Coaching the ADHD Brain

October is ADHD Awareness Month. What better way to celebrate than by giving coaches the information they need to support their athletes with ADHD?

When you think of an athlete with ADHD, or with ADHD characteristics, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Keep that athlete, or those characteristics, in mind as you read the rest of this post. I invite you to stay open and to challenge what you think you know about athletes with ADHD and the best way to support them.

What is ADHD?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that causes disruption in multiple settings (school, work, sport, relationships, etc.).¹

On the attention side, this could look like trouble organizing tasks or activities, often losing belongings, or being easily distracted by things in the environment.¹

On the hyperactivity and impulsivity side, this could look like difficulty waiting their turn, blurting out an answer before the question is finished, or fidgeting and tapping their hands or feet while seated.¹

Underneath both, ADHD affects executive function, the brain's management system: planning, working memory (holding instructions in your head), and stopping an action once it's started.¹

ADHD may be more common in athletics than in the general population, at both the college and professional levels.² One review estimates it at 7 to 8% of student and elite athletes.¹

Because of these numbers, I can say with a pretty high level of certainty that you have at least one athlete with ADHD on your current roster, diagnosed or not.

Common traits and how to support them

Below are common traits, what they might look like in practice or games, and how you can support an athlete displaying that trait.

Remember, our goal is to create an environment where all athletes can thrive. Most of these supports help every athlete on your roster, not just the ones with ADHD.

1. Difficulty with balance and coordination

Young athletes with ADHD may have a harder time with specific movements their sport requires, especially balance and coordination.³

What it looks like: An athlete who stumbles often. It may seem like they're "tripping over their own feet."

How to support:

• Teach new movements one at a time.
• Use your warm-up for coordination and balance work: standing on one foot, jumping and landing, ladder footwork, skipping, crawling.

2. A different way of focusing and organizing information

Athletes with ADHD may have a harder time with focus and concentration.³ That does not mean they can't focus.⁴ Their attention works differently, and so does the way they organize information.

What it looks like: Tuning out of drills that don't interest them. Struggling to follow long explanations (when the coach talks nonstop for a few minutes).⁴ Freezing in the middle of a drill, almost like they're "glitching." Or moving 100 miles per hour in the wrong direction; you ask them to slow down, and they still seem frantic.

How to support:

• Build competition into your drills.
• Channel their attention to one emphasis at a time.⁴ As they get comfortable, layer in a second, then a third.
• In my experience, about 15 seconds of talking at a time is a good rule of thumb. If it takes longer than that, ask a question to re-engage them, or go back and forth with your assistant and trade off who explains which part of the drill.
• Keep drills fresh. Mixing up tasks helps avoid boredom.⁵ You don't have to throw everything out; adding a wrinkle to how you score the drill or where it starts can go a long way.

3. Hyperactivity and attention

What it looks like: Needing to fidget or move, especially when they're expected to be still and listening.⁵ They may also be easily distracted by the environment or by the thoughts in their head, which can look like they're ignoring you or being rude.⁵

How to support:

• If they need to fidget with something in their hands, suggest wearing something on their wrist they can play with (a rubber band, hair tie, etc.), as long as it's safe for your sport.
• Have a conversation with them about what is helpful movement and what is distracting movement. You may agree that pacing back and forth helps, as long as they can still see and hear you. If eye contact is hard for them, they could pace outside of everyone else's view or bounce in place. Find what works for your athlete and your team.

Not every athlete with ADHD is bouncing off the walls. Some look quiet while their brains churn with thoughts. This is common in girls, who are often diagnosed much later.⁴

4. Impulsiveness

What it looks like: Interrupting others or having a hard time waiting their turn. This can look like they're ignoring the rules.⁵

How to support:

• When it makes sense, give them a way to write down questions or thoughts while you're talking (pen and paper, a whiteboard), so you can answer them after. Sometimes these athletes feel like they'll lose the thought if they don't say it the second it pops into their head.
• When they're waiting in line, give them a movement or exercise to do until it's their turn.
• Play small-sided games (2v2, 3v3, 4v4) so everyone waits less.⁵ Great for ADHD brains, and more reps for everyone else.

