Athlete Edition
Hero Within Coach Toolkit
Four weeks of five-minute team reflection for mindset, character, and culture
Coach and team-leader resource
Use reflection to strengthen behavior, communication, and next-step choices—never to force disclosure, diagnose athletes, assess injury status, or publicly score emotions.
Five-minute format
| Time | Step | Coach language |
|---|---|---|
| 1 min | Pause | Take a breath. Notice the team moment without blaming. |
| 2 min | Reflect | Ask one question. Athletes may answer privately, choose a response, or pass. |
| 1 min | Hero Move | What is one action we can control next? |
| 1 min | Close | Reinforce the next responsibility, support route, and team standard. |
Four-week implementation
| Week | Focus | Core question | Team Hero Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Composure | What can we control when pressure rises? | Use a shared reset cue and first-responsibility plan. |
| 2 | Mistakes | How do we correct without shame or excuses? | Name one correction and return to the next play. |
| 3 | Team culture | What does the team need from each of us? | Complete one act of encouragement, accountability, or service. |
| 4 | Reflect forward | What strength and adjustment should we carry forward? | Choose one individual and one team practice goal. |
Inclusive participation
- Use one prompt at a time and concrete language.
- Offer visual or two-choice responses.
- Allow speech, writing, drawing, pointing, AAC, or silence.
- Provide extra processing time and optional breaks.
- Avoid unnecessary chimes, motion, or sensory overload.
- Follow individualized accommodations and organizational procedures.
- Never use nonparticipation as evidence of poor attitude.
Parent communication
Our team is using the Hero Within Athlete Reflection approach for four weeks. Athletes will practice short pregame, mistake-reset, teamwork, and postgame reflections. Participation may be private, and athletes will not be required to disclose personal experiences.
Safety and referral boundary
- Do not use the toolkit to assess injury status or medical readiness.
- Do not investigate abuse, self-harm, violence, or significant distress in a team group.
- Follow established safeguarding and reporting procedures.
- Move medical concerns to qualified healthcare and athletic staff.
- Do not collect private reflection sheets for performance evaluation.