“Active” and “Passive” Coach Pathways: Elite Athletes’ Entry Routes Into High-Performance Coaching Roles

This study sought to analyse the lived experiences of so-called “fast-tracked” coaches from men’s association football and rugby union by seeking to understand how these individuals prepared for and then transitioned into a post-athletic coaching career. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 male coaches. All participants were former elite athletes and had followed a fast-tracked pathway into their current post-athletic coaching roles. Participants were based in England and had retired from an athletic career within 12 months of being interviewed. Two general categories of “active” and “passive” coach pathways were identified for the career trajectory. Active coaches purposefully prepared for a coaching career during their athletic careers, whereas passive coaches did not. Passive coaches’ decisions to become a coach were often reactive and made after retiring from a competitive athletic career. Results indicate that only the career trajectory of passive coaches reflects a fast-track pathway. None of the active or passive coaches negotiated any formalised recruitment processes into their first post-athletic coaching roles. The suggestion is that prejudicial recruitment practices are enacted by senior club management which creates a homogenous coaching workforce. This furthers the need for greater governance of high-performance coach recruitment within England for these sports.

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Coach Education in Ireland: Observations and Considerations for High Performance

Journal of Coaching Education ◽

10.1123/jce.4.3.29 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 29-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sunnhild Bertz ◽

Laura Purdy

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Institutional Evolution ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Education Development ◽

Coach Education ◽

Know How ◽

Sources Of Knowledge ◽

Performance Coaching ◽

Formal Recognition

The high-performance sports system is a rapidly evolving and increasingly important element of the Irish sporting landscape reflected in public policy, the direction and level of spending, and organisational/institutional evolution – all signalling a formal recognition of the high-performance sector as central to sport in Ireland. While certain aspects of high-performance sport in Ireland are beginning to be reflected in research (e.g., Guerin et al. 2008), this is yet to be extended to high performance coaching. The education, development, and support of coaches are key areas of the Coaching Strategy for Ireland (2008-2012). An understanding of high-performance coach activities and needs will become increasingly vital in underpinning the effectiveness of resources directed at high-performance coaching as Ireland seeks to reposition itself within the world’s elite in sport. The purpose of this article is to better understand the development of high-performance coaches in Ireland and the key influences on this (e.g., exposure to different coaching environments, sources of knowledge, and preferred ways of learning). It aims to explore what high-performance coaches believe has been most important in developing and fostering their coaching ‘know-how,’1 and what this may imply for future educational interventions for high-performance coaches. This article brings to light insights generated through semi-structured interviews with 10 high-performance coaches currently and/or recently working in Irish sport.

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“Why Did I Really Want to Coach? To Help Girls”:

Movement Matters ◽

10.29173/mm8 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2-25

Author(s):

Alanna Fittes

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Rugby Union ◽

Women Coaches ◽

International Level ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Disciplinary Power ◽

The World ◽

Woman Leader

The purpose of this study was to investigate women coaches’ experiences in high-performance rugby union. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four women who had experience coaching at the representative, university, and/or international level. Informed by a Foucauldian feminism, the analysis revealed how disciplinary power, the formation of dominant knowledges, and the pervasiveness of surveillance operated in a deeply masculine environment of high-performance rugby. This study provides an in-depth examination of femininity, masculinity, and what it means to be a woman leader in the world of high-performance rugby union.

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The Next Logical Step? An Examination of Elite Athletes' Transitions Into Post-Athletic High-Performance Coaching Roles

Athlete Transitions into Retirement ◽

10.4324/9781003020189-14 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 129-144

Author(s):

Alexander D. Blackett ◽

Adam B. Evans ◽

David Piggott

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Performance Coaching

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Orienteering from Cradle to Grave—How a Sport Could Offer Lifelong Participation

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci10050146 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 146

Author(s):

Max Bergström ◽

Mats Jong ◽

Stig Arve Sæther

Keyword(s):

Sport Participation ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Design Data ◽

Social Community ◽

Recreational Sport ◽

Character Structure ◽

Former Elite Athletes ◽

Ages Level

Background: The aim of this present study is to explore what makes orienteering meaningful and rewarding to former elite athletes’ years or even decades after ending their elite careers. Methods: Applying a qualitative approach with a case study design, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 former elite orienteers from Norway and Sweden, and the data was subsequently analyzed with thematic analysis, resulting in two main themes: individually matched challenges and a social community. Results: The character, structure, and culture of orienteering both enabled and encouraged former elite athletes to make the transition into recreational sport. Even so, the characteristics of the sport related to both its structure (range of ages, level, and ambition) and organization (well-organized) as well as the participants’ backgrounds (well-educated) and intrinsic motivation (satisfaction, enjoyment, mastery) seemed to match a lifelong sport participation. Conclusions: These factors could indicate that orienteering is a sport that can facilitate a lifelong sport participation for athletes with such a background.

