Abstract
This study investigated the impact of the coach-athlete relationship (CAR) on the collective efficacy (CE) of young volleyball players. The sample consisted of 185 athletes from male and female teams participating in the Under-18 Paraná Championship. The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire and Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports were used for data collection. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation test, and uni- and multivariate simple regression (p<0.05). The results showed that medalists scored higher in all dimensions of CE (ability, effort, persistence, preparation, and unity) and perceived themselves closer and more committed to the coach than non-medalists (p<0.05). The CAR had a significant and moderate impact on the medalist and non-medalist perception of CE (p<0.05). It can be concluded that CAR is an important condition for the perception of CE in young volleyball players, irrespective of team performance.
Key words
Leadership; Sporting performance; Volleyball
