Throughout her time as a handball player, Anja has met thousands of young people, coaches, and parents who have each contributed to the content of this talk. This is the raw reality. The stories are real. The emotions are real. This is the talk about talents who are fighting their own inner battles, believing they must face them alone and that they are the only ones experiencing these feelings.
These players have parents and coaches who, in their unique ways, provide feedback. Most have the intention to help and contribute to athletic growth, and in many cases—to help the next national team player emerge.
Anja has encountered numerous adults with high ambitions for their talent. Sometimes these talents become the next national team players, but in other cases, they are burdened with training, injuries, lack of motivation, and depression due to the fear of disappointing their supporters.
Many young athletes ask themselves: What is actually good enough? In a society where we are constantly told that we must develop, it can be difficult to believe that we are ever good enough. Many live in a pursuit of something more without quite knowing why.
This talk is designed to articulate the thoughts and feelings that come with sports and to provide a way to manage them. There are countless presentations on sports psychology and techniques that can be used to address various athletic challenges. That’s great, and you will see some techniques here as well, but the most important message of the talk is the genuine emotions and issues that athletes struggle with.
Key questions addressed in the talk:
What is talent?
What is the difference between talent and identity?
And perhaps the most important question: How do we adults highlight this difference?
The presentation is suitable for sports teams, coaches, and parents. It can be tailored to your team and can also be conducted as a workshop.