Elite sport coaches as architects, sculptors, leaders, and performers

Clifford J. Mallett, V. Vanessa Wergin and James Coleman

Chapter 9 in Handbook of Sport Coaching Research, 2026, pp 92-103 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Central to the pursuit of athlete and/or team performative success is the coach. Indeed, we underscore the importance of the coach-athlete-performance-well-being relationship and focus on both coaches and the coaching process. High performance (HP) coaches’ work should consider both the coach (person), athletes, other personnel, and their context. The saliency of context makes comparing empirical studies problematic, but we can draw upon some key ideas, concepts, and principles that provide some potential insights in HP coaches-in-context. In this chapter, we advocate that HP coaches should be viewed as: architects and sculptors, leaders, and performers. The primary theme is that high-performance coaching is both a science and an art, requiring nuanced strategies to foster excellence, personal development, and well-being in diverse settings. We offer some key insights and recommendations for coaches, coach developers, and policy makers to enhance understanding of what constitutes quality in HP coaches’ practice.

Keywords: Coach behaviors; Coaching context; Art of coaching; Psychological flexibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035341634
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