Coaching in positive sport: theoretical bases of i7W model

Professional philosophy in sport coaching directly impacts coach behavior in practice and competitions. The coaching effectiveness in enhancing athlete performance, stimulating the individual and team potential, and supporting athlete personal growth changes across coaches’ professional careers. Such changes are frequently grounded in information from other sister disciplines that support the world of sport, such as, sport psychology. In this article, we discuss the perspective of positive sport (PS) and present a number of practical principles for coaches’ consideration. These principles were grouped together into catchy phrases as follows: inspire (inspiruj), explain (wyjaśniaj), expect (wymagaj), support (wspieraj), reward (wynagradzaj), appreciate (wyróżniaj), grow (wzrastam) and win (wygrywam) (in short: i7W). These recommendations deal with four time perspectives: one task, one training session/competition, one season, and an entire athletic career. For the development of the perspective of PS among coaches, there is a need for sound theoretical foundations that are supported in reliable basic and applied research which we review in this present report. We aspire for this content to be used by sport psychologists, coaches, and professionals in sport social sciences to increase professional qualifications among sport coaches and to enhance the social status of this important profession