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In an ever-evolving society, sport coaches are presented with a number of avenues through which they can acquire and refine their coaching knowledge. The purpose of this research was to replicate and extend past research to gain an up-to-date understanding of how coaches are presently gaining knowledge. This was done through a constructive replication using a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. Study 1 included 798 coaches who completed an online questionnaire detailing their use of 16 sources of coaching knowledge. Coaches’ top three most used sources were interacting with coaches, learning by doing, and observing others. In contrast, the top three most preferred sources were observing others, interacting with coaches, and having a mentor. To contextualize these findings, Study 2 used a qualitative design in which 14 coaches were interviewed to understand their experiences with different knowledge sources. Five distinct narrative types were identified: recent elite athletes, parent coaches, coach developers, teacher coaches, and experienced coaches. Coaches reported engaging in more social and unstructured learning experiences, and the reasons for their preferences appeared to differ based on lifestyle and perceived barriers. Collectively, these findings highlight how coaches gain knowledge and why they prefer certain sources over others.

Understanding the context of children's schoolyard activity can inform approaches by which to increase physical activity participation. Two major approaches exist for assessing this context- based on location or activity type. Location-based methods (e.g., Global Positioning Systems) may miss variations in activity type if children participate in multiple types of activities in each location (e.g., children engage in something other than playing with sand in a sandbox). Activity-type based methods for contextualizing activity (e.g., Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children, OSRAC) capture activity type, but not location, and children might participate in the same type(s) of activities in multiple schoolyard locations. The purpose of this study was to compare location- vs activity type-based approaches to characterizing children's schoolyard behavior. Preschoolers' (N = 50) schoolyard location and activity type (based on OSRAC) were video-coded and matched with physical activity monitor data (counts/s) for 1 outdoor period (~43 min). The results showed that multiple activities occurred within each location (median = 5), but the predominant activity typically matched the expected activity type (e.g., 66.9% fixed equipment play in the fixed equipment location). Children spent the majority of their time in open space (type or location; 37.6%–48.9%), but there were differences in the setting that promoted the most physical activity (teacher arranged type, but fixed equipment location). Activity types elicited varying physical activity levels depending on location (e.g., open space activities in open spaces vs on paths: 40.9 vs 60.7 counts/s). Activity type- and location-based approaches provide some similar, but potentially additive information about schoolyard behavior, which is an important methodological consideration for future studies.

Context Female patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are less likely to return to sport than males. Psychological readiness predicts successful return to sport, but it is unclear if psychological experiences differ between males and females during recovery. Objective To explore gender differences in psychological readiness factors of return to sport after ACLR. Design Qualitative study. Setting Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants A total of 12 male (months since surgery = 6.2 ± 1.2) and 13 female (months since surgery = 6.4 ± 1.3) high school athletes with a history of ACLR. Data Collection and Analysis Participants were interviewed before physician clearance to return to activity. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using deductive thematic coding of 5 themes identified from previous research (psychological distress, self-efficacy, locus of control, athletic identity, and fear of reinjury) and inductive secondary subthematic coding. Gender comparisons were generated within primary themes and secondary subthemes. Results All deductive themes were consistently reinforced. Male and female participants reported fear of movement, loss of athletic identity, and motivational mindsets for return to sport and self-improvement. Males reported a stronger sense of internal locus of control using positive internal reinforcement, whereas females described balancing internal and external control and valuing external support systems. Male participants described mood changes influenced by physical and social limitations. Female participants closely monitored their emotions throughout recovery and were influenced by rehabilitation fluctuations. Conclusions Male and female high school athletes described different psychological factors related to return to sport and locus of control as well as psychological distress. Gender-specific psychological interventions may be warranted to overcome psychological barriers after ACLR.

COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge for the youth sport sector. Due to public health policies designed to slow down the transmission of this highly infectious disease and mitigate secondary impacts, youth sport programs around the world have experienced sudden interruptions to their activities. In this commentary, we put forward the Personal Assets Framework as a tool to explore the potential implications of COVID-19 on youth sport development. Adaptations to the dynamic elements of the sport experience, including personal engagement in activities (i.e. virtual coaching; developmental trajectories), quality social dynamics (i.e. athlete relationships; health and well-being), and appropriate settings and organizational structures (i.e. social-cultural factors; safety concerns), are explored. This article will also discuss the potential consequences of changes in these dynamic elements on immediate, short-, and long-term developmental outcomes. Finally, we offer contextual, methodological, and practical considerations for researchers and practitioners operating in youth sport to consider during this crisis.

