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This month
we welcome Clemson University student
participation in the form of feedback
regarding an article written about coaching
the whole athlete. Students express
individual opinion about "The-Whole-Athlete"
Theory. Some students discussed whether
the relationship that coaches, teachers,
and administrators have with student
athletes discourage substance abuse.
We are coaching and teaching a new generation
of student athletes and students.
These
students have more knowledge available
to them at their fingertips than we
could ever have imagined at their age
(speaking for myself, high school graduating
class of 1969). We must stay current
in our field. We must be innovative
in our methods of delivery and student
engagement.
These
students multi-task constantly, resulting
in boredom with traditional styles of
coaching and teaching such as lectures,
worksheets, power points, and non-engaging
activities. More than ever our students
want to be challenged and respected
for their efforts. Students expect to
be respected as people first, students
second. Our mission as educators should
be grounded with all children feeling
comfortable with their individuality,
and should have their passions encouraged.
'COACHING
THE-WHOLE-ATHLETE' THEORY -
view
chart
Written
by: Deborah
Cadorette, Clemson University, South
Carolina
People are less likely to use a substance
that interferes with who they are when
they are respected as humans and spiritual
beings. This month in honoring drug
free environments for our students,
I’ve elected to revise an article
I submitted last year along with Clemson
University Athletic Leadership student
responses to the article. This article
on discouraging drug use is based on
a research article, and two books, on
motivation that support building positive
environments for people to feel worthy
and to function effectively.
An article was published in the Harvard
Business Review, titled The
Making of a Corporate Athlete
by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. Basically,
these authors explained how corporate
management sought to determine why some
people (coaches/athletes) function more
efficiently in pressure situations than
others (coaches/athletes). In addition,
Stephen Covey, author of The
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
and The
8th Habit, has developed motivational
theories that may also influence athletic
performance.
Loehr and Schwartz make reference in
their article to problematic approaches
used by executives in dealing with people
in the work place. Executives often
deal with their employees from the neck
up, connecting high performance primarily
with cognitive capacity. One may consider
a similar analogy with coaches, who
experience problems when they only deal
with the athletes from the neck down.
A dog can be physically conditioned
and taught to demonstrate specific behaviors
in response to signals. Authoritative
style coaches who “bark”
commands at their athletes without allowing
them to interact or respond with critical
inquiries are limiting the performance
capabilities of their athletes. Human
beings are much more complex, possessing
an emotional intelligence that could
fuel high performance if acknowledged
and respected.
Interestingly enough, in The 8th
Habit, Covey writes about employers
who treat people as things.
Covey describes things as “part-persons”
because the whole person is not being
addressed. He goes on to say that this
paradigm exists in the workplace where
people are treated as things
and ultimately controlled,
rather than inspired to become all they
are capable of being. Covey says,
“It stems from an incomplete
paradigm of who we are - our fundamental
view of human nature. The fundamental
reality is, human beings are not things
needing to be motivated and controlled;
they are four dimensional - body,
mind, heart and spirit. If you study
all philosophy and religion, both
Western and Eastern from the beginning
of recorded history, you’ll
basically find the same four dimensions.”
1
Whereas Covey refers to people having
choices, sport coaches must understand
that athletes are people before they
are athletes. According to Covey people
have six choices they respond to when
directed (coached/led), whether they
are aware of it or not. People (athletes)
decide how much effort or attention
they will give to their work by the
way they are treated, which is based
on the opportunities generated to use
all four dimensions of their being.
Choices are divided into the following
six categories. You will immediately
recognize which category into which
most of your individual athletes might
fall.
- Rebel or Quit
-
Malicious obedience
- Willing compliance
- Cheerful cooperation
- Heartfelt commitment
- Creative excitement
Ideally, we want our athletes in categories
4-6, leaning toward the latter. With
this as our goal, the whole person paradigm
transfers into Whole-Athlete Coaching
by giving conscientious consideration
to the following four areas of each
athlete:
Mind (allow me to
think and make decisions in games)
Think about why we are coaching in high
school. We are there because of education.
Our students must maintain eligibility
to participate. Teachers inspire students
to think in class, come up with solutions
and innovative alternatives. It’s
welcomed and rewarded in the classroom.
