Team-sport performance depends on selecting context-appropriate actions under time pressure, yet volleyball training often prioritises execution over collective reasoning. This study examined whether brief team-reflection pauses embedded within representative practice were associated with improved in-game decision-making beyond usual training in men’s university volleyball. Twenty-four players from two intact squads allocated at squad level (one cluster per condition; Tactical Critical Thinking Programme n = 12, control n = 12) completed a 4-week exploratory pragmatic nonrandomised study (12 sessions). Tactical Critical Thinking Programme used game-based tasks centred on offensive principles, with repeated structured reflection pauses (∼3 min) guided by standardised coach questioning. Controls completed comparable content and dose with routine coach-centred feedback but without structured collaborative reflection. Decision-making indices for serve, reception, and spike were coded from video during standardised 4v4 play using a predefined rubric. Exploratory analysis of covariance adjusted posttest scores for baseline; because only one squad was available per condition, estimates should be interpreted as conditional on this sample and context. The ITDS model supported a Group × Baseline term, and the adjusted Tactical Critical Thinking Programme –control difference at the sample mean baseline value was 0.057 (95% confidence interval [0.026, 0.088]). Estimates for reception and spike were smaller and imprecise. Findings are hypothesis-generating and warrant confirmation in larger multiteam studies.
To help coaches create positive training environments, coach education programmes that include behaviour change techniques have been requested. Drawing on mindset theory and the development of wise psychological interventions, the Growth Talent Mindsets for Sports Coaches’ Intervention 2.0 was developed to enhance coaching. This study investigates whether coaches changed their behaviour after the intervention and what those changes entail. Perceived coaching behaviour was defined as the case and investigated with two coaches (one male and one female) and their athlete groups: one group of four athletes (two girls and two boys; M age = 16.5) and another of five athletes (three girls and two boys; M age = 14.4). Semistructured interviews were conducted with coaches, and focus groups were held with athletes. The analysis showed that athletes noticed changes in their coaches, which mostly coincided with their perceived changes. Coaches altered their goals of coaching and became more aware of their behaviour, adopting a more holistic approach to athlete development. However, athletes perceive the changes differently, showing challenges when coaches and athletes have different goals for involvement or when the coach’s focus on learning becomes excessive. Overall, the study substantiates that integrating a mindset intervention into coach education can support coaches’ self-motivated change and foster growth-promoting coaching.
Learner-centered teaching (LCT) has gained recognition in higher education (HE) broadly and in tertiary coach education for promoting autonomy, reflection, and deep learning. However, empirical evidence of its implementation at the program level remains limited. The purposes of this study were to (a) assess the extent to which LCT constructs are integrated into teaching practice in an undergraduate sport coaching program and (b) identify areas and strategies for improvement. A mixed-methods case study was conducted using Blumberg’s updated LCT rubrics and triangulated data from module syllabi, classroom observations, student questionnaires, and instructor interviews. Each data source was analyzed across 30 LCT actions, aggregated into five constructs. Results showed a high degree of LCT alignment (overall score was 3.8 out of 4.0), particularly in the constructs of Role of Instructor and Balance of Power . Responsibility for Learning was the least developed construct (median score 3.1), indicating that LCT methods were mostly utilized. The use of rubrics provided a detailed assessment of program-wide practices and revealed variation in LCT across modules. This study offers a practical model for evaluating LCT implementation within a program and highlights the value of evidence-based approaches to program design and development in coach education.
We investigated sport-teachers’ experiences supporting student-athletes in Swedish upper secondary Dual-Career Support International-Level programs. The theoretical framework for the current study is Bronfenbrenner’s theory of human development and the dual-career development environment working model. Data from semistructured interviews with 10 sport-teachers were analyzed using thematic analysis. We found two main themes: Multiple roles of the Sport-teacher, (sport coach, caring coach, and academic coach) and Collaboration with key support personnel (teachers, health team, parents, and sports network). Findings indicate that the participants in this study adopted a whole-person approach to support student-athletes. They collaborated with various stakeholders across different environments at micro-, meso,- and exo-system levels engaging in the domains of sport, study, and private life to support the student-athletes in managing their dual careers. Sports-teachers in this study appear to be aware of the importance of student-athletes staying on track with their education. During periods of heavy academic workload or when student-athletes fall behind in their studies, sport-teachers make sport adjustments. Much of the work carried out by sports-teachers is driven by personal commitment and often performed outside of regular working hours with volunteerism.
