Analysis of sport psychological coaching assets and requirements in Northern Bavaria

The present paper addresses two topics: (1) It compares the results of Gabler, Janssen, and Nitsch's (1990) study on the application of sport psychological measures with the results of a survey in northern Bavaria 15 years later to gain information on developments to date. (2) It reports the results of a questionnaire study on the availability of and demand for sport psychological measures carried out with athletes and trainers from various types of sports who belong to the German federal sports squad at the Bundesleistungszentrum (German federal performance center) in Furth, Northern Bavaria, Germany (N-Athletes = 115, N-Trainers = 18). Results of both studies revealed that sport psychological training tends to be used only rarely, a situation which was generally attributed to a lack of personnel and insufficient funding. Athletes in particular lacked the specific knowledge required for this field. Furthermore, the results also indicated a great deal of interest in sport psychological measures as well as in their future application in both training and competitive situations.