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Cohesion
Unity, teamwork, team chemistry,
cohesion are all terms familiar to coaches and parents. We have
assumed that cohesion and lots of it is a necessary ingredient for
“success”. Not so, according to many experts in the field.
The degree of cohesion or group identity needed may vary according
to the purpose of the team. If “winning” is what the team
is all about, then perhaps a little less cohesion or group identity
may be just the ticket; however, if there are social and developmental
aspects to be considered, then cohesion may be a vital part of the
teams “success”.
There are two basic types of cohesion, task cohesion and social
cohesion. Task cohesion is the degree that individual team members
identify with, accept, and assimilate team outcome goals, i.e. winning
the league, going 10-0. Social cohesion is defined similarly: the
degree that individual team members identify with, support, value,
and uphold other members of the group. The research is clear that
task cohesion is essential for “winning”. Social cohesion,
at the highest level of athletics or sports, is not as important.
Many of you coaches are thinking, “How can this be”.
If the team is high in social cohesion, then group members will
perform such that the integrity, honor, and feelings of their teammates
are preserved or enhanced. Ok, here is the situation. Daniel (slowest
on the team) has been having a bad day and hasn’t made a basket
all game. The team is up by two. Everyone is feeling bad for Daniel
so next time down the floor, two of the team members yell to the
star of the team, Bethany (who has 32 points), to give the ball
to Daniel….If the team is high in social cohesion, she gives
the ball to Daniel. If the team is high in task cohesion, she shoots
herself. If both are emphasized, then she is in a dilemma.
Which action is in the best interest of the team? Answer: that depends
on the purpose of the team. If sports are truly about the positive
development of character, morals, and learning to work with others,
then perhaps greater attention needs to be paid to the social aspects
of competitive sports: social cohesion. Social cohesion is associated
with greater effort to conform to the group norm. The critical aspect
of social cohesion from a coaching perspective is to make sure that
the standards for performance and interaction among team members
reflect aspects such as effort, sacrifice, cooperation, roll acceptance,
and communication skills. Researchers have found that in teams with
high social cohesion, participants are less likely to drop out,
exert higher levels of effort, and express high levels of enjoyment.
There is little doubt that teams with high social cohesion enhance
the self-esteem of its members.
Is there a place for task cohesion? Of course! Task identification
keeps teams focused, but care should be exercised, particularly
at the elementary and junior secondary level, to emphasize process
goals (form, technique, effort, style) rather than outcome goals
(winning, points scored, saves, strikeouts). Remember outcome goals
are associated with higher levels of anxiety and worry.
Robert McGowan
Coaching & Sports Section Editor
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Coaching
Young Athletes
This is a very good site which
covers the basics of physical maturation that should be of concern
for all coaches of young athletes. The site also has links
to other useful information on the psychology of sport. |
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"You better
cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat
six."-
Yogi Berra, Baseball Legend
Dan Maskell: "The Gullikson
twins are here. An interesting pair - both of them from Wisconsin."
Senior basketball player at the
University of Pittsburgh: "I'm going to graduate on time, no
matter how long it takes."
Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president,
on a former player: "I told him, 'Son, what is it with you?
Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I
don't care.'" (1991)
"It's like deja vu all over
again." -Yogi Berra
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Although obesity is a topic that could be included in the Fitness,
Health, and Nutrition section, it is a topic that coaches discuss
continuously. The issues range from diet and exercise to genetics.
Too often coaches assume that high intensity exercise such as wind
sprints or weight training will reduce body fat the quickest.
The fact is: fat is burned during low intensity exercises such as
walking or slow jogging.
Successful body composition management includes analysis of intake
and expenditures, and the right type of exercise.
