Coaching is full of decisions.  Better decision makers make more effective coaches.  This issue contains information useful for coaches to evaluate and make better decisions about current and prevalent issues in sport, including ergogenic aids, coaching behaviors, and training methods, as well as more reflective issues such as gender equity, cutting in sports, and violence prevention. Gibson Darden Coaching & Sports Section Editor

Take a look at a couple of recent position papers on some of the "older" topics in sport and coaching. Coaches of the Opposite Gender The Women's Sports Foundation provides an interesting position paper concerning the perceived preference of female athletes to be coached by male coaches. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids in Sports Those in need of factual information on the topic should check this position paper out, prepared by the ACSM. Click here to join the PE Forum Bulletin Board for PE Teachers & Coaches As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given, by treating others as we would like to be treated.             - Mary Lou Retton,                gold medal gymnast

Featured Web Site

Youth Leagues A nice resource for families, players, and coaches who want to learn more about specific sports and the nature of coaching.  This is also a good site for league administrators or managers who want some neat resources. Really some useful information here!

Would you like to reduce unnecessary email, but still stay professionally connected? Instead of using our listservs to discuss topics, post coaching questions to the PE-Forum, then email your favorite listserv to invite comments ON THE FORUM rather than to everyone on the email list! The PE-Forum is easy-to-use once you complete a first time registration. Check it out!

Often-asked questions are the effects of caffeine on performance and whether or not prepubescent youth should be weight training. Read a couple of current short papers on the topics. Caffeine and Exercise/Sport Performance. Youth and Strength Training. Interested coaches can read many more " Current Comment" papers at this site. Violence (Prevention) in Youth Sports. This growing problem of violence in youth sport environments was covered in detail in section editor Rich Stratton's last issue. Surely something must be done. But isn't it ironic that sport is actually used to PREVENT VIOLENCE? There are some interesting programs that successfully reduce the amount of violence by involving sport in a variety of ways. Project Teamwork uses sport as the vehicle to teach conflict resolution. MVP uses athletes to help combat gender related violence. Urban Youth Sports targets the barriers of increased opportunity and participation among urban youth in an effort to curb violence outside of sport. Boy, this sure is related to Steve Jefferie's topic of cutting isn't it?

Improving Our Coaches

Coaches Really are Scientists. By nature, coaches analyze. For analyzing the scientific aspects of performance, here is a wonderful collection of short reports of findings which provide insight into the swimming stroke, golf swing, basketball shot, and many more. Check out the Hit Parade...Top 20 Papers from leading applied sport scientists. The Coach as a Character-builder. This series of readings by "Character Counts" should really get coaches thinking about their role in ethics, sportsmanship, and character-building in coaching.

If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Coaching Section Editors:

	Rich Stratton
	Gibson Darden
	Mike Clark

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Here are a couple of neat checklists for both the coach (behaviors) and the player (sportsmanship) to see how they are doing with their participation in youth sports. The author of these checklists has provided a more detailed explanation of each checklist item, and if interested, be sure to visit the actual site (articles) We often hear about the power of goal setting in coaching. But it also is hard to do. Here is a quick guide to good goal setting.