Psychological characteristics, including personality traits and psychological skills, have been shown to be relevant predictors of soccer performance. In research, general and sport specific standardized self-report questionnaires have been applied in psychological diagnostics of sports talent. However, with regard to the assessment of psychological characteristics of talented soccer players, a gap between research and practice is apparent. While soccer clubs often ask their coaches to assess their players on self-designed, unevaluated scouting sheets, research widely neglects expert coaches’ and clubs’ perspectives on relevant performance characteristics. As we believe that expert coaches’ assessments could be a valid predictor of a player’s current performance and future success, we provide recommendations on how to improve coaches’ assessment of psychological characteristics. As the quality of the assessment of psychological characteristics is crucial, we provide recommendations on how to ensure the central diagnostic standards: objectivity, reliability, and validity in talent assessment. Further, we argue that assessing psychological characteristics should combine self ratings of players and external ratings of coaches in talent development. Sport psychologists should assist clubs and coaches in improving the diagnostics of psychological characteristics as well as in embedding psychological diagnostics and interventions in the talent development process.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been causing major disruptions in the sporting world. Negative physiological and psychological effects on athletes have been reported, such as respiratory issues and increased stress. Therefore, it is timely to support this population by presenting cost-effective and accessible intervention techniques to reduce this impact. Slow-paced breathing (SPB) has the potential to counteract many of the detrimental effects of COVID-19 that can directly affect sports performance. In this article, we present and justify the use of SPB in athletes by focusing on three key outcomes, namely aerobic endurance performance, emotional well-being, and sleep quality. We examine the physiological mechanisms that underpin these three outcomes and review literature showing that SPB can activate anti-inflammatory pathways, increase lung capacity and, in turn, improve aerobic endurance, emotional well-being, and sleep quality. We conclude that interventions using SPB can have preventive and rehabilitative properties for athletes. Future studies should empirically test the potential of SPB to help this specific population.

The ability to interact and communicate effectively in different cultural contexts has never been more relevant for football coaches because cultural diversity in football has increased in the past decades. Yet, there is a reduced number of institutions that are currently offering cultural training to coaches, and it is unknown whether coaches feel the need for such training. This study aimed to explore the cross-cultural training needs of 115 football coaches with national and/or international experience (M = 13.4 years; SD = 8.53). To maximise recruitment reach, an online survey with open-ended questions was used followed by a qualitative thematic analysis. There were four master themes: cross-cultural training needs in the global football market; cross-cultural awareness is important in football; football-specific cultural training; and training by migrant coaches, no matter how. Most coaches perceived a benefit from cultural training in preparation for international appointments, but some felt that coaches already had cultural awareness because they manage individuals and adjust easily to different cultures. Preferences were shown for cross-cultural training delivered by migrant coaches and with a football-specific focus. This is the first study to explore the perceptions of football coaches about cross-cultural awareness and training needs and provides insights to providers of coach education.

Der vorliegende Beitrag analysiert den Siebenmeterwurf (7M) im Spitzenhandball aus unterschiedlichen, sich ergänzenden Perspektiven: Phänomenologisch als standardisierte 1:1-Situation mit Spiel entscheidendem Charakter und theoriebasiert als (intentionale) Bewegungshandlung interagierender Akteure. Auf der Basis einer Analyse der Spielberichtsbögen (N = 47) und der zugehörigen Siebenmeterwürfe (7M, N = 419) der Handball-Europameisterschaft der Männer 2010 in Österreich wurde der Zusammenhang von personalen Faktoren der Werfer, z. B. Händigkeit und Länderspielerfahrung, sowie situativen Faktoren, z. B. Spielposition, Anzahl zuvor geworfener 7M und der Trefferquote untersucht. In einem zweiten Schritt wurden darauf aufbauend Aktionsmuster von Werfern und Torhütern mittels Inhaltsanalyse von 166 7M-Videos aus 30 Spielen desselben Turniers extrahiert. Die empirisch gewonnenen Aktionsmuster der Torhüter und Werfer aus den beiden Studien wurden Torhütern bzw. Torhütertrainern aus dem nationalen Spitzenhandball vorgelegt und in Bezug auf ihre Praxisrelevanz kommunikativ validiert.