The professional improvement process of the baseball coach

Abstract

To improve baseball training, it is necessary to transform the way coaches operate, what must find rational solutions in the conception of the professional development process as a path to improving preparation. In this regard, the objective was to establish a theoretical model with a new vision of the professional development process for baseball coaches. The research involved 54 baseball coaches who worked with pitchers in the U-12 age group in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Theoretical methods employed included analytical-synthetic, systemic-structural-functional, and modeling­; empirical methods included observation, documentary analysis, expert judgment, and surveys; and statistical methods included descriptive statistics. The results demonstrated a new rationale for the professional development process for coaches, enabling them to acquire training tailored to educational resources and efficiently perform their professional duties. The criteria issued by the experts agreed that the professional development model for baseball coaches provided a new vision for fulfilling their social role.