Examining coaching behaviour in first-, second- and third-division men's handball teams

Abstract

Examining coaching behaviour in first-, second- and third-division men's handball teams ----- A coach has to perform a number of tasks, choosing the right management style to be most effective, because excellent professionalism is not enough if he has a poor relationship with his athletes. Inappropriate coaching behaviour and coach-player relationships can be detrimental to competitive performance. In order to prevent conflicts, coaches need to adopt forms of communication and behaviour that positively influence the sporting performance and behaviour of their athletes. The objective of this research was to investigate coaching behaviour from the players’ perspective in men’s handball teams in different divisions of the Hungarian championship. The sample of the research consisted of players and coaches of first, second and third division men’s handball teams in the Hungarian National Championship. The CBQ-H validated questionnaire was used to collect data in order to understand coaching behaviour. The results showed that coach support is not proportional to the quality of sport played, as players from second division teams had more positive opinions about their coach’s support than first division players. The third division team had the lowest ratings for coach support. In contrast, when looking at negative reactions, the higher the grade of the team, the less the players were negatively affected by the coach’s reaction and behaviour. Players in the second-tier team had a more negative image of their coach in terms of negative reactions compared to the first-tier team, while the third-tier team had the most negative results in this respect. As a recommendation, it would be important to develop/further develop pedagogical competences and to have a high level of coaching qualification for coaches working in lower divisions.