of the people they coach in different sporting contexts. Despite the International Sport Coaching Framework 1.2’s recognition of adults as a significant group that is coached, there are very few resources and a noticeable lack of coach education specific to Masters coaches ( Callary, Rathwell
Search Results
The Adult-Oriented Sport Coaching Survey: An Instrument Designed to Assess Coaching Behaviors Tailored to Adult Athletes
Scott Rathwell, Bradley W. Young, Bettina Callary, Derrik Motz, Matt D. Hoffmann, and Chelsea Currie
Could and Should Sport Coaching Become a Profession? Some Sociological Reflections
Dominic Malcolm, Claudia Pinheiro, and Nuno Pimenta
This paper provides sociological reflections on the professionalization of sport coaching and the attempts of sport coaches to attain such a status. It explicates existing sociological analyses of the professions, highlighting and critiquing the so-called “trait” approach which currently dominates discussions of the professionalization of sport coaching. It subsequently suggests that the “power approach” to professions, as epitomized by the work of Johnson, Larson and Abbott, provides a more realistic depiction of professionalization, alerting us to the conflictual and exclusionary aspects endemic in such a process. Finally the paper explores some twenty-first century trends towards the declining influence and social power of professional groups, and the specific characteristics and social standing of sport coaching which will serve to constrain sport coaches from achieving the goal of professional status. This analysis leads us to question whether professionalization should be viewed as an inherently “positive” development, and whether professionalization is a realistic goal for an occupational group such as sport coaching.
A Guide to Conducting Systematic Reviews of Coaching Science Research
Andrew Bennie, Nicholas Apoifis, Jeffrey Caron, William Falcão, Demelza Marlin, Enrique García Bengoechea, Koon Teck Koh, Freya Macmillan, and Emma George
Research in coaching science continues to grow and as such, there is a need for rigorous tools to help make sense of the rapidly expanding literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of a systematic review methodology that can be used to summarise literature in coaching science. To do so, we present a test case of a systematic review we conducted on the sport coaching experiences of global Indigenous populations. More precisely, we conducted a systematic review of English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Portuguese peer-reviewed journal articles, spanning twelve databases (e.g., Sport Discus, ERIC, and Scopus) from 1970 to 2014. ENTREQ and COREQ guidelines were followed to report the results of the systematic review, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was used as a theoretical framework to extract and synthesise relevant findings from the included articles. In sum, this paper presents a robust methodology for systematically reviewing research in coaching science and provides practical insights for those who endeavour to conduct rigorous literature searches in this domain.
The Psychological Contract of Volunteer Youth Sport Coaches
Alanna Harman and Alison Doherty
This study examined the psychological contract of volunteer youth sport coaches to determine the content, variation, and influences to its development. Interviews were conducted with 22 volunteer coaches of team sports, representing different levels of play (recreational, competitive), coaching tenure (novice, experienced), and gender (female, male), who were sampled to account for the potential variation based on these demographic factors. The findings revealed that volunteer coaches possessed both transactional and relational expectations of themselves and their club. Coaches’ most frequently cited expectations of themselves were technical expertise (transactional), and leadership (relational), while their most frequently cited expectations of the club were fundamental resources and club administration (transactional), and coach support (relational). Variation was found by different levels of play (recreational, competitive) and coaching tenure (novice, experienced). The coaches’ psychological contract was shaped predominately by sources external to the club. Implications for managing the psychological contract of volunteer youth sport coaches and directions for future research are discussed.
Learning Communities as Continuing Professional Development for Sport Coaches
Rachael Bertram and Wade Gilbert
Continuing professional development (CPD) for sport coaches has been defined as all kinds of professional learning that occurs after initial certification (Nelson et al., 2006), and includes both non-formal and informal learning situations. Despite the fact that within the past decade there has been an increasing number of studies on these learning situations, learning communities as a type of CPD have received little attention. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to share initial observations and lessons learned from creating and implementing sport coach learning communities. In addition, this paper extends the dialogue on learning community implementation and assessment. Our learning community efforts were formulated around five key guidelines: (1) Stable settings dedicated to improving instruction and learning, (2) Job-alike teams, (3) Published protocols that guide but do not prescribe, (4) Trained peer facilitators, and (5) Working on student learning goals until there are tangible gains in student learning.