Maybe that’s where coaches are
missing the mark and could actually
inspire their athletes to think. We
have probably witnessed coaches who
become offensive and feel threatened
when an athlete makes a suggestion based
on their observation or experience.
In reality, the athlete’s suggestion
may improve performance or the outcome
of a game. Coaches should be encouraging
athletes to think, be creative, and
provide input! Unfortunately, the single
most popular cause of discouraging this
level of thinking and performance from
athletes is the ego of the coach wanting
to be in a position of power and control.
Body (allow me to
participate rather than stand on the
sidelines)
There are athletes who see very little
playing time, yet commit hours a day
to practice and preparation for competition.
Whenever possible, coaches should put
an athlete into the game, even if for
a couple minutes! Be wise about timing
and placement, but put them in the game,
particularly the seasoned athletes who
may not be starting. A few years ago,
a coach who spoke to a national audience
for NASPE on methods of motivation said,
“I never lost a game in the first
two minutes!” He started athletes
who otherwise may never play in the
game. It gave his starting athletes
a hunger to get into the game and kept
his non-starters highly motivated every
practice.
Heart (respect me
as a human being) Self explanatory.
Respectful behaviors should be the norm
and expected of all coaches, athletes,
and administrators.
Spirit (model ethical
thoughts and behaviors, and in turn,
expect the same from me)
Hold athletes accountable for ethical
behaviors. Help an opponent up from
the ground or floor. Congratulate the
performance of the opponent when it
is warranted. Always, always praise
an athlete when he or she has done something
right or worthy. Learn about their accomplishments
off the field and make certain you congratulate
them for it. Give your athletes responsibilities
on the side line that assist the coach
in doing her/his job and help them learn
the game. Many of your athletes will
never play sports at the next level,
yet will move on to become coaches.
Be a role model worthy of exemplifying.
The administrator, teacher, and coach
who are positive influences will intrinsically
discourage drug use with students.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT
FEEDBACK
 Matt
Starkey: First and foremost,
I think this article captures the very
essence of what coaching is. As coaches,
like with management, we must challenge
our athletes to make decisions while
facilitating the opportunity for growth.
It is essential that we consider our
athletes for what they are - human beings.
By creating a personal relationship
and identifying with each athlete individually,
we are able to create an environment
which triggers excellence. As we earn
the athletes’ respect, they in
turn feel a commitment to the program,
the coaching staff, and the team - thus
optimizing performance. The creation
of this "positive environment"
instills a sense of confidence in the
athletes, ultimately detering them from
the use of drugs and substance abuse.
I personally believe it is never too
early to start this process, and identify
with the athletes on both an authoritative
and personal level. Valuable lessons
may be learned, regardless of age, skill
level, or experience.
 James
Boulware: I have never thought
of coaching like this before. Breaking
the coaching of an athlete up into 4
parts is intriguing and very effective.
Mind, body, heart,
and spirit. What a combo. All
four have great value, but I would consider
the most important (at least to me):
spirit.
Ethics and morals warrant huge respect
in my opinion. If you can't teach the
players to be good people, you might
as well not teach them anything at all.
Another part of this is positive reinforcement.
I had several coaches, when I was a
kid (and older), that never congratulated
me when I did something well. It was
kind of heart-breaking. It made me think
they didn't care. I won't make the same
mistake. I believe positive reinforcement
(not babying) ultimately keeps the athlete
motivated.
Finally, on a more sensitive subject,
I believe the religion part of spirit
should be taken into account. I recognize
that we are not supposed to preach as
coaches, but I do believe that you need
to have something to believe in. For
me, it is Christ my Savior. HE is the
ultimate motivation for me, and any
success I have ever had (athletic, academic,
etc.) can all be attributed to him.
This may boil down to me having to teach
at a private, Christian school. However,
I do not plan to preach when I am coaching
my players. I would just like to set
a positive example for all of my players.
 Barbara
Janiec: I agree with this theory
100%. I believe that when coaches treat
athletes only as athletes, the coaches
are restricting the performance skills
of their athletes. Athletes are people
first, and as the theory states, humans
are four dimensional in heart,
mind, body, and spirit.
