Here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, explains what exactly these supplements are providing, if they’re necessary, and what natural alternatives exist.

What are hydration supplements?

The hydration supplements that are currently popular are low-to-no calorie electrolyte tablets and powders. The common electrolytes found in these drinks include sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. Electrolytes are required to help your body maintain fluid balance. They are necessary—but are also found in most foods, and likely don’t need to be supplemented.

Electrolyte tablets are supplements

It’s important to remember that even though these hydration tablets may seem innocuous, they still fall into the supplement category and that means they aren’t subject to the same regulations as foods. Supplements are regulated post-market, so no regulatory body reviews the contents before they reach consumers and that increases the chance of both intentional and unintentional contamination. If the supplement isn’t certified as NSF Certified for Sport, it may contain substances not listed on the label, substances in different quantities than identified, and substances that are prohibited in sport, says Ziesmer. “People often don’t realize that even things like electrolyte tablets or sports drink mixes can fall into the supplement category,” she says. A food-first approach to fueling is safer than supplements, and especially when it comes to electrolyte-infused drinks, it’s easy to get the same nutrients through real food.

Electrolyte tablets are expensive

Unfortunately, these tablets also come at a high cost, often nearly a dollar a tablet or packet, depending on the brand. “I strongly urge families to stop spending so much money on these fancy hydration supplements,” says Ziesmer. “They’re prohibitively expensive and they can truly be replaced by adding a bit of salt to water.”

Electrolyte tablets are not necessary for young athletes

Ultimately, while these electrolyte tablets and mixes may give water a fun flavor, they aren’t necessary for performance, says Ziesmer. And they’re certainly not necessary outside of practice or competition, since a standard diet will typically provide plenty of sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Often, these packets or tablets of electrolytes primarily contain high amounts of sodium, which is inexpensive and easy to add to any meal just by sprinkling a bit more salt on your food.

That being said, there are some situations where electrolyte products can be helpful, especially if you have a picky eater who doesn’t get enough sodium through food or a very heavy or salty sweater.

Electrolyte drinks should not replace other sports drinks

You may have seen low-or-no calorie electrolyte drinks and assumed that they would be healthier due to their low sugar content. However, those carbohydrates from sugar are actually necessary for athletes to perform! “You can make your own homemade sports drink by diluting fruit juice with water and adding a pinch of salt and a bit of granulated sugar,” says Ziesmer. “But you do need carbohydrates in addition to electrolytes, especially if you’re training for more than 45 minutes or you’re going to be sweating a lot.”

Replacing electrolyte supplements with food

Fortunately, there are two very simple ways to ensure your athlete is getting enough electrolytes in their diet: Add a pinch of salt in their water bottle or pack a salty snack. “I like putting a pinch of salt and a splash of fruit juice in a water bottle,” says Ziesmer. This gives your athlete the sodium they need, plus a fun flavor and a small amount of simple carbohydrates, which speeds the transport of sodium through the body. “If your athlete is already eating salty snacks like pretzels or chips, or any processed food, they’re likely getting plenty of sodium,” she adds. “You don’t need to add additional sodium on top of that.” Athletes can also get sodium from many sauces and condiments, such as soy sauce, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce.

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Takeaway

While your athlete may benefit from sports drinks that contain electrolytes and calories from simple carbohydrates during practice, they likely don’t need expensive electrolyte beverages or mixes outside of sport. A pinch of salt added to a water bottle is going to be just as effective while saving money and avoiding any issues of contamination in supplements.

Athletes often assume that anti-doping only becomes relevant to them once they’re over 18 or start playing at the professional level. The reality is that any athlete who is a member of a National Governing Body (NGB), such as USA Swimming or USA Cycling, is subject to testing. That’s also true for any athlete who signs up for a national or international level event. Additionally, athletes who play NCAA college sports may be subject to testing and anti-doping rules.

So, whether it’s now or later, there’s a chance that your athletes will experience testing and anti-doping responsibilities. That’s why it’s important for athletes, even those in their teens, to become aware of anti-doping rules, resources, and best practices.

As a coach, you can help them prepare for these possible responsibilities. Tammy Hanson, Director of Elite Education at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), is focused on educating athletes, caregivers, and coaches on anti-doping rights and responsibilities around clean competition. Here, she’s sharing a few ways that coaches can help their athletes prepare for an anti-doping program.

1. Teach Athletes to Practice for Future Responsibilities

For student-athletes who aren’t being tested, things like checking for third-party certification on supplements may not seem important. But Hanson points out that learning these valuable skills and getting into the routine of assessing supplements and medications will be helpful for athletes if and when they get added to an anti-doping program.

“What can a 12-year-old athlete do to start preparing? That athlete can start to learn to check every single medication they’re taking on the Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO) website,” Hanson says. “They can get in the habit of checking medications and ingredients. And they can start to learn about nutrition and what they’re putting into their bodies.”

