Dr. Efrat Abadi-What do Female Athletes Need From Their Coaches?
- adimohel
- Oct 1
- 8 min read
Name: Efrat Abadi
Degree: PhD Kinesiology- Sport and Exercise Psychology
Areas of expertise: Coach behaviors, gender and sport, and sociocultural perspectives
Dr. Efrat Abadi is a scholar in the fields of sport psychology, sport leadership, and gender in sport. She served as a research assistant at the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Abadi's research offered young female athletes a distinctive platform to voice their perspectives and preferences, and to examine the distinct dynamics of athlete-coach relationships within unique cultural contexts.
What are you currently working on? What drew you to the world of sport?
My name is Efrat Abadi and I hold a Ph.D. in Kinesiology with a specialization in Sport and Exercise Psychology. I am trained as a Physical Education (PE) teacher and coach. After several years of working as a PE teacher and youth basketball coach, I pursued graduate studies in Sport Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where I studied under Dr. Diane Gill. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota, serving as a research assistant at the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport under the supervision of Dr. Nicole LaVoi, the Center's director and a leading international scholar in girls' and women's sport. Currently, I am a scholar focusing on sport psychology, sport leadership, and gender in sport, with a particular emphasis on sociocultural perspectives in both research and teaching.
How did you come to study this topic?
As a young female athlete, I encountered a range of experiences that ultimately led me to study this field in depth. When I wanted to play basketball in my hometown, there were no girls' teams available. In physical education classes, I often watched the boys play basketball while we, the girls, were assigned gymnastics routines or aerobic exercises in the corner of the gym. Later, as one of the first women to serve in a combat battalion, I trained with vests and boots several sizes too large because the unit was not yet prepared to accommodate women.
One particular moment stands out. After a strong practice, my coach approached me and said: "You train like a boy!". Despite the remark's gendered framing, I do not feel the need today to question its legitimacy in the context in which it was made. What struck me more was the question it raised: I was not the best player on the team- not the strongest, the fastest, or the tallest- so what exactly did he mean? I concluded that he must have been referring to perceived mental differences between female and male athletes. That realization sparked my curiosity and motivated me to explore whether such differences truly exist.
There is one experience I remember particularly well: my coach approached me after an especially good practice and said: “You train like a boy!” [...] I was not the best player on the team, nor the strongest or fastest, and certainly not the tallest, so what did he mean? The answer I gave myself was that he was likely referring to perceived mental differences between female and male athletes. That insight motivated me to investigate whether such differences truly exist.
What is your research focus, and how does it contribute new knowledge to the field?
My research lies at the intersection of sport psychology and the sociology of sport, and it is also informed by my professional background in sport pedagogy and physical education. Broadly, I study issues of participation in sport and the integration of girls and women into leadership roles.
In my doctoral dissertation, I examined the preferences of adolescent female athletes regarding coaching behaviors. While much of the existing literature is based on what coaches believe girls want or need, my study provided young female athletes with a unique platform to voice their own perspectives and preferences. Since most of the current knowledge in this area comes from Western contexts, and data on girls from other cultures are scarce, part of my analysis applied a cultural lens that highlighted the Mediterranean context of coach-athlete relationships.
One of the aims of my research was to provide stakeholders in the field - coaches, physical education teachers, parents, and sport clubs - with insights and practical tools to better recruit and retain girls and women in sport, both as athletes and in leadership roles such as coaches or club directors.
While much of the existing literature is based on what coaches believe girls want or need, my research provided adolescent female athletes with a unique platform to voice their own perspectives and preferences. Given that most of the current knowledge in this area comes from research in Western contexts, and that there is little data on Mediterranean girls, my dissertation analysis employed a cultural lens that highlighted the Mediterranean cultural context in coach-athlete relationships.
What research methods did you use?
In my doctoral dissertation, I employed qualitative research methods. I conducted interviews with female athletes ages 13-17, a stage at which dropout rates in sport are particularly high. The participants represented a range of sports and competitive levels, and data were collected through focus groups conducted via Zoom.
The athletes did not expect the coach to possess deep expertise in every discipline, but they emphasized the importance of the coach having broad and substantial knowledge. One athlete illustrated this preference: "He [the coach] should be able to understand the difficulties, know when the athlete can no longer continue, and recognize when it might be best to stop for the day… and also be willing to consult others. Not try to solve everything alone, but know when to say, 'I don't know this, but let's consult an expert in the field.' "
What were your main insights from the research?
One of the key insights from my research concerns the influence of cultural differences on gaps in findings compared to similar studies conducted in other countries. Adolescent female athletes generally expressed slightly different preferences than their counterparts elsewhere, particularly regarding nuances in coaching behavior, such as how they preferred coaches to convey care and sensitivity, and how they expressed assertiveness. Several themes emerged from the interviews:
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1. Appreciation for professionally competent coaches
Professional competence was understood as coaches having broad and substantial knowledge across kinesiology disciplines. While participants did not expect coaches to have deep expertise in every area, they stressed the importance of coaches being knowledgeable overall. One athlete expressed this preference clearly: "He [the coach] should be able to understand when an athlete can no longer continue, to know when it might be best to stop for the day… and to be willing to consult others. Not to try to solve everything alone, and to be able to say 'I don't know this, but let's consult an expert in the field.' "
**Tip for coaches: coaches should continually develop their knowledge by attending professional development courses, participating in conferences, keeping up with research, and seeking input from complementary professionals.
