When the moment of performance comes, the coach cannot stand alongside their athlete. They must step back and trust that their preparation has equipped the athletes to execute their skill to the highest standard, under pressure, and with consequence.  

Beyond teaching a skill or training a capability, coaches are invested in helping athletes understand themselves as performers. The coaching relationship is characterised by trust, curiosity, comfortable discomfort, shared growth and a focus on future ability. As coaches of future emergency physicians, high performance sport offers a paradigm to help us prepare our medical athletes for their future moments of critical performance.