Chinese coaches' perceptions of non-physical factors in training adaptation: A multicausal, cross-cultural perspective

Abstract

Objectives

Chinese coaches were surveyed to examine their opinion on non-physical factors role in training adaptation and performance, results were compared with prior Western data and the influence of cultural reasoning styles on causal prioritisation considered.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Methods

A survey was administered to Chinese coaches (n = 106) across a range of sports (e.g. Olympic Weightlifting and racket sports) and competitive levels (club to international). Included were items rating the importance of various non-physical factors alongside physical training components and open-ended questions probing perceived mechanisms.

Results

Most coaches (e.g., ≥ 80%) rated non-physical factors as essential modifiers of training adaptation and performance across all timescales. Quantitative ratings showed a broad range of factors were considered important, with less clustering than observed in a prior Western sample. Qualitative themes indicated that coaches view non-physical factors as modulators that act to amplify or dampen the effects of training, thus shaping ‘how much’ an athlete improves. These findings align with a multicausal perspective and suggest a holistic orientation in causal reasoning.

Conclusions

These coaches perceived training adaptation as inherently multifactorial, with non-physical factors functioning as critical modifiers rather than peripheral influences. The broad range of importance ratings suggests cultural context may shape causal prioritisation. Sport science should move beyond linear, physical-centric models and incorporate culturally informed, configurational frameworks that account for the diverse conditions underpinning adaptation. Future cross-cultural and mixed-methods research is needed to test whether cognitive style differences underlie variation in coaching beliefs and to refine training models.