Perceived Coach Behavior in Training and Competition Predicts Collective Efficacy in Female Elite Handball Players

The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationships between athletes’ perceived coach behaviors during training and competition, and collective efficacy. Elite female handball players in Norway (N = 113) completed the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS), the Coaching Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), and the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports (CEQS). Relationships were identified between perceived coach behaviors in training and competition environments and with athlete collective efficacy. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that prediction of variance in collective efficacy improved when perceptions of coach behaviour during competition were entered in addition to perceptions of coach leadership behavior during training. Furthermore, the results indicated that greater levels of perceived training and instructional behavior, positive feedback, social support, and supportiveness predicted greater collective efficacy. In contrast, higher perception of negative activation predicted lower levels of collective efficacy. The results highlight the important relationships between coach behavior inboth training and competition, and their combined impact upon collective efficacy in elite female handball teams.