APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2020 , Vol . 6
Discussion Findings
This study aimed to discover the different stressors and coping mechanisms experienced by male football coaches during competition using Think Aloud . The main stressors experienced during competition related to performance , opposition , officiating , coach performance , player welfare and organisational stressors . The coping mechanisms exhibited fit into the three coping responses of problem-focused , emotion-focused and avoidancebased .
Performance-related stressors appear to be salient with the coaches within this study . Two primary themes , technical performance and performance tactics ( where coaches stressed over tactical decisions or individual player errors ), are in accordance with previous findings by Thelwell et al . ( 2010 ), who found that a football coach ’ s main stressor was linked to poor performances . The description of this stressor included performances with errors made by players , relating to technical performance . Similarly , Chroni et al . ( 2013 ) found that during competition player / athlete performance was one of the most prominent stressors . The implication of these results is that the player performance aspect of sport is a prominent stressor for coaches .
Another noticeable stressor was the opposition . This stressor related mainly to the opposition players , however , opposition actions and tactics also provided stress . The officiating of matches was a common finding both in the literature and this study ( Chroni et al ., 2013 ; Surujilal and Nguyen , 2011 ; Thelwell et al ., 2010 ). The decision-making of the referee played a critical role in formulating this stress . Surujilal and Nguyen ( 2011 ) describe this stressor as being a common occurrence and also having a high capacity to manipulate coaching outcomes , which can affect the coach ’ s position , giving reason to its sustained appearance in stressrelated studies on sport coaches .
The coach ’ s performance was a key stressor with lower-order themes such as attaining perfection , own coaching methods and sharing information . Chroni et al . ( 2013 ) and Potts et al . ( 2019 ) both unearthed comparable outcomes to these findings . What can be concluded from this is that the coach may consistently stress over their own performance both in and out of competition . Player welfare was an additional higher-order theme , which is supported by the literature ( Potts et al ., 2019 ; Chroni et al . 2013 ). Potts et al ., ( 2019 ) displayed this primary theme in their study , where full-time paid coaches stressed over player injury . What this demonstrates is that player injuries can be labelled as a consistent stressor for coaches whether it is in or out of competition .
The final main stressor was organisationalrelated . Three lower-order themes came about , including dishonesty from other coaches , organisation / disorganisation and the coach performing officiating duties . Potts et al . ( 2019 ) provides support for the first two lower-order themes , conversely , the last finding has not been documented in previous studies , to the author ’ s knowledge . This adds to the literature in the area as the coach ’ s stressors come about from the demand to do other duties . This stressor could appear due to the coach ’ s concentration being taken away from the match .
How the coaches managed these stressors is displayed in a variety of coping mechanisms , which were separated into problem-focused , emotionfocused and avoidance coping categories . Problemfocused coping was a key strategy of coping , with planning being its main form . This supported findings by Olusoga et al . ( 2010 ). This would regularly be carried out by consulting with another colleague / coach . This also matched the findings of Surujilal and Nguyen ( 2011 ), who suggested that talking with colleagues assisted with coping . Technical correction was also displayed to be a reoccurring coping mechanism . This was achieved usually in the form of direct instruction . As far as the author is aware , this last finding has not been cited previously , adding to the literature . In more simple terms , coaches shout onto the pitch to tell players what to do technically , in order to cope with stressors brought about from competition .
Emotion-focused coping was employed regularly , with positive talk being a prominent form of managing stress . The coach would give positive words to other coaches or players . Venting emotions was also key in coping throughout the study . Thelwell et al . ( 2010 ) found that emotion-focused coping was applied in relation to performances . The coach would show frustration by shouting at players . However , the literature also suggests that psychological skills are often used as a means to control emotions ( Olusoga et al ., 2014 ; Levy et al ., 2009 ; Thelwell et al .,
27