Empowering Coaching Climate Enhances Exercise Tolerance and Stress Recovery in Football Athletes: A Psychophysiological Approach

Abstract

This study examined the effects of an empowering coaching climate on exercise tolerance, physiological stress recovery, and psychological adaptation among university-level football athletes in West Java, Indonesia. Using a true experimental pretest-posttest control group design, 40 male athletes (aged 18–21) enrolled in undergraduate programs were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group received training integrated with empowering coaching strategies characterized by autonomy support, task involvement, and social support while the control group received conventional instruction without motivational emphasis. Both groups underwent standardized training in volume and intensity. Key psychophysiological indicators were measured, including heart rate variability (HRV: RMSSD and LF/HF), Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), and the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport). Additionally, perceptions of the coaching climate were assessed using the EDMCQ-C. Results showed that the empowering coaching group exhibited significantly higher RMSSD, lower LF/HF ratios, reduced RPE, improved stress-recovery balance, and more positive motivational climate perceptions. These findings suggest that an empowering coaching climate facilitates better physiological regulation and psychological resilience during training. Although performance skills were not directly measured, the study provides strong evidence supporting the integration of empowering coaching strategies into youth and university athletic programs to enhance athlete wellbeing and long-term engagement.

This study examined the effects of an empowering coaching climate on exercise tolerance, physiological stress recovery, and psychological adaptation among university-level football athletes in West Java, Indonesia. Using a true experimental pretest-posttest control group design, 40 male athletes (aged 18–21) enrolled in undergraduate programs were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group received training integrated with empowering coaching strategies characterized by autonomy support, task involvement, and social support while the control group received conventional instruction without motivational emphasis. Both groups underwent standardized training in volume and intensity. Key psychophysiological indicators were measured, including heart rate variability (HRV: RMSSD and LF/HF), Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), and the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport). Additionally, perceptions of the coaching climate were assessed using the EDMCQ-C. Results showed that the empowering coaching group exhibited significantly higher RMSSD, lower LF/HF ratios, reduced RPE, improved stress-recovery balance, and more positive motivational climate perceptions. These findings suggest that an empowering coaching climate facilitates better physiological regulation and psychological resilience during training. Although performance skills were not directly measured, the study provides strong evidence supporting the integration of empowering coaching strategies into youth and university athletic programs to enhance athlete wellbeing and long-term engagement.