Global DRO identifies the prohibited and permitted status of substances based on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, which is a rigorous global standard and great way for athletes to learn where to exercise caution.

2. Teach Athletes to Focus on Food-First Fueling

“A young athlete can start associating how they eat before practice or a game with how their performance is and how they feel on the field,” says Hanson. “Making those connections between nutrition and performance can help them start to understand their individual fueling needs and make them less susceptible to using illegal or extraneous supplements.” While it’s true that some supplements can be helpful in some circumstances, people regularly overestimate the benefits and safety, which you can learn more about in the TrueSport Supplement Guide.

Essentially, dietary supplements are regulated in a post-market fashion, which means that no regulatory body approves the accuracy of the label or safety of the contents before they are sold to consumers. To be considered a dietary supplement, a product must a) contain ingredients that have a history of use in the food supply, b) be taken by mouth and swallowed (like a food), c) be advertised only to improve the diet or to provide nutrients, and d) must have a supplement facts panel. Athletes should understand that supplements can include gels and protein powders, as well as more obvious things like multi-vitamins and herbal supplements. USADA and TrueSport recommend a ‘food-first’ approach to fueling whenever possible, and it’s never too early to teach your young athletes how to focus on food rather than supplements.

3. Remind Athletes that Friends and Influencers Aren’t All Experts

Because of post-market regulation, supplements are at risk of cross-contamination, and if they aren’t third-party certified as free of banned substances, they can potentially contain those substances even if they aren’t listed on the label.

Unfortunately, supplements are often more appealing than real food: An athlete’s friends may love a certain energy drink or powder, or a social media influencer may say that a certain protein powder is making them faster/stronger/better. Help your athletes understand that this kind of peer pressure or trend following can lead them to risky supplements that could result in both health impacts and anti-doping issues. You can also help your athletes find real food options that have the same benefits as these trending supplements claim to have.

You can learn more about third-party certification here.

4. Teach Athletes to Check Medications

“Athletes are responsible for anything that goes in their eyes, ears, mouth, nose, or skin, so it’s a good habit to start checking products for prohibited ingredients,” says Hanson. Some of the 300+ banned substances on the WADA Prohibited List are found in common medications, so it’s important that your athletes become competent at checking for them.

For example, would your athletes guess that everyday medications for colds, asthma, and acne can be prohibited in-competition or at all times? On Global DRO, athletes can search medications by brands and active ingredients.

5. Teach Athletes about Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)—Before They Need One

Some medications may contain substances that are banned in and/or out of competition, but they are necessary for an athlete’s health. In these cases, athletes can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

“If an athlete has been prescribed a medication that’s banned, we recommend that they start by filling out the TUE Pre-Check Form on USADA’s website,” says Hanson. This form takes a few minutes to fill out and includes information about the prescribed medication, your athlete’s competition level, and information about any upcoming competitions. The team at USADA will look at the answers and will typically respond within three business days to inform the athlete if they need to file for a TUE.

“If you have additional questions, you can always call USADA’s Drug Reference Team,” explains Hanson. We don’t want this to be a guessing game for anyone.”

6. Teach Athletes What to Expect with Testing

Athletes who may experience testing should learn about how the system works early, since it may seem a little intimidating. Testing methods include both blood and urine testing, and testing can be done both in and outside of competition. To ensure the integrity of the sample and prevent cheating, international rules require that athletes are supervised from the time of notification, through the provision of the sample, and until the sample is secured for shipment.

Athletes have rights throughout this process, but providing a sample in front of a stranger can be uncomfortable at first, so it helps if athletes know what to expect. More information is available in USADA’s Clean Sport Handbook.

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Takeaway

Whether your athlete is currently in an anti-doping program or not, you can start preparing them early by helping them understand how to recognize supplement risks, check medications for banned substances, focus on a food-first approach to fueling, and prepare for testing.

While intervention and reporting may be uncomfortable, the most important thing you can do for your athlete is protect them, and it’s your responsibility as a parent, coach, official, or other present adult to educate yourself and act. According to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, here’s what you need to know about recognizing, responding to, and reporting abuse and misconduct.

RECOGNIZE Abuse and Misconduct

Recognizing abuse and misconduct is a critical first step to both preventing and responding to it. To start, it’s important to realize that abuse and misconduct can happen between an athlete and many different people, including another athlete, a coach, coach’s assistant, athletic trainer, or physical therapist.

We’ll cover the types of misconduct and abuse below, but keep in mind that even if you can’t label a behavior or it doesn’t violate a policy, you should always report anything that concerns you. Additionally, while the below are referred to as misconduct, they can all be considered child abuse depending on severity, as per federal and/or state law.