5. Intense emotional pain around rejection or disapproval

Individuals with ADHD tend to get more negative feedback from parents and teachers.² It could sound like "Sit still," "Pay attention," or "Why can't you focus?" Over time, that feedback can lower their self-esteem and their drive to reach their goals, and leave them feeling criticized for symptoms they have limited control over.²

When they feel rejected, or think others disapprove of them, athletes with ADHD can feel intense emotional pain. This can be triggered when things don't go their way in sport.⁵

What it looks like: A big reaction after a mistake: throwing their hands up, grimacing, putting their head down. You may hear them talk to themselves more harshly than you'd expect ("That was horrible." "You're never going to get it." "No one likes you.").

How to support:

• When you can, give them individual praise and encouragement.⁵ Keep it authentic and realistic. Being positive and being constructive go hand in hand. So do being positive and giving hard feedback. Think of yourself as the positive voice inside their head.

If you've met one athlete with ADHD, you've met one athlete with ADHD. These traits show up very differently from athlete to athlete. Two athletes with the same diagnosis could process information differently; one may be able to focus on two or three parts of a task while the other can only focus on one.

Know your athletes

Before you correct an athlete, ask yourself: is this a performance issue, or a processing issue?

As you observe, remember there's a difference between information overload and a mistake in play. Overload works against the brain. A mistake in play is a chance to build a skill in that specific moment, decision, or drill. Telling the two apart depends mostly on how well you know your athlete.

If you're a parent, you've probably had times when your baby cried and you knew exactly what that cry meant: hungry, tired, etc. It's the same process here. A blank stare could mean an athlete is confused, embarrassed, or afraid of messing up. Each of those needs a different response. The better you know your athletes, the better you'll get at recognizing when to adjust how you're teaching, when to give praise, and when to give constructive feedback.

Also, the support that works today might not work tomorrow. That is why it’s important to have a variety of tactics you can use, and why it’s important to get to know your athletes.

Cultivating the strengths

Creativity is the strength people with ADHD express most often.⁶ Seeing connections, thinking outside the box, and finding new ways to solve problems⁶ are the same skills that help an athlete adjust in a game, when nothing goes the way it did in the drill. Some of the same impulsivity that's difficult in a team meeting can show up as quick, reactive decision-making on the field or court.¹

High energy is another strength people with ADHD express often.⁶ When it's channeled well, it can give your team an edge.

People with ADHD also describe themselves as curious and social.⁶

Some coaches believe athletes with ADHD can't focus on anything. That's a myth.⁴ While these athletes can be easily distracted, they can also focus intensely on something they find interesting enough. This is called hyperfocus, and it lets an athlete block out distractions and lock in.¹

Point out these strengths and build on them. Ask for their opinion on what they're seeing, and put them in situations where they get to use their creative problem-solving.

For athletic directors and program leaders

Two safety notes worth sharing with your staff. Athletes taking stimulant medication for ADHD may be at higher risk of heat illness, especially in hot, humid conditions.³ ADHD has been linked to longer recovery after a sport-related concussion.¹ Make sure your athletic trainers and medical staff are part of the plan.

Accountability, not excuses

Understanding these traits helps you understand your athletes. But we're not here to diagnose them or put them in a box. Athletes with ADHD can still be held accountable; it's about how you hold them accountable.

I've heard coaches lean on an athlete's ADHD, either by making excuses for behavior or by writing the athlete off as unable to do something because of their diagnosis. When you learn to work with their abilities instead, you put them in the best possible position to succeed.

You can't be everything for your athletes. But you can create an environment where they feel safe and where their brain can thrive. And the supports in this post aren't only for athletes with a diagnosis; use them with any athlete who shows these behaviors.

Think back to the athlete you pictured at the start. What will you try with them this week? Reach out and let me know!

Next week, I'll share how you can help your athletes become more self-aware about what supports them.

References

¹ Han, Doug Hyun, et al. "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Elite Athletes: A Narrative Review." British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 53, no. 12, 2019, pp. 741–745.

² Nazeer, Ahsan, et al. "ADHD and Adolescent Athletes." Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 2, 2014, article 46.

³ White, Russell D., et al. "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Athletes." Sports Health, vol. 6, no. 2, 2014, pp. 149–156.

⁴ "ADHD in Sport: Challenging Myths and Supporting Children." NSPCC, 30 Sept. 2026, sport.nspcc.org.uk/news-and-blogs/2026-09-adhd-in-sport-challenging-myths-and-supporting-children/.

⁵ "How to Support Players with ADHD." England Football Learning, The Football Association, 22 Jan. 2024, learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2024/How-to-support-players-with-ADHD.

⁶ Schippers, Lessa M., et al. "A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of Self-Reported Positive Characteristics of Individuals with ADHD." Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 13, 2022, article 922788.