Mass-market coach education programmes are criticised for failing to recognise and work with coaches’ idiosyncratic issues and interests, offering coaches solutions to problems that have not yet surfaced. As a result, they can lack sufficient anchorage in purpose and meaning, which can limit their overall impact. Symptomatic of a transmissive and performative model of coach education is, we argue, some of the current crises that we see in coaching today. Where coaches’ learned behaviours (e.g., acquiescence to authority, uncritical acceptance of ideas) permeate the way in which they support participants, outcomes can emerge like those captured in the Listening Report—an independent review into aquatics, commissioned by the national governing body Swim England in 2024. Hinged on both of these arguments, this article details the development and design process of the Coach Practitioner Programme, a 12-month inquiry-based initiative by Swim England that radically reimagines coach support through coach education. We close with a reflexive account of the systemic challenges encountered when seeking to affect cultural change on this scale. Despite organisational resistance rooted in a preference for linearity, certainty, and entrenched economic models, we demonstrate how significant disruptive events—such as a major independent review—can serve as catalysts for transformative educational reform.
Recent technological advances and the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the adoption of online coach learning. To support effectiveness, such learning should be informed by evidence-based research. In response, this systematic review synthesises research on online coach learning published since 2017. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a comprehensive search across 10 databases identified 19 relevant studies that were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Reflexive thematic analysis generated an overview of theoretical, methodological, and practical insights. Findings suggest that online coach learning offers perceived benefits, including knowledge acquisition, increased confidence, and enhanced reflective skills. However, the existing literature frequently lacks philosophical and conceptual clarity, methodological rigour, and analysis of measurable impacts in practice. Overall, while the evidence is promising, the efficacy of online coach learning remains questionable in the absence of more conceptually grounded and methodologically robust studies. In response, future research should employ learning theories aligned with the virtual domain.
Sports coaching research has consistently demonstrated a link between a well-developed personal epistemology (beliefs about knowledge and knowing) and adaptable coaching behaviors. Given this connection, coach developers could benefit from learning about personal epistemology and the potential it has for the coaches it supports. As such, this project utilized narrative pedagogy, a psycho-sociocultural approach to learning grounded in the exploration of stories to understand (a) what coach developers took away from learning about personal epistemology and (b) the extent to which narrative pedagogy is a valuable form of continuous professional development for coach developers. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we propose that the content of personal epistemology, delivered to experienced coach developers through the medium of narrative pedagogy, can act as: (a) a stimulus for connection, (b) a stimulus for meaning making, (c) a stimulus for new ideas, and (d) a stimulus for change. The themes illustrate how narrative learning can support continuous professional development for experienced practitioners by engaging coach developers with the role of epistemic beliefs in coaching. In conclusion, personal epistemology is useful content for coach developers and narrative pedagogy is an appropriate way to engage coach developers with such complex and challenging content.
The current study was designed to explore: (a) profiles of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness among National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches; (b) differences in these profiles based on coaches' sex, Division, and coaching role; and (c) associations between coaches' profile-affiliation and use of different coping functions. N=1,218 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and II coaches from multiple sports participated in the research. Latent profile analysis (Bayesian information criterion =17,078, Entropy = .83) revealed five profiles: "Moderately High Need Satisfaction/Moderately Low Need Frustration," "Average Need Satisfaction/Average Need Frustration," "Low Autonomy and Relatedness Satisfaction/High Satisfaction/High Need Frustration." There were significant differences in participants' profile-affiliation based on their sex (p < .05), but not their role and Division. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant variations in participants' use of problem-, emotion-, and avoidance-focused coping based on their profile (p < .001).
This study aims to empirically examine how basketball coaches' ethical leadership influences athletes' followership in the Chinese University Basketball Association League (CUBAL) and, after introducing the organizational-level variable Mentorship Relationship, to analyze the mechanism through which coaches' ethical leadership affects athletes' followership while also exploring the moderating role of power distance across the entire mechanism. Using a scale-based survey of 554 athletes from the CUBAL First Division and applying regression analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling, the results show that (a) coaches' ethical leadership positively predicts athletes' followership and can also enhance followership by strengthening the level of Mentorship Relationship and (b) power distance moderates the relationships among coaches' ethical leadership, Mentorship Relationship, and athletes' followership, such that power distance negatively moderates both the direct effect of ethical leadership on followership and the first-stage path of the mediating effect via Mentorship Relationship, with low power distance enabling more effective functioning of Mentorship Relationship and athletes' followership.
