ECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH09
INTRODUCTION: Men’s tennis development and transition processes are nuanced and complex. South African (SA) men’s tennis development structures tend to focus on linear development progressions (junior to senior levels) with an emphasis on the singles format. Less is known about the doubles format as a development strategy. Collegiate tennis in the United States of America (USA) is an attractive transition pathway for SA players and is renowned for prioritizing the team environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of the doubles format as a developmental and transitional strategy within SA men’s tennis, with particular attention to junior development and team-based environments. METHODS: A constructivist Grounded Theory approach was employed to generate a theoretical model explaining development and transition processes in SA men’s tennis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using purposive, theoretical, and maximum variation sampling strategies (n = 34), including players (n = 22), coaches (n = 7), parents (n = 3), and administrators (n = 2). Data were collected between 2018 and 2020 and analyzed iteratively using the constant comparison method. Augmented with this iterative process, was memoing, abductive reasoning to check data against data, refine emerging categories and generate overarching themes. RESULTS: The analysis generated a core category, Transitioning Steps, with the sub-category, Playing for a Team: The Doubles Format. Doubles emerged as an important, but underutilized developmental strategy in junior tennis. Participants expressed that the doubles format was less emphasised in the junior game but was deemed important to promote enjoyment in the sport. The dynamics of the team format encouraged motivation, alleviated pressures, enabled players to perform better, and promoted a sense of belonging to something beyond the game. CONCLUSION: These findings extend current literature on athlete development pathways by positioning the doubles format as a strategic component within long-term tennis development models, particularly during key transitional steps. Doubles emerged as a facilitator for player motivation, fostering a sense of belonging, and supporting adaptation to team-based competitive environments such as collegiate tennis. A more intentional integration of doubles within junior development structures may enhance transitional processes and offer an alternative high-performance pathway within elite tennis systems.
Read CV Deborah SkinstadECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH09
Introduction Transformational leadership (TFL) is central to understanding the psychology of effective coaching, influencing athlete motivation, satisfaction, performance and focus. However, most studies have relied on single-method, cross-sectional designs that fail to capture the complex coach (as the) leader and athlete relationship. This research applied an explicitly psychology based mixed methods design to examine how TFL behaviours relate to athlete basic psychological needs and attentional focus within the context of tennis coaching. The aim was to advance methodological and theoretical understanding through integrated and reflexive mixed methods of enquiry. Methods A three-phase exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Phase 1 involved a systematic analytical review of 47 studies mapping transformational leadership in sport and identifying conceptual fragmentation and methodological imbalance. Phase 2 comprised semi-structured interviews with 20 experienced tennis coaches, analysed reflexively to examine how transformational leadership is enacted in practice, highlighting relational authenticity, self-awareness and contextual adaptability as core psychological mechanisms. Phase 3 employed a quantitative survey of 422 tennis athletes using validated instruments (DTLI, BNSSS, MAAS), with correlation, ANOVA and mediation analyses testing relationships between perceived coach leadership behaviours, athlete need satisfaction and attentional focus. Integration across phases informed instrument selection, interpretation of quantitative relationships, and development of an emergent psychological framework. Results Integration across phases demonstrated complementary evidence of transformational leadership processes. The review established limited methodological diversity in existing work. Qualitative findings revealed how psychological awareness and emotional regulation underpin the enactment of transformational behaviours in practice. Quantitative results showed significant positive correlations between perceived coach TFL and athlete need satisfaction (r ~ 0.45) and attentional focus (r ~ 0.22). Inspirational motivation and appropriate role modelling emerged as the most influential subscales. Conclusion This multistage mixed-methods investigation provides the first fully integrated psychological analysis of TFL within a single sport context. By combining systematic, qualitative and quantitative perspectives, it advances understanding of how leadership behaviours influence athlete well-being and how these behaviours are psychologically enacted in coaching practice. The study proposes a four-phase “transformational pathway” (awareness, authenticity, alignment, action) linking mixed-methods evidence to applied coach development, leadership education and athlete support, enabling a flourishing coach-athlete leadership relationship. 1. Bass (1985), 2. Bazeley (2018), 3. Creswell (2014), 5. Jowett et al. (2019)
Read CV Claire Bruce-MartinECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH09
INTRODUCTION: Technical skill during adolescence is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success in soccer, consistently differentiating players who later reach professional levels from those who do not. Research in talent identification highlights technical, tactical, and perceptual-cognitive abilities as more predictive of progression than anthropometric characteristics. Despite this evidence, youth curricula often lack intentional integration of technical development within representative, game-based learning environments. Therefore, the purpose of this presentation is to outline an evidence-informed framework for designing a technical-centered curriculum for U9–U12 players that bridges contemporary skill acquisition research with applied coaching practice. METHODS: This project synthesized evidence from talent identification research, ecological dynamics, small-sided game (SSG) literature, and studies examining isolated versus opposed practice. A curriculum framework was developed using the Play–Practice–Play (PPP) model as the structural foundation. Training design principles were informed by research examining task constraints (e.g., pitch size, numerical balance, touch limitations, goal configuration), representative learning design, and variability in practice. The framework integrates four components: (1) representative game play, (2) small-sided games, (3) isolated/deliberate technical refinement, and (4) constraint-based task manipulation. The model emphasizes developmentally appropriate practice design to increase technical actions and transfer to match performance. RESULTS: Evidence synthesis indicates that smaller-sided formats (2v2–4v4) increase technical actions such as passes, dribbles, and shots, while pitch size and task constraints significantly influence tactical and technical behaviors. Research demonstrates that SSG-based training improves technical performance more effectively than non-specific conditioning approaches. Additionally, structured isolated practice contributes to ball mastery and skill refinement when integrated purposefully within representative environments. The resulting curriculum framework systematically manipulates constraints to increase technical involvement, decision-making frequency, and transfer of learning across practice phases. CONCLUSION: Findings support a curriculum model that intentionally prioritizes technical development within representative learning environments during the formative U9–U12 years. By integrating isolated practice with small-sided games and full-game contexts, the framework aligns talent development research with applied pedagogy. This approach provides a structured yet adaptable model for youth coaches seeking to increase technical engagement, decision-making opportunities, and long-term player development. The proposed framework offers a research-informed pathway for bridging evidence and practice in grassroots soccer education.
Read CV Ajit KorgaokarECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH09