Barriers to holistic coaching for positive youth development in South Africa*

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify and explore the barriers to holistic coaching in a variety of sport settings in a non-North American-centric culture. Data were derived from a series of interviews drawn from two distinct samples: (a) focus groups conducted with 19 youth sport coaches throughout South Africa and (b) individual interviews with 10 coaches in an underserved South African township. The semi-structured focus groups and interviews were content analysed, with results revealing that coaches face a number of major barriers to teaching and coaching life skills. These include: (a) the competitive nature of sport overshadowing goals related to life skills development; (b) life skills absent or peripheral in coaching philosophy and selection; and (c) a lack of coaching knowledge and holistic coach education. Practical implications are explored in depth, with a particular focus on non-north American-centric cultures.