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2. No strong preference for democratic coaching behavior
The findings did not suggest that the athletes preferred autocratic coaching, which is generally not recommended in the literature due to its negative effects. However, the girls expressed a desire for coaches to be "the authority", decisive and clearly leading the training. As one athlete explained: "I think a good coach knows how to set boundaries and be decisive during training… If you [the coach] start asking what is best for each athlete, it turns into chaos… The coach must set boundaries so the athlete knows who the coach is and who the athlete is. If you, as a coach, become 'one of the team,' the first practice might still work, but by the second no one will take you seriously. It becomes a zoo, and there is no one to set limits."
This finding is notable because it contrasts with findings from Western cultures, illustrating the influence of a culture on this preference.
**Tip for coaches: Set boundaries. While boundaries may seem to limit options or freedom, they actually provide structure that helps athletes feel safe and able to operate freely within a defined framework.
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Athletes spoke extensively about coach feedback, particularly regarding shouting. It is important to note that sport is an emotional field, and shouting is a legitimate part of it. The key issue is not the tone but the content of the shouting. The athletes agreed that the content matters most, and any feedback that is offensive, insulting, or degrading can negatively affect their emotional experience.
**Tip for coaches: Be mindful of the content of feedback, even in highly emotional moment.
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4. Interpersonal communication skills
Female athletes valued coaches who were good listeners, empathetic, and caring. One athlete said: "I want the coach to 'enter' my life, but not to 'enter' it too much." Another concluded: "It's fine that the coach is involved in my life, but in a reasonable way."
**Tip for coaches:
Strive to be involved in athletes' lives, but not excessively. I call this: "be caring, not creepy."
The research produced many additional interesting findings related to athletes' preferences for coaching leadership styles, satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs, and pedagogical behaviors. I invite those interested to read my dissertation and/or get in touch to discuss and ask questions.
The athletes spoke extensively about coach feedback, specifically regarding their preferences related to shouting. When focusing on this aspect, it is important to remember that sport is an emotional field, and shouting is an integral part of it. In other words, it is legitimate for coaches and athletes to raise their voices. The key question, then, is not the tone but the content of the shouting. The athletes unanimously agreed that the content matters most, and that any feedback that is offensive, insulting, or degrading can negatively affect their emotional experience.
What practical recommendations for coaches and physical education teachers do you have?
Before offering recommendations, I would note that while there is a common desire among professionals to create clear "do's and don'ts," it is important to remember that coaching behaviors and athletes' preferences can vary depending on the socio-cultural context, the situation, and individual differences. Nevertheless, there are several general recommendations that can be relevant to any physical education teacher or coach:
Learn the cultural and environmental context of your athletes.
Coach and teacher education programs should prepare professionals to do their "homework" and understand the cultural and social context of the environments they enter. We live in a diverse society, and professionals may work with athletes from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. To adapt coaching and teaching approaches effectively, it is essential to understand the cultural background of the athletes (e.g., newly immigrated athletes, athletes from different socio-economic statuses, or from peripheral regions).
Continue developing knowledge.
This recommendation applies to all, but it is particularly important for coaches in less elite leagues, where support staff may be limited and coaches are required to fulfill multiple roles, such as physiologist, nutritionist, and psychologist. Expanding knowledge can be achieved through professional development courses, conferences, and staying current with literature. I also recommend broadening knowledge beyond sport-related content, for example, learning about interpersonal communication, gender, and leadership, because these skills contribute to building supportive and effective relationships with athletes.
Avoid essentialist approaches to gender differences.
Essentialism assumes that all boys are alike, all girls are alike, and that boys and girls are inherently different. I recommend broadening perspectives to also acknowledge individual differences that are not determined by gender.
How does this relate to research examining differences between male and female athletes?
Equity does not mean identical treatment. Discussions about women and girls in sport often raise the question: "Are girls the same as boys, or are they different?" On one hand, some argue that girls are different; on the other, they call for equal treatment. My research does not claim that the preferences of female athletes are irrelevant to male athletes, such a conclusion would be essentialist. It is possible that the recommendations from my research are also relevant to male athletes, and therefore I encourage professionals to apply them to both female and male athletes. Importantly, boys and girls are more similar than different (see Hyde, 2014, Gender Similarities and Differences). Nevertheless, girls experience the world differently within a patriarchal context, and coaching behavior should therefore be adapted to their unique needs. Equity means providing each individual with what they need to succeed, even if resources or approaches differ. Equality (Identical treatment) assumes that everyone starts from the same starting line, an assumption that does not match social reality, especially regarding girls and women in sport.
Read the full article here!
: Girls’ Preferences for Coaches’ Pedagogical Behaviors in Sport Training