Influence of coaches behaviour on elite volleyball players' motivational climate and performance satisfaction

Introduction. Coaching behaviour, motivational climate and its influence towards performance satisfaction are important in understanding the development and growth of athletes. In general, positive coaching behaviours could help in enhancing the motivational climate and satisfaction of athletes while negative coaching behaviour might have the opposite effect. Therefore, this study explored the influence of volleyball coaches’ behaviour on elite volleyball players’ motivational climate and performance satisfaction.  Methodology. Three hundred and twenty-eight elite volleyball players (137 male and 191 female, age: 24.42 ± 8.92 years old) participated in this study. They completed three questionnaires: the Coaching Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ), Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2), and Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ). These questionnaires were used to assess athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ behaviour, to examine the influence of athletes’ perceptions of the individual feedback received on their perceptions of the team’s motivational climate and to measure the elite volleyball players’ satisfaction of their team’s performance. Results & Discussion. There was a positive relationship between motivational climate and performance satisfaction (r=0.25); coaching behaviour and performance satisfaction (r=0.26); motivational climate and performance satisfaction (r=0.40). For CBQ, the mean score showed that coach support (2.97 ± 0.40) was the most important as compared to negative coaching behaviour (2.44 ± 0.45). For ASQ, the mean score showed that team integration (5.33 ± 1.00) was the most important subscale influencing athlete satisfaction. The lowest rated athlete satisfaction was external agents, example, facilities and supporters (4.56 ± 0.95). For PMCSQ-2, a higher mean was reported for task-involving climate, example, cooperative learning, effort/improvement, important role (5.36 ± 0.89) than ego-involving climate, example, intra-team member rivalry, unequal recognition, punishment for mistakes (4.09 ± 0.95). Conclusion. Coaches should look into their own coaching behaviour because it is a fundamental aspect in enhancing the performance of athletes with respect to motivational climate and performance satisfaction.