Entrenamiento psicológico mediante el coaching motivacional en alto rendimiento: una experiencia en marcha atlética

This article reports the psychological intervention carried out with two high-performance walkers aged 19 and 23 years. This consisted of 10 sessions of an average duration of 60-90 minutes. Intervention was based on motivational coaching. The “Cantón’s Giraffe” model, where the psychologist generates a facilitating environment that emphasizes the active role of the participants in the complete motivational process, based on scientific knowledge, was specifically used (Cantón, 2013). To assess its effectiveness, an A-B-A design was used with the following instruments: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1989), Schwarzer and Baessler SelfEfficacy Scale (1996), and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale (Díaz et al., 2006). The results show improvements in the analyzed variables (psychological well-being; self-efficacy; self esteem), most notably in self-efficacy in both participants. It is concluded that coaching is an effective psychological intervention strategy for modifying behavior in high-level athletes.