Debates in Sports Coaching: Performance and Development

Over the past three decades, sports coaching has shifted from being seen as “good instincts and experience” to a professional practice informed by learning science, psychology, and performance research. At the same time, the field continues to debate how coaching expertise should be developed and which coaching strategies best support athlete learning, performance, and wellbeing across different contexts and populations.

This Research Topic aims to stimulate debate and informed discussion—presenting evidence, trade-offs, and context-specific “it depends” answers—on key questions such as, but not limited to:
• Is an andragogic (adult-learning) approach always best for coach development, or do more structured/pedagogic models better support early-career coaches and coach educators?
• Should coach development prioritize measurable behavior change in practice, or deeper professional judgement and decision-making in complex environments?
• In skill acquisition, is it more effective for coaches to emphasize “technique first” approaches, or constraints-led and ecological dynamics approaches that prioritize adaptable performance?
• Do data-driven coaching tools (e.g., analytics, GPS, video) improve coaching quality and athlete performance, or can they reduce coach–athlete connection and practical decision-making under pressure?
• In team and group environments, should coaches focus primarily on collective tactics and coordination, or on individual role clarity and relationships to drive collaborative action?
• Should psychological support in coaching be embedded as everyday coaching practice, or delivered as specialist-led interventions separate from coaching?
• When aiming to motivate athletes, is autonomy-supportive coaching always beneficial, or can more directive styles be optimal in high-risk, high-stakes, or time-limited settings?
• How should coaches balance performance outcomes with wellbeing—for both athletes and coaches—without compromising development and long-term participation?

Alongside opinion or perspective pieces, this Research Topic welcomes original research and review articles on the above themes.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: professionalization, coach development, skill acquisition, data-driven, wellbeing

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.