Impact of Intergenerational Patterns on Coaching Effectiveness

This exploratory study examined the influence of intergenerational family patterns and transgenerational transmissions on coaching effectiveness. It specifically focused on the potential impact of coaches’ intergenerational patterns on their countertransference risks and development of coaching resources. Fifteen executive coaches were socioanalytically interviewed with a focused genogram and a self-as-instrument approach to understand the impact of intergenerational patterns and underlying family dynamics on coaching effectiveness. Results indicated a relationship between these factors and coaching effectiveness. This was especially the case with regard to the development of functional and adaptive coping behaviour rather than transmitting dysfunctional, maladaptive behaviour only. Analysing and debriefing live coaching situations with a focus on potential countertransference reactions would further validate these findings in future research. Given the results of this study, it seems essential to integrate the reflection of intergenerational patterns and related countertransference risks into the training and supervision of coaches.

A Chinese perspective on the actual and preferred sources of coaching knowledge

Efforts to improve coaching effectiveness require an understanding of the common sources of coaches’ knowledge acquisition. Sports coaches utilise multiple learning sources, yet limited direct evidence elucidates the manner in which Chinese coaches learn to coach and the evolution of their learning sources throughout their careers’ development. This research examines the actual and preferred sources of coaching knowledge for Chinese coaches and analyses changes in learning sources from Junior to Senior level coaches. One hundred coaches from China, including 60 Junior coaches, 23 Intermediate coaches and 17 Senior coaches, completed an online questionnaire. The survey results indicated that coaches acquire knowledge from formal, informal and non-formal learning situations. However, formal coach education (coach education programmes) is the most important source of knowledge acquisition for all coaches. Furthermore, as coaches develop, the sources to acquire knowledge will gradually change from athletic experience to interaction with other coaches. Based on these findings, we suggest that national sport governing bodies build more comprehensive coach education systems by establishing a scientific mentoring system and organising regular coach-themed clinics, seminars, meetings and so on. Future research is needed to examine how coaches in China’s dominant programmes learn to coach and how this learning is practically applied.

Effective Sports Coaching: A Systematic Integrative Review

Research investigating coaching effectiveness is of great importance to ensure the sporting experience and development of athletes is optimised. Coaches are significant figures for the athletes they coach, especially for youth athletes within sporting programmes. Therefore, understanding what makes an ‘effective coach’ in terms of leadership and coaching behaviours will only aid positive youth development and help ensure youth athletes are afforded optimal opportunities to enhance their skills and attributes. This systematic review aims to present a comprehensive review of the coaching effectiveness literature. A systematic search was conducted of four electronic databases: PsycArticles, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Scholarly peer-reviewed studies published in English were included in this review. The initial search yielded 137 papers, with 45 papers retained and referenced within the review following screening. Studies either developed a measurement tool to assess coaching behaviour, evaluated a measurement tool, or employed such tools in studies assessing sources, dimensions or outcomes of coaching behaviour. Overall, the review offers support for the importance of athletes’ perceptions of coaching behaviours in shaping an athletes’ psychological development and well-being. Understanding athlete perceptions of effective coaching behaviours and how they impact specific outcomes may help to improve positive development in youth athletes.

Coach Effectiveness and Transformational Leadership in Sport: The Effects of Gender and Athlete Experience

Research has demonstrated the potential importance of transformational leadership and perceived effectiveness of sport coaches for athlete development. Further, coach/athlete gender and athlete sport experience may influence athletes’ perceptions of their coach’s effectiveness. Researchers to date have not investigated the potential impact of coach/athlete gender and athlete sport experience on athletes’ perceptions of their coach’s transformational leadership, or replicated the findings of Kavussanu et. al. (2008). Thus, this research explored the coaching efficacy model and transformational leadership theory as were the guiding frameworks. Male (n = 150) and female (n = 147) athletes from team (football [n = 49], hockey [n = 53], rugby [n = 51]) and individual (badminton [n = 50], swimming [n = 45], gymnastics [n = 49]) sports completed the coaching effectiveness scale and the differentiated transformational leadership inventory. Multiple regression analyses revealed (a) athlete sport experience did not predict athletes’ perceptions of coach effectiveness or transformational leadership, (b) female athletes perceived their coaches to be more effective on all dimensions of coach effectiveness and higher on all dimensions of transformational leadership than male athletes, and (c) coaches were perceived more effective in motivation effectiveness and higher on all dimensions of transformational leadership when they were of the opposite gender to athletes than when gender matched between coach and athlete. In conclusion, coach and athlete gender may have important implications for athletes’ perceptions of transformational leadership and coach effectiveness in team and individual sports.

Accepting the pressures of coaching: Insights into what experienced coaches learn with over 10 years-experience working with elite junior tennis players

Despite a growing body of research into sports coaching there is little understanding of what it is like to coach elite junior tennis players. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of 8 UK, experienced tennis coaches and describe what it is like to coach elite junior tennis players. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of 8 experienced tennis coaches (over 10 years-experience) shows their insights into elite junior tennis coaching and provides avenues of comparison with the experiences of younger tennis coaches (Gowling, 2019). This study found that (a) experienced tennis coaches described a panoramic view of coaching, (b) experienced coaches were confident in their coaching effectiveness, and (c) acceptance of challenges in coaching helped experienced coaches develop effective coping mechanisms to sustain their emotional well-being and motivation to coach for long careers. The findings of this research contribute to an evolving, problematic epistemology of sports coaching and confirms that the experiences of existing coaches could contribute to more effective training of coaches. The findings present governing bodies opportunities to inform coach education literature and help tennis coaches to sustain themselves in an emotionally challenging role.

Activating Clients’ Resources Influences Coaching Satisfaction Via Occupational Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction of Needs

This study contributes to process–outcome research in coaching by examining mediating processes, which have received little attention to date. On the basis of a sequential process model of coaching, we assumed that occupational self-efficacy and satisfaction of needs mediate the impact of coaches’ emotional support, encompassing the coach–client relationship and resource activation, on coaching satisfaction. Using several points of measurement over time and taking the nested data structure into account, 52 coaching dyads were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel analyses. The results partly supported our assumptions. Occupational self-efficacy, as well as satisfaction of needs, mediated only the impact of clients’ perceived resource activation on coaching satisfaction. Coaches’ perceived coach–client relationship predicted clients’ assessment of coaching satisfaction, but this effect was not mediated by occupational self-efficacy or satisfaction of needs. The results underscore the importance of activating the clients’ resources to improve coaching effectiveness.