Youth Sport Coaches’ Knowledge of Exercise Physiology and Related Concepts

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the basic knowledge of youth coaches within the United States on various areas of exercise physiology, as well as coaching procedures and techniques for youth sports. Methods: 200 individuals from across the United States were recruited to complete this survey. Descriptive data for each participant were collected: 1) age, 2) education level, 3) major field of study, 4) age level coached, 5) whether or not the coach was paid, and 6) the highest level of sports participation by the coach. A 50-item questionnaire, written in the form of a multiple choice and true/false, was developed and used to evaluate the knowledge of the youth sport coach on topics related to both general and exercise physiology as well as practice design, hydration, nutrition, basic first aid and acute injury management, concussion care, proper resistance training knowledge, sex differences in physiology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Results: 76% of respondents were 18-29 years old and 48% had achieved an education level of BA/BS. 62% of respondents coached at the high school level. The overall percent of correct responses to all questions combined was 73.6%. For slightly more than half the questions in the survey, there was a correct response rate greater than 80%. However, 10 of the 50 questions related to recovery and hydration had a correct response rate of less than 60%. Conclusions: Overall, survey responses indicate the youth sport coaches sampled had an encouraging amount of knowledge related to exercise physiology, emergency response, and general exercise protocols. However, there appears to be knowledge deficiencies in the categories of recovery and hydration. This lack of knowledge could lead to a myriad of concerns, including medical complications and decreased performance. In conclusion, there is a need for more evaluation of the overall exercise physiology knowledge of youth sport coaches. Youth sport coaches have considerable influence in the lives of young athletes when it comes to instilling good healthy habits.