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Negotiating a coach identity: a theoretical critique of elite athletes’ transitions into post-athletic high-performance coaching roles

Sport Education and Society ◽

10.1080/13573322.2020.1787371 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

A. D. Blackett ◽

A. B. Evans ◽

D. Piggott

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Performance Coaching

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The Coach–Athlete Relationship in Strength and Conditioning: High Performance Athletes’ Perceptions

Sports ◽

10.3390/sports7120244 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 244 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steven J. Foulds ◽

Samantha M. Hoffmann ◽

Kris Hinck ◽

Fraser Carson

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Rugby Union ◽

Higher Order ◽

Ice Hockey ◽

Character Traits ◽

Table Tennis ◽

Field Hockey ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Strength And Conditioning

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate high performance athlete perceptions of strength and conditioning coaches, specifically, (1) their character traits, (2) the effective behaviours that display these traits, and (3) how these relationships were fostered. Using the 3+1 C’s model of coach–athlete relationships as a framework (Jowett, 2007), 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with high performance athletes (six female; six male) representing a variety of sports (i.e., freestyle wrestling, triathlon, field hockey, cycling, rowing, rugby union, netball, table tennis, and ice hockey). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 53 years (M = 29, SD = 9). Interviews took between 19–47 min and were transcribed verbatim. The transcripts equated to a total of 188 pages of data that were analyzed, coded, and further grouped into higher-order themes and general dimensions. The findings revealed 14 higher-order themes categorized under the 3+1 C’s general dimensions of closeness, commitment, complementarity, and co-orientation.

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Oral health problems in high-performance athletes at 2019 Pan American Games in Lima: a descriptive study

BDJ Open ◽

10.1038/s41405-021-00078-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Catalina Opazo-García ◽

Jeel Moya-Salazar ◽

Karina Chicoma-Flores ◽

Hans Contreras-Pulache

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Dental Caries ◽

Dental Care ◽

Disease Surveillance ◽

High Performance ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Periodontal Diseases ◽

Health Problems ◽

Oral Diseases ◽

Pan American

Abstract Introduction Dental care is provided for high-performance athletes at national and international sports events. Elite athletes may seek care for sports-related injuries and pre-existing oral diseases. Previous studies indicate an association between oral health problems and negative performance impacts in elite athletes. Objectives To determine the prevalence of the most common oral pathologies in high-performance athletes during the emergency dental care performed at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games (JPL-19). Methodology All reports of athletes (≥18 years old, of both sexes, from 41 countries) who received emergency dental care at Pan American Villas during the JPL-19 were included. Injuries and types of oral diseases were classified according to the Injury and Disease Surveillance System proposed by the International Olympic Committee. Results Of the 6680 participating athletes, 76 (1.14%) presented as dental emergencies, 90.8% (69/76) of the athletes seen presented pre-existing oral pathological conditions, the most frequent were periodontal diseases (34%, 26/76) and dental caries (29%, 22/76). Among the sports with the most cases, there were 22 (29%) in athletics, 6 (8%) in soccer, and 6 (8%) in taekwondo. The most frequent dental emergencies came from Peru, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Grenada, and Venezuela. Conclusions Pre-existing oral diseases were more frequent than sports-related accidents. The most prevalent diseases were periodontal disease and dental caries disease. It is necessary to implement new care strategies for athletes, based on prevention, before and during sports competitions.

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Occupational Performance Coaching for Mothers of Children with Disabilities in India

Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.1177/0008417420972868 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 000841742097286

Author(s):

C. Suja Angelin ◽

S. Sugi ◽

K. Rajendran

Keyword(s):

Children With Disabilities ◽

Parenting Competence ◽

Occupational Performance ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Control Groups ◽

Indian Context ◽

Performance Coaching ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Mixed Method Design ◽

Self Learning

Background. Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) aims to help mothers plan and manage theirs and their children’s occupational performance. Purpose. To assess the effectiveness of OPC in improving occupational performance and parenting competence of mothers of children with disabilities in an Indian context. Methods. Mixed method design was used. Thirty-six mothers were assigned to intervention or control groups. Occupational performance and parenting competence were measured at three time points. Semi-structured interviews were used. Findings. OPC had significant effects on children’s occupational performance ( p < 0.001), mothers’ occupational performance ( p < 0.001), and self-competence ( p = 0.003). There was also a significant difference between control and intervention groups in occupational performance ( p = 0.001) and satisfaction ( p = 0.003). Interviews revealed three themes: acceptance, self-learning, and challenges during OPC. Implications. OPC is effective in improving the occupational performance and parenting competence of mothers of children with disabilities in varied cultural contexts.

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