“Coach Really Knew What I Needed and Understood Me Well as a Person”: Effective Communication Acts in Coach–Athlete Interactions among Korean Olympic Archers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to qualitatively explore situations in which athletes perceived communication with their coach to be important and determine the effect of this communication on the athletes. Literature on the communication process in sports emphasizes the distinct characteristics of each sports and its setting. However, previous research has not studied various settings in detail, and archery is yet to be explored. The qualitative process included an in-depth, semi-structured interview with eight Olympic archers. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Athletes perceived communication with coaches to be important during their performance, while dealing with psychological crises, and during their training. Our analysis suggests that, depending on the communicative actions, a coach may positively or negatively impact an athlete’s self-awareness, self-confidence, anxiety, autonomy, and motivation. A noteworthy finding of this study is that archers perceive communication with coaches about the selection and management of equipment as important. This study emphasizes the critical role of an athlete’s communication with the coach in various situations and discusses the theoretical and practical implications in the context of sports performance.

Psychological Influence of Self-Management on Exercise Self-Confidence, Satisfaction, and Commitment of Martial Arts Practitioners in Korea: A Meta-Analytic Approach

“…Meanwhile, athletes' autonomy-supportive coaches may also explain these positive results. In an in-depth interview with Korean Olympic archers, several players stated that when their coach supported the goals they decided to pursue and gave them permission to express their views about the training schedule, they felt more dedicated and accountable to achieve their set goals (Kim and Park, 2020). This finding corroborates our results, demonstrating that commitment can significantly and positively be affected by athletes' control over their training environment and interpersonal communication with their coach.…”

Mixed Method Research on Football Coaches’ Competitive Behavior

“…Specifically, how coaches prepare working strategies and how the team is oriented from a technical point-of-view is determinant of increased athlete and team confidence and performance (Almeida et al, 2019;Keatlholetswe and Malete, 2019). In this regard, the coach needs to master communication skills since it has been reported previously to be associated with athlete and team accomplishments (Kim and Park, 2020;Moll and Davies, 2021). Coaches' ability to communicate effectively is critical since all tasks related to athlete top performance requires high communication skills from coaches (Gomes et al, 2020).…”

“…However, Hague et al (2021) have indicated that there is still a need for more research related to the technical information inherent in sport coaching. Thus, how coaches communicate feedback and technical strategies as a mean to maximize athlete's abilities is a key aspect that needs more investigation (Kim and Park, 2020). The coaching behavior is a combination of previously made decisions and reflexive thinking (Moreno and Alvarez, 2004).…”

“…In exploring the factors inherent in each of the instruments under analysis, practitioners and coaches can assess coach preparations (expectations) and reflections (perception) related to instructional behavior, as well as the relationship between the three moments (before, during, and after the competition). As result, researchers are more prone to understand coaches' communication strategies and how coaches prepare their interventions during competitive situations and how they can enhance coaching behaviors (Araya et al, 2015;Keatlholetswe and Malete, 2019;Kim and Park, 2020;Hague et al, 2021). In addition, training programs are re-evaluated according to coaching expectations and reflections for coaches to develop more effective instructional behaviors in the competition team direction (Moreno et al, 2007).…”

Coach–Athlete Attachment and the Subjective Well-Being of Athletes: A Multiple-Mediation Model Analysis

“…Perceived social support further reinforces the safety of athletes, which has been widely analyzed in previous research that describes the manifestations of bullying, harassment, and abuse as a result of the support and concern of coaches regarding athletes and their sports performance [ 39 ]. On the other hand, attachment with coaches is extremely important [ 21 , 40 ]. Coaches provide athletes with a growth platform, and encourage them to face new challenges and develop new skills.…”