Trends and strategies of verbal communication in sports training a systematic review of psychological and linguistic perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v71.116023Keywords:
Verbal communication, coaches, athletes, sports, psychology, linguistics, systematic literature reviewAbstract
Introduction: Verbal communication significantly influences coaching effectiveness, yet studies bridging psychology and linguistics are limited and lack clarity in mechanisms and features.
Objective: This study synthesizes global research on coaches' verbal communication, highlighting trends, effective strategies, and research gaps through a psychological-linguistic lens.
Method: A Systematic Literature Review was conducted using the PRISMA protocol across Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO. The review included empirical English-language articles (2017–2024) with psychological or linguistic insights. After screening, 28 articles were selected and analysed using Biblioshiny, NVivo, and VOSviewer.
Results: The United States led in publications, followed by the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia. Core themes included "communication," "performance," and "teams." Effective verbal strategies identified were reflective dialogue, corrective feedback, motivational self-talk, and emotionally supportive communication. Linguistic aspects like sentence structure and intonation were key.
Discussion: The findings highlight the interplay between coaching communication and sport psychology, showing that language shapes trust and meaning beyond instruction. Gaps include limited linguistic depth and a lack of real interaction data.
Conclusion: An interdisciplinary approach enhances understanding of coach-athlete communication. The study proposes the Interdisciplinary Coach Communication Model and recommends integrating pragmatic and linguistic training into coach education.
References
Abdoli, B., Hardy, J., Riyahi, J. F., & Farsi, A. (2018). A Closer Look at How Self-Talk Influences Skilled Basketball Performance. The Sport Psychologist, 32(1), 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2016-0162
Abraham, S. A. A., Amoah, J. O., Agyare, D. F., Sekimpi, D. K., Bosomtwe-Duker, D., Druye, A. A., Berchie, G. O., & Obiri-Yeboah, D. (2023). Health service factors affecting the COVID-19 vac-cination campaign in a Ghanaian metropolis: A qualitative exploratory study. BMJ Open, 13(12), e076184. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076184
Aditya, R., Setyawati, H., Sulaiman, S., & Hidayah, T. (2025). The Use of a Biomechanical Analysis Ap-proach to Kick Accuracy in Futsal Athletes: Literature Review. Retos, 66, 1120–1130. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v66.112878
Alvarado, E. F. C., Rivera, S. N. Y., Vélez, W. A. Z., León, M. P., & Merchán-Alvarado, J. (2025). Intercul-turalidad, comportamiento social y práctica deportiva: Estudio bibliométrico en contextos edu-cativos y recreativos. Retos, 68, 1729–1739. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v68.116047
Avcı, K. S., Çepikkurt, F., & Kale, E. K. (2018). Examination of the Relationship between Coach-Athlete Communication Levels and Perceived Motivational Climate for Volleyball Players. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 6(2), 346–353. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2018.060218
Azimi, S., & Tamminen, K. A. (2022). Parental communication and reflective practice among youth sport parents. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 34(1), 109–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2019.1705433
Bisio, A., Panascì, M., Ferrando, V., Albergoni, A., Ruggeri, P., & Faelli, E. (2024). Warm-up plus verbal communications administered as placebo procedure during the training session improves run-ning performance. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 73, 102633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102633
Choi, H., Jeong, Y., & Kim, S.-K. (2020). The Relationship between Coaching Behavior and Athlete Burn-out: Mediating Effects of Communication and the Coach–Athlete Relationship. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228618
Choi, H., Park, J.-A., & Kim, Y. (2019). Decreasing Aggression through Team Communication in Colle-giate Athletes. Sustainability, 11(20), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205650
Cranmer, G., Ash, E., Fontana, J. L., & Mikkilineni, S. (2020). Communication for the win: Task benefits of coach confirmation in collegiate athletics. Communication Quarterly, 68(5), 539–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2020.1850491
Dany, D., Arianti, D., Rossa, M., Prayitno, D. A., Erfarenata, F., & Wibawa, J. C. (2025). Physiological responses of resistance training in increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels: A sys-tematic review. Retos, 68, 1250–1261. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v68.115912
