Athlete-centred coaching

Sport matters to individuals, teams, communities and universities, and beyond these more obvious categories to influence national cultures. While it is critical to examine through research the influences of sport through such aspects of society such as ecology, spirituality, ethics, democracy-in-action and social justice issues across lifestyles and alternative cultures, it is also important to consider the individual development of the athlete in light of these broader notions. To do this, we argue that the pedagogies chosen are a powerful way to influence athletes’ development and sense of themselves as they develop and evolve. The purpose of this chapter is to explore and extend the possibilities of an athlete-centred coaching approach that promotes an educative and holistic process for athletes’ sporting experiences. First, we will outline the sporting experience (i.e., sport as a form of play, the athletes and coach). Second, we will present major aspects to consider in an athlete-centred approach, such as pedagogical principles, democracy in action and the integration of life skills that extend this approach. Finally, we present an Athlete-Centred Coach model and offer our reflections and thinking about this holistic and process-oriented approach to athletes’ development and sense of themselves.