Necessitated by sustained evidence of abuse and inappropriate coaching practices, an ethic of care has been promoted as a promising approach to sport coaching. Providing care in sport contexts is difficult however, because caring is often labour intensive and many individuals including coaches themselves may need care. Thus the conditions of some sport coaching contexts may not be conducive to care. Currently, there are few evidence-based examples of how to develop the conditions that facilitate care in coaching contexts. Accordingly, this study reports on a Head Coach’s attempts to develop a “caring culture” using the Continuous Change Model for Caring Cultures (CCMCC). Utilising a structural narrative analysis of stories gathered across a season, findings reveal challenges including limited capacities and capabilities to care, and the need to align care with wider norms. The narrative also highlights the value of publicly rewarding care and how other characters beyond the Head Coach attempted to provide care in different scenes. These findings provide the first account of utilising the Continuous Change Model for Caring Cultures, including stories and analysis that may support others to develop the conditions to support caring relationships.
The coach-athlete relationship is central to athlete development and performance, yet limited research has explored how race shapes this dynamic. Black coaches remain underrepresented in head coaching roles, which may influence their ability to form high-quality relationships with athletes. Guided by the 3C model-closeness, commitment, and complementarity-this study employed a thematic qualitative design to explore how race impacts relationship quality from the perspective of Black coaches. Nine Black high school American football coaches participated in semistructured Zoom interviews. Three major themes emerged: navigating identities, which included five subthemes (e.g., racial differences); opportunities and responsibilities, with four subthemes (e.g., stewardship and representation); and challenges. While many coaches described a neutral stance regarding racial impact on the 3Cs, others noted that racial differences affected closeness and complementarity. Findings emphasize the importance of cultural competence and awareness in coach-athlete relationships. This study also reveals structural and representational barriers that Black coaches face in developing high-quality relationships with athletes. These insights offer critical implications for supporting equity and inclusion in coaching environments.
This study explores the challenges and nuances of talent development for goalkeepers (GKs) within Irish soccer academies, a position often overlooked in existing talent development literature. Adopting a coproduction methodology, the research engaged academy managers and goalkeeping coaches from the League of Ireland to uncover lived experiences and contextual insights (n =16). Through semistructured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, three core themes were actively generated: (a) gaps in individual GK development, (b) the process of collaboration, and (c) exploring the barriers to effective GK development. Findings highlight the unique psychological and social demands placed on GKs, the need for cohesive integrated coaching practices, and the importance of institutional support for GK-specific development nationally. The study advocates for a nested approach to future research on the macro (national planning), meso (academy culture), and micro (coaching practices) levels to inform more inclusive and impactful talent development strategies. Ultimately, this work contributes to the growing body of research of sport, laying the groundwork for future research for sport initiatives aimed at enhancing GK development in Ireland.
Youth sport is a complex system that has been positioned as a worthwhile platform for educating young people. Although past research has been beneficial in shedding light on coach-parent interactions and relationships, additional research is required to explore parents', coaches', and athletes' perceptions as an interrelated unit. Therefore, the primary purpose of the present study was to examine Portuguese youth sport coaches', parents', and athletes' perspectives toward the factors and dynamics that influence parent-coach relationships. Utilizing Interpretive Descriptive Methodology, a total of 32 participants (11 coaches, 11 parents, and 10 athletes) were recruited for this study. Findings highlight the need to understand the context(s) in which coach- parent relationships take place before developing intervention programs, policy guidelines, and/or recommendations for practitioners. The findings also reinforce the need for parents to be considered as important as coaches if youth sport systems are to become influential settings for youth education, development, and performance. Moving forward, a sustained culture of positive, complimentary, and reciprocal coach-parent relationships can create openness toward learning novel strategies and processes to enhance these relationships through contextualized interventions.
Sports have been male-dominated, posing significant barriers to women's participation, especially in leadership roles like coaching. This study explores the perceptions and trajectories of handball coaches in Brazil, focusing on the challenges and barriers in their careers. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through semistructured interviews with six female handball coaches and analysed using Qualitative Content Analysis. Key challenges identified include gender prejudice, low remuneration, and the burden of family roles. Despite possessing academic and practical experience, participants face career difficulties due to gender-related social and cultural factors. Six qualitative categories emerged: entry and maintenance in coaching, motivation or withdrawal, opportunities and barriers, influence and support, prejudice/sexism, and the maternal figure. The results emphasise the need for institutional policies promoting gender equity, such as mentorship programmes, financial incentives, and leadership development opportunities for women in coaching. While progress has been made, the findings suggest that increasing female representation in coaching requires more than just a growing number of female athletes; it necessitates proactive strategies to dismantle systemic biases in sports leadership. The authors conclude that, although women have made significant progress in sports, much remains to be done to achieve gender equity, especially in leadership positions.
