Investigating Coaching Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study Within a Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to offer reflections for both applied researchers and practitioners on our experiences of investigating coaching behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case is based on the delivery of remote, online tennis coaching sessions to children over a period of 3 weeks. Questionnaire, observation, and focus group data were collected from tennis players, coaches, and parents/guardians. Analyses revealed similarities and differences with previous investigations measuring coaching behaviors, as well as the perceived effectiveness of sports coaching in an online environment. Novel insights and recommendations for applied researchers and practitioners in sport and exercise psychology are highlighted, including the importance of staying connected during the pandemic, keeping players and parents motivated, and creativity. The authors consider the context of conducting a case study into coaching behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic itself, and conclude by providing reflections on our case study within the case study of COVID-19. These include enhanced communication (as it was easier to connect with each other), the nature of the online delivery improving presession preparation, and the research process being relatively more straightforward to implement, all due to barriers being removed as a direct result of COVID-19 quarantine, stay-at-home restrictions.

Sports Coaching in an Online Space: What Can We Learn From Endurance Sport Coaches?

“…Here research by authors such as Bennett et. al (2021) and Glen at al. (2020) has conveyed the challenges and opportunities coaches have faced in the RC environment.…”

“…The design of this question template was threefold; (i) informed by existing research within the area of RC (e.g., Bennett, 2021;Evans et al, 2021;Glen et al, 2020;Li, Gao, Liu, & Zhong, 2020;Samuel et al, 2020) and coaches' welfare (Carson et al, 2019;Norris et al, 2017;Olusoga & Kentta, 2017;Roberts et al, 2019;Thelwell et al, 2010); (ii) drawing from research presented by Côté and Gilbert (2009) , Bezodis, and Thompson (2009). Data were analysed through the six-phase approach to thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006& Braun, Clarke & Weate, 2016.…”

“…Endurance coaches used technology to best suit their needs, possessing well-formed opinions about the technological aids they do and do not use. This viewpoint is unique given that the majority of RC research to date exists mainly on the video coaching domain (i.e., coaching via video link) (Bennett, 2020;Glen et al, 2020). ES coaches instead, opted for a blend of data to monitor athlete progression coupled with subjective feedback in order to ensure they were not missing any nuance in the athletes' experiences.…”

“…The COVID-19 Pandemic provided the catalyst for research into the online coaching processes used in the RC domain. In this new era, coaches have moved from the "playing field" to an online presence, delivering their sessions virtually to athletes (Bennett, 2021;Evans et al, 2021;Glen et al, 2020;Li, Gao, Liu, & Zhong, 2020;Samuel et al, 2020). This practice of RC came as a necessity for many sports coaches (Bennett, 2021;Glen et al, 2020;Samuel et al, 2020), as they were forced to deliver their daily coaching duties online due to international and local social distancing policies.…”