The Compete-Learn-Honor Approach to Coaching and Player Development: Promoting Performance Growth While Enhancing Well-Being

Abstract This paper builds off of the special JSPA issue on New Approaches to Identity in Sport (Eubank et al., 2020). One of the central challenges in competitive sports, with particular importance for the organization of youth sports at both the developmental and performance levels, is how coaches can increase the odds of student-athletes performing at their personal best level (which enhances the chances of winning contests) but without sacrificing their physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being in the process. This paper describes the “Compete-Learn-Honor” (CLH) approach to coaching and player development as one way of meeting that challenge. CLH focuses on the process of personal improvement but without having high levels of ego investment in and self-worth judgments about the winning or losing outcome. The theory and research underlying the CLH approach are described, and practical examples are given of using CLH to create a task- and mastery-involved focus on the joy of playing and the fun challenge of problem-solving in competition, resulting in athlete well-being and more frequent performance at personal best levels.