I believe that each of these dimensions
are important and coaches should take
each into consideration. Overall, I
believe that coaches who respect their
athletes as humans will help discourage
drug use.
 Xavier
Anderson: I agree with the
theory stating that athletes should
not only be treated as athletes, but
also as human beings. Coaches should
always keep the human-being part of
the athlete in perspective. Of the four
areas that coaches should consider to
be important (mind, body, heart, and
spirt), I don't consider one of them
to be more important than the other.
They are all equally important in making
sure that the athlete is fully motivated
and ultimately successful.
 Shelby
Skoog: The emphasis on recognizing
and contributing to the multiple facets
of an athlete, as a complete person
presented in this article, truly demonstrates
the purpose of being a coach. In order
to become a role model and /or mentor,
a coach must inspire growth and celebrate
the abilities of the individual in all
aspects of their being, including their
body, mind, heart,
and spirit. To develop truly
meaningful personal relationships, athletes
and coaches must focus not only on their
roles in the sport, but in their roles
in all aspects of their lives. Forming
this strong and profound relationship
encourages performance on the field
and off by motivating and instilling
confidence.
I believe that by contributing to the
development of the athlete physically,
mentally, and emotionally, a coach is
helping the individual to become a moral,
responsible person. These athletes are
the ones who are confident in themselves
and their values, and will therefore
resist the temptation of drugs and substance
abuse. Coaches have the invaluable opportunity
to influence youth in such positive
ways, and I believe this article identifies
the course for which a coach may truly
contribute to an athlete as a human
being.
 Katie
Bruggeling: I completely agree
and understand the whole coaching method
connection with drug use. The “body”
and “heart” are effective
tools to stop athletes from using recreational
drugs or alcohol. If coaches teach their
athletes to respect their bodies and
motivate their athletes to succeed,
the students will see the reasons behind
not using recreational drugs or alcohol.
The “spirit” part will be
effective in preventing athletes from
using performance enhancing drugs. They
will display moral and ethical behavior
in sport, therefore not cheating. Each
section plays a part in preventing drug
use. Also, the whole method of coaching
is effective in athlete performance.
Coaching every part of the athlete is
important in order to learn both life
skills and to excel at sports.
 Scott
Fogleman: I fully agree with
this article. I particularly like how
it has made a comparison between coaches
and executives and the ways that problems
can be poorly handled by both. They
often only focus on the employee from
the neck up, or in the coach's case,
from the neck down. People forget that
the athlete is more than just a person
who can perform a skill but, instead,
a whole person. Humans are four dimensional
and must be treated that way.
The article points out the four dimensions
of the athlete: body, mind,
heart, spirit. This
article exemplifies how a coach should
think of his/her athletes: as a whole
and not just as a portion, like performance.
The last thought the article leaves
us with hits the nail on the head when
it comes to drug prevention. "The
administrator, teacher and coach who
are positive influences will intrinsically
discourage drug use with students."
If all coaches, and even executives,
can remember that an individual should
be considered as a whole, they will
experience results far greater than
they otherwise would.
 Benjamin
Fraser: I agree with the theory
of coaching the athlete as a whole person.
Far too often in today’s society,
the media and schools put winning as
their top priority, no matter what.
This is when student athletes are pressured
to be better than their natural selves
by taking performance-enhancing drugs.
When athletes reach their limitations,
they are yelled at to perform better
and, oftentimes, the coach is there
with the drug to do it. When these actions
are taken, they break down and destroy
the human body and destroy any trust
the coach once had with his players.
Overall, coaching athletes mentally,
physically, spiritually, and through
the heart will win them over. Coaching
at these levels is how you produce not
only top notch athletes, but also great
people and citizens.
 Meredith
Horton: I completely agree
with the "Coaching the Whole Athlete
Theory." So many times, coaches
step into the profession not to make
a difference in the lives of their athletes,
but to gain fame, recognition, and wins.
The part of the article that really
stuck out in my mind was "people
(athletes) decide how much effort or
attention they will give their work
by the way they are treated based on
the opportunities generated."
