Sport Coaches Research Articles

How Coaches Make Improvements in Coaching Practice

Sport coaching involves continuous learning as coaches seek to manage the complexity of the sport environment, address the ever-changing aspects of their sport, and find more effective and efficient ways to promote athlete development and maintain a competitive advantage. Therefore, coaches regularly find themselves in situations where they need to strive for continuous learning and improvement, a core coaching responsibility in the National Standards for Sport Coaches. This article presents information on how coaches can engage in lifelong learning experiences and reflective practice to make slow and steady change to improve their coaching practice and provide an even better experience for their athletes.

As Youth Sport Coaches Take to the Sidelines, Important Pedagogical Practices to Remember

School-age children receive a myriad of physical, social, emotional, and cognitive benefits from being involved in sport, as well as several academic benefits. Children who participate in sport are more likely to have a higher GPA, increased daily attendance, and greater high school graduation rates than their non-sport participating peers. Unfortunately, participation in sport is in decline. Although several factors are to blame for the downward trend, the overwhelming research consensus is that children do not perceive sport to be fun due to coach behaviors. To facilitate positive outcomes from participating in sport, practice settings need to include developmentally appropriate skill progressions and ample opportunities for all players to participate and contribute, as well as a team atmosphere that fosters player self-actualization. Sport coaches should utilize best practices for developing the motor skills (sport-related skills) of their athletes. Pedagogical topics covered in this article include: (1) task presentations of skills, (2) designing appropriate practice tasks, and (3) applying skills into the tactical setting.

Caught between a rock and a hard place: the liminality of the sport coaching ‘pracademic’

ABSTRACT The emergence of “pracademics” in the field of sport coaching, individuals who blend practical coaching expertise with scientific enquiry, has garnered increasing attention. Positioned to bridge the gap between academia and practice, pracademics are expected to bring practical wisdom and contextual knowledge into scholarly activities. However, we pose the need to critically examine the concept of the pracademic, and their service to both industry and academia while sounding a note of caution in an increasingly commercialised sector. We do so by exploring the retrospective reflections of an early career researcher (the lead author) in navigating the role of pracademic in an increasingly neoliberal space. We contend that caution is needed in the blind pursual towards the role of the pracademic, calling on greater collaborative efforts to protect early career academics, challenge neoliberal structures and for the continued engagement with thoughtful and critical research and knowledge exchange in sport coaching.

Motivations, Barriers, and Supports: An Examination of the Experiences of Women of Color Recreational Sport Coaches

Coaches play an instrumental role in the experiences of youth sport participants. Though girls participate in youth sport at similar rates as boys, coaching positions continue to be dominated by men. Existing research supports the value of diverse role models, especially for culturally diverse youth, and women coaches of color are especially important in sport given the low participation rates of ethnocultural minorities. Given the importance of diverse role models as sport coaches, this study investigates the experiences of women of color who coach sport at the recreational level. Based on interviews with 14 individuals, and grounded in socioecological theory, our findings describe the experience of research participants at each level (individual, interpersonal, organizational, and sociocultural) with a focus on the entry experience, barriers, and supports. Findings suggest that gendered and racial norms influence experiences across the model, and further lead to practical implications for sport managers.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT COACHING JOURNAL

INTERNATIONAL SPORT COACHING JOURNAL

Relationships, stability, and authenticity: How being yourself is ‘the’ key to community sport coaching and youth work

AbstractThe fields of youth work and community sport development both use participation in sport as a means by which to engage young people and support behavioural change. This is achieved through social intervention programmes (whether part of broader or specific approaches, or individual, group, or community contexts), that specifically address community and psychological wellbeing. While extensive bodies of literature support effective practices in both fields, there are fewer related to the intersubjectivity between them. Given, in the UK context at least, the crossover of funded programmes, objectives, and practice in an applied and policy sense, this study sought to investigate what practitioners in both fields considered best practice relative to how they facilitated appreciable changes in pro‐social behaviour and lifestyle trajectories. This study used semi‐structured interviews with nine participants who all had experience of working in both community sport coaching and youth work. The findings suggest that youth workers and community sport coaches can fashion effective practice through working climates that actively ensure stability and connections, and that authentic projection of self, one that means practitioners must care and have the interest of the young people at heart, are essential to create positive psychological change through meaningful relationships. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Physical training tennis serve performance on adolescent: A systematic review

Physical training on improving court tennis service skills in adolescent athletes is one part of mastering skills for teenagers. However, not all exercises that have been done by teenagers can be successful in mastering tennis serve skills. The main objective of this study is to explain physical training to support service skills in tennis. This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis. Scientific articles are obtained from Elsevier, Pubmed, Science Direct, Web of Science, National Index, Google Scholar, and Journal of Sports Coaching. After following the exclusion criteria, only 8 articles remain. The review successfully showed that most research, and quantitative approaches are the methods and types of research used. One important aspect of physical training is support for service skills on the tennis court. The practice study program lasts 3 weeks to 12 weeks. They do one to > two days per week. Conclusion The findings suggest that physical exercise can increase the speed of tennis serves. Recommended physical exercises to improve tennis serve include Exercises, Core Legs, Stability, and Arms. Further research can be continued by mapping research analysis on this topic using other methods to explore various forms of exercises for mastering skills in sports. This literature review can also be continued by discussing other topics related to mastery of skills.

