Female varsity athletes' perception of how coaches influence their self-confidence

Communities and athletes see coaches generally as leaders, mentors, and role models in sport. Recent research in the field of coaching revealed that coaches must have the ability to encourage, challenge, and understand the athlete (Bloom, 2002b). Further research indicates that females are known to be psychologically and physically different than males (Fasting & Pfister, 2000); therefore, most females need to be coached differently than men during practice and competition. The notion of self-confidence is an essential element in Vealey's (1986) Sport Confidence Model, in which it is defined as: "the belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their abilities to be successful in sport" (p. 222). The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand female varsity athlete's perception of how coaches influence their self-confidence. The study used twelve participants (N = 12) among Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams: basketball (3), soccer (3), hockey (2), rugby (2), and volleyball (2). Semi-structured interviews were conducted regarding athletes perception of (a) athlete's perception of self-confidence, (b) different coaching qualities that may positively or negatively influence athletes self-confidence, and (c) athletes perception of an 'ideal' coach that positively influences their self-confidence. The results displayed a combined definition of all 12 athlete's perception of self-confidence, which is "one who believes in herself, has inner strength (while not worrying about others beliefs), and stays positive throughout their sport and life." Secondly the results found four main qualities that athletes perceive essential for a coach to positively influence their self-confidence. Finally, the results revealed 12 predominant coaching characteristics that athletes perceive essential for positively influence their self-confidence. An 'ideal coach' would display these characteristics