Department of Sport Science, Linnaeus University, 351 95 Växjö, Sweden.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 25;17(12):4580. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17124580.
Finding and describing the optimal path to elite athletic performance has, for a long time, been a challenge for researchers. This study examined Swedish tennis coaches' everyday practices for creating athlete development environments and the environmental factors that promote or hinder athlete development. The study was conducted in 2018-2019 and included in-depth focus groups with 13 Swedish full-time tennis coaches. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and by drawing on models for studying athlete development environments. The results highlight how the coaches' everyday work involves a range of administrative tasks, which ultimately means that there is little to no time left for focusing on athlete development. These results also draw attention to concerns about these professional coaches' health, with increasing demands in their roles to manage administrative tasks in addition to the coaching and time spent on the court with their athletes. The results further reveal how the tennis clubs' boards are increasingly interested in sound economy and high participation levels rather than focusing on performance outcomes and developing elite athletes. Finally, the results from this study emphasize the importance of increased collaboration and communication between clubs, coaches, regions, and the national association to create common and clearer guidelines for long-term athlete development. Future studies could engage in longitudinal and ethnographic work with tennis clubs of varying size and geographical locations, involving different stakeholders (e.g., coaches, management, parents, players) in order to further explore the environmental factors that promote or hinder athlete development.
长期以来，寻找和描述通向精英运动员表现的最佳路径一直是研究人员面临的挑战。本研究考察了瑞典网球教练在创造运动员发展环境方面的日常实践，以及促进或阻碍运动员发展的环境因素。该研究于 2018-2019 年进行，包括对 13 名瑞典全职网球教练的深入焦点小组。使用主题分析和研究运动员发展环境的模型对数据进行了分析。研究结果强调了教练的日常工作涉及一系列行政任务，这最终意味着几乎没有时间专注于运动员的发展。这些结果还提请注意对这些职业教练健康的担忧，因为他们的角色除了教练和与运动员一起在球场上的时间之外，还需要承担越来越多的管理行政任务。研究结果进一步揭示了网球俱乐部董事会越来越关注良好的经济和高参与度，而不是关注绩效结果和培养精英运动员。最后，本研究的结果强调了增加俱乐部、教练、地区和国家协会之间的合作和沟通的重要性，以制定长期运动员发展的共同和更明确的指导方针。未来的研究可以对不同规模和地理位置的网球俱乐部进行纵向和民族志研究，让不同的利益相关者（例如教练、管理层、家长、运动员）参与进来，以进一步探讨促进或阻碍运动员发展的环境因素。