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Ideal
Body Weight
Useful tools including ideal weight table, Body Mass Index,
Ideal weight calculation |
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Body Mass Index is calculated using a mathematical formula that includes
a person's weight and height. In recent studies, BMI was used
to estimate the risk of death and other health problems in people
who were obese. As a result, BMI is now recommended by many
obesity experts and key government agencies. If your BMI is
27 or over, you are likely to be at greater risk due to your
weight. |
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Body
Composition
Information on methods for determining body composition. |
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Exercising to Lose 10 - 20 Pounds- Richard B. Parr, EdD
Tips on losing 10-20 pounds from the Physician and Sports Medicine. Vol
25 - No. 4 - April 97 |
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The best one stop source of solid science is Coaching Science Abstracts.
Go to the various issues and you'll find any number of articles. This
is a great source of info on a variety of topics. Fortunately, Brent
S. Rushall, the author of many of the articles, gives you the
skinny. But, there's enough detail for you to get the entire article,
if you want. |
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Carbohydrates for Performance
Following training & competition
an athlete's glycogen stores are depleted. In order to replenish
them the athlete needs to consider the speed at which carbohydrate
is converted into blood glucose and transported to the muscles.
The rapid replenishment of glycogen stores is important for the
track athlete who has a number of races in a meeting. The rise in
blood glucose levels is indicated by a foods Glycaemic
Index (GI) and the faster and higher the blood glucose rises
the higher the GI. Studies have shown that consuming high GI carbohydrates
(approximately 1grm per kg body) within 2 hours after exercise speeds
up the replenishment of glycogen stores and therefore speeds up
recovery time. There are times when it is beneficial to consume
lower GI carbohydrates which are absorbed slowly over a longer period
of time (2-4 hours before exercise). Eating 5-6 meals or snacks
a day will help maximize glycogen stores and energy levels, minimize
fat storage and stabilize blood glucose and insulin levels.
Brian Mackenzie
UKA Athletics Senior Coach
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new info at an old favorite site; healthAtoZ looks at Healthy
Snacks - always a hot topic, especially during the summer
season.
This is only a quick intro! For
what a coach may be expected to know, check out "Self Improvement."
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The University of Illinois Extension Services have an
incredible page! It's titled Sports and Nutrition: The
Winning Connection. From this portal, the concerned coach can
look at four major topics: Diet, Pregame Meals, Energy Levels, and
Fluids.
The Pregame Meal Planner is particularly detailed. It
provides looks at Guidelines, Suggested Meal Plans,
Food to Choose and Foods to Avoid, Eating at All
Day Events, and No Time? There's even a recipe for a
homemade liquid meal. The language is simple and straight
forward, and easy enough for a coach to give directly to athletes.
Possibly
more important are the sections on energy levels and fluids. In
these cases, the focus is on what should be done in the months and
weeks before competition. Meal Plans includes complete menus
and suggestions on tailoring them to the needs of particular athletes.
Fluids makes two huge points:
get your athletes in the habit of weighing in and out at practice,
and making up the difference in water. Secondly, strategies for
getting them to drink enough appear in the section, Getting It
All Down.
In summary, a close study
of this site may provide the essentials you need to know about athletes,
and their nutritional requirements.
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Steps: A Coaches guide to winning the motivation game
Dr. Alan Goldberg
This brief article is concise
and straight forward. Dr. Goldberg seems to capture the
essence of motivation. His counsel should enhance the opportunities
for optimal performance.
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On Youth
Youth is not entirely a time of life -- it is a state
of mind. It is not wholly a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips,
or supple knees. It is a temper of will, a quality of the
imagination, a vigor of the emotions.
Nobody grows old
merely by living a number of years. People grow old only by
deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as
old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old
as your fears; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central
place of every heart, there is a recording chamber; so long
as it receives messages of beauty and hope, cheer and courage,
you are young. When the wires are all down and your heart
is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism,
then and only then have you grown old.
- author unknown
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| Teamanizer
Coaching Software
helps organizes all levels of coaching. Practice
plans, coaching drills and more. Coaching Organization Made
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Online Sports Coaching
Smart software to get you where you want to go RunCoach
- produces an individually tailored training program
There are many software packages.
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 Coaching
& Sports Section Editors: |
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