Applying Behavior Management Strategies in a Sport-Coaching Context
Brooke Elizabeth Harris-Reeves, James Skinner, Peter Milburn, and Greg Reddan
Sport coaching is a multifaceted profession with many responsibilities. Coaches can have a profound effect on athletes that can be both positive and negative. Coaches have the ability to motivate athletes and increase their self-esteem. Conversely, negative effects of coaching may include athlete drop-outs, injuries, and loss of confidence. Coaches need to manage the coaching environment and create positive surroundings to ensure that athletes achieve their optimum potential. Managing a coaching environment refers to how coaches establish and maintain order. This paper explores the literature on behavior management in education and sport settings and aims to contribute to sport-coaching knowledge. General coaching tips for managing athlete behavior are suggested along with examples of potential coaching strategies.
Off-Colour Landscape: Framing Race Equality in Sport Coaching
Alexandra J. Rankin-Wright, Kevin Hylton, and Leanne Norman
The article examines how UK sport organizations have framed race equality and diversity, in sport coaching. Semistructured interviews were used to gain insight into organizational perspectives toward ‘race’, ethnicity, racial equality, and whiteness. Using Critical Race Theory and Black feminism, color-blind practices were found to reinforce a denial that ‘race’ is a salient factor underpinning inequalities in coaching. The dominant practices employed by key stakeholders are discussed under three themes: equating diversity as inclusion; fore fronting meritocracy and individual agency; and framing whiteness. We argue that these practices sustain the institutional racialised processes and formations that serve to normalize and privilege whiteness. We conclude that for Black and minoritised ethnic coaches to become key actors in sport coaching in the UK ‘race’ and racial equality need to be centered in research, policy and practice.
Enhancing Volunteer Youth Sport Coaching Practices through Intergenerational Dialogue
John Naslund and Garfield Pennington
A major determinant of the quality of youth’s experiences in community sports is their relationship with their coaches. It is highly desirable to investigate the practices employed by these coaches, many of whom are volunteers, as their values and coaching strategies can be encouraging for young athletes or can be demoralizing and ruin their sporting experience altogether. The unique perspectives of volunteer youth sport coaches are rarely considered, and by providing them with opportunities to openly reflect upon their practices, it may be possible to assist these coaches in improving their practices and ultimately improve the sporting experience for youth. This article describes an action research project whereby two volunteer youth sport coaches from British Columbia, Canada, engaged in a practical demonstration for using reflective dialogue in order to examine their own coaching practices. Both coaches, who are 50 years apart in age and whose coaching experience ranges from seven to over 50 years, coach different sports at different levels (elite to participation) for youth aged 11-18 years. The coach participants engaged in action research through journal writing, open discussions, and audio-recorded reflective dialogues over a period of six months. Qualitative analysis of the dialogues revealed six key themes that were significant to both coaches: motivation, confidence building, team spirit, relationship building, communication, and coaching values. The coaches comment on the effectiveness of reflective dialogue as a strategy that could help volunteer youth sport coaches better understand the importance of their roles as coaches, identify challenging aspects of their coaching, and serve as a means to further develop their coaching skills and knowledge. In addition, the coaches comment on their generational differences, and discuss the importance of having senior coaches with extensive experience mentor younger less-experienced coaches.
Practical Advances in Sport Coaching Research in International Sport Coaching Journal
Bettina Callary
that includes citations, as well as other applied evidence, to support and develop ideas. Thus, Practical Advances will encompass International Sport Coaching Journal ( ISCJ ) legacy article types of Best Practices , Insights, and Coaching In ( ISCJ , 2021a ). This evolution comes alongside a
Volume 27 (2019): Issue 2 (Oct 2019): Special Issue: Women in Sport Coaching
WSPAJ Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal 1063-6161 1938-1581 1 10 2019 27 2 10.1123/wspaj.2019.27.issue-2 Special Issue: Women in Sport Coaching Guest Editors: Nicole M. LaVoi (University of Minnesota), Jennifer E. McGarry (University of Connecticut), and Leslee A. Fisher (University of
