Author(s): ZHANG, X., LUO, P.2, WANG, H.N.3, ZHANG, K.Y.4, LI, Y.5, AN, Q.5, Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 2475

Psychological skills training programs have been consistently reported as an important part of preparation for optimal performance in high-performance settings (Weinberg & Gould, 2015), as well as for career transition and life skills development (Zhang et al., 2017; Zhu et al., 2023). Additionally, it has been noted that the specific sport context should be taken into consideration when delivering such a program (Si et al., 2015; Zhu et al., 2023). The Chinese sport system is characterized as a semi-closed environment in which Chinese athletes are able to focus on training but often have limited access to formal education and other people for connecting and networking , which subsequently leads to challenges when preparing for retirement at the end of their sport careers (Zhang et al., 2019).
The purpose of this paper was to explore the experiences of a Chinese volleyball player in facilitating career transition throughout a three-year psychological skills training program. An instrumental case study methodology with a narrative analysis approach was employed to illustrate the evolving application of psychological skills and the athlete’s experiences.
The athlete spoke of the benefits derived from the psychological skills training program, and three patterns emerged: stories of how a player learned to plan for training and competitions; how she became reflective to prepare for career transition; and how she began to utilize the skills in life after sport.
This study provides insight into a psychological skills training program delivered within the Chinese sport system that facilitated the career transition of a Chinese volleyball player to be used in both sport and life out of sport.
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