Toward an holistic understanding of the coaching process

While it has been recognized that the coaching process is vulnerable to differing social pressures and constraints, the humanistic nature of the coaching process remains a little understood and under researched area. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to present a methodology that combines systematic observation and interpretive interview techniques to gain a thicker, deeper, and broader understanding of the instructional process within sport. Specifically, the multi-method framework presented herein concerns (a) identifying the instructional behaviors utilized by coaches within the practice environment, (b) generating an understanding of why coaches behave as they do within the practice environment, and (c) examining how their instructional strategies impact upon, and are understood by, their athletes in the coaching process. It is hoped that the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods suggested will make a significant contribution to the development of a greater understanding of the behaviors, actions, and motivations of the coaching practitioner within sport.