Davis, L., Jowett, S., Sörman, D., & Ekelund, R. (2022). The role of quality relationships and communi-cation strategies for the fulfilment of secure and insecure athletes’ basic psychological needs. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(21), 2424–2436. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2022.2162240
Dias, C., Rodrigues, I. T., Gonçalves, H., & Duarte, I. (2024). Communication strategies for adults in pal-liative care: The speech-language therapists’ perspective. BMC Palliative Care, 23(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01382-x
Febriansyah, R. F. (2024, Mei | 20.11 WIB). Shin Tae-yong Ungkap Komunikasi Pemain Jadi Tan-tangan Terbesar Melatih Timnas Indonesia | tempo.co. Tempo. https://www.tempo.co/sepakbola/shin-tae-yong-ungkap-komunikasi-pemain-jadi-tantangan-terbesar-melatih-timnas-indonesia-57492
Furley, P., & Thrien, F. (2024). A smile can go a long way: The effects of dominant and rewarding smiles of coaches on athletes in an evaluative performance context. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 19(2), 525–538. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541231213307
Grzegorczyk, G. (2015). Linguistic foundations of techniques instigating mental and behavioural change in coaching conversations. Rocznik Kognitywistyczny, 2015(Tom 8), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.4467/20843895RK.14.002.2688
Karafil, A. Y., & Ulaş, M. (2023). An Evaluation of Athletes’ Opinions on Communication Barriers Caused by Coaches in the Interpersonal Communication Process. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 102(1), 28–40. https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2024-0003
Kim, Y., & Park, I. (2020). “Coach Really Knew What I Needed and Understood Me Well as a Person”: Effective Communication Acts in Coach–Athlete Interactions among Korean Olympic Archers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093101
Kuralbayeva, A., Rysbayeva, A., Kabekeyeva, K., Pashtanov, S., Abdullina, G., & Aliyeva, A. (2025). En-hancing communicative competence of future athletes through the integration of international languages in team sports among multicultural students. Retos, 66, 585–598. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v66.113332
Labuschagne, P. A. (2017). Non-verbal and paralinguistic political communication in sport: An analysis of images of Springbok rugby. Communicatio, 43(1), 80–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2017.1307243
Latinjak, A. T., Masó, M., & Comoutos, N. (2018). Goal-Directed Self-Talk Used During Technical Skill Acquisition: The Case of Novice Ultimate Frisbee Players. The Sport Psychologist, 32(1), 60–65. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2017-0047
Lower-Hoppe, L. M., Heuett, K. B., Newman, T. J., & Brgoch, S. M. (2020). Communication and Team Performance: A Case Study of Division I Football Captains. International Journal of Sport Com-munication, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2019-0112
MD, & Jenicek, M. (2012). A Primer on Clinical Experience in Medicine: Reasoning, Decision Making, and Communication in Health Sciences. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b12730
Milius, I., Gilbert, W. D., Alexander, D., & Bloom, G. A. (2020). Coaches’ Use of Positive Tactile Commu-nication in Collegiate Basketball. International Sport Coaching Journal, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2020-0001
Müller, P. O., Taylor, J., Jordan, M. J., Scherr, J., Verhagen, E., Collins, D., & Spörri, J. (2023). Call for the application of a biopsychosocial and interdisciplinary approach to the return-to-sport frame-work of snow sports athletes. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2022-001516
Nuraini, I. R., Intan, P. P., Argarini, R., Sari, G. M., & Rahayu, I. N. (2025). Level of skeletal troponin I as a marker of skeletal muscle damage after eccentric exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Retos, 70, 62–74. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v70.113189
Oh, Y. (2023). Communication and Team Cohesion Moderate the Relationship Between Transforma-tional Leadership and Athletic Performance. SAGE Open, 13(3), 21582440231195196. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231195196
Oxburgh, G. E., Myklebust, T., & Grant, T. (2010). The question of question types in police interviews: A review of the literature from a psychological and linguistic perspective. The International Jour-nal of Speech, Language and the Law, 17(1), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsll.v17i1.45
