Performance-related states in strength and conditioning training: Coaches’ perceptions, contextual demands and applied regulation.

Abstract

This article investigated strength and conditioning coaches' (SCCs) perceptions of performance-related state experience in training and how these states are regulated within applied practice. Drawing upon the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) and Performance-Related Biopsychosocial States (PBS) frameworks, two studies were conducted. Study 1 examined SCCs' perceptions of optimal states for performance and associated psychosocial strategies using a 68-item online survey completed by 91 SCCs. Building on these findings, Study 2 utilised three focus groups with 10 SCCs to explore interpretations of athletes’ state experience and its influence on coaching decision-making. Across both studies, SCCs perceived successful training performances as characterised by high intensities of functional modalities and low dysfunctional states, consistent with nomothetic IZOF profiles. However, findings extended existing theory by identifying contextual sub-layers within strength and conditioning, whereby distinct training modalities within sessions were perceived to require differentiated optimal state profiles. SCCs further described athlete states as dynamic and identified patterns of change due to physical exertion, perceived success or failure, and social interaction. Regulation of state experience was embedded within the “craft” of coaching and described as intuitive, relational and context dependent. This research advances IZOF theory by contextualising performance-related states within strength and conditioning training. Further research is required to evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial coaching strategies on performance-related states and physical outcomes to inform evidence-based professional practice.