SCIENCE Discussion/Assignment (NO PLAGIARISM, A++ WORK, QUALITY, ON TIME)
LAGNIAPPE
Week2SPMT606DissAssignmentCoachingforCharacterandSportsmanship.docxCoaching for Character and Sportsmanship
A coach's character is one of the most important aspects of their credibility. Social factors that indicate the importance of educating young people about morality and character are paramount. Character and the professional responsibility that coaches bear in this area should be stressed.
Character is defined, and the idea that developing good character habits requires repeated practice is proposed. Coaches of character are described as those who help young people know what's right, instill the desire to do what's right, and guide them in the process of doing right. Sportsmanship is simply good character when participating in sport: It is about respect for opponents, officials, teammates, coaches, and for the game itself.
Three steps for teaching character and sportsmanship are presented: identify the principles of character, teach the principles of character, and provide opportunities to practice. Principles of character are identified: respect, responsibility, caring, honesty, fairness, and citizenship. Examples of life and sport actions associated with these principles are provided.
Six strategies for teaching principles of character are presented and discussed. They include creating a moral team environment, modeling moral behavior for athletes, and setting rules for good behavior. Strategies for explaining and discussing moral behavior (including the problem of hazing), using and teaching ethical decision making, and motivating athletes to develop good character are also presented. Ideas for establishing routines and rewarding good character are proposed as ways to provide athletes with practice for developing character.
Coaching Diverse Athletes
Diversity among athletes and how coaches must deal with it provides recommendations for coaches in dealing with issues related to young peoples' differences in maturation, cultural background, gender, and physical and mental abilities. Developmental characteristics are identified for youth in early, middle, and late adolescence. Ideas for understanding and contending with physical maturational differences in young athletes are outlined.
Issues in working with athletes with diverse cultural heritages are described. Problems of prejudice and stereotyping are presented. The concept of culturally responsive coaching is also described. Gender equity issues and guidelines for coaches are presented. Coaches are urged to be sensitive to stereotyping based on gender and to get to know athletes, male and female, as unique individuals.
Sexual harassment, an unethical and illegal behavior, is to be avoided. Behaviors that may constitute sexual harassment are cited. Sexual relations between a coach and player are illegal in an educational organization and are described as an abuse of power, unethical, and irresponsible. Issues of homosexuality and sexual orientation are discussed. Homophobia is addressed as a prominent and destructive problem in sport, and behaviors associated with it are a form of sexual harassment. Coaches are urged to set aside prejudices and to be supportive of all athletes.
Physical and mental differences among players are considered, and types of disabilities are outlined with reference to common disability groupings for sports. Issues concerning whether or not athletes with disabilities should compete with athletes without disabilities are discussed, along with implications for coaches.
W2: Coaching Character Discussion (No more than 150 words)
For this week's discussion, provide examples of how sportsmanship is displayed in sport. Do you feel that it is a coach’s responsibility to teach sportsmanship? Then, identify at least one coach and one professional athlete you have observed demonstrating good or bad character and sportsmanship. Point to specific actions that caused you to think that this coach and athlete possessed positive or negative character traits. Describe specific character traits exemplified by these actions. Then, develop a list of 5-7 important character traits you want to always exhibit as a coach and that you want your players to exhibit.
Kilburg, R. R. (1997). Coaching and executive character: Core problems and basic approaches. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 49(4), 281-299. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1037/1061-4087.49.4.281
Malete, L., & Feltz, D. L. (2000). The Effect of a Coaching Education Program on Coaching Efficacy. Sport Psychologist, 14(4), 410.
Zelenka, M. (2009, Nov). COACHING COACHES TO SEE SPIRITUALITY AS A CHARACTER TRAIT. Momentum, 40, 20-23. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/magazines/coaching-coaches-see-spirituality-as-character/docview/194688380/se-2?accountid=8289
Week 2 Assignment: Refining Your Coaching Philosophy
Instructions
In Unit 3: Coaching Style of the ASEP online class, there is a section titled "Refining your Coaching Philosophy." You will be using this section to complete your Week 2 Assignment.
In this activity you will respond to seven specific issues that determine your governing principles (the set of beliefs or generalized guidelines that help you make decisions when coaching). Although some of your coaching principles may already be well established in your mind, others are more malleable. The goal of the activity is not to point out right or wrong answers but to make you more aware of the principles that you now hold. For each of the following seven issues (check the attachment section), carefully consider the two positions presented and then indicate which position you agree with. For each response, you will write a rationale for the position you took. Each response should be between 150-200 words written in paragraph/essay format. Please be specific with your responses and provide examples when applicable. Once completed, upload your assignment to be graded in the assignment section of the classroom. After you have responded to all 7 issues, add at least one additional issue you can think of that coaches commonly face and provide the position you would take on this issue.
