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Why do coach-athlete relationships matter?
In sport, the coach-athlete relationship is at the centre of coaching. Coaching is viewed as a process and practice within which both coaches and athletes are expected to engage, interact and communicate. It is this combined interrelating between coaches and athletes that define the effectiveness of coaching and ultimately determine the success of coaching. While the coach and the athlete need one another to bring about change in performance (as neither of them can do it alone), they also need one another to experience a sense of personal fulfilment and satisfaction in the pursuit of performance accomplishments. Good quality coach-athlete relationships matter not only because drive better results but also because they create a social environment within which both the coach and the athlete feel positive, happy, energised, determined (gritty) and strong (resilient). The relationship promotes a social environment that is functional within which coaches and athletes are prepared to strive and thrive!