Training the Trainers for Injury Prevention – What help and support do coaches need? – lauren guilfoyle msc bsc.

These programmes are highly efficacious in reducing injury rates but are rarely optimally delivered. The majority of these programmes prescribe 15-minute time-blocks 3 times per week (at both training and games) to achieve maximal injury prevention benefits.

While coaches tend to hold positive beliefs and perceptions about these injury prevention programmes concurrent with accurate knowledge regarding injury prevention practices, they also report barriers to delivery and implementation. These barriers often concern both the programme itself (complexity, variation and content) and their own ability to deliver it to their players (competency and self-efficacy). In addition, many coaches report organizational level barriers to implementation.

Pre-season coach workshops are the mechanism typically employed to prepare coaches for delivery of these injury prevention programmes, but a scoping review by Guilfoyle et al. (under review, 2023) identified that education offered is often limited to one preseason workshop with half of the included studies using didactic teaching methods only. Much variety then exists in post-workshop support for coaches as they navigate delivery of the programme throughout the playing season, possibly explaining the dip seen in adherence as the season progresses.

Coaches report a perceived lack of competency and self-confidence in delivering these often-complex programmes to their players and cite player boredom and repetitiveness as barriers to implementation. Attending to these coach needs through learning and educational structures concurrent with the delivery of these injury prevention programmes may improve programme exposure – but the optimal sources through which to deliver this knowledge to coaches is unknown.  

It is not yet understood how coaches wish to be supported as delivery agents of injury prevention programmes. Gathering this information may provide stepping stones to addressing competency related barriers to implementation. It is hypothesised that this may potentially improve programme adherence resulting in reduced injury rates.

We recently began recruiting coaches to help answer this question – and recruitment is ongoing.

Eligibility criteria:

–        A Rugby Union coach

–        Working with male and/or female players under the age of 19

–        Speak fluent English.

For more information regarding participation contact research lead Lauren Guilfoyle (Lauren.Guilfoyle@ul.ie).

This research is supported by the Irish Rugby Football Union as part of the Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) Project.