Purpose: This study explored sport coaches’ beliefs, intentions, behavior, and feedback regarding life skills coaching. The Life Skills Coaching model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (LSC-TPB) was adopted as the theoretical framework, and a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was employed. Method: Six coaches (five males and one female) in middle and high schools with previous athletic experience participated in the study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide, and they were analyzed by six categories: beliefs (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), intentions, behaviors, and feedback. Results: Outcomes were revealed that most coaches held positive attitudes toward the importance of life skills coaching. However, due to a performance-oriented sport culture, lack of time, and limited team support, coaches tended to rely on implicit and situational approaches rather than explicit and planned ones. Moreover, coaches demonstrated a limited conceptual understanding of life skills, often conflating them with traditional notions of character education or behavioral guidance. Nevertheless, the participants actively delivered educational messages based on their own experiences and intuitions, and demonstrated reflective efforts to assess and improve their coaching practices. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for enhanced coach education, institutional support, and the establishment of reflective feedback systems in order to promote more systematic life skills coaching in Korean elite sport settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership of sports coaches in depth using the grounded theory approach. Methods: To achieve this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 athletic team coaches registered with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee in 2025, using semi-structured questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed following the grounded theory procedures of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Results: Based on the grounded theory paradigm model, the causal conditions were identified as team operation and management, coaching reflection, and performance pressure. The contextual conditions emerged as changes in the external environment and athletes’ perceptions. The core phenomena were communication-oriented leadership and athlete management and support. The intervening conditions included external environment and members’ needs, while the action/interaction strategies consisted of creating a positive team atmosphere and utilizing a reward system. The consequences were identified as changes in team atmosphere and coach development. Conclusion: Sports coaches are evaluators who make judgments based on their observations of athletes. Their decisions significantly influence the team’s atmosphere and athletes’ development. The findings of this study provide practical insights into the situational factors and adaptive decision-making processes that coaches encounter in the field, offering valuable implications for effective coaching practice.

Purpose: This study aims to develop a self-efficacy scale for judo athletes by integrating Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy theory with the cultural context of Korean judo, and to verify the validity and reliability of the developed measurement instrument. Methods: A 15-item self-efficacy scale consisting of 5 sub-factors (physical conditioning, fundamental techniques, competition management, specialty techniques, and coach relationships) was developed with 406 judo athletes. To verify the validity and reliability of the scale, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency analysis, and between-group difference tests were conducted. Results: The exploratory factor analysis results showed that the 5 sub-factors explained 78.93% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a hierarchical second-order factor model, where the 5 sub-factors converged into a single higher-order factor (judo self-efficacy), demonstrated high construct validity. Additionally, statistically significant differences in self-efficacy were found according to athletes’ skill level and career experience. Conclusion: The self-efficacy of Korean judo athletes exhibits a hierarchical factor structure comprising 5 sub-domains, which can be explained through the integration of self-efficacy theory and the cultural context of Korean judo. Therefore, utilizing this scale would enable effective measurement of self-efficacy in judo athletes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the structural constructs of communication experienced by student-athletes in sporting environments and to identify the core components of communication from the perspective of the athletes. Methods: Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. The units of analysis were developed through an inductive content analysis process, in which responses sharing similar meanings or common characteristics were systematically compared and contrasted to generate conceptual categories. During the categorization process, a triangulation method involving consensus among three researchers was employed to enhance analytical rigor. Key themes were constructed to sufficiently reflect a wide range of responses, regardless of the level of analysis. Results: T h e communication construct comprised four dimensions: relational communication, which fosters trust and emotional connectedness; empathic communication, which promotes mutual understanding through attentive and responsive interaction; regulatory communication, which involves adaptive regulation of emotions and interpersonal coordination; and performance-oriented communication, which facilitates teamwork and performance outcomes through task-oriented exchanges. Conclusion: The findings indicate that communication in sports settings extends beyond simple information exchange and serves multiple functions, including relationship formation, emotional regulation, conflict management, and the negotiation of performance goals. These results are expected to provide practical implications for the development of educational and intervention programs that support coach-athlete relationship building and maintenance, enhance individual and team performance, and foster character and social development among student-athletes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy on resilience among university athletes. Specifically, it seeks to determine the mediating role of self-efficacy by setting self-perceived athletic performance as a control variable to ensure a more precise verification of the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Data from 275 university student-athletes were included in the final analysis. Reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, frequency analysis, descriptive statistic s, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using SPSS 29.0 and AMOS 26.0. Self-perceived athletic performance was included as a control variable. The mediating effects were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4), applying a parallel mediation model that simultaneously included the sub-factors of self-efficacy. Results: Self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and resilience. Among the subfactors of self-efficacy, sport discipline efficacy and psychological-physical efficacy emerged as significant mediators. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy were identified as important psychological mechanisms explaining collegiate athletes’ resilience. These psychological resources may help athletes effectively cope with the psychological burden and challenges of balancing academics and sport, thereby supporting optimal performance.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of physical activity on mental health―specifically anxiety and depression, perceived stress, suicidal ideation, and quality of life―among middle-aged adults in South Korea by comparing pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods. Methods: Data were derived from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), spanning the 3rd year of the 6th cycle (2015) to the 2nd year of the 9th cycle (2023). A total of 15,713 adults aged 40-64 years were included. Complex sample logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between physical activity and mental health. Results: First, leisure-time physical activity increased after the pandemic, whereas transport-related and total physical activity decreased; occupational physical activity showed an increasing trend, although this was not statistically significant. Second, compared with inactivity, minimally active individuals (600-2,999 MET-min/week) showed significant protective effects against anxiety and depression in the post-pandemic period. Third, minimally active physical activity (600-2,999 MET-min/week) was significantly associated with reduced perceived stress after the pandemic. Fourth, health-enhancing physical activity (≥3,000 MET-min/week) showed significant protective effects against suicidal ideation in the post-pandemic period. Conclusion: During infectious disease- related crisis situations, the sustained maintenance of minimal physical activity serves as an important protective factor for mental health among middle-aged adults.