Coach Preferences Affecting Student Athletes

Sports management is a really broad field, therefore I decided to focus on my minor and one of my major interests of this field: coaching. In this paper I will be explaining my personal five building blocks that make up a well-rounded coaching philosophy and coach. Those blocks are; leadership, organization, attitude, respect, and resiliency. Each of these five aspects are equally important and balance each other out. Leadership, the action of leading a group of athletes towards a goal. Organization, being able to organize a team and have a plan in order to help the team achieve goals. Attitude, it is very important for a coach to have a winning and positive attitude that is contagious to the players. Respect, there has to be a good

Bowen and Hitt identify that coaches can be role models and teachers at the same time, and that not having sports can take away the opportunity to interact with role models outside of school. The cost of being a coach can provide additional opportunities to be a mentor and help students succeed not just in the classroom but also on and off the field. The University of Arkansas’s Anna Egalite, Daniel Bowen, and Julie Trivitt find that athletic coaches in Florida mostly tend to perform just as well as their non-coaching counterparts, with respect to raising student test scores (Bowen and Hitt). There is more evidence that sports benefit academics and that they are worth the cost.

In addition to that, a sports coach needs to be a patient person because when dealing with others, it is often that many athletes do not reach the certain requirement straight on the spot and that can be very stressful. When that happens, the sports coach would have to start breaking down his/ her training and start analyzing why is the athlete not able to reach the target, it could be due to the intensity of the training, or it could be due to the athlete who does not have the will or breath to reach the target, or it could be due to many other reasons. Apart from being patient and analytical, a sport coach have to be energetic and also optimistic. A sport coach needs to be able to motivate their athletes to be able to reach a potential that can’t be seen by them but can be seen by the sports coach. When the athletes fail to complete a task, the sports coach would have to be optimistic in cheering up their athletes and to persuade them that they are able to reach beyond their current limits. To add on, the best sport coaches are those that are self-confident and self-determined. Athletes reflect their coaches, this is because whatever the coaches do and teach, the athletes would follow. When coaches portrays confidence and determinism, their respecting athletes would also portray confidence in their sports and also

Through all of my research, one thing was constant; the single most important thing that a coach can do is build a relationship with their players. When coaches take their time to get to know each and every one of their players, the chances of the athlete respecting and responding to the coach are much greater. Giving the athlete a feeling of belonging, importance, and welcoming will increase their confidence and most likely their level of play as well. In his article, Scales explains how developing positive relationships results in athletes not only with better athletic ability, but also with better emotional control, social skills, and connection to school and community (20). One of the most important characteristics of having a relationship with the athlete is caring for them. Florida Tech swim coach thinks the most important

Finally, outside influence plays a key role in determining athletic success. Athletes must be motivated to push away negative influences, peer pressure and what others want. It’s important to have a good coach who cares about the athlete’s success and hones his skills. Coaches can mold an athlete’s physical and mental maturity and play a critical role in helping develop the athlete while putting them in a better position to handle success.

The study “The Relationship Between Ethical and Abusive Coaching Behaviors and Student-Athlete Well-Being” was conducted by Mariya A. Yukhymenko-Lescroart, Michael E. Brown, and Thomas S. Paskus, and was published in the journal Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. The researchers sought to understand the effects that a coach’s behavior had on a student’s morals, satisfaction, and impressions of team unity. Social-cognitive theory has long thought that we learn by imitating those around us, particularly those in leadership positions. The coaches of sports teams are especially prominent models in a student athlete’s life, given that they have actual authority over the student’s life. The idea of self-efficacy, which suggests that an

Research proved that athletes found their coaches training as well as instruction behavior and their style of coaching did have an impact on individual performance. This was important research for me in understanding how those I coach perceive my leadership and whether or not I am effective as their leader. My teams’ outstanding performance or lack of performance can be a direct link to my type of leadership skills in addition to my training. The primary role of any coach or athletic leader is to help their athletes and improve on their individual performance. “Several sport studies exploring the coach-athlete relationship claim that effective coaching includes basic ingredients such as empathic understanding, honesty, support, liking, acceptance, friendliness, cooperation, caring and respect” (Moen, Hoigaard, & Peters, 2014, p. 76). The challenge for me is finding the balance between being supportive and meeting the individual needs of team members while also enhancing their ability and understanding of the sport. Understanding how to lead and coach various personalities within the team is essential to the team’s