The purpose of this study was to examine if a positive youth development (PYD) coach education course would (i) result in more positive developmental experiences perceived by athletes of participant coaches and (ii) increase the frequency of PYD-oriented behaviors exhibited by participant coaches. A total of 14 coaches and 270 athletes participated in the study. Eight coaches ( Mage = 38.0 years) overseeing 154 athletes ( Mage = 13.8 years) were in the control group, while six coaches ( Mage = 36.7 years) overseeing 116 athletes ( Mage = 13.9 years) were in the experimental group. The 10-week intervention combined a group-based PYD coach education course with individualized coach meetings. Seven practices per coach were observed and recorded at baseline ( n = 2), intervention ( n = 3), and follow-up ( n = 2). Athletes completed measures of coach-athlete relationships and sport experiences at the three time points. Results of the 2 × 3 (group × time) mixed ANOVAs demonstrated that coaches in the intervention group increased the frequency of their PYD-oriented behaviors during the intervention but returned to levels slightly above baseline at follow-up. Coaches in the control group did not change their behaviors over the same period. Athlete reports of their developmental experiences were high at all time points and did not change over time. Findings suggest PYD coach education has the potential to influence coach behavior, but further research is required to determine how to create sustained changes for coaches and increases in athletes’ perceived positive developmental experiences.

Insufficient physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle are major contributors to health risks for Canadian youth. Adolescents, particularly girls, tend to experience major drop-offs in physical activity levels during high school. However, there is minimal research examining the extent to which Physical and Health Education (PHE) courses promote physical activity and mitigate against this decline. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the purpose of this quantitative short-term longitudinal study is two-pronged: (a) examine the effectiveness of Grade 9 PHE for 197 students’ reports of TPB constructs, physical activity intentions, and physical activity behaviour; and (b) explore the utility of TPB in predicting physical activity intentions and behaviour. For the first set of research questions, results were analyzed using 2 (time: Time Point 1 [T1], Time Point 2 [T2]) x 2 (condition: in PHE/not in PHE) x 2 (TPB status: higher or lower than the mean) MANCOVAs with boys and girls examined separately. There was no effect of PHE over time. There was no interaction among time, condition, and TPB status. There was a significant effect of condition for girls in PHE, with Attitude and Physical Activity Behaviour higher at both time points. For the second set of research questions, results were analyzed using multiple linear regressions to examine TPB in a Grade 9 setting. Findings provided support for the theoretical structure of the TPB in a Grade 9 context, with the three TPB constructs accounting for a minimum of 59% of Intentions, and a minimum of 25% of Behaviour for boys and girls. Attitude was the strongest independent predictor of Intentions with Intentions and Attitude the strongest predictors of Behaviour. PHE teachers should potentially focus attention on changing attitudes for this age group, given the importance of this construct.

The examination of youth sport specialization and athlete participation pathways have been sustained lines of inquiry among multiple branches of the sport sciences. The common consensus in scholarl...

North American junior ice hockey is well known for its long-standing practice of housing players with billet families as they pursue aspirations of elite careers. However, little is known regarding...

