International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

Solomons, Jocelyn; Brown, James; Jones, Ben; Hendricks, Sharief

doi: 10.1177/17479541241303669pmid: N/A

As a coach, coach educator and researcher, Wilbur contributed significantly to the field rugby science, both as an author and reviewer. The aim of this research note, structured as a ‘short report’, is to highlight some of Wilbur's many work achievements.

Solomons, Jocelyn; Bekker, Sheree; Groom, Ryan; Kraak, Wilbur

doi: 10.1177/17479541241283625pmid: N/A

Sports coaching involves navigating ambiguity and uncertainty in stakeholders’ perspectives and managing a dynamic micro-political environment. This study explores the relationship between coaching efficacy and effectiveness in South African Women's Rugby. It examines how a coach's belief in their ability to influence athlete learning and performance (coaching efficacy) correlates with the actual impact on athletes (coaching effectiveness). By aligning coaches’ perceived competence with tangible athlete outcomes, the study provides insights into factors influencing coaching practices and athlete development. The study involved 28 women players (mean age: 24.8 ± 4.0 years) and 8 coaches (mean age: 41 ± 3.8 years) who participated in semi-structured online interviews. The interview script, derived from the Coaching Effectiveness Survey (CES) tool, was analysed using Braun and Clarke's 6-step process of thematic content analysis. Under the four efficacy dimensions, sub-themes emerged as follow: 1) motivation (climate created by the coach and a motivational climate experienced by the players), 2) technique (coaching physical, technical, and tactical aspects of rugby), 3) game strategy (guiding players to successful outcomes), and 4) character-building efficacy (cultivating a positive environment for sportswomanship and holistic development). The findings incorporate feedback from players and coaches, highlighting firsthand experiences of coaching effectiveness. This approach enables experts to identify effective coaching strategies and those needing refinement within Women's Rugby. The study's findings promise to inform future coach development frameworks and foster a comprehensive understanding of coaching effectiveness in the dynamic landscape of Women's Rugby worldwide.

Urban, Jillian E.; Moore, Justin B.; Faber, Lydia L.; Marks, Madison E.; Holcomb, Ty D.; Miles, Christopher M.; Flashman, Laura A.; Otallah, Scott I.; Stitzel, Joel D.; Foley, Kristie L.

doi: 10.1177/17479541241285404

Fitzgerald, F.; Campbell, M.; Kearney, P. E.; Cumming, S.P.

doi: 10.1177/17479541241290585pmid: N/A

In youth sport, coaches often rely on subjective assessments of current ability and future potential, which may favor players advanced in biological maturation. This study evaluated the accuracy of coaches’ maturity assessments and their impact on perceptions of player ability and potential, as well the inter-coach agreement on talent and maturity evaluations. Maturity timing (discrepancy between biological and chronological age) was assessed using the Khamis-Roche method for 247 male players aged 13 to 17 years. Eighteen coaches provided estimations of their players’ maturity timing, ratings of current ability and long-term potential, and selections of top and bottom 5 players. Inter-rater reliability was calculated using weighted Kappa (k) and percentage agreement. Kendall correlation analyses (τ) examined relationships between maturity and coaches’ perceptions, while a Kruskal Wallis test examined differences in maturity between players classified by coaches as top, middle and bottom performers. On average, coaches underestimated the presence of early maturers and overestimated on-time and late maturers. Maturation timing showed weak correlations with current ability (τ = 0.075) and future potential (τ = 0.021). Coaches’ selected “top” players did not differ in maturity from their peers (H2 = 4.844, p = 0.89). Agreement between coaches ranged from none to weak. These findings suggest coaches’ eye may be inaccurate for estimating maturation. Additionally, there is poor inter-coach agreement in identifying talented athletes, indicating the “coach's eye” is subjective and variable. These results may have significant implications for future talent identification research and processes in sport organizations.

Furley, Philip; Mehta, Saumya; Raabe, Dominik; Memmert, Daniel

doi: 10.1177/17479541241278603pmid: N/A

Using video data is a widespread procedure in the preparation for an upcoming opponent across all levels of football, but the way coaches interpret this data and use it for player feedback is still not fully understood. Three studies were conducted to investigate the level of agreement between football coaches on tactical questions regarding the opponent when interpreting the same video data. In Study 1 (scouting feed; N = 15) and 2 (tactic view feed; N = 24), different video viewing angles of the same match were provided to coaches, followed by simple questions regarding the viewed team (e.g., team formation, most striking player in the opening play of the attacking team). Response analyses using descriptive statistics and Fleiss-Kappa statistics showed great diversity regardless of the angle of the feed. Study 3 was a replication study (scouting feed; N = 16) using the identical approach as before but used a different match to introduce greater variety of video stimuli. Across all studies there was a high degree of diversity in coach responses and little consensus on basic questions like the adopted formation or the most striking player in the opening play (Fleiss-Kappa coefficients between -.036 [poor agreement] and .236 [fair agreement]). The present research shows that it is problematic to treat information from video feeds as being objective when preparing for the next opponent, as different coaches derive different interpretations from the same data source. Implications for use of video data, and related contributions to coaching research are discussed.

