Coaches Perceptions and Use of an Online Sport Psychology Resource
Abstract
Sport psychology has become widely applied in coaching practices to assist in athletic success. Despite the increased use, there is a lack of evidence-based sport psychology information available to coaches in the form of informal sources. The aim of this study was to explore coaches’ perceptions and use of a sport psychology website using mixed methods. Eight coaches participated in semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis revealed five themes (current use, accessibility, attitudes, website use, website engagement). Google Analytics demonstrated coaches’ engagement with the website. Findings suggested that coaches perceive sport psychology to be relevant to their sport and the website sportpsychologyforcoaches.ca was effective in providing new ideas to coaches. Furthermore, this research offers evidence on the value of online resources in providing coaches with readily applicable sport psychology information for their coaching practices.