Key Personality Traits Of Martial Arts And World'S Top Coaches - Impact On Future Martial Arts Specialists

Background and Study Aim: The personal development process is invaluable for martial arts coaches (and not only), our research increas- ing awareness of viewing the martial art coach as a performer within the sports performance field. The cognitive aim of current study is knowledge about specific personality traits of coaches of martial arts and top coaches at Olympic, World and European levels others sports.Material and Methods: Seventy-seven participants were involved in the study, among which 15 top coaches (world martial arts' specialists, but also, top coaches from different sport disciplines, including the most successful coach of all time). The NEO Five-Factor Inventory was used, which captures the specific constructs of the Big Five Model, thirteen professional competencies and a number of correlative interpretations.Results: First step consisted in identifying personality traits and professional competencies specific to the world top coaches - including martial arts specialists. Through the t-Test for Independent Samples we emphasized significant differences between the investigated samples for three personality factors and six professional competencies. Knowing the personality traits specific to world top coaches - including martial arts specialists, the second step was to highlight the personality traits and professional competencies of martial arts coaches, perhaps the most relevant. To achieve this goal, using single-factor multivariate analysis of variance we compared martial arts coaches with successful coaches (from various disciplines) and beginners (young coaches), in terms of the three personality factors and six professional competencies specific to world top coaches. Our attention was focused on identifying the personality features which are not significantly different from those of successful coaches, but significantly different when compared with the beginners, emphasizing leadership abilities, locus of control and independence in work, as key personality traits of martial arts coaches. Other personality dimensions were also discussed, through the Somers' D index facilitating the personal and professional development of young martial arts coaches, by associating relevant professional competencies with the five major factors. Last, but not least, referring to correlative interpretations, we can highlight that both martial arts and world top coaches are mainly goal-focused (impulse control), motivated (task-orientation), predominantly charismatic (interaction style) and altruistic (character-orientation).Conclusions: As a result of the analysis of the martial arts coaches' personality, perhaps their most relevant personality traits and professional competencies are leadership abilities, locus of control and independence in work. Orientated towards taking responsibility for the coordination of others, martial arts coaches are able to motivate and mobilise the team members. They manage to work independently, have, generally, the ability to withstand momentary stimuli, succeed in controlling their own reactions, and perceive the impact of their own behaviour on the external events. Martial arts coaches are mainly goal-focused, predominantly charismatic, altruistic and motivated (task-orientation).