PCA Mastery & Competitive Greatness Flashcards
6 cards from real PCA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 PCA Mastery & Competitive Greatness flashcards as text
What does PCA say about the relationship between a Mastery orientation and team chemistry?
Answer: When athletes focus on personal growth rather than out-competing teammates, trust and team chemistry improve
PCA teaches that mastery-oriented teams have stronger chemistry because athletes support each other's growth rather than competing internally for status.
According to PCA, how should coaches praise athletes to reinforce a Mastery orientation?
Answer: Praise effort and process: 'Your hard work on that drill really showed today'
PCA teaches process and effort praise because it reinforces the Mastery orientation—linking success to controllable behaviors rather than fixed traits.
What does PCA's concept of 'Redefining the Scoreboard' mean for athletes?
Answer: Teaching athletes to measure success by effort, learning, and growth rather than only final scores
Redefining the Scoreboard means helping athletes build an internal success standard based on ELM—effort, learning, and growth—alongside the official score.
How does the Mastery orientation reduce fear of failure in young athletes?
Answer: By making effort and learning the success standard, so failure becomes feedback rather than shame
When success is defined by effort and learning, mistakes and losses become useful feedback rather than shameful failures to be avoided.
PCA's ELM Tree metaphor uses tree imagery to communicate which key message?
Answer: Mastery requires deep roots—effort, learning, and mistake recovery—to grow tall and withstand storms
The ELM tree metaphor communicates that strong roots—effort, learning, and resilience—allow athletes to grow tall and withstand the inevitable storms of competition.
Which coaching behavior most directly undermines a Mastery orientation in athletes?
Answer: Posting a ranking of athletes from best to worst performer after every practice
Ranking athletes against each other directly promotes an Ego orientation, undermining the Mastery focus on personal growth.