Examınatıon of The Relatıonshıp Between Fans' Opınıons On The Source Of Vıolence In Football And Levels Of Identıfıcatıon In Sports

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fans' views on the sources of violence in football and their levels of identification with sports. A total of 283 participants, including 252 males and 31 females, took part in the survey, and the results were analyzed. Since the data showed a normal distribution, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Independent t-tests were used. Pearson Correlation test was used to determine the relationship between the sub-dimensions of the scale. According to the findings of the study, there was a positive weak relationship between identification and the sub-dimensions of violence associated with sports media, referee decisions, coaches and managers, and athlete behaviors (p

The development of educability motor-based warming model for long jump sports

Stretching and warming up are crucial in every training session or competition in long jump athletics. This study was aimed at developing a warm-up model based on motor educability for the long jump sport. This research is a type of development with a research model procedure using Borg Gall's five steps of the adaptation of the IOWA Brace Test to motor educability. The samples used in this research were media experts and material experts, each consisting of one person. For small group trials, there were 9 (nine) students from the Sports Science Study Program and for large group trials, there were 39 (thirty-nine) students from the Sports Coaching Education Study Program who took athletics courses. The instruments used were the 11 IOWA Brace Test motor educability items and the Standing Broad Jump test to examine effectiveness using the paired sample t test. As a result, in the expert validation step, revision, the design product has been declared feasible by the expert as well as during large and small group trials. The effectiveness test also revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean of paired samples. The results of this development also recommend several movements, namely: side learning rest, one knee balance, stroke stand, double heel kick, hop forward, forward hand kick, half squat-arm circle, side kick, russian dance, single squat balance, and jump foot. The conclusion is that of the eleven movements it is feasible to use in warm-up for the long jump sport. Future research needs to examine how this model supports athletes in improving physical fitness components.

The challenges of navigating different spaces and contexts in collaborative doctoral research in sport coaching

ABSTRACT In this paper, we analyse our experiences as both researchers and supervisors while collaborating with national governing bodies (NGBs) on jointly funded doctoral sport coaching research projects. We share our collective accounts of undertaking applied coaching research. Composite narratives reveal our ambitions for authentic collaboration; the vulnerabilities of the researcher; and the importance of empathy. Using Bronfenbrenner’s theory, we explore how researcher-practitioner PhDs involve movement between complex social-ecological systems. In doing so, we seek to support neophyte researchers and supervisors engaged in collaborative research partnerships. Contributions may also support NGBs and funders who are seeking high quality and contextually situated coaching research.

Psychological stress and psychological well-being among sports coaches: A close proximity longitudinal daily diary study

It is essential to understand sports coaches’ experiences of psychological stress and psychological well-being (PWB) on a daily basis to better equip coaches to manage stress and improve well-being. Coaches make a vital contribution to sport and, given the potentially stressful nature of coaches’ roles, are required to manage their own PWB and performance alongside that of the athletes with whom they work. To better understand how to support coaches, we explored coaches’ experiences of stressors, primary appraisals, coping, and PWB using a close proximity longitudinal daily diary approach. Five sports coaches (one woman and four men) each completed an interval-contingent, daily diary over a 28-day period. The diary facilitated understanding of the coaches’ experiences of their worlds and captured descriptions of the coaches’ daily lives. Underpinned by our constructivist paradigm and following an abductive approach to data analysis, four experiences are presented (preparing for major events and championships, competition, admin and national governing body-related tasks, and work-life balance) using a trajectory approach. This method of data presentation allows understanding of each coach’s journey through their experiences as they occurred over the 28-day period. The experiences are categorized into themes representing stressors, primary appraisals, coping, and PWB. Collectively, the findings highlight that coaches experienced certain stressors (e.g., athlete-related) on a regular basis, and that they appraised (e.g., as a challenge) and coped with these experiences in different ways (e.g., via information seeking). The findings also demonstrate that stress experiences influenced different elements of the coaches’ PWB (e.g., relationships with others, personal growth) and that, occasionally, coaches may experience delayed or inaccessible appraisals of a stressor.