ContextPrevious researchers have identified sport specialization as being associated with various negative outcomes (eg, overuse injuries and adverse psychosocial outcomes). However, little is known regarding how the underlying attitudes, beliefs, and values of sport stakeholders may be shaping this trend.ObjectiveTo examine the perceptions of coaches in the high school versus club sport setting and compare their attitudes and behaviors toward sport specialization.DesignCross-sectional survey.Patients or Other ParticipantsA total of 769 coaches (497 high school coaches, 272 club sport coaches).Main Outcome Measure(s)Participants completed a novel measure that surveyed their perceptions regarding various aspects of youth sport specialization. Additionally, each coach completed a questionnaire detailing his or her relevant demographic and sport background information.ResultsHigh school coaches and club sport coaches differed in their perceptions of sport specialization (t767 = 1.41, P < .001); club coaches (2.43 ± 0.25) were more likely than high school coaches (2.31 ± 0.21) to rate specialization as a positive, adaptive practice. The multiple linear regression equations for both the high school and club coaches indicated that no educational, experiential, or demographic factors predicted coaches' perceptions of specialization (P values > .05).ConclusionsClub sport coaches were more likely to possess attitudes in favor of sport specialization. Additionally, coaches' background characteristics did not predict their perceptions of specialization, suggesting that the competitive context itself (high school versus club) may be the most salient influencer of these perceptions. Athletes and sports medicine practitioners should be aware of the heightened expectation of specialized participation and resulting increased injury risk in these contexts. Pediatric sport researchers and practitioners should continue to explore how these different group perceptions manifest in participation behaviors and may link to overall athlete health, wellbeing, and development.

Youth sport research has expanded considerably since the founding of the Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports in 1978. This research has resulted in meaningful advancements in knowledge and proved enormously valuable in both safeguarding athlete well-being and fostering positive sport experiences. There are still knowledge gaps in the scholarly literature that have important implications for youth sport participants and programs. Hopefully, the quantity and quality of the scholarly literature on youth sport will continue to expand in response to broader societal changes and scientific advances. This paper addresses the future of youth sport scholarship, focusing on 3 selected areas of promise. The first pertains to positive youth development work, including efforts tied to fostering economic opportunity among young people. The second pertains to youth sport as a domain for addressing public health, an emerging area with respect to physical activity promotion, injury surveillance, physical well-being, and mental health. Finally, the paper addresses implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for youth sport and how this might shape scholarship over the coming decades. Pursuing these areas of research while attending to important opportunities for and challenges to the promotion of developmentally appropriate youth sport experiences is expected to meaningfully contribute to knowledge and, ultimately, the well-being of young athletes.

Sport has the potential to serve as a context in which youth can develop as players and people. Positive youth development (PYD) through sport is a prevalent strength-based approach that ai...

Competitive experiences have the potential to empower youth. Understanding the conditions under which young people can grow through competition is necessary to identify how competitive experiences can optimally support youth as engaged participants and people. This paper serves as a novel integration of previous research aimed toward practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to provide adult (and youth) leaders with empirically-based, practically meaningful guidance to integrate practices that support competitive readiness for youth development. To clarify the youth competitive readiness debate, this paper adopts a process-oriented, developmental perspective. We first define and provide background on youth development. Second, we put forth guiding postulates and their application to practice for organized competitive experiences for positive youth development promotion. We argue that youth are “ready” to compete not just when they can survive competitive experiences, but thrive through them. Interactions between individual, contextual, and developmental factors over time influence fluctuations in a young person’s state of competitive readiness. In this way, competitive readiness is an ongoing process that encompasses the individual needs of the child in relation to the environment.

Positive youth development is one of the primary goals of high school sport participation, yet the process of how youth transfer life skills from sport to other life domains is in need of greater e...

This study’s purpose is to present facilitators and barriers for wakeful prone positioning or “tummy time” during infancy by exploring the personal perspectives of infant caregivers attempting to provide daily tummy time. The study was qualitative in design, using thematic analysis to identify major and minor themes from semi-structured interviews. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behavior Model provided a conceptual framework for the interview guide and categorization of major themes. Within capability, opportunity, and motivation, the major themes of self-efficacy, scheduling, variations, siblings, committed adult help, social responses of acquaintances, and caregiver enjoyment could be barriers or facilitators, depending on the context. Optimized physical circumstances, caregiver interest, perceived benefits to the infant, pride and accomplishment, and obligation were identified as facilitators only. Barriers included negative infant affect. These results offer preliminary guidance in a knowledge gap: tummy time support that addresses the self-identified concerns of infant caregivers.