Lefever, Elisa; Flamant, Nele; Morbée, Sofie; Soenens, Bart; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Bartholomew, Kimberley; De Cocker, Katrien; Haerens, Leen

doi: 10.1177/17479541241287433pmid: N/A

Some coaches are convinced that controlling practices will not harm their athletes if they simultaneously are warm and caring. This study, grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Skinner's coping framework, explored these convictions among 179 volleyball players (67.6% female; age = 21.12 ± 4.66 years). Participants assessed perceived controlling and relatedness-supportive coaching styles, their coping strategies, self-reported performance, engagement, competitive anxiety, and burnout. Results showed that controlling coaching related to reduced performance, and more competitive anxiety and burnout. Controlling coaching associated indirectly with these athletes’ outcomes through compulsive compliance. Finally, when coaches were perceived to display moderate or high levels of relatedness-support, controlling coaching related to worse performance, and more competitive anxiety. These results suggest that a closer coach-athlete bond may exacerbate the detrimental impact of controlling coaching, as athletes feel internally pressured to obey the coach's demands without internally accepting these commands.

Shanmugaratnam, Achuthan; McLaren, Colin D; Schertzinger, Meredith; Bruner, Mark W

doi: 10.1177/17479541241278602pmid: N/A

The purpose of this study was to investigate coach-initiated motivational climate and its relationship with athlete well-being, resilience, and psychological safety in competitive sport. In addition to independent relationships between task- and ego-related climates and the study outcomes, this research also explored the potential additive effects of task and ego climate together to understand if a task climate can buffer against the negative impacts of an ego climate. Self-report survey data were collected from competitive soccer players across Ontario, Canada (N = 298; Mage = 20.38; 58.72% male). Using multiple linear regression, a perceived task-related climate was a significant positive predictor of well-being (ß = .33), resilience (ß = .31), and psychological safety (ß = .54, all ps < .001). A higher perceived ego-related climate was a significant negative predictor of psychological safety (ß = −.23, p < .001), and not significantly related to well-being and resilience. Partial support for the additive effect of task- and ego-related climate together was found for psychological safety, but not well-being or resilience. Specifically, athletes in the latent profile characterized by average task and higher ego scored higher on psychological safety compared with lower task and higher ego climate perceptions. The increase in psychological safety between these two profiles was observed despite both having higher ego-related climates. Although future research is required, the findings offer meaningful contributions to theory and practice in the context of competitive soccer teams.

Zhang, Yingjie; Fan, Rong

doi: 10.1177/17479541241267853pmid: N/A

Coaching leadership greatly impacts athletes’ mental health and wellbeing. Although research shows a positive link between authentic leadership and athlete satisfaction, studies on specific subdimensions are limited. This study examines the influence of authentic leadership on athlete engagement and performance, utilizing a conditional process model to explore the mediating effects of psychological ownership and athlete engagement. A survey of 381 athletes (274 male, 107 female; Mage = 19.98; SD = 2.48) from team and individual sports found that perceived authentic leadership positively correlates with training competition satisfaction, psychological ownership, and athlete engagement. Structural equation modeling revealed that psychological ownership and athlete engagement significantly mediate this relationship. Thus, authentic leadership directly and indirectly enhances athletes’ satisfaction.

Wells, Leighton A.; Bruce, Lyndell; Hoffmann, Samantha M.; Kremer, Peter; Dwyer, Dan B

doi: 10.1177/17479541241305677pmid: N/A

ObjectivesThe training load practices of triathlon coaches are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore and describe these practices to create an opportunity to compare their alignment with evidence-based practices.DesignThe study employs an online survey and descriptive statistical analysis to investigate load practices. Method: 63 Australian triathlon coaches with 12 or more months of experience were surveyed. They held tertiary qualifications (27.7%), were AusTriathlon accredited (25.3%) and coached mainly age-group athletes (94%). Coaches’ use of subjective and objective metrics for prescribing, measuring, and monitoring training load and communication frequency with athletes was examined. The survey investigated use of subjective metrics (e.g., s/RPE) and objective metrics (e.g., Time/Distance/Pace) for prescribing and monitoring load, frequency of monitoring sessions, and communication with athletes.ResultsMost coaches prescribe load using subjective metrics (78% of coaches) and objective metrics (76%). Load is measured/monitored by 81% of coaches using objective metrics, with subjective metrics less commonly used (62%). Less than half (43.5%) monitor every session/day, while most monitor load only weekly (51.6%) or monthly (4.8%). Communication about load occurs mostly every 4 weeks (38.7%).ConclusionsCoaches’ load practices only partially align with evidence-based recommendations. The use of subjective measures to monitor load is not common, neither is the consideration of acute and chronic loads. Many coaches communicate infrequently with their athletes. The potential consequence is health risks to athletes that could be addressed before they are missed. Coaches can make better use of technology to help them manage load.

Moulds, Kylie; Lascu, Alexandra; Bai, Alison; Davidson, James

doi: 10.1177/17479541241287117pmid: N/A

ObjectivesApplying an ecological dynamics perspective with the Skilled Intentionality Framework, this study examined whether an integrated coach learning and development framework could be successfully implemented in Australian female tennis coaching.MethodsParticipants were all females: qualified coaches (N = 4), coach developers (N = 2) and athletes, aged 15–18 years (N = 7). Participants completed an online survey, examining socio-demographics, playing/coaching history and learning outcomes. An ethnographic and action research approach utilising the Learning in Development Research Framework (LDRF) was undertaken over 20 weeks of coach learning and development. Coaches followed two female coach developers (one as the primary investigator) for a minimum of two hours per week (in situ learning), while the coaches worked directly with athletes. To identify influential factors, multiple data collection strategies were employed, including surveys, semi-structured interviews, observations, critical reflections and focus groups.ResultsPerceived program benefits (e.g., coach self-confidence and reassurance) and on-court/off-court support were verified within qualitative interview-derived data.ConclusionFindings identify the positive influence of an integrated coach learning and development framework on continued Australian female coaching career progression, highlighting coach development implications.