Walk the walk or talk the talk: elite coaches espoused thoughts and actions

Background: Recently there has been much research around the importance of athlete-centred coaching and the subsequent effect on coaching practice. However, in elite coaching, (in this case, highly skilled, experienced professionals working with representative-level athletes or teams) many individuals subscribe to the principles of athlete-centred coaching but these views are not evident in their practice. Purpose: This research examined the values, beliefs and proposed intentions that coaches expound and compared these to those behaviours observed in practice and competition. Methods: We utilised a mixed methods approach employing a sequential exploratory design over a period of six months with 15 elite sport coaches from a variety of sports. Coaches were interviewed about their coaching philosophy and practice and then their actions were observed on six occasions in practice and competition. Interview data were treated to thematic analysis whilst observations were analysed using RStudio2023.03.0. Findings: Four themes were generated from the interviews: importance of player/athlete-centred philosophy; coach as a role model; coach as facilitator; get it right in training. Observations revealed that coach behaviour and emotions did change between training and competition, despite their assertions that competition mirrored training. These coaches were focused on the outcomes of competition, showing more controlling behaviours and exhibiting more stress and anxiety, not consistent with athlete-centred principles. Coupled with this, these coaches did not acknowledge these behavioural and emotional contrasts, maintaining their philosophy aligned with their role and actions. Further research may determine whether coaches are more influenced by their individual philosophy and practice or the demands of their employing organisation.