Previous research has suggested that current formal coach education programs do not fully meet the learning needs of coaches. The purpose of the present study was to examine actual and preferred sources of coaching knowledge for developmental-level coaches. Structured quantitative interviews were conducted with coaches (N = 44) from a variety of sports. Learning by doing, interaction with coaching peers, and formal coach education were the top actual sources of coaching knowledge. Discrepancies were found between actual and preferred usage of learning by doing, formal coach education, and mentoring. Coaches indicated they would prefer more guided learning and less self-directed learning by doing. Further, differences in preferred sources were identified between coaches wishing to move to an elite level versus coaches wishing to stay at a developmental level. Findings highlight the importance of both experiential and formally guided sources of coaching knowledge and the context-specific nature of coach learning.

What experiences are needed to become a high-performance coach? The present study addressed this question through structured retrospective quantitative interviews with 10 team-and 9 individual-sport coaches at the Canadian interuniversity -sport level. Minimum amounts of certain experiences were deemed necessary but not sufficient to become a high-performance coach (e.g., playing the sport they now coach and interaction with a mentor coach for all coaches, leadership opportunities as athletes for team-sport coaches only). Although coaches reported varying amounts of these necessary experiences, general stages of high-performance coach development were traced. Findings serve to identify and support potential high-performance coaches and increase the effectiveness of formal coaching-education programs.

Study Design Phenomenographic, cross-sectional. Background Adolescent athletes struggle to return to sport (RTS) following ACL reconstruction (ACLR) for a number of physical and psychosocial reasons. The ability to incorporate contextual evidence obtained directly from patients with the growing body of quantitative rehabilitation research may aid clinicians in taking an evidence-based approach to rehabilitation and return to sports within the adolescent population.. Objectives To assess perceived barriers to RTS as well as positive and negative factors influencing recovery among high school athletes with recent history of ACLR. Methods Ten high school-aged individuals (6 female, 4 male; age = 16.8±1.1 years, time since surgery = 5.5±1.4mo.) who underwent ACLR and had not RTS were enrolled. Participants completed a semi-structured interview focused on attitudes related to RTS, perceived physical or psychosocial barriers to PA and RTS, and rehabilitation characteristics that may facilitate or hinder RTS. Results Participants reported psychosocial barriers to RTS with greater consistency then physical barriers. Consistently reported barriers included the feeling that sport-based activities were now associated with injury, a persistent sense of uncertainty regarding full recovery, and that social comparison to others with ACLR by parents or coaches was hindering their ability to make progress in rehabilitation. Conclusions Early identification of athletes at risk for persistent psychosocial barriers such as fear of re-injury and uncertainty regarding full recovery, and establishment of peer mentoring groups to facilitate psychosocial support throughout the rehabilitation process may be key components of a gradual and patient-centered approach to improving mental and physical readiness for RTS. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, Epub 22 Jun 2018. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.8277.

As variations in sport activities impact youth sport experiences, it is vital for researchers to carefully describe and study these factors, while practitioners may use the current findings when designing youth sport programmes.