Performance Lifestyle aims to support athletes as they progress through the British Athletics WCP Programme from Induction > Develop & Perform > Transition. It assists developing athletes to deliver performance and supports them to be the best they can be both on and off the track and field via a number of methods.
- 1:1 Coaching and Mentoring as well as group sessions.
- Access to external experts delivering a range of topics.
- Access to resources and opportunities through British Athletics and the EIS PL network e.g. Career HQ, Athlete Futures.
The outcomes include:
- Develop the resourcefulness in athletes so that they have the skills and processes in place to deliver when it matters.
- Support the athlete to develop the skills and behaviours to thrive in a high performance environment and manage distractions.
- Help athletes develop appropriate skills and experiences that they can draw upon to function effectively on and off the track and field.
- Prepare athletes for life beyond sport –post athletic career planning.
World class athletes today require a high level of self-management and professionalism. The lifestyle an athlete leads will have a major impact on their success and enjoyment in their athletics career and life outside the sport. Performance lifestyle (PL) supports the athlete to develop and enhance the necessary skills and attention to detail that can make a significant impact on achieving their goals.
Performance Lifestyle is a coaching and mentoring service that supports athletes with their continued personal and professional development. PL encourages athletes to develop their resourcefulness to enable them to deliver performance in training, competition and life outside of sport. PL supports athletes to ‘manage distractions’ and takes a holistic approach to ensure the athlete has a balanced lifestyle to enable them to develop both away from the sport.
The nature of Performance Lifestyle support is wide-ranging covering many areas of personal and professional development reflecting the many challenges that elite performers face throughout their athletics journey and life outside of sport. PL support will be tailored to the specific needs of the individual athlete and encourages athletes to develop the PL Foundations that represent athlete behaviours and self-awareness that are essential to be able to optimise and thrive as a World Class Athlete on a World Class Programme.
Examples of Performance Lifestyle Support:
Induct: Coping with and managing change, understanding the WCP environment, developing professionalism, planning and organisation, decision making, developing personal identity.
Develop & Perform: Managing yourself and your environment, working with strengths and developing weaknesses, identifying purpose and values, communication skills, managing conflict, developing support networks, managing finance and sponsorship.
Transition: Post athletic career support e.g. access to Career HQ and Athlete Futures opportunities, preparing for a new career, education support, networking, developing personal brand, life skills and optimising your networks.
Julie Smith (PL Advisor) & Matt Jefferson (PL Advisor)