1st Edition

Case Studies in Sport Coaching and Development Practice Meets Theory

Edited By Christine Nash, Melissa Thompson Copyright 2026
375 Pages 13 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

375 Pages 13 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

375 Pages 13 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Case Studies in Sport Coaching and Development: Practice Meets Theory is a new textbook that serves as a resource for coach developers and educators to generate dialogue about how to further integrate evidence into practice by supporting the development of critical thinking and reflection as it relates to the real problems of practice in sport coaching. Grounded in a case study framework,... Read more

Section 1: Setting the Visions and Strategy in Sport Coaching

1. Aligning Philosophy within a Hierarchy: Developing Assistant Coaches

Arien E. Faucett and Mark Q. Oates

2. Parental Roles, Racial Dynamics, and Coaching Volleyball in the US South

Chelsea Davis, Lauren Lanford, and Lindsey C. Blom

Section 2: Shape the Environment

3. Building a Winning Youth Olympic Hockey Team – The Role of Strategic Player Selection and Coaching

Ken Martel, Joe Bonnett, and Melissa Thompson

4. Navigating Motivation with the Talented and Committed Athlete

Lori Gano-Overway and Dane Pedersen

5. Creating Inclusive Sport Environments

Henry Shiplee and Pippa Chapman

Section 3: Building Relationships

6. Role Ambiguity and Work–Life Balance: The Real Pressures of Coaching

Christine Nash and Melissa Thompson

7. Micropolitics in Coaching

Miguel Crespo and Rafael Martínez-Gallego

8. Supporting the Leadership Skills of Football Coaches to Meet the Demands of the Women’s Professional Game

Audrey Cooper and Abbe Brady

Section 4: Conducting Practices and Preparing for Competition

9. Complexity of Planning Long-Term Athlete Development in Brazilian Football: A Systems Thinking Approach

Michel Milistetd and Gabriel Bussinger

10. A Shift in Pedagogy: A Games-Based Approach to Football (Soccer) Training

Melissa Thompson, Mohamed El-Zare, Juan Cediel Cervantes, and Darby Pittman

Section 5: Read and React to the Field

11. The Power of Unity: Team Dynamics in Judo

Christine Nash and Louis Nolte

12. Calm Voice in the Chaos: Building a Long-Term Tactical Model for Scottish Hockey

Christine Nash and Chris Duncan

Section 6: Learn and Reflect

13. Small Actions, Big Implications: Ethics and Integrity in Sport Coaching

Marie-Pier Charest, César Nicolaï, and Melissa Thompson

14. There Are No Easy Questions Because There Are No Easy Answers!

Christine Nash and Cameron Kiosoglous

Section 7: Cases in Coach Development

15. Fixing the Leaky Pipeline: Australian Women in High-Performance Coaching

Christine Nash and Michelle De Highden

16. Coach Development as Adventure and Exploration: One Coach’s Account of their Experiences in and the Possibilities of a Project-Led Approach to Learning

Liam McCarthy, Alice Weaving, Ian Cowburn, and Nicola J. Clarke

17. There Is So Much Complexity, Can We Say Anything Definitively? Navigating Complexity in Coaching and Coach Development

Cameron Kiosoglous, Melissa Thompson, and Christine Nash

Biography

Christine Nash, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Edinburgh, where she currently leads the Applied Coaching Research Group, researching coaching expertise. She was a national coach within the sport of swimming and currently works with several sporting organizations worldwide, e.g., the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE), the US Center for Coaching Excellence (USCCE), and the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Melissa Thompson, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Southern Mississippi (USA), where she teaches courses in sport psychology and sport coaching. She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.

"The practice-theory gap has for years been highlighted as one of the key issues in coaching research and coach development. Case Studies in Sport Coaching and Development takes on this issue head-on and provides researchers, students and practising coaches a broad range of real-life case studies underpinned by the latest research which will enhance their theoretical and practical knowledge."

Sergio Lara-Bercial, Professor of Sport Coaching at Leeds Beckett University and Vice President, Strategy and Development, International Council for Coaching Excellence