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ABSTRACT.
This study aimed to investigate Turkish wrestling coaches' behavior toward their athletes and to identify the differences between various variables. The research population is active licensed wrestlers who have competed local, regional, national, and international competitions in the 2014/2015 season in Turkey. The sample consists of randomly selected (N = 1,084) wrestlers. In addition to collecting demographic data of the wrestlers and their coaches, the authors used a 47-question tool, developed by Mallet and Code, called the Coaching Behaviour Scale for Sports. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS 16; and descriptive statistics, independent t test, and one-way analysis of variance test were applied. Results of this evaluations determined that older athletes and those with significant wrestling experience negatively evaluated their coaches' behaviors. Middle-aged coaches who had graduated from a university and who were working for a national team were evaluated positively by their athletes. The results of this research indicate that wrestling coaches are often viewed as inadequate by their athletes in terms of their knowledge of the fundamentals of training and competition, and their negative coaching behaviors. Coaches must constantly improve their knowledge and skills in order to be effective instructors for their athletes. Also, coaches must know the ways in which to motivate athletes in training and competitions.