Adherence to fitness training of elite netball players: A naturalistic inquiry

This study uses naturalistic inquiry to identify fitness training facilitat ors and barriers experienced by elite netball players and to determine whet her they were related to types of fitness training behavior. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 female national netball players. Inducti ve analysis revealed large variability between players' fitness-training be haviors. Four case families of training behavior based on similar adoption and maintenance behaviors were identified. Cross-case analysis revealed tha t (a) self-motivation, enjoyment, attitude toward fitness training, and rol e of an England netball player were key facilitators of fitness training be havior; (b) facilitators and barriers appeared similar to those identified in the exercise-adherence literature; and (c) most facilitators and barrier s could be viewed as operating through a revised theory of planned behavior (Maddux, 1993). Practical applications of the findings are discussed.