This chapter is theoretically guided by Rubin’s model of peer relations (2006), which is used to highlight the role of youth development and its association with group dynamics in sport and young people’s developmental experiences and outcomes. Rubin’s Model conceptualizes processes and effects of peer relations at several nested levels of complexity: interactions, relationships, and groups. This chapter is organized according to the differing orders of complexity (interactions, relationships, groups) to examine the ways in which children’s development influences group processes as well as how the formation of those group processes influence children’s experiences and developmental outcomes within the context of youth sport. Future research directions are provided to conclude the chapter.

Youth development programs, such as Boy Scouts of America, and other out-of-school time programs (e.g., sport), may represent important ecological assets in the lives of youth. Participation in such programs has been linked to indicators of positive youth development, including character virtues. Nuanced relationships exist, however, between involvement in specific sets of out-of-school time programs and indicators of positive youth development. The present study examined character virtues of youth (N = 667) who participated in Boy Scouts of America and in other out-of-school time programs (e.g., sport, band/music, or faith-based activities). Scouts participated in an average of two other out-of-school time programs. There was relatively limited variability, however, in the intensity of out-of-school time program participation. Sport was the other out-of-school time program most frequently engaged in by Scouts. In general, character virtues did not vary in relation to participation breadth or intensity. L...

Objectives Given the salience and popularity of interscholastic athletics, whether high school sport serves as a site for inclusive, empowering experiences for youth participants has significant implications. This study examined how U.S. high school athletic directors think about and navigate (i.e., praxis) broader social issues in their work with student-athletes and coaches to promote youth development. Design A cultural praxis framework informed qualitative study design consisting of semi-structured interviews with 16 athletic directors from various high school community contexts within one Midwestern state. Method Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with high school athletic directors employed a semantic (explicit, surface level) and latent (implicit, interpretative) focus (Braun & Clarke, 2019; Braun, Clarke, & Weate, 2016). Results Semantic analyses indicated that athletic directors used various strategies to navigate matters that arose in their work with student-athletes and coaches. Relevant issues were contextually situated and emerged as (in)congruent with their context. Latent analyses shed light on assumptions that ADs made about student-athlete development and demonstrated that sport leaders' critical praxis varied along a continuum. Conclusion Future research is needed to more systematically examine how athletic directors engage in a (critical) praxis; student-athletes’ perspectives on the relevance of certain social issues and efficacy of administrators' praxis; and, developmental initiatives to empower youth and adult leaders in athletics.

Objectives Motorsport is among the largest sports nationally and globally (Ross, Ridinger, & Cuneen, 2009), and racecar driving constitutes a leading motorsport (Pflugfelder, 2009). Missing, however, is empirical work that captures professional female racecar drivers' agentic experiences (Pflugfelder, 2009). In that racecar driving is one of few sports in which women compete alongside men, insight into how women drivers navigate this performance arena can offer a unique perspective on contemporary gender dynamics. Design Qualitative study design informed by a cultural praxis agenda consisted of semi-structured interviews with 8 current or former professional female racecar drivers. Method This study adopted an abductive (inductive and deductive) approach (Sparks & Smith, 2014). Inductive analysis allowed researchers to capture women's diverse agentic experiences. Deductive analysis using cultural praxis and gender (poststructural) perspectives offered a more nuanced understanding of women's agentic experiences and their potential (dis)empowering effects. Results Results highlights four key themes: (1) entry into racecar driving: family and fatherly influence; (2) marginalizing beliefs, behaviors, and industry barriers; (3) navigating the space: negotiating gender and its (dis)empowering effects; and (4) promoting girls and women in autoracing. Results reveal various dimensions of sexism and sportswomen's agentic experiences. Conclusion Researchers can heed women drivers' call for knowledge translation efforts that attend to their unique needs and strengths, and disseminate empirical findings in accessible ways. Future research that takes up a cultural praxis agenda is vital to contest constraining gender binaries and deficit-based discourses about women athletes for the promotion of gender equity in motorsport.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to gain student-athlete perceptions of: (1) the definition of leadership for high school student-athletes; (2) the process of leadership development in high school sport; and (3) the factors that have helped or hindered leadership transfer between high school sport and other life domains.\ud \ud Design: This study was grounded in an interpretivist ontological perspective and used focus group interviews to gather insights of student-athletes’ leadership experiences.\ud \ud Method: Purposeful sampling identified 33 high-school student-athlete leaders who were members of student advisory councils for high school state athletic associations in the United States. The 15 females and 18 males participated in focus-group interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data was then conducted.\ud \ud Results: Results revealed that student-athlete leadership was viewed as a skill-set and a mindset, driven by individual agency. As an on-going developmental process, student-athletes gained awareness of leadership skills, increased self-expectations and self-confidence in their use and application of leadership skills, and developed a transformational leadership mindset, as they encountered and engaged with critical learning opportunities in high school sport and gained support from coaches and peers. Leadership application outside of sport was a multidimensional psychological process, including both conscious and implicit elements, and facilitated or constrained by environmental opportunities and social influences.\ud \ud Conclusions: High school sport offers a unique context where self-agentic youth leadership development in sport and life can occur through experiential learning opportunities. To this point, future research directions and recommendations for practitioners will be provided.

