Impact of Positive Coaching Strategies on Self-Efficacy and Competitive Performance in School-Aged Athletes
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Positive coaching strategies are widely recommended in youth sport, yet their effects on psychological confidence and competitive performance require field-based evidence with measurable outcomes. This controlled 10-week study examined the impact of positive coaching strategies on athletic self-efficacy and competitive performance in school-aged athletes. A mixed-sex sample of 224 athletes (112 female and 112 male; age 13.9 +/- 1.2 years) from school and community sport programs was randomly assigned to a positive coaching strategy condition or a standard coaching comparison condition. The positive coaching program trained coaches to use specific praise, effort-focused feedback, autonomy-supportive questioning, mistake-contingent encouragement, and task-focused corrective instruction. Outcomes included athletic self-efficacy, competitive performance composite, skill execution, tactical decision-making, intrinsic motivation, competitive anxiety, and attendance. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Compared with standard coaching, positive coaching produced larger gains in self-efficacy (adjusted group-by-time effect = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.95, p < 0.001) and competitive performance (adjusted effect = 4.31 points, 95% CI: 2.19 to 6.43, p < 0.001). Positive coaching also improved skill execution, tactical decision-making, intrinsic motivation, and attendance, and reduced competitive anxiety. Effects were similar in female and male athletes. Regression and mediation analyses showed that changes in self-efficacy predicted performance improvement and partially mediated the relationship between coaching and performance. These findings suggest that positive coaching can strengthen young athletes' confidence while also supporting measurable competitive performance when implemented as a structured, observable, and instructionally clear coaching approach.
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