Pacholek, M., & Zemková, E. (2022). Effects of Verbal Encouragement and Performance Feedback on Physical Fitness in Young Adults. Sustainability, 14(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031753
Prabowo, S. A., Wibawa, J. C., Hamdani, H., Indriarsa, N., Ardha, M. A. A., Hidayat, T., Subagio, I., Barata, I., Lobo, J., & Ayubi, N. (2025). Increased adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase activity in mice with physical exercise intervention: A systematic review. Retos, 68, 377–387. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v68.115136
Purnomo, E., Aisyah, S., Hadjarati, H., Azis, A. C. K., Suardika, I. K., Jermaina, N., Nurkhoiroh, N., & Gumilar, A. (2024). The Coach’s Role in Understanding the Athletes’ Condition: Maximizing Communication Functions. Retos, 55, 543–551. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v55.105991
Purnomo, E., Ma’mun, A., Kusmaedi, N., Hendrayana, Y., Hidayat, Y., Jermaina, N., & Marheni, E. (2021). Profile: Interpersonal Communication Skills for Future Coaches. International Journal of Hu-man Movement and Sports Sciences, 9(5), 964–972. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2021.090518
Qiu, X., & Fang, C. (2022). Creating an effective English-Medium Instruction (EMI) classroom: Chinese undergraduate students’ perceptions of native and non-native English-speaking content teach-ers and their experiences. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(2), 641–655. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1707769
Rahmalina, R., Putri, V. N. E., Hilmi, L., Sirait, A., & Kurniati, N. (2025). Body language and words: A multimodal analysis of elite athletes’ communication. Retos, 66, 26–45. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v66.112706
Raya, M. (2018). Kegagalan Triyatno karena Kurangnya Komunikasi Pelatih dan Atlet. detiksport. https://sport.detik.com/sport-lain/d-4178035/kegagalan-triyatno-karena-kurangnya-komunikasi-pelatih-dan-atlet
Rey, R. T., Cranmer, G. A., Browning, B., & Sanderson, J. (2022). Sport Knowledge: The Effects of Divi-sion I Coach Communication on Student-Athlete Learning Indicators. International Journal of Sport Communication, 15(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2021-0062
Seo, W. J., Sung, Y., & Park, S.-H. (2017). Cultural preferences for visual and verbal communication styles in sport advertisements. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 39(2), Article 2. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajrs/article/view/160687
Shah, E. J., Fransen, K., Slater, M. J., & Barker, J. B. (2023). The impact of intra-team communication and support relationships on team identification and collective efficacy in elite team sport: A social network analysis. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 21(4), 638–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2022.2084761
Shimazaki, T., Taniguchi, H., & Kikkawa, M. (2021). Gender- and Age-Group Differences in the Effect of Perceived Nonverbal Communication on Communication Ability and Coaching Evaluation in Japanese Student Athletes. International Journal of Sport Communication, 14(3), 379–397. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2021-0001
Sutcliffe, J. T., Herbison, J. D., Martin, L. J., McLaren, C. D., Slatcher, R., Benson, A. J., Van Woezik, R., Boardley, I. D., Carré, J. M., Côté, J., & Bruner, M. W. (2021). Exploring parent-athlete sport re-lated communication outside of the sport environment with the Electronically Activated Re-corder. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 54, 101919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101919
Temel, V. (2025). The Power of Inner Dialogue: The Impact of Self-Talk Techniques on Athlete Per-formance. Archives of Clinical and Experimental Orthopaedics, 9(1), 001–003. https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.aceo.1001021
Vives-Ribó, J., & Rabassa, N. (2020). Intervención sobre la comunicación del entrenador para aumentar la confianza de los deportistas. Revista de Psicología Aplicada al Deporte y El Ejercicio Físico, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5093/rpadef2020a1
Vrij, A., & Vrij, S. (2020). Complications travel: A cross-cultural comparison of the proportion of com-plications as a verbal cue to deceit. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 17(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/jip.1538
Whales, L., Frawley, S., Cohen, A., & Nikolova, N. (2020). Everyday Things Change: Australian Athlete Communication During the Coronavirus Lockdown. International Journal of Sport Communica-tion, 13(3), 541–550. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2020-0219
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Daroe Iswatiningsih, Muhammad Andi Setiawan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