The importance of coaches' interactive behaviour with respect to athlete development has long been recognized. While a number of observational coding systems exist to record the instructional content of coaches' interactive behaviour, none is designed to explicitly capture the intervention tone of these interactions – ‘how’ coaches say what they say. The current project entailed the development of a new behavioural coding system designed to focus on the intervention tone of youth sport coaches' interactive behaviour. Behaviour categories were developed through an iterative combination of literature review and observation of recorded youth sport coaching sessions. A coder training protocol was developed and refined until coders consistently met a minimum standard of agreement with respect to both inter- and intra-rater reliability. The full coding system was then initially validated across six different team and individual youth sports in multiple contexts over a one year period.

Background Recent research has investigated developmentof coaching knowledge; however, less research hasinvestigated the development of coaches who coachathletes with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of thisstudy was to understand how coaches of athletes withintellectual disabilities gain their knowledge.Method Forty-five Special Olympics Canada coachesparticipated in structured telephone interviewsinvestigating actual and ideal sources of coachingknowledge. Coaching knowledge was categorized acrossthe dimensions of competition, organization and training.Results Coaches primarily learned by doing and byconsulting with coaching peers. Information about idealsources of coaching knowledge demonstrates thatcoaches would value structured coaching courses,learning from mentors and from administrativesupport, in addition to learning on their own and frompeers.Discussion Results suggest that a broader approach toeducation should be incorporated into coaching athleteswith intellectual disabilities. Recommendations forachieving such goals are provided.Keywords: coach development, coaching, knowledge,Special Olympics, sport, training

BACKGROUND: Understanding how behaviour change techniques (BCTs) operate in practice requires a method for characterizing the reciprocal, dynamic, and real-time nature of behavioural support interactions between practitioners and clients. State space grids (SSGs) are an observational, dynamic systems methodology used to map the trajectory of dyadic interactions in real time. By mapping the flow of events in terms of practitioner and client actions, SSGs are potentially well suited to characterize behavioural support sessions. PURPOSE: To develop reliable methods and examine the feasibility of using the SSG methodology for characterizing practitioners' delivery of and clients' response to BCTs in smoking cessation behavioural support sessions. METHODS: Smoking cessation behavioural support sessions were video-recorded and transcribed verbatim (n = 6 recordings; 2,916 statements). All speech was coded independently by two researchers for content and duration using published frameworks for specifying practitioner-delivered and client-received BCTs in smoking cessation interactions. Inter-rater reliability was assessed. Indices of practitioner-client interaction dynamics were derived: (1) reciprocity (i.e., attractor states, content congruence, conditional pairing) and (2) temporal patterning (i.e., variability, inter-grid distance, combinatory micro-patterning, sessional macropatterning). The extent to which indices can describe differences between sessions involving different practitioners and clients was examined. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability was moderate at 72% agreement. Indices of reciprocity and temporal patterning characterized differences between sessions involving different practitioners and clients. CONCLUSIONS: State space grids provide a method for characterizing the complexity and variability of practitioner-delivered and client-received BCTs in behavioural support sessions. This method has potential to add explanatory value to smoking cessation intervention outcomes. Statement of Contribution What is already known on this subject? Frameworks exist for characterizing practitioner-delivered and client-received behaviour change techniques (BCTs). Methods are still needed to investigate which BCTs are effective under what conditions. State space grids (SSGs) are a dynamic systems method that may better characterize behavioural support interactions. What does this study add? First reliable, dynamic systems, SSG coding procedures, methods, and measures to characterize behavioural support. A method for examining reciprocality and temporal patterning of BCT delivery and receipt. Establishes a dynamic systems method that adds explanatory value to the outcomes of interventions.

