Other Oriented Perfectionism in Tennis Coaching

Other oriented perfectionism describes a pre-occupation with the expectation that others will achieve excessively high standards of performance. Projecting unrealistic expectations on to each other in a player-coach dyad may disrupt the working relationship and impact on the athlete’s experience within the sport. This study uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to explore, from the coach’s viewpoint, the effects of other oriented perfectionism in tennis coaching. After conducting semi-structured interviews with high level coaches from the United Kingdom, two superordinate themes emerged. ‘Negative effects of coaches’ other-oriented perfectionism’ and ‘Redefining perfectionism’. The findings of this study assist in highlighting areas for possible intervention as well as identifying avenues for future research.