Optimal development of young male volleyball players through transformational coach leadership

Leadership styles of coaches affect athletes’ sport and social skills. Recently, transformational leadership gained recognition as a beneficial, motivational and inspirational coaching style. Our study attempts to extend the understanding of transformational leadership in Polish youth sport through investigation of whether a transformational coach can lead a team effectively, while simultaneously contributing to athletes’ well-being and high performance. A male volleyball coach and twelve male volleyball players (15‒16 years old) participated in a study consisting of semi-structured interviews and participant observations. The results showed that characteristics of a transformational coach had an influence on athletes’ intrinsic motivation and involvement in training, and they served as means of satisfying the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROUND REACTION FORCE AND STABILITY LEVEL OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY IN YOUNG ACTIVE ADULTS

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between GRF and the stability level of the lower extremity to define the risk of running-related injuries. 13 participants were divided to two groups (previous running injury; no previous running injury) and performed a Single-leg Excursion Test (SET), and ran across a force plate to measure GRFs. Results showed a moderate negative correlation, (r(10) =-0.620, P < 0.05). The injury group had higher GRF and lower SET scores as compared to the no injury group. Runners that can reduce the GRF and improve their stability level in the 'lower extremity by performing proper strength and stability training may reduce the risk of injuries from running activities

A Pragmatic Research Philosophy for Applied Sport Psychology

A pragmatic research philosophy is introduced that embraces mixed-method approaches to applied research questions. With its origins in the work of Peirce (1984), James (1907), Dewey (1931), and contemporary support from Rorty (1982, 1990,1991), pragmatism emphasizes the practical problems experienced by people, the research questions posited, and the consequences of inquiry. As a way to highlight applications of pragmatism in sport psychology, pragmatism is compared to constructivism and positivism in terms of philosophical underpinnings and methodological applications. The pragmatic researcher is sensitive to the social, historical, and political context from which inquiry begins and considers morality, ethics, and issues of social justice to be important throughout the research process. Pragmatists often use pluralistic methods during multiphase research projects. Exemplar design types are discussed that logically cohere to a pragmatic research philosophy

Coaching in positive sport: theoretical bases of i7W model

Professional philosophy in sport coaching directly impacts coach behavior in practice and competitions. The coaching effectiveness in enhancing athlete performance, stimulating the individual and team potential, and supporting athlete personal growth changes across coaches’ professional careers. Such changes are frequently grounded in information from other sister disciplines that support the world of sport, such as, sport psychology. In this article, we discuss the perspective of positive sport (PS) and present a number of practical principles for coaches’ consideration. These principles were grouped together into catchy phrases as follows: inspire (inspiruj), explain (wyjaśniaj), expect (wymagaj), support (wspieraj), reward (wynagradzaj), appreciate (wyróżniaj), grow (wzrastam) and win (wygrywam) (in short: i7W). These recommendations deal with four time perspectives: one task, one training session/competition, one season, and an entire athletic career. For the development of the perspective of PS among coaches, there is a need for sound theoretical foundations that are supported in reliable basic and applied research which we review in this present report. We aspire for this content to be used by sport psychologists, coaches, and professionals in sport social sciences to increase professional qualifications among sport coaches and to enhance the social status of this important profession

Original article Perception of purpose and parental involvement in competitive youth sport

Background Because of the various demanding investments, parents develop various expectations regarding their children’s sport experience. The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to determine whether there is a discrepancy between parents and athletes in terms of perception of purpose for engaging in youth sport, and (b) to explore whether the reported discrepancies impact parental involvement. Participants and procedure Participants included 25 club level athletes (19 girls, 6 boys), ages 13-17 (M = 14.96 years, SD = 1.49 years), and 24 pa­rents (18 women, 6 men) of these athletes, ages 39-55 (M = 48.26 years, SD = 4.44 years) from both individual and team sports. Parents and athletes completed their respective versions of both the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ) and Parental Involvement in Sport Questionnaire (PISQ). Optional individual interviews with 12 athletes and 12 parents were then conducted to further triangulate perceptions of purpose and parental involvement in youth sport. Results Findings included four statistically significant negative correlations between the PMQ and PISQ, as well as a statistically significant discrepancy between parents and athletes on one subscale of the PMQ (p = .026). Also, statistically significant discrepancies were found between perceived and desired levels of parental involvement on three out of four subscales of the PISQ (there are 3 exact p-values since there were significant discrepancies for 3 out of the 4 subscales. They are: Directive Behavior: p < .001, Praise and Understanding: p = .042 and Pressure: p = .025). Conclusions Perceptions of parental involvement between the parents and their children were not congruent. Similarly, the parents and their children perceive why an athlete participates in sport somewhat differently. If further explored, parent-athlete relations and interactions could be improved to facilitate optimal youth sport participation

It takes more than expertise, it takes the person: Reflections on sport psychology service delivery

Four service delivery methods were presented by four applied sport psychology consultants