T-shaped model of professional competence of sports coaches for interdisciplinary development

Abstract

Abstract. The article provides a theoretical and methodological analysis of the problem of developing the professional competence of sports coaches in the context of the transformation of modern high-performance sport. It is substantiated that the increasing complexity of the organizational structure of athlete preparation, the emergence of multidisciplinary support teams, and the functioning of coaching activity in a VUCA environment necessitate a revision of traditional approaches to the professional role of the coach. It is demonstrated that the model of the coach as a “universal practitioner” no longer meets contemporary requirements for performance efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainable athlete development. The purpose of the article is to generalize existing scientific approaches to the concept of the T-shaped professional and to develop a universal T-shaped model of professional competence for sports coaches that can be applied across different sports. The methodological framework of the study includes analysis and synthesis of scientific literature, expert interviews with coaches possessing at least five years of practical experience, and systematization of the authors’ professional coaching experience. The article traces the evolution of the T-shaped professionalism concept from management and design thinking to the field of sports coaching and establishes its consistency with integrative models of coaching effectiveness. Based on the results of the expert survey, a set and hierarchy of key competencies of the modern coach are identified, including ethical, sport-specific, communicative, organizational, pedagogical, psychological, and medical-biological competencies. A T-shaped model of professional competence is proposed, reflecting the required balance between the depth of specialized knowledge and the breadth of interdisciplinary and integrative skills. The developed model is considered a universal baseline framework that can be adapted to the specific characteristics of particular sports and applied within systems of professional training, continuing education, and lifelong development of sports coaches, as well as serving as a methodological foundation for further research in the theory and methodology of sports training.