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For many young athletes in Belgium and elsewhere, the challenge is twofold: excelling in sport and keeping up a good level at school. What is at stake: securing a future, both sporting and educational, while making sure that school doesn't hold back performance and that sport doesn't get in the way of studies. How do you “hold” both without burning out? Understanding how to turn school into a resource rather than a constraint is crucial for young athletes' fulfilment, and an essential reflection for parents and coaches alike.
Identity: playing a double part as athlete and student
The notion of “dual career” (or dual career) refers to simultaneous commitment to a demanding sporting career (training, competitions) and an educational or academic career (studies, training). This reality directly affects identity. On one side, the athlete operates in an environment of performance, pressure and intense rhythm; on the other, the student faces academic expectations, deadlines and a more intellectual, methodical framework.
Finding a balance between these two poles is not simple: this duality creates a dissonance, that of having to exist fully in two worlds with sometimes opposing logics (a topic covered in the podcast with Jean-François Lenvain and Lola Mansour). Yet it is precisely in this discomfort that identity develops.
Research shows that athletes able to define themselves both as athletes and as students develop greater emotional stability and better resilience in the face of career transitions (Stambulova & Harwood, 2022).
Not reducing yourself to a single label protects against the shock of failure or injury and allows you to know yourself other than through performance.
The discomfort of this dual belonging therefore becomes a space for building oneself: it forces you to question yourself, organise yourself, take a position and define what, beyond sport, underpins your personal worth.
Organisation, discipline and motivation: turning discomfort into a driving force
The dual career confronts the student-athlete with constant demands: heavy schedules, travel, pressure for results, exams, lack of sleep. This accumulation creates a discomfort which, depending on how it is experienced, can become either a brake or a tremendous school of rigour.
Managed well, this discomfort forges transferable skills: discipline, organisation, autonomy, time management and emotional management. These qualities acquired in one area feed performance in the other. Conversely, an imbalance (lack of organisation, poorly managed stress, overload…) leads to fatigue, loss of motivation and even a risk of injury.
Studies confirm it: clear management of priorities frees up cognitive space, reduces mental load and improves sporting performance (Hassan et al., 2023). So in a sporting career as in studies, learning to be “comfortable with discomfort” promotes concentration, resilience and performance under pressure.
Other research in sport psychology also highlights that tolerance of discomfort often distinguishes the best-performing athletes from the rest: it develops the ability to stay clear-headed, regulate oneself and stay motivated even when conditions are unstable or difficult.
Emotional management: learning to be comfortable with discomfort
But discomfort is not only physical or organisational; it is also emotional.
The feeling of not measuring up, of no longer knowing where to put your priorities, or the fear of disappointing the coach, teachers and parents can generate frustration, irritability and loss of confidence. Yet this emotional discomfort is not something to run away from: it is a mental training ground. Knowing how to welcome it, understand it and regulate it strengthens psychological stability.
Recent studies show that athletes who learn to identify their internal signs of overload (“I'm sleeping badly”, “I'm losing patience”, “I don't feel like it any more”) develop a better ability to recover and greater mental endurance (Jiang & Wang, 2025). So recognising discomfort, putting it into words and then adjusting your behaviour (planning, asking for support, resting) are key steps.
Learning to be comfortable with discomfort means developing a fundamental psychological skill: staying present, grounded and consistent, even in periods of imbalance. This makes it possible to face complex situations more calmly: a disagreement with a coach, tension in the team, an academic failure or a poor performance.
Far from being an enemy, discomfort then becomes a reference point: it shows where the growth zone lies. It is in this zone that maturity, a stable identity and lasting performance develop.
Strategies to “keep both going” ?
Finding the balance between studies and high-level sport is above all about learning to organise yourself and to know yourself.
At AU MENTAL, we help athletes turn their daily constraints into levers for performance and mental stability. This involves realistic, flexible planning: drawing up a weekly timetable where every dimension of life has its place: training, classes, sleep, but also time for rest and leisure. Spotting critical periods, such as exams or major competitions, makes it possible to adjust the pace and avoid overload. It is also essential to build in some leeway, “buffer periods” used to recover and keep perspective.
Body and mind are interdependent: without recovery, there is no lasting progress. That is why we insist on setting up recharging rituals: regular sleep, a balanced diet, breaks, conscious breathing. Athletes need to learn to listen to their internal signals and to express their fatigue, frustrations or doubts. Too often, silence comes before burnout; talking is already prevention.
At AU MENTAL, we see school as a resource. Studies develop skills that transfer directly to sport: organisation, rigour, perseverance, time management, strategic thinking, discipline. Above all, they allow athletes to build a complete identity: not just “the athlete”, but a person who learns and thrives in several spheres. This plurality of identity protects against sporting failures and strengthens resilience.
Cooperating and surrounding yourself with support
Cooperation between the different coaches, teachers, mentors and parents is also essential. Together, they can create a consistent environment, aligned around the athlete's well-being. A simple exchange of information or an occasional adjustment can make all the difference.
Finally, psychological support plays a key role. Helping athletes understand their identities, their motivation and their mental load makes it possible to avoid excesses: loss of enjoyment, or the risk of burnout and panic attacks. Moments of stepping back from one's personal and sporting path are powerful tools for lasting the distance.
The balance between school and a sporting career is a major challenge, but also an opportunity for the athlete. Managed well, this context is a resource: it allows the development of skills, motivation, a plural identity, discipline and commitment, and the discovery of what you really love. It also fosters resilience in the face of transitions, by offering reference points beyond sport. Managed badly, however, it can become a constraint in the form of mental load, fatigue, disorganisation, stress, dropping out or anxiety.
The key is proactive management: a well-thought-out timetable, logistical organisation, psychological support and cooperation between all those involved (studies, sport, family and friends).
In November 2025, our series will focus on the athlete's environment, an essential but often underestimated theme. Behind every performance lies a complex ecosystem of relationships, influences and contexts.
Over the month, we will explore four key dimensions: the balance between school and sport, the coach–parent–athlete relationship, the impact of social and digital life, and finally the role of family and culture. Different perspectives to better understand what shapes an athlete's path and career day to day.
To go further, also discover:
- the article “AU MENTAL® – Parents of young athletes: 3 common mistakes to avoid to support them better.
- the Academy page “ AU MENTAL Academy ”: a complete mental preparation programme for athletes, parents and coaches, based on 10 key modules.
References
- Stambulova, N., & Harwood, C. (2022). A “Dual Career”: Combining Sport and Studies. Frontiers for Young Minds, 10. (ResearchGate)
- van Rens, F. E. C. A., Ashley, R. A., & Steele, A. R. (2018). Well-being and Performance in Dual Careers: The Role of Academic and Athletic Identities. The Sport Psychologist. (ResearchGate)
- Hassan, Y., Mukherjee, S., Carlsson-Wall, M., Njavro, M., & Schmidt, S. L. (2023). A holistic approach to the dual career of the student-athlete: Interplay of sports and education. A review of dual career literature. (ResearchGate)
- Jiang, X., & Wang, K. (2025). Exploring relationships between identities, dual career competency, and burnout among young talented athletes. BMC Psychology. (BioMed Central)
- Barnes, J. (2025). European perspectives on supports for university student-athletes’ dual careers. Journal of Higher Education Athletics & Innovation. (journals.shareok.org)
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