What is it like to be a parent of an elite junior tennis player?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v32i91.394Keywords:
Junior tennis, Parent attitudes, Performance narrativesAbstract
This paper is an Interpretative Phenomenological Analyses (IPA) into the experiences of parents of elite junior tennis players. “Performance narratives” have received attention in professional sports settings, but research has yet to fully investigate the effects on parents of junior tennis players. Parents are a psychologically significant network member of coach-athlete relationships. Narrative theory states that through creating personal stories people can make sense of their lives. A “performance narrative” is a story of dedication to sport performance, where, winning, results, achievements are pre-eminent and link closely to the story tellers’ identity. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of 8 parents of elite junior tennis players and describe what it is like to be a parent in the elite junior tennis context. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of 8 parents of elite junior tennis players describes their experiences of elite junior tennis tournaments. This study found that (a) parents struggle with the development versus winning paradigm in junior tennis (b) “performance narratives” influence how parents evaluate player improvement (c) “performance narratives” influence parents’ behaviours at competition. This paper recommends more face-to-face coach-parent communication to help parents adhere to development narratives and increasing the frequency / relevancy of parent education workshops that give a realistic depiction of the elite junior tennis pathway.
Downloads
References
Armour, K. (2013) Sport Pedagogy: An Introduction for Teaching and Coaching. Abingdon: Routledge.
Douglas, K. & Carless, D., (2012). Stories of success: Cultural narratives and personal stories of elite and professional athletes, Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 13:3, 387-398, DOI: 0.1080/14623943.2012.657793. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2012.657793
Dunn, C., Dorsch, T., King, M., & Rothlisberger, K. (2016). The impact of family financial investment on perceived parent pressure and child enjoyment and commitment in organized youth sport. Family Relations, 65, 287–299. https://doi.org/10. 1111/fare.12193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12193
Gould D, Pierce S, Wright EM, Lauer L, Nalepa J., (2016). Examining expert coaches’ views of parent roles in 10-and-under tennis. Sport Exerc. Perform. Psychol. 2016, 5:89-106. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000050
Gowling, C. (2019). Understanding the pressures of coaching: In sights of young UK coaches working with elite junior tennis players. ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review, Vol 79, pp 19 – 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v27i79.81
Gowling, C. (2021). “Slippage” in the talent development environment of elite junior tennis players. ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review, Vol 84, pp 24 – 27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v29i84.204
Jowett, S. and Timson-Katchis, M. (2005). Social Networks in Sport: Parental Influence in the Coach-Athlete Relationship, The Sport Psychologist, 19: 267 – 287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.19.3.267
Jowett, S. (2007). Coach-athlete relationships ignite groupness. In M. Beauchamp & M. Eys (Eds.), Group Dynamics: Advances in Sport and Exercise Psychology. New York: Routledge.
Knight, C., & Holt, N., (2014). Parenting in youth tennis: Understanding and enhancing children's experiences. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15, 155–164. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.10.010
Knight, C., Berrow, S., & Harwood, C. (2017). Parenting in sport. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 93 –97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.011
Lauer, L. Gould, D. Roman, N. & Pierce, M. (2010), Parental behaviours that affect junior tennis player development, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Vol 11, p 487 – 496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.06.008
Rees, T. Hardy, L. Gullich, A. Abernethy, B. Cote, J. Woodman, T. Montgomery, H. Laing, S. Warr, C. (2016). The Great British Medalists Project: A Review of Current Knowledge on the Development of the World’s Best Sporting Talent. Sports Med, Vol 46, pp 1041 – 1058. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0476-2
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method, and research, London: Sage.
Smoll, F. L. Cumming, S. P., and Smith, R. E., (2011). Enhancing Coach Parent Relationships in Youth Sports: Increasing Harmony and Minimising Hassle, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, vol 6:1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.1.13
Umarova, M. (2015). Intense sports activities of children and their support in the contemporary family. Procedia Social Behavioural Science., 171: 494-502. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.152
Weltevreden, G., van Hooft, E., van Vianen, A. (2018). Parental behaviour and adolescent's achievement goals in sport. Psychology of Sport & Exercise 39: 122–131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.08.004
Wolfenden, L. E. & Holt, N. L. (2005) Talent Development in Elite Junior Tennis: Perceptions of Players, Parents, and Coaches, JOURNAL OF APPLIED SPORT PSYCHOLOGY, 17:2, 108-126, DOI: 10.1080/10413200590932416. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200590932416
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Callum Gowling
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.