Team Sport Coaches Research Articles

The role of emotional intelligence and quality relationships in athletes’ and coaches’ levels of satisfaction: a multi-study analysis

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current research was to examine emotional intelligence (EI) within the context of the coach-athlete relationship. A series of studies were conducted to test (a) the associations between coaches’ and athletes’ EI and facets of performance satisfaction and (b) whether the coach-athlete relationship quality explains the association between individuals’ EI and performance satisfaction. The first two studies included data from British (study 1; n = 254) and Belgium athletes (study 2; n = 256) participating in team sports. The third study employed a sample of 109 British (n = 24) and Belgian (nn = 79) team sport coaches. Data were obtained using a multi-section questionnaire. Path analyses revealed that both athletes’ and coaches’ EI predicted performance satisfaction and that coach-athlete relationship quality explained the association between EI and performance satisfaction. The findings of this study add to the growing literature on EI in sport and highlight the important role of emotional abilities and interpersonal skills.

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

Current practices in physical fitness assessment and monitoring among coaches of individual and team sports: a survey in Portugal, Spain, and Romania.

The objective of this study was to characterize surveyed coaches and elucidate the practices of physical fitness assessment and monitoring for both male and female athletes across three countries. A total of 165 coaches participated by completing a comprehensive 32-question survey. Pre-season assessments are a priority for coaches, with a significant range from 60.5% to 87.7% in Romania, while Portuguese and Spanish coaches tend to prefer testing during the competition (26.3% and 16.9%, respectively). Portuguese and Spanish coaches predominantly favor aerobic tests (50% and 46.8% respectively), whereas Romanian coaches exhibit a preference for sprint (56.9%) and skill tests (52.3%). Notably, change of direction tests are less commonly employed, ranging from 10.5% to 21% across the countries. In terms of exercise intensity determination, Portuguese coaches predominantly employ maximal heart rate (31.6%), while Spanish coaches often rely on the 220-age formula or perceived exertion (27.4%). For strength assessment, Portuguese coaches lean towards direct (34.2%) or estimated (31.6%) maximal repetition methods. When it comes to maximal speed sprint, Portuguese and Romanian coaches show preference (50% and 43.1% respectively), while Spanish coaches exhibit a relative lack of emphasis on individualized speed measures (37.1%). Perceptual scales are the preferred method for recovery monitoring, with adoption rates of 57.9% in Portugal, 53.2% in Spain, and 44.6% in Romania. In summary, this study underscores the distinct assessment and monitoring practices employed by coaches in Portugal, Spain, and Romania. These findings are in alignment with established literature standards, highlighting the diversity of approaches used in different countries.

Coaching teamwork: Team sport athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions of how coaches facilitate teamwork

To date, research on teamwork in sport has largely focused on defining the construct and examining its relationships to emergent states and outcomes. By comparison, little is known about the antecedents (e.g., leadership) that promote teamwork behaviors in team sports. The purpose of this study was to explore what specifically sport coaches can do to develop teamwork within their teams. Using a critical realist approach, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with participants who competed in interdependent team sports (n = 8 athletes, n = 7 coaches). The data were thematically analyzed whereby three higher-order themes (comprising nine subthemes) were generated. The themes included (1) Crafting a teamwork recipe, (2) Come together, stay together, and (3) Maximizing teamwork in action. Specifically, coaches can facilitate teamwork by: (re)structuring selection practices, carefully considering team compositions, and encouraging role commitment (Theme 1); emphasizing coach-athlete relationships, promoting meaningful connections between teammates, and managing perceptions of favoritism (Theme 2); and crafting team-focused tactics, promoting athlete-led teamwork, and managing healthy internal competition (Theme 3). In summary, coaches appear to play an important role in facilitating teamwork. Specifically, coaches could consider looking beyond individual talent and skill during the team selection process, promoting strong bonds with their players and amongst teammates, and focusing on team-first training and execution tactics. Recommendations for future research and additional implications for those working in the applied field (e.g., coaches, sport psychologists) are also discussed. Lay summary: This study explored how team sport coaches might facilitate teamwork within their teams. Based on interviews with eight coaches and seven athletes, we identified how coaches utilize the following factors to promote teamwork: team selection, roles, coach-athlete relationships, athlete-to-athlete support, favoritism, tactical systems, athlete leadership, and internal competition.