• Emotional Misconduct: Emotional misconduct can include both verbal and physical acts, from name-calling to throwing equipment at an athlete. Stalking and denying support can also be considered emotional misconduct.
• Physical Misconduct: Physical misconduct is any behavior that does or could lead to physical harm, which includes both contact and non-contact acts. Examples include punching, knowingly letting athletes return to play after injury without medical clearance, and withholding food or water.
• Sexual Misconduct: Sexual misconduct includes a wide range of sexual actions that are done without consent. It also includes grooming, sexual harassment, nonconsensual sexual contact or intercourse, sexual exploitation, exposing a minor to sexual content/imagery, sexual bullying behavior, and sexual hazing.
• Bullying: Bullying involves repeated and severe physical, verbal, social, or sexual behaviors, including name-calling, spreading rumors, taunting, or ridiculing someone based on gender or sexual preferences.
• Harassment: Harassment refers to repeated or severe conduct that causes fear or humiliation, degrades an athlete, creates a hostile environment, or attempts to establish superiority based on an athlete’s age, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, national origin, or disability.
• Hazing: Hazing involves physical, mental, emotional, or psychological conduct that could intimidate, degrade, abuse, or put an athlete in danger in order to be socially accepted. This could include conduct like making people play drinking games, physically restraining them, or depriving them of water, food, or sleep.

RESPOND to Abuse and Misconduct

If you witness or know about misconduct or abuse, never assume that someone else is taking care of it. Be sure to intervene and put an immediate stop to any misconduct or other harmful behavior you witness. If you learn about misconduct after the fact, determine if it has stopped, and if not, take action to stop it.

As you prepare for your role as an active bystander and/or mandatory reporter, keep these best practices in mind:

• Understand your sport organization’s policies and know what actions to look for, how you are expected to respond, and how to report.
• Regularly discuss acceptable and unacceptable behavior and hold everyone accountable for their behavior.
• Respond quickly to inappropriate behaviors to prevent escalation and continued harm.
• Respond consistently to misconduct you witness or learn about so there is no confusion about boundaries and accountability.
• Consider the developmental level of those involved when identifying acceptable behaviors and responses to those behaviors.

If abuse is disclosed to you, respond with these best practices in mind prior to reporting:

• Listen with empathy and let the athlete tell you the details they want to share at their own pace. Keep your body language and facial expressions open and non-judgmental.
• Thank them for telling you and trusting you.
• Remind them that you and others are here to help.
• Inform them of your next steps, including who you will report the information to. Remember, even if a child does not want the incident reported, mandatory reporters must follow legal reporting requirements.

If abuse is disclosed to you, do NOT:

• Doubt the accuracy of the report. Remember that false reports of abuse are very rare.
• Ask leading questions. Only ask open-ended questions and let the athlete tell you what happened in their own words.
• Call a child’s parents. Let authorities like child protective services identify when to communicate with parents and the appropriate steps needed to ensure a child’s safety.
• Check with other people to uncover more information or confront the perpetrator, as this can jeopardize the athlete’s safety.

REPORT Abuse and Misconduct

To best protect athletes, report abuse or suspicions of abuse immediately and regardless of your mandatory reporter status. Make sure you familiarize yourself with federal and state reporting requirements, as well as SafeSport reporting requirements.

For adults affiliated with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, the SafeSport Code requires you to first follow applicable state or federal laws around reporting abuse and misconduct, but also to report:

• Child abuse, including child sexual abuse, immediately to law enforcement and the U.S. Center for SafeSport
• Sexual misconduct regardless of age immediately to SafeSport
• Emotional and physical misconduct (including bullying, hazing, and harassment) to your National Governing Body or SafeSport
• Violations of proactive prevention policies (such as the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies) to your National Governing Body

Your athlete’s team should have an abuse prevention policy already in place, which should include detailed instructions for reporting suspicions of abuse. If you haven’t seen this policy, ask the coach. Often, part of the reason abuse and misconduct are allowed to continue is that they are reported to the wrong people. Don’t automatically go to the athlete’s parents, the school administrator, or the coach.

If you’re unsure who to report to, go directly to local law enforcement, where they are better trained to handle these situations. You can also direct questions about abuse and misconduct to the SafeSport Helpline at 866-200-0796 or safesporthelpline.org. More information on reporting to the U.S. Center for SafeSport can be found here.

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Takeaway

Additional resources on recognizing, responding to, and reporting abuse are available here. Other local and national organizations are also available to help, including RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Here are some simple steps to help your athletes set goals that matter.

Understand how athletes are feeling

As a coach, it’s easy to focus on goals that matter to you and your program. But before you start setting goals, think about what matters to your athletes. Take a moment to consider how they are feeling and what other pressures they may be dealing with. Pressures come at young athletes from all directions, including parents who want them to get that athletic scholarship, school administrators who are trying to improve school rankings, and teammates who want to win. Amidst this pressure, make sure you’re initiating conversations about what the athlete wants and what matters to them.

