CWU

Coaching & Sports

October 30, 2000, Vol. 2, No.19				CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP CALENDAR

Editorial

The Coach. No other variable in sport has greater influence - positively or negatively - on the development of a young athlete/person. I am delighted to serve as one of the editors the Coaching & Sports Section of PELINKS4U. I hope that coaches and those involved in preparing coaches find the stories and information in these links helpful. Our collective goal is to improve the coaching experience. When we do this, the ultimate beneficiaries are the youth participating in sport. I hope you enjoy, and please let me know how I can better serve you as an editor of this page.

Gibson Darden
Coaching & Sports Section Editor

Featured Articles

Articles in this section are generally (but not always) full length articles that address timely issues in coaching and sports. They provide readers with in-depth coverage and often include links or resources on the topic.

Soccer Ball Heading and Head/Brain Injury

It seems everyone is talking about the effects of heading soccer balls on one's brain. This article (and it's links) does a great job of unraveling the mystery of this popular topic.

Positive Coaching: The "Mental Model

The "win-at-all-costs" mentality has produced a variety of negative outcomes in youth sport environments. Many of these outcomes have recently garnered media scrutiny. Read what one organization considers the new mental model for youth sports. Interested readers will want to check out the more detailed Research Summary provided by the Positive Coaching Alliance.

Using Imagery in Sports and Coaching

Instead of a full article, here is a collection of research abstracts guaranteed to satisfy any inquisitive coach-scientist in the area of mental imagery to improve performance. Each research abstract concludes with practical implications for coaches.

Featured Web Site

National Youth Sports Safety Foundation (NYSSF)

This site answers many questions about keeping youth athletes safe and healthy. A wide variety of resources devoted to safety issues are provided. Noteworthy are the sections of "Hot Topics" as well as "Ask the Foundation," which gives members an opportunity to have contemporary questions addressed by several experts

Coaching Notes

Great Coaching Tips

Renowned for effective coaching education, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) shares a nice collection of general and sport-specific (baseball, soccer, hockey) tips that are easy to use by volunteers and advanced coaches alike.

Rich Stratton of Coaching Youth Sports has compiled a useful list of web sites devoted to sports and coaching that should save us lots of time!

Coaching Employment

CoachFinder! is a neat service for administrators or coaches who are hiring as well as those who are looking to be hired in the coaching profession.

Impact of Coaches

I have come to a frightening conclusion,
I am the decisive element in the gym, on the field, or in the pool.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

As a coach, I possess tremendous power to make an athlete's life miserable or joyous. I can be the tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and an athlete humanized or dehumanized.

An adaptation of Haim Ginott
Presented by Dr. Tom Crawford, 1993 USOC Coaching Symposium, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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Improving Our Coaches

There are some interesting trends (and opportunities) in the education of today's coaches. Here are some promising ones.

Coaching "Management"? Bob Case of Old Dominion University explains some "new" opportunities in this area.

Parent Education? While most of us stress the importance of preparing coaches, at least one organization (NAYS) has developed a ready-made program (PAYS) to prepare parents for the youth sport experience. Go to the "Parents" section. Boy, is this a welcome trend!

Multi-sport Coaching Education: Today's coaches have lots of educational opportunities. One category of coaching education providers are organizations who provide training and certifications for coaches regardless of a specific sport. Two of these, The American Sport Education Program (ASEP) and The National Alliance for Youth Sport (NAYS)provide a wealth of resources and opportunities. For those interested in providing workshops or seminars for a variety of coaching environments, this is a great places to start!

Coaching News

Exciting News! Accreditation of Coaching Education Programs Established

A newly formed council (NCACE) promises to improve the training of coaches at all levels by providing a systematic review of coaching education programs using the National Standards for Athletic Coaches. See also the press release from The National Association of Sport and Physical Education's (NASPE) for recent developments.

Athletics as a Substitute for PE?

Should Athletics count as a curricular substitute for Physical Education within the school? One organization issues a position paper on the topic.

Self-Improvement

Sports Coach

This inclusive source should be valuable for coaches wanting to learn more about specific topics.

The Coach's How-To Section

These quick and easy-to-read sites offer information on a variety of interesting topics.

Help your female athletes through puberty...

Decide whether to be a youth sport coach...

Effectively videotape sports...

Get involved with Special Olympics...

Coaching Advocacy

Football Coaches Emphatically Endorse Physical Education

Who says coaches don't speak up for physical education? Check out what the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) did recently in the name of physical education. We need more of this!

Great Resource! Making the Case for High School Activities

If you want great information on the benefit and role of sport activities in the school, check this page out. The National Federation of State High School Athletics (NFHS) provides us a thorough and well-researched document bound to help anyone making the case for athletic programs.

The Need for Athletic Trainers in High School Athletics

This position paper provides perspective on justifying athletic trainers to properly care for athletes.

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