Coaching effectiveness and coach–athlete relationship model offers possibilities solution for competitive anxiety of young athletes

Abstract

Background: Coaching effectiveness leads to successful athletes, including athlete’s development and performance, positive psychological progress and athlete outcomes. The coach–athlete relationship referred to all the conditions where the feelings, thoughts and behaviours of coach and athlete are mutually and casually related to each other. While, anxiety is an experience of an unpleasant athlete’s psychological and physiological feeling. However, the existing literature on the influence of coaching effectiveness and the coach–athlete relationship does not investigate specifically competitive anxiety. Aims and Objectives: This current study aims to investigated athletes’ perception of coaching effectiveness, coach–athletes’ relationship and competitive anxiety experience of the athletes. Methods: One hundred and fifty-two (n = 152) athletes from various team sports completed a questionnaire pack assessing the study variables. The coaching effectiveness scale, coach–athlete relationship questionnaire and competitive state anxiety inventory-2 were used as an instrument for this study. Results: Results revealed that there were significant correlations between all the factors of coaching effectiveness and all the factors of the coach–athlete relationship. However, the anxiety assessment indicated a positive, negative significant correlation with the factors of coaching effectiveness and factors of the coach–athlete relationship. Further, there were no significant differences among all the factors of coaching effectiveness between genders except ‘technique effectiveness’. Next, there were no significant differences in the coach–athlete relationship between genders except for ‘commitment’. However, results revealed that there were significant differences in anxiety assessment except ‘cognitive anxiety’ between genders. Conclusion: The competitive anxiety experience of athletes the performance of the athletes is based on how effective their coaches to influence the athletes and how they work together. Thus, do coaching effectiveness and coach–athlete relationship stand out as the fundamental factors in issues of athlete’s anxiety? It might be yes as the effectiveness of the coach and relationship with the athletes is the main causes that determine the enthusiasm of a team and the athlete’s confidence.