Building Champions Beyond the Playing Field.

Mr. Barrington Serrao

Don Bosco High School, Matunga, organised an enriching workshop titled "Beyond Winning – Building Motivated, Resilient and Confident Young Athletes" for its sports coaches on 7th August 2026.

The session was conducted by Ms. Saniya Jain, a UK-based Sport and Exercise Psychologist, who shared valuable insights into the psychological aspects of sports performance and athlete development.

The workshop focused on creating a positive sporting environment where every young athlete can perform, grow, and enjoy sport. Through engaging discussions and practical case studies, participants explored how coaching behaviours significantly influence an athlete's confidence, motivation, discipline, identity, and overall well-being.

Ms. Jain emphasised the importance of understanding what athletes may be experiencing beneath the surface rather than judging their behaviour. Coaches reflected on real-life scenarios involving low confidence, anxiety, loss of motivation, and performance pressure, while learning effective ways to support and re-engage young athletes.

A key highlight of the session was the emphasis on nurturing values such as respect, resilience, commitment, discipline, teamwork, growth, and enjoyment, while encouraging coaches to prioritise improvement, effort, and the learning process over simply winning. Participants also learnt practical strategies for building positive habits and fostering an environment that motivates children to achieve their personal best.

The workshop also included reflective exercises, inspiring coaches to identify meaningful actions they would start, continue and stop in order to become more effective mentors for their athletes.

The session was highly informative, interactive and inspiring, reinforcing Don Bosco High School's commitment to developing not only successful athletes but also confident, resilient, and well-rounded young individuals who embody the true spirit of sport.

The workshop ended with a vote of Thanks to Ms. Saniya Jain, from our Coach, Shailendra Mishra.