Resonant coaching in sport—a late modern approach

Most existing research assumes that coaching should be ‘effective’ in terms of achieving sport-related outcomes. However, the psychological crisis and other forms of alienation prevalent among athletes in late modern sport—such as stress, anxiety, burnout, depression, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and a rigidly instrumentalized understanding of one's own body—highlight the deeply problematic aspects of this outcome-oriented focus. This theoretical paper draws on Hartmut Rosa’s theory of resonance to propose an alternative approach. It introduces the concept of 'resonant coaching' as a normative criterion for defining ‘good’ coaching. By building on the four key features of resonant relationships—affection, self-efficacy, transformation, and semicontrollability—this paper discusses the 'resonant coaching triangle' as a mode for conceptualizing such relationships between the coach, the athlete, and the sport. It demonstrates how training and sport can be reimagined and transformed into a primary sphere of resonance for both athletes and coaches in late modern society.