This autoethnography highlights the complex processes collegiate athletes may experience when interacting with their coaches. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of coaching behaviors on my relation-inferred self-efficacy as a collegiate women`s basketball player using a reflective and evocative narrative autoethnography. This study investigated the effect of coaching behaviors on self-efficacy from an athlete`s point of view and uses autoethnography to convey the importance of relation-inferred self-efficacy. Based on the first author`s experiences, relation-inferred self-efficacy beliefs were influenced by coach-athlete relationships, personal interpretation of coaches` thoughts, poor coaching behaviors, and motivational climate promoted by coaches.
© Copyright 2026 International Sport Coaching Journal. Human Kinetics. All rights reserved.