Building self-efficacy in tennis players: A coach's perspective

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to assess the degree to which high school and age group tennis coaches use 13 strategies for influencing self-efficacy and their evaluation of the effectiveness of those strategies. Self-efficacy rating differences between categories of coaches (e.g., male versus female, successful versus less successful, more versus less experienced, physical education/coaching courses versus no courses) were also examined. Subjects were 222 high school and age group coaches in the Southwest and results indicated that they used all 13 strategies designed to enhance self-efficacy to a moderate degree and found these techniques to be at least moderately effective. More specifically, the most often used strategies to enhance self-efficacy as well as those strategies found most effective included encouraging positive self-talk, modeling confidence oneself, instruction-drilling, liberally rewarding statements, and verbal persuasion. Few between-coach differences were found in efficacy use and effectiveness ratings. Hcsults are discussed in terms of Gould, Hodge, Peterson, and Giannini's (1989) study concerning the use of efficacy enhancing strategies in elite coaches as well as Bandura's self-efficacy theory.