Objectives Though popular views often treat athletics as separate from politics, sport is becoming an increasingly multicultural, socially active context. This reality prompts consideration of what place broader social issues have in youth development through sport. This study serves as an initial exploration of high school sport head coaches’ critical praxis. Design Qualitative study design, informed by a cultural praxis agenda, consisted of semi-structured interviews with 12 head sport coaches from one, suburban and Midwestern, high school community context. Method Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with coaches involved semantic (surface level) and latent (interpretative) coding (Braun & Clarke, 2019; Braun, Clarke, & Weate, 2016). Results Results highlight three key findings. First, coaches use various strategies to navigate social issues that arise in their work with student-athletes. Second, relevant issues are contextually situated and sport culture specific. Third, latent analyses capture and challenge assumptions that coaches made about coach effectiveness and athlete development and offer preliminary evidence to suggest that coaches’ critical praxis (i.e., awareness and action) varies along a continuum. Conclusion Future research is necessary to more systematically examine how coaches in varied contexts adopt a critical praxis to inform extant coaching approaches that can help coaches engage in a praxis that empowers all student-athletes.

Objective Models of sport development often support the assumption that young athletes' psychosocial experiences differ as a result of seemingly minor variations in how their sport activities are designed (eg, participating in team or individual sport; sampling many sports or specialising at an early age). This review was conducted to systematically search sport literature and explore how the design of sport activities relates to psychosocial outcomes. Design Systematic search, followed by data extraction and synthesis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied and a coding sheet was used to extract article information and code for risk of bias. Data sources Academic databases and manual search of peer-reviewed journals. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Search criteria determined eligibility primarily based on the sample (eg, ages 7 through 17 years) and study design (eg, measured psychosocial constructs). Results 35 studies were located and were classified within three categories: (1) sport types, (2) sport settings, and (3) individual patterns of sport involvement. These studies represented a wide range of scores when assessed for risk of bias and involved an array of psychosocial constructs, with the most prevalent investigations predicting outcomes such as youth development, self-esteem and depression by comparing (1) team or individual sport participants and (2) youth with varying amounts of sport involvement. Summary/conclusion As variations in sport activities impact youth sport experiences, it is vital for researchers to carefully describe and study these factors, while practitioners may use the current findings when designing youth sport programmes.

Although previous studies indicate that peer interactions represent an important component of the youth sport experience, studies examining peer interactions in the sport context are limited. Furthermore, the methodological tools commonly used to investigate peer interactions have restricted researchers’ understandings of the complex, reciprocal nature of these experiences. This paper outlines the potential contribution of a novel dynamic systems-based methodology, the state space grid method (SSG; Lewis, Lamey, & Douglas, 1999 ), to the study of peer interactions in sport. Concrete recommendations to guide the practical application of the SSG method to future peer research in youth sport are presented.

Athlete-driven informal sport play represents an important context for athlete development. However, in contrast to coach-driven organized sport, little is known about the interpersonal processes driving development in this context. The present study was an exploratory descriptive analysis of the interactive peer behaviors occurring in an informal sport play setting and their relationship to athlete psychological characteristics. Thirty young athletes (

This chapter presents an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of positive youth development (PYD) and how this approach can be beneficially applied to research on sport contexts. Therefore, it describes one model of PYD and presents the metatheoretical assumptions that guide the application of this model to both research and practice. In particular, the chapter focuses on the ways in which this approach can contribute to the promotion of PYD through sport, with sport representing one portion of a complex, interrelated system of contexts in which youth engage. In understanding the Five Cs model with respect to youth sport participation, several considerations arise. The Relational developmental systems (RDS) metatheoretical perspective is based on the understanding that all elements of a system are fused and should be examined in relation to each other, whereas reductionist perspectives view a whole as being made up of separate parts.