Is coaches’ perceived team performance associated with their intentions to persist in coaching? The mediating role of coaches’ psychological needs and motivation

ABSTRACT This study examined the association between team performance perceived by coaches, coaches’ basic psychological needs, motivation, and their intentions to persist in coaching. Participants were 719 coaches (80 females, M = 33.49 years, SD = 10.27, range = 18–67) of different team sports (soccer = 514; basketball = 165; volleyball = 23; handball = 14; and hockey = 3) who completed questionnaire measures at the end of the season. Structural equation modelling adjusted for sex, coaches’ experience, age categories, and type of sport revealed that coaches’ perceptions of team performance were positively related to their need satisfaction and negatively to their need frustration. In turn, coaches’ need satisfaction was positively associated with their autonomous motivation, whereas their need frustration was positively related to controlled motivation and amotivation. Finally, coaches’ autonomous motivation was a positive predictor of their intentions to persist, and conversely, coaches’ amotivation was a negative predictor of their intentions to persist. We found a significant positive and indirect effect between team performance perceived by coaches and their intention to persist through their need satisfaction and autonomous motivation. These findings represent the first quantitative insight into how coach-perceived team performance could function as a new antecedent relevant to coaches’ motivational processes and persistence.

Can participative coach behaviour be perceived as controlling? The role of athletes’ expectations

ABSTRACT Coach-rated participative behaviour has already been related to beneficial outcomes in athletes. Yet, research also indicates that allowing participation is not straightforward as it can sometimes be perceived as controlling or can even result in maladaptive outcomes. Building on implicit leadership theory, this study investigated the role of the alignment between coach-rated participation and athletes’ expectations for participation in developing perceptions of domineering coach behaviour in athletes, a specific type of controlling coach behaviour. A secondary goal was to explore this relation in higher and lower level teams separately. Athletes’ expectations for participative coach behaviour, coach-rated participative behaviour and athletes’ perceptions of domineering coach behaviour were measured in 61 team sport coaches and 654 athletes competing in football, volleyball, basketball, and handball competitions. Using polynomial regression with response surface analysis and controlling for athletes’ sport experience, overall, results showed that a discrepancy between coach-rated participation and athletes’ expectations for participation was related with increased perceptions of domineering coach behaviour in athletes with more than 5 years of experience. However, in lower level teams, high amounts of participation seem optimal as only less coach-rated participation than expected predicted increased perceptions of domineering coach behaviour in athletes with more than 15 years of experience. This in contrast with higher level teams where, independent of athletes’ experience, both more and less coach-rated participation than expected were related with increased perceptions of domineering coach behaviour in athletes. Current findings stress the need for a situation specific approach when offering participation to optimize its effectiveness.

Characterization of the planning used by team sport coaches in Medellín- Colombia

Characterization of the planning used by team sport coaches in Medellín- Colombia

Stavovi sportskih trenera prema gluvoći kao indikator stvaranja inkluzivne klime

Introduction. An inclusive approach to sports means opening up opportunities for deaf people to participate in sports activities equally to the hearing population. The paper deals with attitudes toward deafness from the perspective of sports coaches, who represent an important factor in creating an inclusive sports environment. Objectives. The aim of this research was to determine the orientation of sports coaches' attitudes toward deafness. As part of the research tasks, attitudes were examined in relation to age, gender, level of education and the type of sport the coaches practice. Methods. The research was conducted on a sample of 39 participants within the population of sports coaches. The sample consisted mostly of male subjects (66.7 %) 24 to 60 years of age, with the average age being 30.8 (SD = 7.61). Most participants completed undergraduate academic studies (43.6%). The majority of the sample were team sports coaches (82.1%). The Attitudes to Deafness Scale was used as an instrument. Results. The results showed that sports coaches were neutral in their attitudes toward deafness. Age, gender, level of education, and the type of sport did not appear to be significant factors in their attitudes toward deafness. Conclusion. Future research can focus on tests that will test the presence and influence of joint contact between sports coaches and deaf people on their attitudes toward deafness. The dominance of neutral and negative attitudes potentially represents an obstacle to the social inclusion of the deaf through sports and challenges experts dealing with the deaf population to subtly influence the change of attitudes of sports coaches toward deafness in adequate ways.

