Coaching in the ‘alternate universe’ of U.S. Figure skating: A developmental perspective of need-supportive behavior in the coach-athlete relationship

Need-supportive coaching has been identified as the most effective way to nurture optimal motivational climates in sport because of its positive influence on athletes’ basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. However, to date, researchers in sport have not adequately considered whether athletes’ physical, cognitive, social, self, and emotional development prompts any variation in coaches’ delivery of need-supportive behavior. Such insight may reveal a more nuanced approach for coaches to facilitate athletes’ psychological functioning in an age-appropriate way. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions of how coaches consider athlete development in the ways in which they seek to fulfill athletes’ basic psychological needs. Figure skating is an ideal sport context for this investigation as coach-athlete relationships typically span many years and developmental milestones. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 coach-athlete dyads (26 interviews) across four age groups: middle childhood (6–10 years), early adolescence (11–14 years), mid-adolescence (15–17 years), and early adulthood (18–25 years). Using reflexive thematic analysis, seven themes were constructed: (a) sport context as a lens for the optimal skill development of athletes, (b) socio-chronological development and relatedness-associated behavior, (c) physical development and relatedness- and competence-associated behavior, (d) skill and ability development and competence-associated behavior, (e) understanding of the sport and autonomy-associated behavior, (f) emotional development and relatedness-behavior, and (g) relational qualities further shape coaches’ need-supportive behaviors. This study explored the ways coaches change how they attempt to meet the psychological needs of athletes at different ages. Findings indicate that figure skating coaches adjusted how they interacted with skaters based on athletes’ physical, emotional, socio-chronological, and skill and ability development as well as understanding of the sport. It is essential for sport psychology professionals and coach educators to help coaches be more attuned to how need-supportive approaches might be adapted and implemented as to accommodate the changes youth athletes experience throughout their development. Athletes—especially those who participate in an early specialization sport—benefit when their coaches attend to youths’ psychological and developmental needs within the demands of their sport context.