What do you say after your athlete has a bad game?
A practical guide to post-game conversations: when to listen, when to give space, and how sports parents can offer support without taking over.
Read the articlePerformance + wellness
C & C Performance + Wellness
Better performance starts with better conversations.
Helping athletes and families navigate pressure. Helping coaches and leaders build trust. Practical support for the people behind the performance.
No obligation. No hard sell. Just a conversation.
Help each other upPerformance is built on support
Start where you are
You don’t need to know the solution yet.
Tell Cristo what’s happening. The first conversation is about listening and finding the right next step.
No obligation. No hard sell.
Prefer to talk? Choose a time for your free 15-minute call.
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Meet Cristo Tabares
“Direct doesn’t have to mean cold. Supportive doesn’t have to mean soft.”
I’ve been the athlete. I’ve been the coach. I’ve worked inside organizations and seen what good leadership brings out of people — and what happens when people feel overlooked.
With an education in industrial-organizational psychology, I help athletes, families, coaches and leaders have the conversations nobody taught them how to have.
The C & C journal
Things worth talking about.
Coach–athlete trust is built in the ordinary moments.
How coaches can approach trust through clear expectations, listening, consistent follow-through and everyday coach–athlete conversations.
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Consistent coaching does not mean treating everyone the same.
Keep team standards clear while adapting how you explain, deliver and follow up on feedback for different athletes.
Read the articleThe science behind the work
What the research says.
Our workshops and programs draw on published sport and organizational research.
Relationships drive performance
25 years of coach–athlete research points to closeness, commitment and complementarity as core parts of effective coaching relationships.
Read the studyThe ride home matters
A 2025 study of parent–child conversations after competition found timing and the athlete’s readiness shaped whether talks helped.
Read the studyCommunication builds cohesion
A study of 139 youth soccer players linked how teammates communicate with how connected the team felt.
Read the studyReady when you are
Let’s start the right conversation.
One message. No obligation. A practical next step.