Exploring Coach Perceptions of Parkour-Style Training for Athlete Learning and Development in Team Sports

Contemporary learning and development models have identified parkour-style training as a vehicle for athlete enrichment. However, perceptions of team-sport coaches and their receptiveness to such models of athlete enrichment have not been investigated and remain unclear. To explore how parkour-style training could be integrated into athlete development programs in team sports, we interviewed sport practitioners to explore their preexisting knowledge of parkour and their perceptions on its potential applications. Experienced talent development (n = 10) and strength and conditioning coaches (n = 10) were interviewed using an open-ended, semistructured approach with a two-stage thematic analysis being conducted to identify themes. Three dimensions were identified: coaches’ general perceptions of parkour, potential applications of parkour, and feasibility of integrating parkour into athlete development programs. Participant perceptions revealed that: (a) parkour activities were viewed as supplementary activities to enrich sport-specific training routines, including use of obstacle courses and/or tag elements; (b) parkour-style obstacle environments needed to be scalable to allow individual athletes and coaches to manipulate object orientation and tasks using soft play and traditional gym equipment; and (c) the implementation of continued professional development opportunities, athlete-centered approaches to learning designs in sport, and coach–parent forums were recommended to support the integration of parkour-style training.

Improving Your Aim: Effective Goal-Setting Practices for Team Sport Coaches

Goal setting is a common process used in sport, business and education to influence motivation (Wilson & Brookfield, 2009), increase effort (Guan et al., 2006), and enhance performance (Burke et al...

SMALL-SIDED GAMES AS ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN ELITE BASKETBALL NONSTARTERS PLAYERS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Among the main challenges faced by coaches of team sports are to create an environment and conditions that will enable players to reach their optimal level of physical performance at the start of the competitive season, and to maintain this level throughout the season. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of six weeks of additional training with 3-against-3 (3v3) small-sided games (SSG) on the physical performance of elite nonstarter basketball players. Methods: Eleven professional basketball players (five starters and six nonstarters) performed the same training program throughout the regular season, with the only difference that after each game, the starters (S) performed low intensity shooting drills while the nonstarters (NS) performed half-court 3v3 SSG. At the start and end of the six-week period, the athletes were assessed for muscle power, speed, agility and aerobic power. Two-way analysis of variance and effect sizes were used. Magnitude-based inferential analyses were used to complement the parametric tests. Results: After the six weeks, the S and NS showed improvement (p<0.05) in the squat jump (S=5.8% and NS=7.1%), counter movement jump (S=3.7% and NS=3.6%), 20m-sprint (S=3.4% and NS=2.0%), agility T test (S=3.6% and NS=3.1%) and Yo-yo intermittent recovery (S=5.2% and NS=2.5%). No differences were found between groups and moments. The effect sizes showed moderate effect on agility and little effect on jumping ability, for both groups; moderate, for S, and little, for NS, on speed and aerobic conditioning. Magnitude-based inferences indicated that S were likely to outperform NS in terms of improvement in 20-m sprint ability and possibly also in agility. In regard to the other physical performance variables, the analyses of magnitude-based inferences were inconclusive. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that 3v3 SSG in the short-term on half-court, as an additional training routine for NS, can bring positive results for the physical performance for these players. Level of evidence II; Investigating the Results of Treatment.

Perception of the Olympic values in the Portuguese coaches of individual and team sports

The aim of this study has been to analyse the perception of the Olympic values shown by coaches of different levels and categories in Portugal related to the type of sport they train (individual or collective). The study sample consisted of 1473 Portuguese coaches (214 female and 1259 male) from 34 different sports modalities (individual and collective). The data collection instrument was a three-dimensional questionnaire (perception of the Olympic Symbols, opinion about participation in the Olympic Games and values related to the Olympic Games). Descriptive analysis showed differences between the opinions of individual and team sports coaches in the three dimensions. The inferential analysis only showed significant differences in the dimension of opinion about participation in the Olympic games. These results reveal the difference in the perception of the Olympic values between coaches of individual sports and those of team sports.

The Binding Force: A Practical Model for Building and Maintaining the Coach-Athlete Relationship in Canadian Intercollegiate Team Sport

The Binding Force: A Practical Model for Building and Maintaining the Coach-Athlete Relationship in Canadian Intercollegiate Team Sport Coaches at Canadian post-secondary institutions have immense responsibilities: operating a successful sport program, managing the academic and athletic success of their athletes and ultimately delivering results, in other words, winning. “When athletes first join a team, they begin to familiarize themselves with their coach, the coach-athlete relationship, the environment, and the system” (Becker, 2009 p. 97) the athlete will compete in. Successful coaches are consistent in who they are (coach attributes), and how they maintain relationships, manage the team environment, and carry out their system (Becker, 2009); they provide a stable environment in order to develop the overall person and student-athlete. To date, the coach-athlete relationship remains to be an area of further exploration within team sport. The coach–athlete relationship is currently defined as a situation shaped by coaches’ and athletes’ interconnected feelings, thoughts, and behaviors (Jowett, 2005, 2007; Jowett & Poczardowski, 2007). This study addresses the need for a more systematic qualitative understanding of the coach-athlete relationship through the eyes of champion post-secondary team sport coaches. The emergence of various themes within the relationship are discussed, demonstrating a reciprocal bond that leads to, and continually feeds the connection between the coach and athlete, even afterwards, once it has been established. The importance of the coach-athlete relationship, its impact, the development, and maintenance are discussed.

