Drivers for change: reflective practice to enhance creativity in sports coaches

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant coach details.

Coach	Sex	Sport Category	Age	Years Experience	Highest Level Coached
1	Male	Net/Wall	41	13	National
2	Male	Net/Wall	51	22	National
3	Female	Net/Wall	43	14	National
4	Male	Team Invasion	47	16	National
5	Male	Team Invasion	43	13	National
6	Female	Team Invasion	46	15	National
7	Male	Team Invasion	53	21	National
8	Female	CSG	37	12	National
9	Female	CSG	49	21	National
10	Male	Combat	42	13	National
11	Male	Target	48	14	National
12	Female	Individual Aesthetic	47	15	National

Table 2. Summary of themes developed from analysis of interviews.

Higher Order Themes	Lower Order Themes	Data Extract
Extended Role of the Coach	Influencer Explore Marketing Own it (warts and all)	I have become an evangelist for different ways of coaching. I just see the endless possibilities, the different options that I can try. I need to sell the new ideas, the continual advances in thinking. I weigh up the pros and cons and then I ask myself ‘will this work for us’
Evolution of Decision-Making	Tacit/Intuitive Automaticity (to be avoided) Understanding what I am seeing No right answer	I would go with a gut feeling Stick to the game plan – that was the plan – it would work. I am better at seeing what is happening in a match and making a call based on my observations I have realised that there is no such thing as the ‘right answer’
Creativity & Innovation	Logic v Creativity Challenge the rules/norm Change is good What if questions	I have ripped up the rule book, completely discarded my plan and gone with my gut Innovation in coaching, new ways of doing things, different approaches can’t be repeated all the time, or it becomes normal practice Building on new ideas, new ways to do the same things I find myself also asking the ‘what if’ question – I find this helps me discover new ways of doing things