Exploring Debriefing in Sports: A Qualitative Perspective

Abstract

This study explored athletes’ and coaches’ experience of debriefing. Six coaches and 11 athletes (M age = 21.09, SD = 3.30) of different competitive levels and sports participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants’ experiences reflected that debriefing was generally employed for performance evaluation and learning purposes. Psychological benefits of debriefing were seen as a by-product rather than an aim of the process. The power differential in some coach-athlete relationships was identified as limiting debriefing efficacy. From an applied perspective, the results highlight the need to increase athletes’ active participation in the debriefing process and to improve coaches’ and athletes’ understanding of psychological recovery.