Assessing the Influence of Coach Leadership Behaviour on Athlete Performance: A Study of Karisma Athletes

This study investigates the relationship between coach leadership behavior and sports performance among KARISMA athletes from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Seremban 3 Campus. A total of 288 respondents participated, and data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. The Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS) was employed to assess coach leadership behaviors, encompassing five dimensions: training and instruction, positive feedback, autocratic behavior, democratic behavior, and social support. Athlete performance was evaluated using the Athlete’s Subjective Performance Scale (ASPS), which includes general performance, team contribution, and personal ability. Results revealed that "training and instruction" had the highest mean among LSS dimensions, while "social support" ranked lowest. For ASPS, team contribution and personal ability scored the highest. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated a statistically significant but low correlation between coach leadership behaviors and sports performance (r= 0.281, p < .05). The findings highlight that while coach leadership behaviors do influence athletic performance, the strength of this relationship is modest. The prominence of "training and instruction" aligns with established theories in sports psychology that emphasize the role of structured guidance in enhancing athlete development. However, the low emphasis on "social support" suggests a potential gap in holistic athlete management, particularly in fostering psychological resilience and well-being. This supports the necessity for coaches to integrate both task-oriented and relational leadership styles to optimize athlete outcomes. These results contribute to a broader understanding of leadership dynamics in sport, suggesting that future interventions may need to recalibrate the balance between instructional rigor and emotional support to achieve sustained performance improvements.