The Relationship Between Coaching Behaviours and Sport Anxiety in Athletes

Previous research has identified the relationship between athlete sport anxiety and various sport outcomes (e.g., performance and dropout). For the majority of athletes involved in sport, the coach is an influential element of the competitive experience. Two hundred and twenty-eight athletes from 15 sports, completed the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Coaching Behavior Scale for Sport (CBS-S). The predictive ability of athletes' perceived frequency of seven coaching behaviours (physical training, mental preparation, goal setting, technical skills, competition strategies, personal rapport and negative personal rapport) on four forms of sport anxiety (total anxiety, somatic anxiety, concentration disruption and worry) was examined. Results indicate that negative personal rapport was a significant predictor of all measured forms of sport anxiety while competition strategies was a significant predictor for total anxiety, concentration disruption, and worry. Other behaviours were not significant. The findings suggest that negative rapport between coach and athlete is an important contributor to athlete anxiety. In addition, behaviours that the coach demonstrates relative to competition can be influential in reducing athlete anxiety.

Examining the Relationship Between Passion and Perceptions of Cohesion in Athletes

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of harmonious and obsessive passion to perceptions of task and social cohesion in team sport athletes. Participants were 370 competitive (N=252) and recreational (N=118) athletes ranging from 18- to 28-years-old (Mage=20.20, SD=1.52) from a wide variety of team sports. Participants completed the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003) and the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron et al., 1985). A MANOVA revealed that competitive athletes were more passionate and had higher perceptions of cohesion than did recreational athletes. Multiple regression analyses revealed a positive relationship between both harmonious and obsessive passion and both task (ATG-T, GI-T) and social (ATG-S, GI-S) cohesion. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed pertaining to the importance of harmonious and obsessive passion in athletes and perceptions of cohesion in competitive and recreational sport.

Understanding Sources of Knowledge for Coaches of Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities

Background: Recent research has investigated development of coaching knowledge; however, less research has investigated the development of coaches who coach athletes with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how coaches of athletes with intellectual disabilities gain their knowledge. Method Forty-five Special Olympics Canada coaches participated in structured telephone interviews investigating actual and ideal sources of coaching knowledge. Coaching knowledge was categorized across the dimensions of competition, organization and training. Results Coaches primarily learned by doing and by consulting with coaching peers. Information about ideal sources of coaching knowledge demonstrates that coaches would value structured coaching courses, learning from mentors and from administrative support, in addition to learning on their own and from peers. Discussion Results suggest that a broader approach to education should be incorporated into coaching athletes with intellectual disabilities. Recommendations for achieving such goals are provided.

The Role of Enjoyment and Motivational Climate in Relation to the Personal Development of Team Sport Athletes

Sport has been identified as a context in which youth encounter positive and negative experiences. However, relatively little is known about the factors that lead to positive and negative personal development among sport participants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of enjoyment and motivational climate on positive and negative personal development of team sport participants. A sample of 510 athletes between the ages of 9 and 19 completed questionnaires on positive and negative personal development, enjoyment, and motivational climate. Stepwise multiple regression analyses examined the effects of enjoyment and motivational climate on the personal development of the athletes. Results demonstrated that positive experiences in sport were most strongly predicted by affiliation with peers, self-referenced competency, effort expenditure, and a task climate. Negative experiences were most strongly predicted by an ego climate and other-referenced competency. Results suggest that creating an environment that encourages peer affiliation and personal achievement can result in the positive personal development of youth sport participants.

Effective Behaviors of Expert Rowing Coaches: A Qualitative Investigation of Canadian Athletes and Coaches

Ten Canadian expert rowing coaches and 10 Canadian elite rowers were interviewed regarding their perceptions of effective coaching behaviors. The questions of the interview guide focused on coaches' behaviors in training, competition, and organization settings. Qualitative data analyses revealed seven behaviors elicited by coaches and athletes. Effective coaching behaviors perceived as important by both athletes and coaches were; 1) plan proactively, 2)create a positive training environment, 3)facilitate goal setting, 4)build athletes' confidence, 5) teach skills effectively, 6)recognize individual differences, and 7)establish a positive rapport with each athlete.

A Group-Enhanced Sprint Interval Training Program for Amateur Athletes

Sprint interval training (SIT) can elicit improvements in aerobic and anaerobic capacity. While variations in SIT protocols have been investigated, the influence of social processes cannot be overlooked. As research supports the use of groups to influence individual cognitions and behaviours, the current project assessed the effectiveness of a group-based intervention with participants conducting SIT. Specifically, 53 amateur athletes (age, 21.9 ± 2.9 years; 53% females) took part in a 4-week training program (3 sessions per week, 30-s “all-out” efforts with 4 min active recovery, repeated 4–6 times per session), and were assigned to “true group”, aggregate, or individual conditions. Results indicated no significant differences between groups for the physiological measures. With regards to training improvements from baseline for all participants— regardless of condition — significant main effects for time were identified for maximal oxygen uptake (2.5–2.8 mL·kg−1·min−1, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.03), time-trial performance (14–32 s, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.37), and anaerobic power (1.1–1.7 k·h−1, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.66). With regards to the psychological measures, significant main effects between groups were found for motivation (p = 0.033, η2 = 0.13), task self-efficacy (p = 0.018, η2 = 0.15), and scheduling self-efficacy (p = 0.003, η2 = 0.22). The true group experienced greater improvements in motivation than the individual condition, but the aggregate and individual conditions demonstrated greater increases in task and scheduling self-efficacy. Though the SIT paradigm employed induced training improvements similar to previous work, the group intervention was not able to further these improvements

L’Utilisation D’Entretiens Quantitatifs Pour Détecter L’influence des Parents Dans le Développement de Compétences Sportives Chez Les Athlètes

Past research has indicated that parents influence children’s sport performance, but studies using qualitative methodologies and lacking comparison groups have failed to outline specific parent behaviors that constitute support, pressure, involvement, and resource provision at each stage of development. This paper presents a quantitative methodology that assesses specific, observable, verifiable parent behaviors across development, allowing future researchers to highlight differences in parental behaviors of athletes who reach high levels of performance and those who do not. The combined survey and interview methodology examines parents’ demographic information, children’s involvement in sporting activities, and the nature of parents’ involvement in those activities. A case study conducted with the parents of three Canadian junior ice hockey athletes using this methodology found parents’ invested time and specific behaviors changed throughout the development of the athlete.