Sports Training during COVID-19 First Lockdown—A Romanian Coaches’ Experience

Abstract

COVID-19 restrictions impacted sports training and its human resources. The purpose of this study was to highlight the difficulties faced by Romanian coaches while carrying out online training during the first lockdown. It was assumed that the training coordinates were significantly influenced by distance coaching and that the coaches’ self-perceived efficacy was related to their digital skills. The study involved 407 coaches (62.16% men, 37.84% women), with a mean age of 41.7 ± 10.01 years, who completed an online questionnaire with 16 items. The statistics analysis was both quantitative and qualitative, with a significance level of 95%. T test was used for the training duration and for the differences between the coaches’ seniority. Chi-squared test was applied between sports branches and Anova for the non-parametric data. Correlations and regression model were performed to estimate the relationship between variables. It was revealed that 87.22% of the coaches adjusted their initial objectives and that the IT tools were provided through coaches’ own financial resources for 83.05% of them. Overall, 51.84% of the coaches failed to engage all athletes in online training; for the rest of them, an association with their professional experience and sports branches was demonstrated (χ2(8) = 34.688, p = 0.001). ANOVA confirmed that the ability to use IT tools influenced online training efficiency at p < 0.005. The results emphasized that Romanian coaches encountered difficulties related to training programming, IT use, with consequences on their professional self-efficacy.