1st Step Towards The Next Level - Profiling tool for coaches. Case study: Salavat Yulaev (KHL)

Athlete-centered coaching is an approach that is used by a majority of high-performance coaches. This method has an emphasis on an individualized approach to every athlete, where athletes are encouraged to be actively involved in the decision-making process of their own development. Research literature suggests athlete-profiling as a tool for coaches that would work as a supplement for the individualization of the coaching process. The primary aim of this thesis was to build an athlete-profiling tool in collaboration with Erkka Westerlund, who is the head coach of Salavat Yulaev, a professional ice hockey team that competes in the Kontinental Hockey League (i.e., the highest level of competition of ice hockey in Russia). The secondary aim was to assess the effectiveness of the profiling tool through qualitative interviews with coach Westerlund and three Salavat Yulaev athletes who completed the profiling tool. The profiling tool was built with an emphasis on the mental side of the coaching process. It included five key elements that serve as cornerstones to the coaching philosophy of Coach Westerlund: Motivation, Attitude, Self-Confidence, Responsibility and Emotional Preparation. The data from interviews revealed that both the coach and the athletes found the profiling to be useful at the beginning of the season, as it helped to learn about each other and outline the development path for the season. The findings also indicate the importance of core values, coaching philosophy, and communication in coaching process. This thesis has a short-term emphasis on the beginning of the coaching process in pre-season. Therefore, future research may shed the light on the effectiveness of the profiling tool on the psychological attributes of athletes over longer periods of time (i.e., a complete season) and develop the tools for coaches that would focus on the monitoring of the development of psychological skills