Kavanagh, Tarah E (2010) Transitions to the other side of the net : tales of tennis players who became coaches. Other Degree thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

ABSTRACT A growing body of literature is emerging on the topic of athletic retirement. In particular, there are numerous reports about the adjustment difficulties many athletes experience at the end of their sporting careers. Despite the recent profusion of retirement research, there is still much more work to be done in terms of understanding athletes’ retirement transition experiences, and more specifically, determining what paths lead to successful adjustments. One path that has been suggested to influence the quality of athletes’ retirement experiences is staying involved in sport by becoming coaches. Unfortunately, little is known about the athlete-to-coach transition because few researchers have investigated this area. This research used a qualitative approach to explore the transition experiences of three retired tennis players who became coaches. Participants’ stories were collected using in-depth interviews and presented as case studies, with attention given to how their stories related to the literature. The case studies illustrate that the athlete-to-coach transition is a multifaceted idiosyncratic process and is best understood on a case-by-case basis. The Athlete Apperception Technique (Gibbs, Marchant, & Andersen, 2005) was also administered to the third participant to determine if this new tool could complement, illuminate, or add to the information gathered in the in-depth interview. By sharing the stories of retired athletes who became coaches, this research provides information that might potentially be helpful in athlete development, career transition, and coach education programs, and may assist other athletes navigating through their retirement journeys.

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