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Coach behaviors, coach-athlete relationships, and competitive psychological processes in elite sport: a temporal
Oğuzhan Gül1, Turhan Toros2, Mehmet Gül3
1Department of Health, Culture and Sports, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Türkiye.
Background:
Research on coach behavior, coach-athlete relationships, and competitive psychological processes has developed in partly separate literatures, limiting understanding of how these domains interact across an elite competitive cycle.
Aims:
This review examined how these domains are represented across foundation building, competitive maintenance, peak competition, and post-competition transition, while distinguishing direct temporal evidence from interpretive phase placement.
Methods:
Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed English-language studies published from January 2016 to 22 June 2026. Of 645 records identified, 481 unique records were screened, 205 underwent eligibility assessment, and 30 empirical studies were included.
Results:
Evidence was strongest for competitive maintenance and peak competition. Repeated-measures, diary, prospective, and event-based studies linked coaching behavior and relationship-related judgments with motivation, well-being, perceived justice, burnout, appraisal, coping, affect, confidence, and perceived performance. Evidence for foundation building was limited, while direct evidence on post-season evaluation and cross-cycle carryover was largely absent.
Conclusion:
The proposed temporal framework should be viewed as an evidence-informed research architecture rather than an established causal sequence. It highlights phase-specific hypotheses for future research, coach education, and psychological support.
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