Set goals that focus on athlete wellness

Athletic goals shouldn’t just revolve around national championships or state titles. While it can be fun to have some goals that are based on specific outcomes, like making it to the championships, it’s equally important to have goals that are focused on process, development, and wellness. For example, you can help them set process goals for practices, set a team goal of getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night, and  create goals around creating an inclusive and healthy team culture.

Set goals for the team as a team

As the coach, you likely have certain hopes for the season, and it’s tempting to show up to the first practice of the season proposing those goals for the team. But instead of presenting your list of goals, try a goal-setting exercise with athletes. By allowing your athletes to set the goals for the team this season, you’re giving them ownership and making them more emotionally connected to the outcomes. And this approach works in the team’s favor: The Association for Applied Sports Psychology points out that when athletes set their own goals, they’re more likely to achieve them.

Help athletes set goals as individuals

While team goals are important, each athlete should also feel as though they have their own set of independent goals that align with their values. These personal goals may feed into the overarching team goal, but more importantly, they should focus on what matters to the athlete and what’s within their control. Make sure individual goals are challenging but realistic, while also keeping the athlete’s wellness at the forefront. Process goals are a great way to find this balance. For example, a swimmer might set process goals around improving their kick turns or a certain stroke. With both individual and team goals, it’s also important to make time to reflect on progress and adjust goals to reflect changing circumstances.

Remember athletes will have different needs

While it’s easy to think of your team as a singular entity, remember that each athlete will have different styles of learning and different needs and abilities. Some athletes will require extra help and attention to meet process goals, while others will do better with minimal involvement from you. Be aware that some goals will highlight inequities on the team. For example, some athletes may struggle to meet goals like adding in extra gym sessions because they’re busy working a part time job, so goals and expectations should account for those different circumstances. Encourage athletes to let you know what they need in order to thrive and achieve these goals—or when they need to tweak the goals that are set.

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Takeaway

As a coach, you have the ability to help each athlete on your team set goals for the season that establish a positive team culture and help them develop as healthy, happy people. To set goals that matter, let athletes know that you actually care about them and their personal goals, set goals for the team with the team, and focus on process goals that promote overall wellness.

Here, board-certified family physician and TrueSport Expert Deborah Gilboa, MD, explains why resilience matters so much for young athletes, how you can help them use challenges as learning opportunities, and how to tailor your approach by developmental stage.

Resilience 101

“Resilience is the ability to navigate change and move towards a positive goal,” explains Gilboa. Coaches can help athletes practice resilience by helping them shift their outlook in difficult situations. If a star player gets injured right before the championship game, for example, coaches can help athletes focus on what they can control in that situation and establish new expectations.

Start Early and Practice Often

As a coach, you don’t want to begin teaching resilience when something goes horribly wrong for the team. Instead, you want to practice resilience with the team around any change, big or small, positive or negative.

“Coaches have the opportunity to build in a pattern that repeats itself every time there is a change,” says Gilboa. “Every time there’s a change, there is a two-step process we want to practice with athletes. First, we want to ask, ‘What are our feelings?’ And second, we want to ask, ‘What are the actions that we can take to make this an opportunity?’”

Implement the Two-Step Process

1. Allow Emotions

Coaches often skip this step and want athletes to ‘be tough’ in the face of any adversity. But it’s important to let your athletes express their emotions before trying to fix a problem or address a change. “In the face of a really big change, I recommend coaches set a timer for five minutes and allow each athlete to voice their feelings,” says Gilboa. There are no solutions being offered in that time, and there’s no reframing the situation. Everyone simply gets to say how they feel. This allows everybody to be seen and have their outlook validated. Athletes have to be able to express their emotions respectfully, and have those feelings respected.”

2. Ask “Where’s the opportunity?”

Once the timer goes off, it’s time to switch to the second step, which is reframing a negative situation by asking where the potential is for opportunity. “In every change, there’s a chance for an opportunity,” says Gilboa. “Your goal is to have your athletes find those potential solutions. In the case of the starter being injured, athletes might come to the conclusion that they’re going to have to use different plays, communicate differently, add different cross-training, or recruit more players from another team at school.”

Start this two-step practice early in the season and use any small change as a chance to practice it (though you don’t have to set a timer and offer five minutes, just a sentence is often enough). Some athletes will struggle more than others with making the pivot from challenging emotions to an opportunity-focused outlook. “When you have an athlete who tends to be a pessimist, after the time for expressing feelings are over and they’ve been able to share those feelings, keep redirecting them to being solution-focused,” says Gilboa. “Simply say, ‘We’re moving towards discussing opportunities. If you have an opportunity to offer, great, and if not, somebody else is going to talk now.’ Keep the team as a whole moving forward.”

How to Build Resilience Based on Development

Below, Gilboa has tips for elementary school, middle school, and high school athletes. The advice and exercises are applicable to any age, but the language you use makes a difference. “It’s important to make sure that we’re not pandering to the older students, and that we’re simplifying it enough so that younger students actually understand what they’re doing,” says Gilboa.

