Expert Paddlesport Coaches’ Perceptions of the Role of Practice in the Development of Non-competitive Paddlesport Athletes

While coaches working in competitive disciplines share common practices and processes with adventure sports coaches and specifically, non-competitive paddlesport coaches, there are also fundamental differences. Unique to non-competitive paddlesport, and common to other adventure sports, is the highly episodic coach/athlete relationship, that formal sessions may be separated by weeks and potentially months, and the duration of these sessions rarely extend beyond five days. These differences impact how a coach addresses the technical, tactical, psychological and physiological facets of their respective sport and necessitates that athletes engage in unmediated practice to continue their individual development. The purpose of this study was to explore expert non-competitive paddlesport coaches’ perceptions of the role of practice both in their session delivery, and during the unmediated periods between sessions.