Storying surfing coaches’ experiences of life skills development

Abstract

In the present manuscript we explore three Portuguese surfing coaches’ understandings and experiences of their roles and responsibilities concerning life skills development across youth, high-performance and master sport contexts. To achieve this aim, coaches and researchers forged a meaningful partnership over a two-year period, sharing experiences in an open and sincere manner, as well as embracing diversity of thought while rethinking life skills development across coaching contexts. Data collection was conducted through interviews (n = 12) and reflexive journalling. This partnership between researchers and coaches gave voice to coaches concerning athletes’ life skills development throughout a range of coaching contexts. These coaches, independent of the coaching context, were influenced by social and cultural forces that made them disregard life skills development and transfer. They were also pressured to value winning and performance development, and positioned the development of life skills as unrealistic coaching pursuits. An interconnected portrait of coaches’ roles and responsibilities across coaching contexts may help inform coach development and education programs that consider the diversity of sport programs being delivered in Portugal and elsewhere. Moving forward, more attention may need to be paid towards understanding how cultural, political and social variables influence coaching life skills.