Resilience for Elementary School Students

“For younger kids, keep the two-step process simple by saying, ‘We’re going to start with sharing how we feel, and then move on to what we’re going to do,’” explains Gilboa.

She also recommends giving some at-home examples that young athletes can relate to. “An example could be that you can’t find your favorite stuffed animal at bedtime, or your brother used your toothbrush: How does that make you feel? And then, what are you going to do to make the situation better?”

Resilience for Middle School Students

“Middle schoolers are essentially wired to be as critical and skeptical as they can be,” says Gilboa. These can be the toughest students to work with, since they’re still young enough to need guidance, but are old enough to desire autonomy. “With middle schoolers, you really want them to feel ownership of the process,” says Gilboa. “They need to feel like they’ve created the routine that the team goes through anytime they’re faced with a challenge.”

Early in the season, ask the athletes to come up with a step-by-step plan for finding the positive opportunity in a challenging situation. “Tell your athletes that the season is going to have a lot of changes, and you want them to decide now what steps they’ll take when things are tough,” says Gilboa. “Get them to design it. Your goal is to gently aim them towards starting with feelings and moving into solutions—but let them decide how that will be done. Use questions to point them in this direction rather than telling them what to do.”

Resilience for High School Students

By the time athletes are in high school, often, the ways you would help younger athletes through tough times are no longer appropriate for their level of maturity.

“With high school athletes, it’s better to have a simple conversation: Ask them to think about their academic or athletic career, and explain that having resilience is going to help them move through the world much more effectively. Get them to buy into the concept and explain that establishing this two-part pattern now will help them achieve their goals in sport, as well as in relationships, academics, and life in general,” says Gilboa.

“Keep it simple. Explain the pattern that you plan to follow: Tell them that in any situation, the goal is to first discuss how everyone feels about the situation, and second, to find the opportunities.”

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Takeaway

Teaching resilience and being able to change your outlook in challenging situations is a critical part of athlete development, and coaches are in a great position to help athletes learn a simple pattern to build this skill. Teach athletes to first understand and acknowledge their feelings about a situation, and then look for positives and opportunities.

With this in mind, how can you best support their mental wellness while helping them grow as people and athletes? Here, one of the authors of a recent recommendations report on mental wellness in youth sport—longtime sports sociologist Jay Coakley, PhD—is helping break down the tangible ways that caregivers and coaches can support athletes.

1. Humanity over athleticism

The title of the report is “Humanizing Sport,” speaking to the fact that taking care of young people needs to be the top goal for coaches and caregivers. Adults often struggle to remember that young athletes are under immense amounts of pressure while still developing the life skills and resilience necessary to cope with that pressure. It’s important to understand that the situations a young person is dealing with are valid and important, even if as an adult, you can look back and see how minor those problems are in retrospect. For example, an athlete fighting with a teammate may seem minor, but for that athlete, it can take a huge mental toll.

As a coach, it’s also easy to see a team of athletes as one singular mass—’the team’—but Coakley urges coaches to remember that each team member is their own individual with a different set of skills and struggles. For family members too, it’s easy to focus on a young athlete’s talent on the field rather than prioritizing their happiness on that field.

2. Relieve pressure

Even without meaning to, caregivers and coaches can add huge amounts of pressure for athletes. “For example, sports are often expensive these days, which is a source of pressure for a child who knows that parents are using discretionary money for their sport participation, and because of that, they feel trapped,” says Coakley. Mentioning things like the price of sport or the need for an athletic scholarship can put an unhealthy burden on your young athlete.

Coaches often create similar pressures for the team or for certain players by setting outcome-specific goals like winning certain games and placing more emphasis on wins than progress. Coaches and caregivers who limit unnecessary triggers for stress and pressure, while seeking opportunities to develop athlete resilience, create an optimal environment to support student-athlete mental wellbeing.

3. Take mental health as seriously as physical health

Often in youth sport, mental health is an afterthought, if it comes up at all. But Coakley says that mental health is potentially more important than physical health for young athletes. “Unfortunately, within sport culture, it used to be defined as a weakness if you had a mental health problem,” he says. “It’s hard to change that culture, but that’s our goal.”

To start, have open conversations with athletes about mental health, let them know that they can come to you if they’re experiencing any distress, and focus on mental wellness alongside physical wellness on the team. You can do goal-setting exercises throughout the season, make sure athletes and their families understand your open-door policy, and host weekly check-ins with the team to tackle any issues that have come up.

4. Have regular one-on-ones with athletes

Whether you’re a caregiver or a coach, having individual conversations with your athlete on a regular basis is an important part of monitoring their mental wellness. “Good coaches have weekly one-on-one conversations with their athletes,” says Coakley. “They might be short conversations, but these quick talks let the athletes know that the coach cares about them and helps coaches catch any potential issues early.” In alignment with athlete safety best practices, be sure these conversations are always observable and interruptible.