How Coaches See Conscientiousness-Related Traits and Their Impact on Athletes’ Training and Expertise Development

Conscientiousness, grit, and self-control are personality characteristics that have been shown to differentially predict several criteria of expertise development, including athletes’ deliberate practice and higher skill levels. However, little is known about coaches’ views on (a) how these conscientiousness-related traits translate into behaviors within the daily training environment or (b) the relevance of these traits for athletes’ quantity and quality of practice and development toward expert levels of performance. To fill these gaps, semistructured open-ended interviews were conducted with 11 high-performance coaches (nine males and two females) of individual and team sports, and national and international competitive levels. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis guidelines. The coaches’ descriptions evidenced some overlap between the investigated traits and a partial view of these constructs. They generally believed that grit, conscientiousness, and self-control play critical roles on athletes’ quality of practice and skill development. Notably, the coaches highlighted that tendencies to persevere despite adversity and mindfully use self-regulated processes seem to be powerful predispositions for athletes’ development toward expert performance levels. The results suggested potential mechanisms to help explain the observed relationship between conscientiousness-related traits and athletes’ quality of practice and skill development.

Work and alcohol addiction among sports coacheswithin the context of psychopathy

Excessive involvement in work, or workaholism, is classifi ed as obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is included in the group of anxiety disorders. It is indicated that workaholism is associated with forcing oneself to work, lack of control over work-related habits, which may lead to neglecting main life activities (Łuczak, 2009; Rowicka, 2015). Due to increasing tension, anxiety, depressed mood and diffi culties in interpersonal relationships, people who are excessively involved in their work are at an increased risk of becoming addicted to psychoactive substances. Thanks to stimulants, they are able to reduce increasing psychological discomfort in a short time, but in the long run –they fall victim to addiction. Attention should be especially paid to the group of people who are described as highly functioning alcoholics, i.e. people who are generally perceived as resourceful, independent and organised. The aim of the study was to check whether the relationship between alcohol abuse and workaholism in sports coaches is modified by their level of psychopathic traits. In thestudy, 96 individual and team sports coaches (Mage = 31.85±10.56) with experience from 1 to 42 years (Mexp = 8.66±8.51) were examined. The Audit (alcoholism), TriPM (psychopathy) andWorkBAT (workaholism) tests were used. The conducted moderation analyses showed that the relationship between alcohol consumption and job satisfaction changes with the increase in the level of 2 features of psychopathy - boldness (Beta=-0.28; t=-2.69; p=0.009) and disinhibition (Beta=0.21; t=2.12; p=0.037). In coaches with a high level of disinhibition, along with the increase in work enjoyment, the use of alcohol increases, while in the case of people with a high level of boldness, the higher the level of work enjoyment, the lower the consumption of alcohol. It was also found that with the increase in boldness, the relationship between alcohol use and excessive involvement in work changes (Beta=-0.28; t=-2.58; p=0.012). For people with a high level of boldness, the more they are involved in work and the less they are prone to alcoholism. Among the studied sportscoaches, psychopathic traits constituted a moderator of the relationship between alcohol abuse and workaholism. A high level of boldness can be a protective factor against the risk of heavy drinking, while a high level of disinhibition increases this risk, especially among those whose workaholism is associated with high work enjoyment.

Developing mental toughness: Perspectives from NCAA Division I team sport coaches

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this research was to determine strategies National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) head coaches use to develop mental toughness within collegiate team settings. Fifteen NCAA Division I head coaches (11 men; 4 women) participated in semi-structured interviews. Coaches came from team sports consisting of men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball. The most consistently cited themes included: (a) establishing a coach–athlete relationship, mentioned by all 15 coaches, (b) establishing and enforcing a culture, addressed by 12 coaches, and (c) pressure activities and training, which was cited by 12 coaches. Additional strategies included using resources, mental skills training, using data, recruiting and use of classroom time. These findings broaden what is known in terms of mental toughness development by coaches at the collegiate level. Future work is needed on the effectiveness of such strategies as being most helpful to team sport athletes in collegiate settings.