Well-designed coach development programs (CDPs) provide optimal learning environments to improve coaches' professional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal sport knowledge and skills. To maximize engagement and learning, CDPs should reflect coaches' design and delivery preferences. Using body image education as a case study, this study examined coaches' preferences for CDP delivery mode, duration, timing, and teaching strategies. Sport coaches (N= 389; 59.4% men; 78.6% white; 12.72 +/- 10.93 years of experience; 50.3% soccer coaches) completed an online survey assessing preferences for general CDPs and those focused on body image. Men coaches reported a preference for in-person programs, whereas women coaches preferred online asynchronous programs across all content areas. All coaches preferred medium-length programs of around 5 hr of commitment, with synchronous sessions scheduled for weekend mornings and weekday nights. Similar preferences were identified for design and delivery of both general and body image CDPs. For a body image CDP, coaches prioritized topics on eating disorders, how to establish positive approaches to food, and building body-positive environments. These novel results provide insight on CDPs coach preferences, offering insights for CDPs on body image for sport. Aligning programs according to coaches' preferences may increase their uptake in CDPs and assist learning outcomes.
The research aimed to compare gendered differences in motivation, career progression, and the obstacles faced by coaches in Canadian and U.S. intercollegiate athletics. Ten semistructured interviews were conducted with male and female coaches to uncover how societal norms, gender stereotypes, and systemic inequities impact coaching opportunities and career development. The findings revealed that female coaches highlighted the need for institutional support, mentorship, and a desire to give back to the game, while male coaches often viewed coaching in female hockey as a steppingstone to higher level positions in male sports. The study contributes to the understanding of gendered career choices in sports coaching and underscores the need for policies promoting gender equity in coaching pathways. Furthermore, this research contributes to the literature by providing a comparative analysis of gendered differences in the motivation, career progression, and obstacles encountered by coaches in Canadian and U.S. intercollegiate athletics. The originality of this research lies in its comparative examination of gendered differences in motivation, career progression, and obstacles faced by coaches in both Canadian and U.S. intercollegiate athletics, offering new insights into gender inequities across these two contexts.
Interscholastic sports in the United States engage over 8 million students annually. Coaches largely shape the environment for positive and developmentally appropriate student-athlete participation outcomes. However, many lack the knowledge and skills to facilitate this process. While most states require some coach training, no universal requirements exist, and training content predominantly focuses "on physical health and safety with less emphasis on social-emotional health and youth development." This case study describes how researchers at the University of Washington collaborated with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to design an evidence-based online training course for school-based coaches, Developing Youth Through Sport. This case provides a potential methodological blueprint for developing coach education curricula through stakeholder engagement, offering frameworks for integrating coach and athlete input, validating content, and optimizing user experience through targeted content, interactive tools, and multimedia features that enable reflection and support transfer to coaching practice. Initial course testing revealed positive shifts in coaches' attitudes toward creating positive sports environments, with strong effects on autonomy support and mastery climate. User experience data demonstrated high engagement with content and identified key priorities for future instructional and platform enhancements.
The purpose of this investigation was to develop and gather initial factorial validity evidence for the MUSIC Model of Athletic Motivation Inventory, a multidimensional measure designed to assess athletes' perceptions of the motivational climate during practice. Two studies were conducted with National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student-athletes at a large U.S. public university. In Study 1, 25 preliminary items were adapted from the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory and refined through expert review and exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, a revised set of 20 items was administered, evaluated, and reduced to a final 14-item inventory. Exploratory factor analyses supported a five-factor structure aligned with the MUSIC model components (i.e., eMpowerment, Usefulness, Success, Interest, and Caring), with strong loadings and no cross-loadings. Internal consistency reliability was good to excellent across scales (alpha = .81-.91). The findings provide initial evidence that the MUSIC Athletic Inventory is a psychometrically sound tool for assessing motivational climate in athletic environments. This inventory offers coaches a practical means of identifying strengths and weaknesses in their practices and supports future research on motivation processes in athletics. Further studies are needed to examine additional forms of validity and to test the measure across broader athlete samples.
Studies to understand the marginalisation of female coaches in Africa are limited and have focused primarily on coaches in South Africa. This study explored the career trajectories of female high-performance football coaches in Africa, focusing on the reflections of 10 coaches across the continent's five main zones: West Africa (three), North Africa (three), Southern Africa (two), East Africa (one), and Central Africa (one). The participants had a mean age of 44.2 years (SD=7.12) and an average of 10.9 years of coaching experience (SD = 5.32). The findings revealed that the coaches emphasised the need to overcome obstacles, serve as trailblazers, and contribute to the growth of women's football in Africa. They also highlighted the importance of empowering female coaches by creating pathways to success and achieving a balance between personal and professional responsibilities. Integrating an intersectional lens of the ecological intersectional model, the study illustrates how factors such as patriarchy, agency, and systemic barriers intersect to shape the experiences of these coaches, revealing the complexities of their positions within a male-dominated environment. The study recommends targeted interventions and robust support mechanisms to enhance female representation and success in coaching.
