Labours of Sport Coaching

About Labours of Sport Coaching

Labours of Sport Coaching helps coaches develop Herculean strength in knowledge. I mostly discuss self-determination theory as applied to coaching, but occasionally explore pedagogy, philosophy, and under discussed or little known areas of coaching research and practice. This podcast is for information purposes only. My views and those of my guests are not the same, nor do my views reflect my employers. Sign up for newsletter: https://laboursofsportcoaching.beehiiv.com/subscribe Get in touch: laboursofsportcoaching@mail.com Visit website: https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/

Publisher

Dr Mark James Carroll

Category

sports

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

21 May 2024

Latest episode

5 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

71 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Dec 2025

   Why sport coaches should read novels

   ACCESS MY NEW PUBLICATION: Challenges-and-opportunities-for-community-sport-coach-development-1.pdf (https://www.ukcoaching.org/getmedia/ef86564c-45b0-4b7e-8845-238fec0638b3/Article-2-Challenges-and-opportunities-for-community-sport-coach-development-1.pdf) When we talk about coach development, most roads lead to the same familiar places: NGB awards, scientific theory, and on the job learning. These are of course valuable, but they're also predictable (or 'samey-samey' as I like to put it), and keep coaches learning within the same narrow corridors of knowledge. Enter fiction and novel reading as a creative, fun and enriching alternative for unlocking new learning for coaching. In this episode I break down how novels can: 1) sharpen emotional intelligence (both for understanding and managing ourselves as well as others) through complex characters and nuanced relationship told with rich vocabulary; 2) widen our perspective by transporting us to different culture, contexts, and ways of thinking; and 3) offer escapism from the 24/7 mental load of coaching. I also offer practical tried-and-tested tips for how to pick your first novel and create a habit of benefiting from this overlooked resource. Learn more about your host and access services and added resources: Consultancy – Mark J Carroll (https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/consultancy-2/)

2. 

   17 Oct 2025

   Maslow's hierarchy of needs meets SDT and the modern athlete

   WATCH ME PRESENT AT UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING & SPORTSCOTLANDCOACHING SYMPOSIUM 18TH NOVEMBER 2025. REGISTER FOR FREE BELOW. | University of Stirling & sportscotland Coaching Symposium (https://coachingsymposium.stir.ac.uk/) In the small corner of motivational psychology for coaching, self-determination theory reigns supreme for its modern and empirically backed view of athlete behaviour and environmental supports. So much so that alternative view points have been largely cast aside and rarely discussed. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one such model. While not without its faults and increasing datedness, Maslow's worldview still holds relevant and useful insights that - when combined synergistically with a more modern outlook - can aid coaches in problem solving athlete motivation and supporting long term athlete development. Tune into this episode to learn how balancing hierarchy and universality can help coaches meet athletes' needs across ages and stages - from - in Maslow's words - building safety and belonging to inspiring purpose and self-actualisation. Sound familiar? Learn more about your host and access services and added resources: Consultancy – Mark J Carroll (https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/consultancy-2/)

3. 

   3 Oct 2025

   How gender, race/ethnicity, and sport level affects perceptions of coach behaviour

   WATCH ME PRESENT AT UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING & SPORTSCOTLANDCOACHING SYMPOSIUM 18TH NOVEMBER 2025. REGISTER FOR FREE BELOW. | Universityof Stirling & sportscotland Coaching Symposium (https://coachingsymposium.stir.ac.uk/) In this episode I’m joined by Professor Alan Chu to discusshis recent paper looking at the intersectionality of race, gender, and skill level as potential determinants for the way individuals experience the coach-created motivation environment. It turns out that athletes’ identity characteristics can have unique effects not only on how they see coaches’ motivational behaviours, but also how they feel about the level of psychological needs support we offer. This conversation offers a nuanced insight into the collectiveeffects of identity characteristics on athletes’ perceived empowerment vs disempowerment in sport, and led to interesting speculation on potential causes to ponder,including the influence of culture on coach behaviour and athlete motivation. Paper discussed in this episode: Chu, T. L. A., Treacy, A., Moore, E. W. G., Petrie, T. A.,Albert, E., & Zhang, T. (2024). Intersectionality matters: Gender, race/ethnicity, and sport level differentiate perceived coach-created motivational climates and psychological needs. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 13(1), 59-75. Learn more about your host and access services and addedresources: https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/consultancy/ (https://markjcarrollcoaching.wordpress.com/consultancy/)

Who has been a guest on Labours of Sport Coaching

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Mark Carroll
• Dr Mark Partington
• Adam Nicholls
• Sophia Jowett
• Peter Sturgess

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

72

Social presence

90

YouTube

0

Engagement

32