The same is true for parents and guardians: Make sure you’re having at least one check-in with your athlete each week, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Intentionally creating time to connect with your athlete leaves room for them to share anything they may be struggling to process or move through on their own.

5. Don’t be afraid to refer out

Many of the recommendations in the report center around seeking appropriate help and guidance from other professionals. While coaches may feel as though they need to be the therapist, nutritionist, physical therapist, and sleep specialist, it’s important to remember that wearing all of those hats isn’t actually in the best interest of you nor your athletes. It’s simply overburdening you and keeping your athletes from getting the professional care that they need. Instead, build relationships with experts who are qualified in these different areas and try to make them readily available for your athletes. If financial means are a concern, Coakley suggests reaching out to local universities and seeking out students looking for internships in the fields of physiotherapy, sports dietetics, or psychology. Consider the sport administrators in your particular system as a great ally in this effort. Seek their guidance and support to identify appropriate resources to supplement the important work you’re doing as a caregiver or coach.

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Takeaway

Serving young athletes means taking care of their mental wellbeing as well as their physical health. This begins with seeing athletes as whole humans, rather than viewing them as one team, or as individuals who are only defined by their athletic achievements. For coaches and caregivers who interact closely with athletes, this should include regular check-ins and open conversations about mental health. It should also include seeking expert help when needed, rather than trying to do everything yourself.

Here, TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba, MSW, President of Now What Facilitation, is sharing some simple do’s and don’ts for creating a social media policy with your athletes that will improve team culture.

Do: Acknowledge Athletes Use Social Media for Connection

Social media isn’t all bad: It can keep athletes connected during the off-season, allow them to communicate more comfortably, and even create a sense of team unity when it’s used in a healthy way. “It’s the way that people form connections now, especially young people,” says Kyba. “That’s important.”

Don’t: Try to Ignore Social Media Altogether

As a coach, Kyba says part of creating a healthy team culture includes an acceptance of social media. Your athletes are almost certainly using it, so rather than shying away from discussing use of social media, have discussions about social media and etiquette around it.

Do: Set Phone Use Boundaries Early in the Season

“Have an open dialogue with the team about what phone use and social media is going to look like at games, at practice, and on the team bus,” says Kyba. “When people can be on their phones, and when should they be out of sight?” Set these boundaries and include consequences if an athlete ignores those boundaries.

Don’t: Allow Poor Social Media Behavior from Parents

It’s disheartening, but Kyba says that some of the bad social media behavior she sees comes from parents of athletes who turn to social media to complain about referees, coaches, and even other young athletes. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about parental behavior as a coach, but if the posts can be considered bullying or are offensive, you can bring the issue up to an athletic director or school administrator to determine next steps, which may include barring a parent from competitions.

Do: Agree on Team Social Media Strategy

At the beginning of the season, determine your team’s plan for social media. It will be based on what’s allowed at your school, of course, but while some teams may be excited about sharing on social media and want to take turns posting photos from competitions, other teams may prefer to stay off social media altogether. Make sure the team is on the same page before posting.

Don’t: Assume Everyone is Comfortable on Social Media

More and more young people are opting out of social media entirely and prefer to not have their picture posted online, says Kyba. So, before you post the team photo to the school’s Instagram, make sure that every athlete is comfortable with their picture being shared. If they aren’t, respect that and ensure that other team members understand that boundary as well.

Do: Have a Social Media Code of Conduct

At the beginning of the season, have your team create a code of conduct specifically for social media that enforces good sportsmanship. It can include things like not posting anything negative after a game, or only saying positive things about teammates, or simply retread the code of conduct the team has for in-person situations. Have everyone take part in the creation of the code of conduct so they feel ownership over it, says Kyba. Have them sign it—and consider having parents sign one as well!

Don’t: Ignore Social Media Bullying

If an athlete comes to you with a concern about bullying happening on social media, treat it the same way that you would an in-person bullying allegation. This can potentially be more fraught, as some students will have dummy accounts, or accounts that aren’t in their name, so it’s more complicated than observing one student bullying the other. But it is just as serious and should be brought to the attention of the appropriate administrator or counselor.

Do: Set Clear Boundaries Between Yourself and Students

Social media has also blurred the lines of athlete/adult relationships, and Kyba says it’s important to communicate the appropriate boundaries that you’re setting on your own social media use. “You shouldn’t be following your athletes, especially those with private accounts, and you should never be communicating with them on those platforms,” Kyba says. Let your athletes know that it’s not personal that you don’t respond to their messages or follow requests, it’s simply the policy.

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Takeaway

Social media usage amongst young athletes is almost inevitable, and as a coach, you’re in a position to set appropriate boundaries for phone usage during practice and competitions. You can also help your athletes by creating a code of conduct specifically around social media use and setting policies for posting (or not posting) as a team.

