Athletes' perceptions of coaching competency and team conflict in sport teams: A multilevel analysis

Exploring a holistic training program on tactical behavior and psychological components of elite soccer players throughout competition season: a pilot study

This study aimed to assess the effects of a training program, considering an ecological/holistic perspective, on both tactical behavior (i.e., principles of play; PP) and psychological aspects (i.e., emotional, and cognitive components) in elite soccer teams consisting of players from the U23 and U21 age groups. The participants were 46 players from the under U-23 and U-21 teams from the same club and the first division of Argentina. A quasi-experimental design was examined after five weeks of intervention through integrated training tasks, where psychological factors were used for the development of the tactical principles of the game. Two evaluations of the improvement of game principles were performed before and after the intervention. The results showed significant changes and differences in both teams concerning the PP during the post-intervention period. Specifically, the results show significant group-by-time interactions with an increase in the percentage of tactical actions and behaviors performed during the competitions in two game principles analyzed in both teams. There were significant in the group-by-time interactions for PP 3 (i.e., the first option to pass forward; p ≤ 0.001, F = 58.96, ηp2 = 0.88) and also, significant changes were in PP 4 (i.e., immediate pressure when losing the ball) through the main effect of time (p ≤ 0.001, F = 105.41, ηp2 = 0.93) and group by time interactions (p = 0.002, F = 20.08, ηp2 = 0.72). In both groups, there were significant changes in post hoc analysis (PP3: U21: p = 0.039 vs. U23: p ≤ 0.001) and (PP4: U21: p = 0.006 vs. U23: p = 0.001). It seems the strategies and constraints used, tactical components, and integrated into the psychological aspects during specific soccer training tasks can help improve the tactical behaviors of both teams in a competition associated with the PP of a soccer team.

Perception of Coach According to the Role of Starter or Substitute in the Final Stage of the Season

This paper examines the athletes’ perception of their coaches according to the role of starter or substitute in the final phase of the season. The variables analyzed were: leadership style, perceived justice, competence, and support for basic psychological needs. A longitudinal study was developed, evaluating the participants at two different stages: the end of the season and seven weeks before. A total of 112 football and handball players participated in this study, 78 completing the questionnaire at the two waves. The final sample comprised 51 starters (80.39% males) and 27 substitutes (70.37% males) who evaluated their coaches’ leadership, competence, and support of the players’ psychological needs. The interaction moment of measurement (seven weeks before the end of the season vs. end of the season) * group (starters vs. substitutes) was statistically significant for the variables authentic leadership, perceived justice, and the basic psychological need of competence. Post hoc analyses revealed a significant decline in the perception of authentic leadership from coaches, perceived justice, and support of the psychological need of competence at the end of the season only in those in a starter position, with no change observed in the substitutes group. The findings show that the perceptions of coaches among starting players deteriorates significantly in the final phase of the season, while those among substitutes remain unaffected.