I find this so interesting because
it seems like such a simple principle,
but a lot of coaches miss this. Treat
your athletes with respect, and they
will respect you in return. Give your
athletes opportunities to prove to you
(the coach) that they can function successfully
in a game. A truly successful coach
will not only obtain the wins, but will
also reach out to his/her players through
mind, body, heart,
and spirit. These four things
work together, and in order to motivate
and encourage your athletes you as a
coach should reach out to all of these
areas. Be open to ideas that your athletes
have; they may be better than your own.
Treat your players as real people, because
they are. Give your athletes chances
on the field as well as off to be the
player and role model they strive to
be. Lastly, encourage your athletes;
build their self confidence because
if you don't believe in them, who will?
 Darius
Acker: Understanding is one
of the many keys to success. This theory
provides coaches with an understanding
of what they are faced with as coaches,
and offers a valuable explanation of
the nature of humans and how they may
react upon given instruction. I have
witnessed each of the six choice categories
as a member of a collegiate sports team.
I had teammates who reacted to each
choice category after being assigned
various workouts and pre-competition
instruction.
Covey really encompassed what it takes
to understand how humans intake information
and display skills and talent based
upon the way instruction and choices
are given. I totally agree that if an
athlete is provided a reward for hard
work, he/she will certainly follow a
coach’s lead.
Providing athletes with a challenge
will strengthen their minds to make
tougher mental competitors, which in
return will result in a better physical
athlete with sound technical skill and
elite performance. Allowing each and
every athlete to participate can build
confidence throughout the team and will
result in a complete team that will
have no fear of leaning on one another.
Respecting an athlete will provide a
solid relationship and will build trust.
Finally, building solid character can
build not only the complete athlete,
but a complete team with a solid foundation
and compelling spirit.
 Willy
Korn: I agree completely with
Covey's theory. In order to truly motivate
your athletes, you have to be much more
willing to appeal to all four dimensions
of a human being. If you are willing
to appeal to your respective athletes'
body, heart, and spirit,
but are not willing to appeal to the
mind by allowing your athletes
to input their own ideas and suggestions,
then you are not going to receive the
ideal responses from your athletes.
For example, when I was in high school,
my head football coach did a tremendous
job of appealing to all four dimensions
of the human bodies of his players.
He related our football team to a bus:
the four wheels of the bus represented
the four dimensions that he wanted to
consider in each individual athlete.
He was conscientious of the mind of
the athlete - for example, he always
allowed me to provide my input during
games. He always asked me what plays
I wanted to run; I was always involved
with the game plan each week. That is
very rare, because in most cases today,
I think coaches want to have all the
say and all the power when it comes
to important decisions in games, but
just by my coach allowing me to input
my opinions during games and gameplanning
it made me respect him more, and made
me want to play harder for him.
 Maureen
Cron: I absolutely agree with
the theory of coaching the whole athlete,
rather than just the physical body and
skill. Athletes today have an advantage
over others in society because they
are trained to perform in all types
of pressure situations. With complete
development of mind, body, and heart,
an individual is completely armed to
overtake any obstacle that may arise.
Coaching an athlete must go much farther
than teaching the technical skills themselves.
It is through athletics that a young
person may learn confidence and self-worth,
as well as the value of teamwork and
friendship.
Without the emphasis placed on these
important aspects, an individual is
not receiving all the benefits of sport.
By coaching a child to have a strong
mind, he or she will feel capable to
solve any problem that comes along in
the future. The unending pressures of
society will have little negative impact
on a trained athlete who has a sense
of self-worth in his/her thinking. An
athlete who is trained to have a strong
heart will always feel confident in
his/her actions and worthy of others’
respect. These aspects are vital for
the grueling business world and the
obstacles that we face in everyday life.
Thus, coaching an athlete to be much
more than just physically able is the
most important aspect of coaching. A
child will not play sports forever,
but if coached correctly, will be able
to use the lessons they learned from
the game for a lifetime.
resource: Whole
Athlete: A Holistic Approach to Optimal
Performance
1 Covey, Stephen R. The
8th Habit (New York, New York: Free
Press, 2004) p. 21,22
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