Contemporary Sports Coaching Pedagogies and Methodologies

The role of sports coaching has evolved significantly over the past two decades, moving beyond traditional command-based approaches towards more holistic, learner-centered methods. Influenced by educational theory, sport psychology, and motor learning research, contemporary coaching pedagogies emphasize athlete autonomy, decision-making, and psychosocial well-being alongside performance outcomes. Concepts such as ecological dynamics, nonlinear pedagogy, and athlete-centered coaching have gained prominence, offering innovative ways to design learning environments that replicate the complexities of real-game situations. Despite growing academic interest, there remains a need to better understand the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underpinning these approaches and how they influence both skill acquisition and athlete development across different sports and performance levels.

The goal of this Research Topic is to advance understanding of how contemporary sports coaching pedagogies and methodologies influence athletes' psychological, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. While approaches such as nonlinear pedagogy, ecological dynamics, and game-based learning have gained traction, there remains limited empirical evidence explaining the psychological mechanisms underpinning their effectiveness. Recent advances in motivation theory, self-determination, decision-making research, and skill acquisition science highlight the potential of athlete-centered and context-driven coaching environments to optimize performance, learning, and well-being. However, many studies remain either isolated within specific disciplines or lack direct application to real-world coaching contexts. By integrating perspectives from sport psychology and movement science, this collection seeks to address this gap, providing interdisciplinary insights and practical implications. We aim to curate empirical, conceptual, and applied contributions that bridge theory and practice, offering evidence-based recommendations to guide coaches, practitioners, and policymakers in shaping learning environments that foster both performance excellence and athlete development.

This Research Topic welcomes contributions exploring the psychological and behavioral dimensions of contemporary coaching pedagogies in sport. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Athlete-centered coaching and motivational climates
• Ecological dynamics and nonlinear pedagogy
• Perception-action coupling and decision-making in sport
• Game-based learning and skill transfer
• Coach-athlete relationships and communication strategies
• Psychological safety, well-being, and resilience in sport environments
• Integration of technology and analytics in coaching practices

We invite Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Mini Reviews, Conceptual Analyses, Methods Papers, Theory and Hypothesis Articles, Case Studies, Opinion Pieces, and Perspectives. Both empirical and practice-led studies are encouraged, particularly those offering interdisciplinary insights bridging sport psychology and movement science.

Keywords: sports coaching, pedagogy, methodology, athlete-centered, innovation, best practices, inclusive coaching, digital tools, reflective practice, interdisciplinary methods, coach education, culturally responsive coaching, learning, motivation, performance, pr

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.