Here, TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba, MSW, President of Now What Facilitation, explains how coaches and caregivers can work together to prevent a workaholic culture from infecting youth sports.

Understand the pressure athletes face on all fronts

As parents, coaches, and caregivers, it’s easy to look at young athletes and feel as though they live an unburdened existence. But between school, sports, work, relationships, friendships, and the growing pressures presented by social media, young people are subject to huge amounts of pressure, says Kyba. To you, as an adult with bills to pay and many demands on your time, it may not seem like your athlete should be struggling to do it all. However, your athlete doesn’t have the same experiences as you, and for them, this point in time is the busiest and most pressured they’ve ever been.

Stop promoting a ’no pain, no gain’ mentality

Hard work is good—but it’s easy for hard work to turn into overwork. Unfortunately, as adults, we tend to either ignore athletes who are overworking, or worse, we praise their efforts, says Kyba. Rather than praising an athlete for showing up to practice despite pulling an all-nighter to study for a final exam after a late shift at the restaurant where they work, consider giving that athlete a pass to catch up on sleep. We live in a culture that touts the idea of “going above and beyond,” but an athlete who’s already at risk of injury or illness due to fatigue shouldn’t be pushing harder, they should be taking care of their physical health.

Understand how workaholism applies to youth sports

While you can’t control the amount of homework or after-school work an athlete has, you can control the environment you’re creating for them in terms of sport. Kyba has noticed two big issues on this front. One issue is the number of tournaments now taking place over holidays, on weekends, and throughout the summer. There’s also a growing pressure for young athletes to be in a single sport all the time. That leaves no time for multi-sport play, other school activities, and of course, even unstructured time with friends.

More Guidance for Coaches

Set boundaries at the beginning of the season

“At the beginning of the season, it’s important for coaches to talk to the kids and parents before they start registering them into tournaments,” says Kyba. “Find out what’s important to them: Maybe a tournament over Labor Day weekend works well for everyone, but Thanksgiving is off limits for many families. You’ll have to negotiate and compromise, since not everyone will have the exact same preferences, but try to take all the athletes’ needs into account.”

Kyba notes that it’s particularly important for coaches to not just consider Christian holidays, but to respect the range of religious and cultural traditions that athletes on the team may observe.

Don’t reward athletes for workaholic tendencies

We often praise those who “go the extra mile.” But in youth sport, pay close attention to an athlete who’s consistently going above and beyond—doing an extra weight room session, literally running the extra mile, and pushing beyond their capabilities to the point where they’re at risk of injury or exhaustion. It’s your job as the coach to pull them back, not urge them on. Even if they’re getting results in the short term, that kind of attitude and effort isn’t sustainable in the long term.

Don’t penalize athletes for cultural or religious observances

It should go without saying, but an athlete who’s observing a religious or cultural holiday or tradition should never be penalized for it. “For example, for some athletes, observing the Sabbath or fasting during Ramadan is a very important part of their religion,” says Kyba. “In your eyes, this may interfere with practice or competition, but you should never make an athlete feel guilty for their religious or cultural choices.”

More Guidance for Caregivers

Listen to your athlete

As Kyba noted earlier, it’s easy as a parent to roll your eyes when an athlete says that they’re feeling stressed out or exhausted. But take your athlete’s feelings seriously, and respect and validate those feelings. If an athlete seems as though they’re struggling to do everything, try to help them prioritize and potentially even trim out some of the activities and extracurriculars that are causing stress. This may even involve a discussion with a coach about cutting down the number of practices your athlete attends, even if it’s just for a couple of weeks.

Help create boundaries for your athlete

As a caregiver, you do have the ability to affect change on the team. If the coach is considering adding a tournament over Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas week, the parents of the athletes can create boundaries that protect their athletes from overwork and allow them to have vacations and time away from competition. While you do want your athlete to be able to advocate for themselves, sometimes you do still need to step in.

Watch your language around work and sport

Athletes face such high pressure in school and sport, and parents can unknowingly add to it with casual observations about athletic or academic scholarships. More often than not, Kyba says, your child is already aware that they may need a scholarship in order to afford a university education—constantly bringing it up, even in a seemingly positive way, can contribute to an athlete developing workaholic tendencies.

Help your athlete understand your family values

“Often, workaholic culture clashes with an individual’s values,” Kyba says. “If you and your athlete value spending time with family and friends, you need to help your athlete respect those values. Often, workaholic cultures lead to putting all your energy into just one aspect of your life, which jeopardizes other core values. You need to help your athlete find balance.”

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Takeaway

Workaholic culture has seeped into youth sport and young athletes who are subjected to a  workaholic environment in school or sport are at higher risk for burnout, injury, illness, and mental health issues. Coaches and caregivers need to work together to ensure that athletes are training and competing in a team culture that values hard work, but not workaholism.

