Abstract
One of the most critical factors of sport performance is coaching. In this review paper we examine the pertinent literature on the historical trends in disability sport to provide discussion on the following: a) the negative ramifications (e.g., over-training, failing to taper) athletes often experience when they perform without a coach, b) the perceived challenges (e.g., not understanding an athlete's disability) of disability sport coaching of high-level coaches, c) the positive outcomes athletes experience (e.g., increased motivation and autonomy) when they have good quality coaching, and d) the necessary competencies (e.g., understanding the psychology of coaching) to be an effective disability sport coach. We also provide theory based suggestions for future research.
Highlights
As many readers will know, optimal athletic development and sport success are almost always the product of multiple factors and maybe even more so for athletes with disabilities (Martin, 1999)
In this review paper we examine the pertinent literature on the historical trends in disability sport to provide discussion on the following: a) the negative ramifications athletes often experience when they perform without a coach, b) the perceived challenges of disability sport coaching of high-level coaches, c) the positive outcomes athletes experience when they have good quality coaching, and d) the necessary competencies to be an effective disability sport coach
Athletes from countries like Canada, the USA and the UK are starting to benefit from quality coaching, it is important to recognize that many athletes from around the world have very limited or no coaching at all (Wilson & Khoo, 2013)
Summary
As many readers will know, optimal athletic development and sport success are almost always the product of multiple factors and maybe even more so for athletes with disabilities (Martin, 1999). While important theoretical and applied coaching research has added to the literature in the last 5-10 years, a 2013 document review conducted by Lee and Porretta which compared the disability sport literature from 20012011 to Reid and Prupas’ (1998) review of the literature from 1986-1996, found a decrease in the frequency and percentage of both data-driven and review articles in the “Selection and training of coaches” category. The purpose of this article is to review the trends in research on coaching athletes with disabilities to make a recommendation for effective practices in disability sport. It should be noted, that much of the coaching literature implicitly directed to athletes without disabilities can apply to Martin, Whalen athletes with disabilities given the many similarities between them (Dieffenbach & Statler, 2012)
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