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare the coach–athlete interaction structures of two competitive youth synchronized swimming teams differentiated on the basis of level of success. Design This comparison was a pilot test of the state space grid (SSG) observational methodology ( Hollenstein, 2007 ) in sport settings. Method Two teams (two head coaches and 17 athletes in total) were observed over five training sessions. Coach and athlete behaviour was coded continuously for the duration of each training session. Measures of coach–athlete interaction were derived from these coded behaviours and compared between teams. Results Results revealed significant differences between the teams on measures of interaction variability, behavioural content patterns, and the sequencing of coach behaviours. The more successful team was characterized by less variable, more patterned interactions between coaches and athletes. The sequencing of coach behaviours for the more successful team emphasized the pairing of technical correction and positive reinforcement. Conclusions The findings suggest that positive environments characterized by a deliberate pattern of coach–athlete interaction may be associated with youth sport settings producing more satisfied and successful athletes. These results support the utility of SSGs for the analysis of interpersonal interactions in sport and highlight the unique insights made available through use of this methodology.

Background and purpose A number of models have been proposed to help explain how athletes develop in sport. However, minimal research has attempted to examine the prominence and interconnectivity of the athlete development models in the literature. The purpose of the present study was to synthesize and evaluate the interconnectedness of the English-language literature that serve as the foundation for athlete developmental models in sport using a novel research synthesis approach to sport psychology –citation network analysis. Unlike other research synthesis techniques, citation network analysis reveals the cognitive structure and interconnectedness of a field of study [Moore, S., Shiell, P., Hawe, P., & Haines, V.A. (2005). The privileging of communicatarian ideas: citation practices and the translation of social capital into public health research. American Journal of Public Health, 95 , 1330–1337.]. Methods Based upon seven criteria, seven articles representing models of athlete development in sport were selected as the base of the article population. All peer-reviewed, English journal articles that cite at least one of these seven model articles were compiled, resulting in a total population of 75 articles. From this article population a network of inter-citations was created. Results and conclusions Analysis of the total network revealed the presence of two separate factions working in relative isolation from one another. Articles in the first faction were centered around the Stambulova [(1994). Developmental sports career investigations in Russia: a post-perestroika analysis. The Sport Psychologist, 8 , 221–237.] and Wylleman, Alfermann, and Lavallee [(2004). Career transitions in sport: European perspectives. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5 , 7–20.] model articles while the second faction contained five other model articles [Abbott, A., & Collins, D. (2004). Eliminating the dichotomy between theory and practice in talent identification and development: considering the role of psychology. Journal of Sport Sciences, 22 , 395–408; Bailey, R., & Morley, D. (2006). Towards a model of talent development in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 11, 211–230; Cote, J. (1999). The influence of the family in the development of talent in sport. The Sport Psychologist, 13, 395-417; Durand-Bush, N. & Salmela, J. H. (2002). The development and maintenance of expert athletic performance: perceptions of world and olympic champions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14, 154–171; Morgan, T. & Giacobbi, P. R., Jr. (2006). Toward two grounded theories of the talent development and social support process of highly successful collegiate athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 20 , 295–313.)]. The results offer a comprehensive representation of how researchers use existing models and articles to unravel the complexity of athlete development in sport.

Reviews of the sport psychology literature have identified a number of models of athlete development in sport (Alfermann & Stambulova, 2007; Durand-Bush &Salmela, 2001). However, minimal research has investigated the origins of knowledge from which each model was developed. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the influential texts responsible for providing the basis of athlete development models in sport. A citation path analysis of the sport psychology literature was used to generate a knowledge development path of seven athlete development models in sport. The analysis identified influential texts and authors in the conceptualization of athlete development. The popula-tion of 229 texts (articles, books, book chapters) was selected in two phases. Phase1 texts were articles citing seven articles depicting models of athlete development(n  75). Phase 2 included texts cited three or more times by Phase 1 articles (n  154). The analysis revealed how the scholarship of Benjamin Bloom (1985) has been integrated into the field of sport psychology, and how two articles appearing in 1993 and 2003 helped shape present conceptualizations of athlete development

