Relationship between coaching profiles and athletic performance among Japanese high school track and field coaches

Abstract

The performance of athletes, their physical and psycho-social growth, are strongly influenced by their coaches. Previous studies on coaches’ developmental profiles have focused on coaches training athletes with high-performance levels in their relevant age category. This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between coaching profiles and competitive achievement across broad range of competitive levels among high school track and field coaches in Japan. Data collected by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations in 2020 via a questionnaire survey were used and analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression analysis. The analysis was based on 1120 valid responses from high school coaches. The results showed that track and field athletes coached by individuals with participation in a university track and field club, longer coaching experience, more coaching hours, and larger athlete rosters were more likely to reach higher competitive levels. These findings suggest practical coaching experience and athletic background are more influential than formal qualifications in shaping track and field athletes’ performance. The results offer valuable insights for improving coach education programs and the coaching system in Japanese school sports.