They say ‘kids with asthma don’t play sports’: geographies of asthma

ABSTRACTAsthma is common among children worldwide. Although complex, physical activity participation is important in asthma management, to decrease chronic disease risk, and to facilitate healthy lifestyles for children. Team sport participation is a common way for children to engage in physical activity, but the spaces in which team sport is experienced can present social, physical and emotional challenges for children with asthma. This research aims to understand elements of the environment, broadly defined, that impact experiences of asthma in sport. In-depth interviews were conducted with youth team sport athletes (n = 11) diagnosed with asthma, and youth team sport coaches (n = 18) in Ontario, Canada. Results suggest that understanding the physical and social needs of child and youth athletes, and ensuring well-controlled asthma, are critical to maximizing performance and improving quality of life for asthmatic athletes.

COMPETENCES OF PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM COACHES IN THE OPINION OF EXPERTS

Purpose: The paper presents a theoretical model of vocational competencies of professional team-sports coaches. The model is a theoretical background for a wider research project of which the main aim is to improve standards of professional competences for volleyball coaches in Poland. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify vocational competences through reviewing opinions of experts. Methodology: Theoretical model of vocational competencies of professional team-sports coaches was built and verified on the ground of the literature review method and afterwards compared and verified with four expert opinions gained through individual in-depth interviews. Findings: The model consists of three components: knowledge, skills and behaviour, as well as three levels of competencies: basic, complementary and leadership. It has been stated that there is no advantage for any of three levels of competences in a group of the most successful volleyball coaches in Poland, and that a relatively strong impact of behaviour among other competencies’ components was observed. Therefore, all significant conclusions of the theoretical model and research outcomes are discussed.

Sleep practices implemented by team sport coaches and sports science support staff: A potential avenue to improve athlete sleep?

ObjectivesThe primary aims of the present study were to assess the sleep hygiene knowledge of high performance team sport coaches and sports science support staff; the sleep practices these individuals implement with athletes; and the barriers to the more frequent use of these practices. DesignCross-sectional observational study. MethodsA sample of 86 Australian coaches and sports science support staff working within high performance team sport volunteered to complete a four-part questionnaire, including the Sleep Beliefs Survey used to assess sleep hygiene knowledge. ResultsOverall sleep hygiene knowledge was adequate (15.3±2.9, score range 0–20; mean±SD), however knowledge of sleep–wake cycle behaviours (score 4.9±1.6 out of 7) and thoughts and attitudes about sleep (3.6±1.0 out of 5) were inadequate. Over half (56%) of coaches and support staff had monitored athlete sleep, while 43% had promoted sleep hygiene. Lack of resources (response range 44–60%) and knowledge (16–41%) were the two main barriers to the implementation of sleep monitoring and sleep hygiene practices. ConclusionsTeam sport coaches and sports science support staff have adequate overall sleep hygiene knowledge, yet some specific areas (e.g. sleep–wake cycle behaviours) warrant improvement. There appear to be limited sleep practices implemented with athletes, particularly regarding the promotion of sleep hygiene. The development of educational sleep resources for coaches and support staff to implement with athletes may help address the identified barriers and improve sleep knowledge.

Adopting a helicopter-perspective towards motivating and demotivating coaching: A circumplex approach

Based on Self-Determination Theory, the present study adopts a helicopter-perspective towards motivating (i.e., autonomy support, structure) and demotivating coaching (i.e., control, chaos). Among five independent samples, consisting of individual and team sport coaches (N = 893; Mage = 37.83 years) and athletes (N = 377; Mage = 17.46 years), Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analyses were used to examine how a variety of coaching practices reflective of four different coaching styles (i.e., autonomy support, control, structure, and chaos), assessed with a new vignette-based instrument, related to one another. Findings revealed that the (de)motivating practices could be graphically presented within a two-dimensional circumplex, with the horizontal axis representing the level of need-supportive coaching behavior and the vertical axis representing the level of coach directiveness. Moreover, the four coaching styles could be segmented in eight more specific approaches (i.e. clarifying, guiding, attuning, participative, awaiting, abandoning, domineering, and demanding), which formed an ordered sinusoid pattern of correlations, both among each other and in relation to a variety of critical outcomes (e.g. coach need satisfaction, athletes’ motivation). It is discussed how a circumplex approach produces both a more integrative and more fine-grained insight regarding (de)motivating coaching behavior, with resulting implications for practice.