The Effect of Personal Training in Progressive Relaxation Techniques and Deep Breathing on Coaches

Research in sports psychology has mainly focused on the athletes themselves, while interventions directed at trainers, who face multiple factors that generate stress and anxiety, have been very limited.

Hence, the objective of this investigation is to describe the effects in verbal instruction, perceiving health and psychological distress and in emotional self-control, based on progressive relaxation techniques and deep breathing. A pre- and post-evaluation of the intervention, in which psychological variables and coaches` behaviors were measured, was performed. Instruments utilized include CBAS, NEO-FFI, GHQ-12 and a sub-scale of self-control.

Seven male coaches from Bogota`s registry who are part of fencing, fighting, squash, and beach volleyball participated in this research. Results demonstrated statistically significant increments in the self-control and perception of health and psychological distress among trainers. In conclusion, techniques of emotional self-control were proven to be effective among the seven coaches.