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Core Content
Statements that focus on body appearance
You need to get bigger so that you can defend the goal better.
You look great!
Let’s get you leaner to improve your speed.
You will be able to jump higher if you lose a bit of weight.
We should cool down after practice to burn some extra calories and get the most out of this session.
How does your body look when you make that leap?
We need to eat certain foods to be lean and maintain the ideal weight for this sport.
Statements that focus on body functionality
Let’s do some exercises to warm up our bodies before practice.
That was a great kick, well done!
We should do some stretches to cool down after practice to avoid injuries.
You have really mastered this technique!
Bend your legs more.
Make sure your shoulders are facing forward when you take the shot.
How did your body feel when you made that kick?
How did your body feel after practice yesterday?
How does your body feel when you dance?
We need to eat enough to make sure our bodies are able to heal from injuries and illness and fuel our practice.
Any statement that focuses on body appearance is an example of body talk, which you learned about in the previous module. Even when body talk is ‘positive’ (e.g., “you are so tall, I wish I looked like you!”), it can:
Make athletes hyper aware of their bodies, which means they don’t fully concentrate on playing the sport.
Make athletes who overhear the conversation feel insecure and compare their appearance to the person being complimented or teased.
Make athletes start to change their behavior in order to modify their appearance (e.g., running extra laps, skipping meals).
On the other hand, comments that focus on body functionality increase athletes’ appreciation for what their bodies can do regardless of what they look like. This type of feedback can also help athletes understand how their body functions and how to improve their technique and skills.