Coaches have a huge impact on the sportsmanship and behavior displayed by their team. According to Churdar (2015), “The coach bears the greatest burden of responsibility for sportsmanship. His influence upon the attitudes and behavior of the players, the student body, and the fans is unequalled.” (p. 2). Coaches have a huge influence on the behavior and attitude of their athletes. According to John Wooden, “Profound responsibilities come with teaching and coaching. You can do so much good-or harm. It’s why I believe that next to parenting, teaching and coaching are the two most important professions in the world” (as cited in Matheny, 2015, p. 99-100). This is a very weighty but true statement. The majority of athletes look to their coaches for guidance not only in athletics, but in life.

We as “normal people” put athletes on a pedestal. We forget the bad things that they have done when they score our team’s championship winning touchdown or the winning basket or goal. We forget that it is also important for athletes to be successful students because they are the role models for the future generations. We forget that to get into these top colleges most students must have high ACT scores and have an outstanding GPA with multiple college courses or AP courses, while for athletes it takes a coach wanting them to get them in. With all of this in mind, Scott A. Broadhead, argues that:

Para 21). This positive approach to coaching helps reflect most on the athletes capabilites, rather than his/her

Harsh coaching of young athletes can often steer kids away from sports all together, but if the coaches get it right, the kids learn important skills for their futures. At a young age, children need discipline in order to put them in the right direction for their futures. This discipline is found in numerous forms, and one of the most common forms is through sports. David Brooks said, “The best coaches still live by a code, and they make no apology for demanding that kids live up to it.” (Brooks) Though strict coaching can turn some young children and their parents away from sports, it can give kids a good role model, teach them discipline, and help them learn to get along with other people.

Anyone can train an athlete, but for you truly help them and give them the best training, you must have patience. Helping athletes build on their skills, and fulfilling their potential doesn't just come within an hour or two, it takes dedication. If an athlete doesn't have a certain skill, you have to work until they develop it. From an athlete's perspective, a good coach that helps work with them even when they have an off day is what really matters and holds a major key to success. If every

But what impact do coaches have on their athletes beyond the scoreboard? Do coaches recruit character or do they develop it? More importantly what impact does an ethical coach have on their athletes versus a non-ethical coach. A study by Mariya A. Yukhymenko-Lescroart, Michael E. Brown, and Thomas S. Paskus examined the impact of intercollegiate athletic coaches ethical behavior and the effect it had on their student athletes. The study focused their survey around six major measures; "inclusion climate, willingness to cheat, college choice satisfaction, ethical leadership, abusive coaching behaviors, and controlled variables" (Yukhymenko-Lescroart , Brown & Paskus, 2014). The results of the study revealed that athletes whose coach utilized ethical practices versus abusive felt more inclusion with the team. When an athlete experiences inclusion they are more likely to develop sportsmanship and teamwork. The study also concluded college choice satisfaction was the greatest impacted by an ethical coach. Collegiate athletes responded more positively to being apart of a team with ethical principals. Players who experienced abusive coaching showed some negative results at the individual versus team level satisfaction. This is important because players who are unhappy can be more apt to seek out unethical distractions (e.g., illegal drugs). Players dissatisfied with their collegiate

The coach will portray that mistakes are not acceptable and the athletes should make as little mistakes as possible. The coach will also show that he/she does not have patience for the athletes that cannot pick up the skills quickly. The coach will condition them if they make mistakes. The coach will have a very loud strong voice, demanding, and intimidating attitude. The coach will enforce fundamentals and skills that the athlete will need to be successful in the sport.

Taking the time to reflect on why it is someone coaches is beneficial for personal growth, and for creating an awareness of one’s changes in motivation, which affects behavior. Therefore, changes in motivation can be reflected in someone’s behavior and his or her well-being. Those who feel that they are coaching because they want to, will be successful, and feel that coaching allows them to acquire relationships with their players, and display more motivation for coaching. Being aware of why someone coaches their sport is an important part of reflective practice. One person’s