An autoethnographic perspective of interpersonal relationship within tennis coaching set in three different contexts

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the importance of interpersonal relationships in tennis coaching, and if this was influential to coach and player behaviour and learning. I used an autoethnographic approach, through a series of six short stories, to document my two years tennis coaching experience based in three different contexts novice (Parks), performance (UWIC) and recreational (Spain). Through my coaching experiences and reading relevant coaching science literature it became apparent that power and expectations were influential themes during my tennis coaching experiences. To gain a deeper understanding of my experiences, the stories were mainly analysed through using Giddens’ (1984) theories on power, and Horn, Lox and Labrador’s (2001) theories on expectations. The academic interpretation of my experiences was valuable in understanding the social interaction between the players and myself. The findings were that a balance between the use of power and awareness of expectations was influential to both coach and player behaviour, which was essential for effective coaching. A limitation of this study was that although it focused on both player and coach behaviour, it was conducted from a coach’s perspective only.