Program 2025

Thema: „It's not where you start – it's where you finish. Coaching und Selbstführung in Drucksituationen im Leistungssport“

(Please note: All parallel workshops will be held in German, while both keynote lectures will be delivered in English.)
After a pause in 2024 due to the FEPSAC Congress, which brought together over 1,000 participants, the Tyrolean Day of Sport Psychology returns in 2025.
This year’s focus lies on various approaches to self- and external coaching for leaders—particularly during phases of high stress, uncertainty, or emotional extremes. In such moments, sport psychologists and coaches are especially challenged to lead not only athletes but also themselves with professionalism, provide orientation, and foster psychological stability.
Once again, Christopher Willis has succeeded in bringing together renowned national and international experts in sport psychology, coaching, and elite sport. In the inspiring setting of Grillhof in Vill (Innsbruck), these experienced speakers will provide practical insights into how crises in high-performance sport can be purposefully addressed, individual resources activated, and self-leadership skills strengthened in coaching contexts.
A special highlight of this year’s program includes two high-level keynote lectures in English, expanding perspectives beyond the boundaries of traditional sport psychology:

• Gordon Herbert, trained sport psychologist and Germany’s “Coach of the Year 2023”, will enrich the program. The former head coach of the German national basketball team led his squad to a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championship and, sensationally, to the 2023 World Championship title in Manila—the greatest success in the history of the German Basketball Federation. Born in Canada, he brings decades of experience as a player and coach and offers deep insights into leadership, team development, and self-regulation under high performance pressure.
• Lars Gustavson, a former firefighter from Sweden, will deliver the second keynote. After surviving a life-threatening incident and undergoing a long rehabilitation, he now shares his experiences worldwide on handling extreme situations, trauma, and self-leadership—providing valuable impulses for sport psychology practice.

 

All contributions span a wide range of sports and roles—from acute crisis intervention to the long-term development of psychological stability. The focus is always on practical benefit for the daily work of sport psychologists, coaches, and support staff in working with athletes and teams.
The Tyrolean Day of Sport Psychology 2025 is aimed—as always—at sport psychologists, coaches, and leaders in elite sports, as well as professionals from related fields who wish to expand and reflect on their competencies in handling pressure, crisis, and mental stress.

 

09.00 – 09.20

Opening of the Tyrolean Day of Sport Psychology 2025 and presentation of the BÖP Sport Psychology Young Talent Awards 2024/2025

Speaker:  Christopher Willis + Young Talent Award Winners 2024/2025

09.20 – 10.30

Keynote 1 (in English):
“Coaching and Self-Leadership in High-Pressure Situations”
Speaker: Gordon Herbert, Coach of the Year 2023 in Germany, led the national basketball team to the 2022 European bronze and the historic 2023 world title in Manila. A trained sport psychologist from Canada, he is an expert in leadership, team development, and self-regulation under intense performance pressure.

10.30 – 11.00

Break and transition to seminar rooms

11.00 – 12.15

Parallel Workshops
Please note: All parallel workshops will be held in German, while both keynote lectures will be delivered in English.

• Workshop 1 (in German):
  “Self-Confidence and Mental Strength in Pressure and Performance Situations”
  Speaker: Martyna Trajdos, sport psychology expert and systemic coach, former Olympian and European champion in judo
• Workshop 2 (in German):
  “Creative Sport Psychology Techniques for Coaching and Self-Leadership in High-Pressure Situations in Elite Sports”
  Speaker: Klaus Schwarz, business consultant, coach, mediator, and (sport) psychotherapist with extensive training; supports elite athletes in psychological performance coaching
• Workshop 3 (in German):
  “Self-Leadership and Leading During Training, on the Field, and Beyond: Taking Responsibility as Team Captain and Member of the Team Council”
  Speaker: Christoph Moosburger, sport psychologist from Graz and sport psychology young talent award winner; active in elite sports and professional football, supports athletes up to national team level
• Workshop 4 (in German):
  “Authentic Leadership – A Path to Successful Self- and External Leadership Under Pressure”
  Speaker: Daniel Rähse, sport psychologist at the Olympic Center Vorarlberg, specializing in personality development and elite performance

 

12:15 – 13.30

Lunch break

13.30 – 15.00

Keynote 2 (in English):
“Only when you reach the limit to your own power or potential will you know what power or potential you have got”
Speaker: Lasse Gustavson from Sweden survived a devastating gas explosion as a young firefighter, suffering severe burns. After a long recovery, he returned to active duty and became the first recipient of the title “Firefighter of the Year” in Sweden. Today, he is an internationally sought-after speaker and coach specializing in resilience, transformation, and personal growth.