Preparing for the Olympic Games: exploring a coach's beliefs and pedagogical practice

Citation

Macdonald S, Allen J & Chapman R (2024) Preparing for the Olympic Games: exploring a coach's beliefs and pedagogical practice. Cluster for Research into Coaching (6th International Conference), University of Northumbria, Newcastle, 14.06.2024-16.06.2024.

Abstract
First paragraph: As a complex relational process, coaching presents numerous challenges to coaches, often exacerbated in high performance sport where multiple stakeholders have multiple agendas. These complexities can be heightened further in the build up to a significant international event e.g., the Olympic Games. For many, performing at such events signals the pinnacle of an athletes’, and coaches’, international sporting career. Thus, the desire to optimise performance in a highly competitive context is ever present. As a hard-to-reach population, much remains to be understood about how elite coaches navigate the complexities and prepare athletes for a significant international event. Therefore, we sought to explore one coach’s pedagogical practice in the months prior to the Olympic Games and post-event.

Keywords
pedagogical practices; coach philosophy; coach development