elite athletes’ transition to retirement KU Leuven
There is increasing concern about promoting and protecting athletes’ health and wellbeing, not only during their career, but also into their retirement. Many athletes nevertheless experience considerable challenges in adjusting to retirement, indicating that current strategies are not sufficient. While existing literature acknowledges the detrimental impact that personal identity loss as athlete has on retirement adjustment, what is absent is ...
When the final whistle blows: Managing social identities to facilitate elite athletes’ transition to retirement KU Leuven
There is increasing concern about promoting and protecting athletes’ health and wellbeing, not only during their career, but also into their retirement. Many athletes nevertheless experience considerable challenges in adjusting to retirement, indicating that current strategies are not sufficient. While existing literature acknowledges the detrimental impact that personal identity loss as athlete has on retirement adjustment, what is absent is ...
Towards a balanced perspective on autonomy-providing and structuring coach behaviors to optimize athletes’ well-being and societal skills. KU Leuven
Coaches are crucial in creating a climate in which athletes can socially and psychologically thrive, develop societal skills such as proactive behavior, and still ensure progression which is necessary to obtain long-term motivation. Surprisingly, research on both (unilateral) autonomy-providing and structuring coach behaviors shows mixed evidence regarding these outcomes. As both types of coach behaviors are not mutually exclusive, the aim of ...
Beneficial effects of cannabidiol on muscle recovery, sleep and exercise performance in athletes; beyond the hype KU Leuven
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, has been reported to exert a number of physiological, biochemical and psychological effects which might be beneficial for athletes. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the supplement becomes increasingly popular amongst recreational and professional athletes. However, most evidence is based on animal studies and on clinical trials in patient populations. Intervention studies in athlete ...