Motivational Interviewing: USA Cycling Course

Learn how to guide your athletes toward lasting progress—by listening more, directing less, and building true buy-in.

The experts in this course, “Motivational Interviewing,” show you how to improve athlete performance and well-being using the same evidence-based communication strategies trusted by world-class psychologists, physical therapists, and coaches. You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize when your athletes are stuck in “yeah, but…” mode, and use simple questions to help them break through.
• Apply Dr. Jeff Breckon’s 5-stage Motivational Interviewing framework to shift conversations from resistance to readiness.
• Spot the difference between harmonious and obsessive passion, and help athletes avoid burnout, anxiety, or loss of joy.
• Guide performance discussions using tried-and-true prompts and discussion techniques.
• Avoid common coaching traps like over-praising, over-fixing, and falling into the expert role too soon.

This course will help you become the kind of coach athletes trust—not just for their training, but for navigating the mental and emotional rollercoasters they will endure. You’ll hear insights from Fast Talk Labs experts, Dr. Jeff Breckon and Rob Griffiths, who’ve trained Olympic-level athletes, endurance coaches, and even healthcare professionals in MI techniques. Start seeing better conversations, stronger motivation, and deeper athlete commitment unfold right away.

How to Enroll

All USA Cycling courses are offered exclusively through USA Cycling’s online learning management system at learn.usacycling.org.

Questions? Contact Suzy Sanchez, Director of DEI and Membership Programs, at ssanchez@usacycling.org.