An early investigation to optimize the implementation of long term athlete development in Indonesia

Abstract

Long-term athlete development is a big challenge that Indonesia must face as a country with abundant human resource potential. Even so, Indonesia's current sports achievements have yet to show significant progress. In order to increase sports achievement, researchers assume that all supporting aspects must work together to create a good coaching climate. One of them is having many trainers with qualified knowledge spread throughout Indonesia to nurture young athletes to become champions in the future. This study aimed to see the extent of knowledge of sports trainers in Indonesia regarding the long-term development of athletes. The sample of this study was 308 trainers throughout Indonesia who were divided into 4 groups (227 district/city levels, 43 provincial levels, 35 national levels and 3 international levels). The data came from an online survey and was analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine participant demographics, distribution of answers, mean, standard deviation, and crosstabulation. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The results of the study showed that the lack of coach knowledge related to long-term coaching to create elite athletes. This result revealed that Indonesia's sporting achievements were still low, so it could have performed better at regional and international sporting events. It is hoped that future research will provide an illustration for stakeholders about the extent of competence possessed by sports coaches in Indonesia and find solutions to the phenomena that occur. So, the coaches can adjust training programs based on long-term athlete development principles.