Abstract
Research suggests coaching philosophies have the potential to guide coaches in facilitating youth sports objectives (Bennie & O’Connor, 2010). Specifically, philosophies based on athletes’ holistic development may foster the achievement of both performance and personal development outcomes (Preston & Fraser-Thomas, 2018). Despite this, most coaches do not have well developed philosophies (Nash et al., 2008). This study aimed to advance the understanding of youth sport coaches’ coaching philosophies by exploring the: (a) content of statements, and (b) process of developing statements. Thirteen youth sport coaches (n = 5 women, 8 men; aged 26-61 years) who identified having explicit coaching philosophies, engaged in two semi-structured interviews. Data were recorded, transcribed, and analysed drawing upon reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023). While the format of philosophies varied across coaches, the content included positive youth development (PYD) related themes including being athlete-centered, task-orientated, and focused on personal skills. Winning was framed as a by-product of coaches’ PYD-focus, within their philosophies. Most coaches internalized their philosophies and amended them as they evolved over time. None of the coaches were required by their clubs to hold philosophies, however, coaches discussed the process of developing their philosophies as being triggered by reflection, emphasizing the value in mentors, club support, and sport organizational support. Findings advance understanding of coaching philosophies in youth sport contexts by ‘unpacking’ how coaches articulate and develop their coaching philosophies. These findings may in turn help facilitate healthy youth sports contexts that promote personal development and performance outcomes.