Objectives Coaches are a primary influence on athletes' development in youth sport (Horn, 2008). However, the intervention tone of coaches' behaviour has not been directly observed. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between the intervention tone exhibited by youth sport coaches and athletes' individual developmental trajectories over the course of a season. Design Short-term longitudinal study with behavioural observation. Method Fifty-five athletes and their coaches from five youth volleyball teams were observed at three time points, and the intervention tone of interactive behaviour was systematically coded and organized by coach–athlete dyad. Athletes completed measures of the 4C's of athlete development (competence, confidence, connection, character) at each time point, which were used to create individualized developmental trajectories. Person-centred analyses were used to examine associations between athletes' developmental trajectories and their unique interactive experiences with their coach. Results Cluster analysis revealed the presence of three distinct clusters based on athletes' developmental trajectories: 1) high and increasing, 2) low and decreasing, and 3) moderate and maintaining, with athletes from each team distributed across clusters. Analysis of dyadic interaction profiles revealed significant differences in interactive behaviour between clusters. Conclusions Results suggest that differences in coach–athlete interactive experiences are associated with different developmental trajectories over the course of a season, even for athletes working with the same coach, highlighting the individualized nature of coaches' influence on young athletes. Practical implications for coaches include a critical awareness of their unique interactive relationship with each athlete independently, as well as the importance of fostering these relationships with regard to young people as more than just athletes.

Although research in the area of immigrants and their physical activity patterns has been steadily growing, there is still much to learn. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers, facilitators and motivators facing recent Canadian immigrants as they relate to involvement in coaching youth sport. The quantitative information presented in the first article of this series served as a framework for conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews with 28 immigrant youth-sport coaches. Results of these interviews support the notion that there are two distinct groups of immigrant coaches - the ‘leisure-oriented coach’ (those without coaching occupational aspirations) and the ‘career-oriented coach’ (those with coaching occupational pursuits). Despite sharing several of the same barriers, facilitators and motivators, each group showed marked divergence from the other on a number of aspects in each of these three categories.

What experiences are needed to become a high-performance coach? The present study addressed this question through structured retrospective quantitative interviews with 10 team- and 9 individual-sport coaches at the Canadian interuniversity-sport level. Minimum amounts of certain experiences were deemed necessary but not sufficient to become a high-performance coach (e.g., playing the sport they now coach and interaction with a mentor coach for all coaches, leadership opportunities as athletes for team-sport coaches only). Although coaches reported varying amounts of these necessary experiences, general stages of high-performance coach development were traced. Findings serve to identify and support potential high-performance coaches and increase the effectiveness of formal coaching-education programs.

This chapter is devoted to discussion of a the sport activity of particular relevance to the sampling years and sport expertise development, deliberate play. Specialization in one sport and intense investment in sport-specific practice is, without any doubt, a prerequisite for the attainment of expertise. The restricted number of available spots on professional and national teams limits the odds of competing at an elite level of performance in sport, even for young athletes who are investing in sport at an early age. The developmental model of sport participation suggests a progression in sport for both expert and recreational athletes that is based on a diversity of sport experiences during childhood. When diversity precedes specialization in sport, it creates conditions that impact the commitment of the young athlete to later invest in sport. The chapter presents the developmental account of sport expertise, with particular focus on the early stages of athlete development during childhood.

Most young people in the U.S. participate in some form of structured movement activity, such as sports or dance, and these activities have the potential to support positive youth development and continued engagement in healthy activity. In this chapter, we discuss the potential benefits and risks associated with youth participation in movement activities, potential barriers and facilitators to activity participation across diverse contexts, and ways to promote sustained participation. This chapter emphasizes that development takes place within an integrated system involving youth, their social relationships, and the multiple activities in which they participate. We examine how three key elements (positive sustained youth-adult relationships, life skill development, and opportunities for leadership) can be used to help movement-based programs promote positive youth development. In particular, we recommend that programs and policy makers should work collaboratively to provide developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant activities for young people that incorporate these three key elements, in order to better support positive youth development and healthy lifestyles.