Coaching high performance athletes

This chapter provides a review of the recent research examining coaching high performance athletes. We first explore who are the athletes and coaches and what are the contexts that comprise this coaching domain. Recognising the diversity within this domain and diversity of approaches researchers have adopted our review attempts to span disciplinary boundaries and develop themes that represent commonalities in the process and practices of coaching high performance athletes. The research findings are discussed under five themes: vision, philosophy, quality relationships, high performing culture and coaching strategies. We offer our views on these findings and areas for further development through research. The chapter then turns to the implications for coaches and researchers. Here we offer an integrated framework that may provide some structure through which to navigate the complex and dynamic process and practices of coaching high performance athletes and connect disciplinary-based theory and concepts to understand the realities of coaching in this domain.