THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COACHES AND ATHLETES

Mentoring has been considered an increasingly important element of coa ching development programs. It occurs when a teacher willingly invests time in the personal development of a student or athlete, when a trus ting relationship evolves needs and interests are fulfilled, and imita tion of behavior takes place. The purpose of this study was to examine the mentoring experiences of expert team sport coaches. More specific ally the intent was to determine if any of the coaches were mentored t hrough their development as athletes and subsequently as coaches and I f in turn they mentored other athletes and coaches during their career s. Open-ended semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 coache s. The data were analyzed inductively using qualitative procedures out lined by Cote and colleagues (1993, 1995). Results revealed that most coaches were mentored by more experienced coaches during both their at hletic and early coaching careers. As a result, they gained valuable k nowledge and insights that helped shape their coaching philosophies an d enhanced all facets of their performance. Once they reached a level of expertise in their field, they themselves began to mentor athletes and younger coaches. The benefits of establishing structured mentoring programs for developing coaches and athletes are highlighted througho ut the article.