Issue 1: Winning Versus Participation
Top of Form
Deciding who gets to play in every contest is one of your toughest decisions. Do you play the best players because you believe that they have earned the right to play and because playing them increases the team's chances of winning, or do you believe that everyone who is a member of the team should get to play in contests?
· Position A: Teaching young people to win—to pursue excellence—by committing themselves to mastering the skills is the goal of sports and my coaching. The best players will play most of the time, with other players getting to participate when winning is secured.
· Position B: Whether the team wins or loses is far less important than my players' participation in the contest. By playing, regardless of winning or losing, they will not only have fun but also learn valuable lessons that will benefit them throughout their lives.
· Alternate Position: Comments:
Issue 2: Athlete Centered Versus Coach Centered
Athlete-centered coaches involve their athletes in making decisions about team goals and season activities, whereas coach-centered coaches believe that they know what is best and that as the leader of the team they have the right and responsibility to make all decisions.
· Position A: I like to share the decision making with my athletes to the extent that they are prepared to make such decisions. The team is theirs, too, and sharing the decision making increases their commitment to the team.
· Position B: I know what is best for my athletes, and they can learn more if I make the decisions necessary to be successful.
· Alternate Position:
Issue 3: Ends Versus Means
You'll often have to make judgments regarding ethical issues when you coach. To what extent do you believe that the end justifies the means in achieving success as a coach?
· Position A: Although I won't break the rules as a coach, I'll stretch them, find ways around them, and do whatever it takes within the letter of the rules to produce a winning team.
· Position B: I'm aware not only of the letter of the rules but the spirit of the rules, and although I want a winning team, coaching ethically is more important to me.
· Alternate Position:
Issue 4: Family Versus Sport
Coaching is a time-demanding profession. You will most likely have to choose at times between commitments to your family and to the sport you coach.
· Position A: My family always comes first.
· Position B: During the season the demands of coaching require me to give the team more time than I give to my family, but after the season I'll give my family more time. And, of course, a problem or emergency at home is always my first priority.
· Alternate Position:
Issue 5: Quantity Versus Quality
Coaches differ in their views about the amount of time devoted to practice and the number of contests in which they compete. As a coach, do you emphasize quantity or quality?
· Position A: Excellence results from hard work. You can't practice too much, and the more games we play, the better we'll be.
· Position B: Well-organized, efficient practices that focus not just on repetition of the skill but on mastering it through carefully designed drills is far better than practicing too much. We get more done in less time, and the athletes don't get burned out.
· Alternate Position:
Issue 6: Coach Versus Guardian
As the coach of your athletes, do you think that it is your responsibility to be their mentor only when participating in the sport, or do you also try to serve in that role outside of sport?
· Position A: I'm responsible for helping my athletes both on and off the field (court, track, pool, and so on). That's why we have team policies with regard to their behavior not only when they are involved in the sport but also when they are in school and elsewhere.
· Position B: I'm their coach, not their guardian. I'm responsible for my athletes during their participation on my team. Although I certainly will help counsel my athletes on issues outside of sport, it is not my role or place to set rules about their behavior outside of sport or to be responsible for their actions.
· Alternate Position:
Issue 7: Sport for All Versus Sport for the Gifted
Many coaches face the decision of whether to keep all players that come out for the team or cut the less gifted players to limit the size of the team. (Sometimes the coach may not make this decision; a policy of the school or sport organization may set a limit on team size. At other times coaches may have to cut players because of limited facilities, equipment, or coaching staff.) If the decision is within your control as a coach, what is your position on eliminating the less gifted players?
· Position A: I will find a place for every young person who wants to be a member of my team.
· Position B: Sport at this level is for the gifted athlete. My assistant coaches and I (if applicable) can only coach so many players effectively, and thus I will cut players who lack sufficient ability. Those players who are cut can find opportunities to play in intramural and community recreational sport programs.
· Alternate Position:
Additional Issues
You will certainly face many other sports issues as a coach. Begin noting these as you experience them, add them to this list, and write down your position in addressing each type of issue. Can you think of any other major principles now? If so, record your position on these issues in the space provided.
· Additional Coaching Principles:
Remember that the principles you just identified are predetermined modes of action, or rules concerning how you'll make judgments and decisions. Some of the decisions may become policies. Many coaches develop team policy manuals and give them to their players, assistant coaches, and parents. The policies you set should be congruent with the objectives and principles you've identified in this activity, and you should refine and expand them as you continue coaching.
Stewart-Lord, A., Baillie, L., & Woods, S. (2017). Health care staff perceptions of a coaching and mentoring programme: A qualitative case study evaluation. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, 15(2), 70–85.
