Life Skills in Action A Qualitative Study of Recreational Sports Coaching in Italy

Coaches play a key role in facilitating athletes' learning of life skills and enhancing Positive Youth Development through sports. Life skills can then be transferred to other life contexts, such as home, work, and school. This study aims to explore: 1) the role of recreational sports as an environment for acquiring life skills; 2) the strategies coaches use to facilitate the development of specific life skills; and 3) the methods employed to monitor their transfer to other contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 Italian coaches from recreational sports organizations and analyzed using the Template Analysis technique. Findings reveal that, despite lacking specific training, coaches recognize sports as a context for learning life skills and primarily adopt an implicit approach. Coaches reported that athletes develop self-awareness and group effectiveness skills. Practical implications include exercises shared by coaches to train life skills and highlight the need for structured training aligned with the Positive Youth Development approach.