Coaching under Pressure: Mental skills training for sports coaches

Abstract

While athletes have benefitted from systematic Mental Skills Training (MST) (e.g. Thelwell & Greenlees, 2001), there is little evidence of such programmes existing for sports coaches, despite coaches being considered performers too (Frey, 2007). This study involved the development, implementation, and evaluation of a ‘Coaching under Pressure’ MST programme, aimed at enhancing coaches’ ability to cope with stressors and coach effectively in ‘stressful’ situations. Five coaches from one of Great Britain’s most successful sporting universities (British Universities and Colleges Sport rankings) participated in a six-week MST intervention programme. Coaches’ use of mental skills (MSQ), perceptions of precompetition state anxiety (CSAI-2md), and coping abilities (MCOPE) were assessed before and after the series of workshops. While statistical significance was only found for a small number of the observed variables, the practical significance of the intervention for coaches was highlighted via a social validation questionnaire. Specifically, coaches described positive changes in their coaching performance as a result of the intervention. The findings have implications for the development of coach education programmes, and for sport organisations that must be aware of the stressors involved in coaching and ensure that coaches have access to relevant, research informed, MST at all stages of their careers.