Technical Direction in Gyms and Health Clubs: An Exploratory Study on the Perception of Physical Exercise Professionals

Abstract

The position of the technical director was introduced into Portuguese law in 2012, but little research has been produced to understand how it has developed its action since. This study analysed the perceptions of the physical exercise technicians (TEF) regarding i) the importance of the functions of technical directors (as defined in the law) and ii) the way technical directors fulfil and develop their roles, contrasting the results by market segment. A descriptive and frequency analysis was made of a sample of 194 exercise professionals, with a mean age of 34.46 years (SD = 8.78) and a mean years of experience of 9.04 years (SD = 6.84), who voluntarily participated in this study. The present work showed that the TEF value the role attributed to the technical director expressed in the law. The regularity of the technical director's support was found to be quite heterogeneous, with almost 50% of the respondents classifying it as non-existent or not very regular. It was also found that around 45% of the TEF considered the performance of the technical directors to be very weak or weak. From the analysis by market segment, the low cost generally presented the worst percentage results, while the premium segment presented the best results.