Conference

Session 1A 

Mindset, Skill Set, Environment – and Values in High Performance Sport

Eddie Kohlhase

In high performance sport, the framework of Mindset, Skill Set, and Environment is a powerful tool to understand what drives sustained excellence. But beneath or around this framework lies something even deeper: the core values that make it meaningful and sustainable—Joy, Connection, and Love.

In this session we will explore this simple framework of Mindset, Skill Set and Environment underpinned by values with some practical probing questions and case studies that can be considered age and stage appropriate from community sport through to high performance sport.

Session 1B 

From Hesitance to Confidence: Leveraging AI to Accelerate Coaches' Learning

Azhar Yusof

Coaches transitioning from able-bodied to disability sport often experience psychological barriers such as fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt. Concerns over liability, a lack of disability-specific knowledge, appropriate training methodologies, and limited access to adaptive equipment contribute to hesitancy. Despite growing efforts to promote inclusive coaching, research on effective strategies to support this transition remains limited.

This case study explores how a rugby union coach utilised Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to accelerate learning and build confidence when transitioning into coaching wheelchair rugby. AI can serve as a powerful resource, providing coaches with immediate access to knowledge on disability sport, training adaptations, and evidence-based coaching strategies. It is also useful for all coaches in any sport. However, the effectiveness of AI-generated insights depends on the ability to prompt relevant information and critically filter outputs through a strong foundation in coaching pedagogy and sports science.

Findings highlight how AI-supported learning fosters confidence by bridging knowledge gaps and mitigating initial apprehensions over navigating the complexities of disability sport coaching and in able-bodied sport coaching as well. By equipping coaches with the right tools and strategies, AI can play a crucial role in accelerating learning and enhancing confidence.

Session 1C 

Mindfulness – Dispelling Myths and Optimising Focus

Tan Yong En

Many elite athletes, from LeBron James to Novak Djokovic, are strong proponents for the practice of mindfulness. However, there are many misconceptions around the concept, which can limit its application in sports. In the HPSI Sport Psychology Unit, we understand that attention is the currency of performance, and mindfulness is one of the tools that we use with athletes to help them direct their attention to the things that matter when it matters.

In this session, we will clear up some of the common myths about mindfulness, get some hands-on experience, and explore the benefits of using mindfulness in sport.

Session 2A

The Power of Para-sport to Enhance your Coaching

Alex Jago

In this presentation, Alex will share how coaching para-athletes has impacted his own coaching, and how he subsequently approaches coach development and leadership. Alex will also share insights from other coaches on how para-sport contexts challenged (or changed) their thinking and coaching approaches.

Session 2B

How Sport Taught Me to Swim Through Life

Dina Levačić 

How Sport Taught Me to Swim Through Life" is a powerful and deeply personal journey through the waves of open-water swimming—and the deeper currents that shape who we are. Drawing from her experiences completing the Oceans Seven and countless other endurance challenges, Dina Levačić reveals how sport has forged her mindset, resilience, and identity.

From battling jellyfish stings in the Pacific and fighting hypothermia in the North Channel, to learning to let go of control and embrace the sea’s unpredictability, each swim becomes a vivid metaphor for life’s trials and triumphs.

Along the way, the guidance of dedicated coaches played a pivotal role in her growth, offering not just technical expertise but also belief, perspective, and support when she needed it most. Their influence taught her to trust in preparation, to push beyond perceived limits, and to recognize that no achievement happens in isolation.

This session dives into lessons on perseverance, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and staying true to yourself, not just as an athlete, but as a multidimensional human being. Through moments of struggle, doubt, and celebration, Dina reminds us that we grow the most when we dare to swim beyond the shore and when we allow others to guide and inspire us along the way.

Session 2C

Building Body Confidence and Resilience: Empowering Athletes Across Sports

Chan Tin Wing

In this session, Tin Wing will provide a deeper insight and spark meaningful conversations about body confidence and resilience that is beyond just aesthetic sports. With reference to the Singapore Gymnastics Body Confidence guideline that was developed in 2021, the session will cover the four key pillars: Everyone has a role, Language and communication matters, Supporting positive nutrition, Safety in tracking growth & development body image in hope to urging coaches, families, and athletes to foster positive dialogue and body acceptance.

Session 3A

Levelling the Playing Field: Creating Inclusive and Supportive Environments for Women in Coaching

Julia Lawrence

Join us for a fun, interactive session focused on building inclusive and supportive environments for women in coaching across all sports. Designed for coaches, administrators and advocates, this workshop will explore common barriers faced by women in coaching and provide practical strategies to create a culture where women feel valued, empowered, and set up to succeed. Through discussion, ideation activities, and shared insights, participants will leave with actionable tools and a renewed perspective, to foster equity and inclusivity within their coaching environments.

Session 3B

Growing Pains and Gains : Safeguarding Health Amongst Youth Athletes for Peak Potential

Dr Scott Xu

This workshop, led by Dr. Scott Xu, will delve into the critical topic of physiological maturation in youth athletes. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how growth and development influence a young athlete's physical capabilities and vulnerabilities. The session will specifically address appropriate considerations for preventing injuries and illnesses that are common during the maturing years. The ultimate goal is to equip coaches, parents, and healthcare professionals with the knowledge to foster optimal sporting development and maximize performance safely and sustainably for youth athletes.

Session 3C

It Takes a Village - Behind Singapore Women's 4x100 Athletics Record Breaking Feat

Hamkah Afik, Ivan Ee, Khairyll Amri, Elizabeth-Ann Tan

At the Asian Athletics Championships in June this year, Singapore's Women's 4x100 relay team broke the national record eclipsing the previous mark set almost 10 years ago. What went behind that record breaking performance is a story that few knew about. It is a story of athlete-centred-ness, of coaching leadership, of sport science support, all coming together to achieve success. It is a story of how sporting success in this modern times requires the whole "village". In this presentation, you'll get to hear first hand from the coach, sport scientist and athlete, on the lead up, the challenges and the emotions that the team went through, and the key learnings that coaches in any sport would need to hear so that they and their athletes and teams, too may be successful.