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As the college and high school basketball seasons heat up, sportsmanship will become a hot topic. So much of what we see on TV games is poor sportsmanship--waving worms, derisive chants, baiting officials, technical fouls. And that's just in the crowd. On the floor, we see players using every trick to attack their opponent. Trash talk, physical intimidation, applauding missed free throws all happen nightly. And what you see on Saturday at a college game will show up Tuesday in a high school gym.
But coaches make the difference. If you set a standard, the kids will live up to it. If you enforce good sportsmanship--and model it ALWAYS--the players will behave better. And the fans will too. Next time you see poor sportsmanship, see it as an opportunity some coach missed.
Mike Clark
Coaching & Sports Section Editor
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One of the coach's responsibilities is seeing that athletes and parents make good decisions about playing. Three different sites can be of
help. For a
quick intro--aimed at parents of younger athletes--check out an article at HealthAtoZ.com.
In addition to issues such as is the young person ready for sport--and if so,
which one--other issues are discussed. How to assess coaches and programs,
parents' responsibilities and avoiding injuries are just a few.
For parents of older athletes, suggest that they look at Baseball Parent Magazine. Although much of what they have relates to scouting and recruiting players, there is information on dealing with the pressures associated with the game. And frankly, they aren't much different from those in other sports.
Finally, if you've not done so, check out what the "800 lb gorilla" of sports magazines has to say on the topic. Originally part of SI for Kids, Sports Illustrated has created a separate site, SportsParents.
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SportsParents offers hot buttons for these topics: Medical, Psychology, Coaching, Nutrition, Sportsmanship, Equipment and "What Kids Say." There are also message boards and on-line chats with experts. All in all a comprehensive site with lots of stuff for coaches as well as parents--and aren't some of us both? Look especially at What Kids Say. Parents and coaches need to hear and heed. Just consider, TEN THINGS PARENTS DON'T GET ABOUT KIDS AND SPORTS and how your athletes might respond.
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Sometimes, we need to stop and think about why we do what we do. To that end, consider this bit from poet Donald Hall's book, "Father's Playing Catch With Sons." He wrote it reflecting on his own youth...as well as what he hoped to have passed on to his son.
"Baseball is fathers and sons. Football is brothers beating each other up in the backyard, violent and superficial. Baseball is the generations, looping backward forever with a million apparitions of sticks and balls, cricket and rounders, and the games the Iroquois played in Connecticut before the English came. Baseball is fathers and sons playing catch, lazy and murderous, wild and controlled, the profound archaic song of birth, growth, age, and death. This diamond encloses what we are."
Not to offend anyone - especially football coaches. The same could be said about every sport we do. We coach because we want to pass on the game. Sports connect us with people, with history, with ourselves. It's so much more - and so much less - than the X's and O's we become fascinated with. The next time you see yourself making it too complicated, think about the game in this larger way.
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A follow-up on North American Youth Sports Institute: By connecting to this web site, you can get on a mailing list for an e-mail newsletter. This effort deals with a variety of topics of interest to coaches. The author also answers questions and makes recommendations about things to do, read, and say.
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Often sites seem to be nothing but a bunch of ads trying to sell you stuff. Lots of coaching sites fall into this category: self-promotion and commercialism. But every now and then one of them has some real quality. Check out Basketball Highway!
One of their best features is "Ask the Coach." Questions posted get responses from an experienced mentor. There also is an "Archives" section that looks back at previous questions.
There also are buttons for "Motivation", "Team Building", and the like. These have info for coaches of all sports. So whether or not you coach hoops, check it out.
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Interdisciplinary PE Section Editors:
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Help to support quality physical education and health education by contributing to this site.
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Please let your colleagues know about PELINKS4U, and remember you can catch up on a year's worth of news in our Archives.
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Don't be put off by the name! The International Society of Biomechanics in Sports web site has some great information. The stuff comes from some pretty hard-core science types, but it is all provocative material. For example, a look at the "Basketball" portion of the site reveals topics such as "Release Angles for Shooting" and "Shoulder Position for Shooting." Looking at the content reveals that there is hard
science there, but there's also some provocative stuff for the coach to
consider. For example: keeping the wrist, elbow and shoulder in alignment for
the jump shot presents problems for right-handed shooter moving to the right.
How do you teach this? What drills can you use? How can you get clear shots for a jump shooter in this situation. All good things to consider.
Other sports have sections as well--including some we might not think off right off like rowing. This site has a definite international flavor right now, as many of the section editors are from Great Britain and Scotland.
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The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.
~ William James (1842-1910) ~
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An interesting article in the December issue of Physician and Sportsmedicine
relates to the issue of diabetes and sports. This is especially important
because right off the bat the authors point out there's a 1 in 400 chance you
have an athlete with type 1 diabetes on your team. (I actually had two in the
same year!) The point is also made that diabetics are often advised to become active in sport--it appears to make it easier for them to control their illness.
To help everyone - coach, athlete, trainer, doctor - prepare for competition, a series of questions need to be answered. These are summarized in Table 1 and really involve thinking about the sports environment. As always, planning ahead is important.
Coaches also need to know that this comes with some risks, as in critical situations athletes who are type 1 diabetics may be at greater risk for injury: ". . .risk is likely to be magnified by inattention or loss of
coordination, such as during an episode of hypoglycemia." In other words, if an athlete does have a problem, they can risk themselves and others in the
game. Frankly, this shouldn't be an issue unless "extreme sports" are involved. So get a little education on the subject. If you haven't had an athlete who's a diabetic, you will! Like the old motto says, "Be prepared-!"
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