(Re)conceptualising coach education and development: towards a rhizomatic approach

ABSTRACT To ensure sport coaches across all domains deliver ethical practices, appropriately educating the coaching workforce is of paramount importance. Yet, coach education programmes have been heavily critiqued for failing to enhance coaches’ knowledge and practice. In recognising the sociocultural nature of coach learning, researchers have drawn upon prominent social theorists such as Bourdieu, Foucault, and Bernstein amongst others to critically analyse coach education provision. However, the notion of rhizomatic learning, derived from the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari, has yet to be applied to coach education research, despite its ability to disrupt normalised and linear education systems. Consequently, the aim of this new horizons paper is to introduce rhizomatic learning as a possible framework for (re)conceptualising coach education and development. The intention of this paper is to put Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts “to work” to help theorise how social actors and coaching discourses function to produce learning and practice.

Examining Intentions for Impact: Understanding What Influences the Planning of High-Level Team Sport Coaches

Examining Intentions for Impact: Understanding What Influences the Planning of High-Level Team Sport Coaches

The Power of Knowledge in Combat Sports Coaching

A growing number of studies develop recommendations for improving the expertise of coaching better athletes. Scholars build knowledge of how to coach and what competence a sports coach should have. Following feminist ideology in knowledge production, this paper explores who can decide on approved coaching know-how. It investigates the assumed expertise and the identification of competition-level coaches' competence and asks what capability is required to qualify as a sports coach. It scrutinises existing practices and collectively formed concepts that influence coaches’ pathways: how to become a coach and what possibilities are there for different positions as a coach. The study is conducted at the sports club level, where coaches are voluntary workers. The research includes judo, boxing, and wrestling, referred to as combat sports. Through feminist studies and analysis, the research examines power structures between people or groups. The study focuses on how practical, procedural knowledge is valued in the culture of combat sports. By describing culturally shared meanings and practices in sports, the study reveals the gendered practices by which situations are planned, implemented, and managed. The analysis shows how the male-dominated coaching environment relies on tacit knowledge of learning, cultural behaviour, and assumed know-how. The implied procedural knowledge is proven performatively in physical manners learned through experience, especially expertise from winning competitions. As a result, the study highlights the unchangeable, traditional environment, where repetition of current knowledge is indispensable. Consequently, the study suggests that coaches without previous sport-specific knowledge are excluded from coaching.

How the Plants for Joints multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention achieved its effects: a mixed methods process evaluation

BackgroundPlants for Joints (PFJ) is a multidisciplinary intervention centered around a whole-food plant-based diet, physical activity, and sleep and stress management. The PFJ intervention successfully improved disease activity and symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA), respectively, and metabolic health. To investigate how these effects were achieved a mixed methods process evaluation was conducted to understand the context, implementation, and mechanism of impact of the PFJ intervention. Also, the relationship between degree of implementation and lifestyle changes was explored.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative data were collected across the evaluation domains context (i.e. reach), implementation (i.e. recruitment and delivery), and mechanism of impact (i.e. responsiveness) of both the participants and coaches (incl. dietitians, sport coaches) according to the UK MRC guidelines for process evaluations. Data was collected from the participants via focus groups and questionnaires after the intervention, and interviews with coaches. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically, and quantitative data were assessed with descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses. Degree of implementation was quantified using a theory-driven implementation index score composed of different process evaluation constructs.ResultsOf the 155 participants who participated in the PFJ intervention, 106 (68%) took part in the questionnaire and 34 (22%) attended a focus group. Participants felt the intervention was complete, coherent, and would recommend the intervention to others (mean score 9.2 (SD 1.4) out of 10). Participants felt heard and empowered to take control of their lifestyle and health outcomes. Components perceived as most useful were self-monitoring, social support, practical and theoretical information, and (individual) guidance by the multidisciplinary team. Participants perceived the intervention as feasible, and many indicated it effectively improved their health outcomes. In an explorative analysis there was no significant difference in healthy lifestyle changes across implementation index score groups.ConclusionThis process evaluation offers important insights into why the PFJ intervention works and how the intervention can be optimized for future implementation. Results indicating the intervention’s high satisfaction, feasibility, and perceived effectiveness, further support the use of plant-based lifestyle interventions as an additional treatment option for patients with RA, OA, or other chronic diseases.Trial registrationInternational Clinical Trial Registry Platform numbers: NL7800, NL7801, and NL7802, all registered 17-06-2019.

