Coming soon · Book Profile
Coaching Knowledges Understanding the Dynamics of Sport Performance
An edited collection arguing that effective sports coaching is a complex, dynamic social process shaped by cultural, relational, and knowledge-based forces rather than a straightforward transfer of technical instruction.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Coaching Knowledges challenges the pervasive myth that coaching is a neutral, objective, science-driven activity, arguing instead that every facet of the coaching act—from communication and identity to ethics and experience—is socially constructed and embedded in cultural relationships. Bringing together scholars and practitioners, the book unpicks how coaches are socialised into reproducing sport's exclusionary norms, how respect and power operate in coach-athlete relationships, how communication depends on shared meaning rather than message transfer, and how reflective practice on experience builds usable coaching knowledge. Complemented by candid interviews with three elite coaches, it offers coaches, students, and coach educators a richer, more critical lens for understanding sport performance as a living, human endeavour.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A coach, coaching student, or coach educator who wants to coach effectively and understand sport performance as more than technical instruction.
- The problem
- Coaching education overlooks the social, cultural, and relational dynamics that shape every facet of the coaching act. Coaches feel underprepared, frustrated, or falsely confident when real-world situations don't match the simplified textbook models.
- The plan
- Adopt a wider critical lens to view coaching as a social, dynamic process.
- Examine key concepts: identity, exclusion, respect, communication, experience, and knowledge.
- Use reflection to turn experience into usable, context-specific knowledge.
- Question dominant assumptions and use power ethically to build respect.
- Learn from real coaches' interviews to see theory meet practice.
- The payoff
- Coaches who understand the social nature of sport and coach more effectively and inclusively. · Coaches who earn respect through ethical, transparent use of power. · Coaches who build dynamic, evolving knowledge through reflection.
See our guide
Additional reading
- Professional Practice in Sport Performance Analysis · Andrew D. Butterworth (Editor)
Cited frequently as a key resource for understanding the role of the analyst within interdisciplinary teams, career development, and the application of emerging technologies like multimedia profiles.
- Qualitative Diagnosis of Human Movement · Duane V. Knudson
Presented as the foundational text for the four-phase process of analyzing and coaching technique, a key component of performance analysis.
- Various works on coach recall and notational analysis · Ian M. Franks (often with M. Hughes or G. Miller)
The work of Franks is cited throughout as providing the original rationale for performance analysis (e.g., poor coach recall) and for foundational concepts in notational system design.
- The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball · Tango, T. M., Lichtman, M. G., and Dolphin, A. E.
Cited as a detailed treatment of how analytic methods can be used to answer specific questions about baseball strategy, representing a deep application of the book's principles.
- Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won · Moskowitz, T. J., and Wertheim, L. J.
Recommended for showing how analytic methods can be used to address a wide range of sports issues, similar to the scope of the author's own book.
- Mathletics: How Gamblers, Managers, and Sports Enthusiasts Use Mathematics in Baseball, Basketball, and Football · Winston, W. L.
Referenced for its applications of analytic methods to a variety of sports, including football-specific examples like expected points.
- The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives · Mlodinow, L.
Suggested for its excellent non-technical description of the intuition behind probability and randomness, which is a foundational concept of the book.
- Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences · Agresti, A., and Finlay, B.
The author's favorite introductory statistics text, recommended for its wide range of topics and emphasis on applications closely related to those in sports.
- Baseball between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong · Keri, J. (Ed.)
Mentioned as a collection of interesting essays where analytic methods are used to study specific sports issues, such as comparing players from different eras.
- The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action · Donald A. Schon
Provides the foundational theory for experiential learning and reflective practice, which is presented in Chapter 5 as a crucial method for coaches to develop their knowledge.