Mental health is increasingly recognised as a core component of performance, wellbeing, and safeguarding in sport and dance. While awareness has grown, the challenge remains in translating research into practice. MST4Life™ (Mental Skills Training for Life) is one programme that demonstrates how mental health research projects in sport psychology can be applied to support young people in meaningful, community-based ways.

Mental skills aren’t just for elite performers, they’re for everyone navigating pressure, recovery, learning, or leadership. At The SPRINT Project, we’ve curated a rich collection of blogs, toolkits, and academic resources to help you explore mental skills like goal-setting, imagery, emotional regulation, and resilience. This interactive hub offers practical tools and reflective insights to support wellbeing and inclusive practice.

We’re delighted to share that Professor Jennifer Cumming will be speaking at the upcoming Dancing My Mind conference in Stockholm on 10–11 October 2025

In the pursuit of peak performance, athletes push their bodies to the limit. But when energy intake consistently falls short of training demands, the consequences can be devastating. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) is a serious condition that disrupts nearly every physiological system, impairing performance, increasing injury risk, and jeopardising long-term health. For coaches, recognizing the warning signs and addressing RED-S proactively is essential.

This blog explores how participatory safeguarding can transform dance spaces, and how creative feedback methods can help build a culture of trust, inclusion, and shared responsibility.

This blog introduces you to 7 simple, body-based strategies that dancers can use to manage nerves and enhance performance readiness.

Three creative, strengths-based activities for dance organisations to embed in their curriculum or training enviornments. As part of a whole-organisational approach to safeguarding, these activities will help to create a safe space for dancers to explore what safety means to them, and for organisations to listen, reflect, and respond.

Setting the Scene for Researcher Well-Being While the calibre of research presented at ICSSR was impressive, what stood out most was the...

Creating Safer and Inclusive Spaces Through Strengths-Based Practices More than just policies Safeguarding in sport and dance is more...

In recent years, dance teachers across the UK have noticed that more and more young dancers are engaging in self-harm and requesting more guidance around supporting their students at risk. But what does self-harm look like in the world of dance? A new study published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and led by Maria Kolitsida, under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Cumming, Dr Anna Lavis and Dr Erin Sanchez, explores this question.

As the 2nd National Survey of Safeguarding and Abuse Prevention in Dance officially closes, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part, whether by completing the survey, sharing it with colleagues, or helping to raise awareness across the UK dance sector.

Safeguarding in dance and sport is a growing area of academic and professional concern, demanding nuanced, evidence-based approaches. This blog post offers a brief overview of the SPRINT team’s contributions and highlights from the inaugural International Conference on Sport and Social Research (ICSSR) held June 18-20 in Québec City, Canada.

Dance has the potential to protect its participants against mental health difficulties and enhance well-being. However, dancers can...

On 29 November 2022, the SPRINT Project's Maria Kolitsida presented the findings of her MA study on the “Effects of the Pandemic on the...

Professor Jenn Cumming and Dr Mary Quinton recently published “Improving the reporting of sport imagery interventions with TIDieR” to...

Congratulations to Georgia Bird for being selected for a EUniWell Thesis Prize award in the area of Individual and Social Well-being. The...