Investigating the relationship between achievement motive and performance in elite-level football goalkeepers

The goalkeeper position in football is highly specific. Investigating the achievement motive of elite-level goalkeepers might help football coaches in general, goalkeeping coaches, and sports psychologists to gain insight into and knowledge of the approaches needed for enhancing the performance of this unique position within the football team. This study aimed to examine the achievement motive for male goalkeepers playing at the elite level in Denmark (n = 34) and Iceland (n = 20) and to investigate the relationship between the achievement motive, age and performance. In addition to biographical questions, the study employed the Achievement Motives Scale – Sport. The findings from the present study suggest that goalkeepers are characterized by higher hope for success than fear of failure values, like other elite athletes, while younger goalkeepers had significantly higher fear of failure. There were no differences between starting and non-starting goalkeepers, but we found that performance level was associated with fear of failure when controlling for the goalkeeper’s status (starters versus non-starters) and playing country. Finally, goalkeepers playing in Denmark showed lower fear of failure than goalkeepers playing in Iceland. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Influence of Functional Training on Special Technical Movement Ability and Athletic Performance of Male Basketball Players

Functional training, since Beijing Olympic Games, from field of medical rehabilitation to field of competitive sports, advanced scientific training concepts and training methods have gradually been recognized by domestic competitive sports workers and coaches. Therefore, functional training should be developed to grass-roots team to lay a solid foundation for sustainable development of competitive sports in our country. In this paper, a complete set of functional physical training program is designed by using methods of literature, expert interviews, experiments, mathematical statistics, and logical analysis. Finally, it is found that functional training can improve physical coordination of men's basketball. And symmetry, flexibility of athletes' ankle joints, thoracic spine, shoulder joints and stability of knee joints and cores have been improved, reducing probability of sports injuries, providing a theoretical basis for innovative scientific training of male basketball players in my country.

Translating meaning in sport coaching research: reflexivity and translation at work

ABSTRACT Despite a well-placed desire among sport coaching researchers to study diverse and international settings, discussions on the role of language translation have remained largely silent. While much of the research in sport coaching is produced in English, the issue of language translation is all too often left as a conceptual and practical black box. In this critical commentary, we open-up the discussion concerning the nature of language translation, the practical issues, and its role within the research process. Drawing upon the experiences of the authors (first and third), we use various examples of translation issues in sport coaching research as a way to encourage reflexive critical treatment of data. It is hoped the discussion illustrates how translation can be a thorny, yet critical feature of rigorous qualitative research in sport coaching.

Sports coaching during the pandemic: Predicaments encountered by Filipino physical education teachers and potential strategies

Background Problems: The educational disruptions and suspension of athletic competitions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic presented sports coaches with unique challenges in maintaining coaching and training activities for the athletes. Research Objectives: This study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of physical education teachers who are also coaches in sports coaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was qualitative, utilising a descriptive phenomenological design. Five participants willingly took part in an in-depth interview, ensuring the protection of informant data and maintaining anonymity. The instrument used was a semi-structured interview guide recorded via video and transcribed using Microsoft Word. Informed consent was obtained before the interview, and data analysis followed Collaizi's descriptive phenomenology for collecting, reducing, presenting, verifying, and concluding the data. Findings/Results: The findings of the study revealed several sports coaching predicaments: connectivity and communication issues, physical training conflict, administrative concerns, and psychosocial problems. Additionally, potential strategies were also revealed: connectivity and communication strategy, modified training method, administrative outsourcing initiative, and psychosocial initiative. Based on the results of the study, a proposed sports coaching intervention plan is highly recommended for utilisation to address several predicaments that emerged. Conclusion: Research shows that in grappling with pandemic-related challenges, coaches play a crucial role in maximising athletes' potential, necessitating a blend of skills and emotional resilience as they formulate effective coaching strategies for the predicaments encountered. Generally, this can contribute to more effective and well-rounded sports coaching, ultimately benefiting the athletes and the overall success of sports coaching and the school's sport-related programmes.

Sports coaching during the pandemic: Predicaments encountered by Filipino physical education teachers and potential strategies

Background Problems: The educational disruptions and suspension of athletic competitions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic presented sports coaches with unique challenges in maintaining coaching and training activities for the athletes. Research Objectives: This study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of physical education teachers who are also coaches in sports coaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was qualitative, utilising a descriptive phenomenological design. Five participants willingly took part in an in-depth interview, ensuring the protection of informant data and maintaining anonymity. The instrument used was a semi-structured interview guide recorded via video and transcribed using Microsoft Word. Informed consent was obtained before the interview, and data analysis followed Collaizi's descriptive phenomenology for collecting, reducing, presenting, verifying, and concluding the data. Findings/Results: The findings of the study revealed several sports coaching predicaments: connectivity and communication issues, physical training conflict, administrative concerns, and psychosocial problems. Additionally, potential strategies were also revealed: connectivity and communication strategy, modified training method, administrative outsourcing initiative, and psychosocial initiative. Based on the results of the study, a proposed sports coaching intervention plan is highly recommended for utilisation to address several predicaments that emerged. Conclusion: Research shows that in grappling with pandemic-related challenges, coaches play a crucial role in maximising athletes' potential, necessitating a blend of skills and emotional resilience as they formulate effective coaching strategies for the predicaments encountered. Generally, this can contribute to more effective and well-rounded sports coaching, ultimately benefiting the athletes and the overall success of sports coaching and the school's sport-related programmes.