That’s why the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and TrueSport began hosting an annual mental wellness conference in 2021. The first iteration focused broadly on youth athletes and the 2022 conference addressed the specific challenges facing student-athletes. In 2023, however, TrueSport has expanded the focus of the symposium to further address the larger sport landscape that athletes are operating in and the need for collaborative solutions.

Dr. Jennifer Royer, Senior Director of TrueSport and Awareness at USADA and TrueSport, explains, “We’ve focused narrowly on athlete mental wellness in the past. But we’re leaning into the idea that there must be an intentional system in place in order to best support athletes. If we don’t have healthy systems, we don’t have healthy participants. We need coaches, trainers, schools, and communities to be proactive and evolving around this topic. In order for athletes to learn resiliency, self-confidence and self-advocacy, we need the people around them to be able to teach those from experience. If we don’t make change at the systemic level, there’s no hope of supporting athletes correctly at the grass roots. Coaches, who have such an impact on young athletes’ experiences, deserve the support and training necessary to help them in these efforts.”

The focus on sport systems is the product of research TrueSport and mental health thought leaders, including lead researcher Jessica Kirby, PhD, began at the conference in 2022. The resulting recommendations report, “Humanizing Sport,” doesn’t focus on one specific mental wellness issue, but instead, looks at the challenge wholistically and proposes system-wide improvements.

Essentially the recommendation report argues that sport can act as a key protective factor in support of mental health. Additionally, it showed that student-athletes face two distinct problems that impede that benefit: For athletes in lower socio-economic situations, they were lacking in resources needed to engage in youth sport, thanks to the growth of ‘pay to play’ clubs and other expensive additions to youth sport. Then, for athletes in the middle and upper class who can afford those luxuries, burnout and overtraining became much more prevalent. It seems an obvious conclusion, but if athletes are not staying in sport, it can’t meet those young athletes’ needs and our opportunity to help stem the growing tide of youth mental health challenges is lost.

“But what I found encouraging is that the solution to both challenges is the same,” says Royer. “That gives us hope that there is a systemic approach that will work, one that allows us to address healthy, trusted adult relationships that make a difference for young people. We need an organizational culture that supports a process-oriented youth sport experience, communities that encourage participation, and student-athletes who learn to trust their intuition about what feels right for them.”

To be clear, this doesn’t mean getting rid of competitive sports or canceling club leagues and playoffs. “We’re not an organization making the case that healthy competition is a bad thing,” says Royer. “Competitiveness is a value we espouse and think is healthy, when done the right way. What shines through in this research is that a win-at-all-cost mentality is bad for everyone involved. That kind of performance-oriented culture doesn’t help anyone, and we’ve learned that it doesn’t even necessarily contribute to sustainable wins in a desirable sport culture.”

The research makes it clear that focusing on long-term whole athlete development actually leads to better performance, while a focus on winning at all costs may generate some early wins but will eventually lead to a team in crisis. “If we look at the long-term participation levels, having a process focus pays off,” says Royer. “That means making sure that we’re growth-oriented, that we’re creating a motivational culture, that we’re fostering healthy relationships, and that we’re watching out for the overall wellbeing of every athlete.”

Unfortunately, youth sport in the U.S. is arguably at a collective crisis point due to the focus on winning at all costs. The way to correct this, Royer and the researchers behind the paper believe, is to start by looking at athletes as humans first. “Recognizing that a young person is so much more than a singular identity as an athlete is critically important,” says Royer. “This concept helps the athlete—and those around them—establish some parameters around what feels productive and what doesn’t.”

This means athletes, coaches, families, schools, and communities need to focus on the athlete’s health first, and prioritize their safety, whether it’s safety from physical or emotional or mental injury. “It has to be OK for an athlete to ask for help, whether they’re struggling with an emotional situation or a sprained ankle,” says Royer. “It is just as vital to their growth and success long-term to address those social-emotional wellbeing issues as it is to recover from a physical injury.”

To be able to have these conversations means having a high level of trust with the adult in charge, though. And that’s where coaches play a vital role in improving youth sport. “Trusted adults are in positions of authority, and they are decision makers in this sport space,” says Royer. “They have to prioritize those healthy relationships, and develop their own toolkit of wellness practices, to help their athletes grow.” That’s why the 2023 mental health conference will focus on coaches and mental health.

Without these strong relationships and a commitment to the idea that the mental wellbeing of an athlete is as important as their physical wellbeing, youth sport will fail to live up to its full potential. Every individual has the ability to affect change on their team and in their community. But it starts with releasing the stigmas around mental health and prioritizing mental wellbeing as a pathway to a great sport experience that strives for success that far exceeds the narrow lens of competitive wins.

It can be daunting to think about overhauling youth sport from the ground up, but Royer believes it’s the only way to save it, to grow participation while also nurturing healthy athletes who stay in sport long after their time in developmental sport.