Integration of professional judgement and decision-making in high-level adventure sports coaching practice

Loel Collins, Dave Collins
2014 Journal of Sports Sciences  
This study examined the integration of professional judgement and decision-making processes in adventure sports coaching. The study utilised a thematic analysis approach to investigate the decision-making practices of a sample of high-level adventure sports coaches over a series of sessions. Results revealed that, in order to make judgements and decisions in practice, expert coaches employ a range of practical and pedagogic management strategies to create and opportunistically use time for
more » ... ion-making. These approaches include span of control and time management strategies to facilitate the decision-making process regarding risk management, venue selection, aims, objectives, session content, and differentiation of the coaching process. The implication for coaches, coach education, and accreditation is the recognition and training of the approaches that "create time" for the judgements in practice, namely "creating space to think". The paper concludes by offering a template for a more expertise-focused progression in adventure sports coaching.
doi:10.1080/02640414.2014.953980 pmid:25397633 fatcat:3zo3tzwn6baqlcbzabgokoavoe