Skills in Research and Problem Solving in Sport Development and Coaching: Coaching for Youths - Assignment Example

College: Skills in Research and Problem Solving in Sport Development and Coaching: Coaching for Youths Word count: 4302 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following persons whose support contributed enormously to the success of this research paper: Contents Introduction 4 Definition of coaching 4 Research Overview 4 Background 5 6 Research questions 6 Rationale/justification for the study 6 Review of current literature 7 The main issues in coaching youths 12 Case study: Parents perceptions of the effectiveness of a youth sports program in a community-based athletic association. 14 Recommendations for coaching youths 15 Methodology 16 Current findings 16 Ethical issues in this study 19 Challenges of this study 20 Conclusion 21 Bibliography 21 Introduction This paper will look at coaching youths, the challenges in coaching them as well as the different perspectives young players have on sport activities and the different strategies that coaches can use to coach such cases. In addition, this paper will review current literature on coaching youths. Finally, the paper will offer possible suggestions/recommendations for future research in the field. Definition of coaching In context to sport, coaching entails developing the team members’ physical and psychological capability by offering reasonable conditions so as to capitalize on the probability of them performing to the best of their capability (Martens, 2004). It is therefore safe to say that coaching involves two major factors; mentorship and team work. Moreover, the coaching process for every individual should constitute the following three components: Planning: this involves scheduling short and long term training programs for athletes. Conducting: implementing the training programs. Evaluating: this involves evaluating the training programs and coaching skills Research Overview The purpose of this paper is to investigate coaching for youths, what it entails in terms of challenges, the different perspectives of youths on sport activities and the different strategies for coaching such. Background Coaching is both an art and a science (Mac, 2012), this is because it encompasses a scientific aspect based on scientific information in areas such as nutrition, psychology, physiology and medicine that the coach is required to be aware of for the benefit of his/her athletes. In light of this, the coach also needs to be aware of the various scientific methods that can be used to measure his/her athlete’s performance. As an art, the coach analyses this scientific information and transforms it to training programs whose sole objective is to help build and nurture the athlete, this is highly dependent on the coach’s expertise in a particular sport as well as the athlete. The figure below illustrates the relationship of coaching as both a science and an art. Research questions What are the possible challenges one could face when coaching young people in terms of these three factors? Youth psychology in relation to sport Sport physiology and exercise planning. The parent factor Rationale/justification for the study The assumption that the same coaching methods used for adults can also be used in coaching youths is a rather misplaced one. This study aims to look at the differences that exist when coaching youths based on the fact that they possess different aspects of psychology and physiology when compared to adults. Review of current literature An overview of what coaching youths entails What is youth sport? It can be defined as an organized sport curriculum for children less than 18 years old. In general, coaching youths has been viewed as a rewarding activity as the coach is present to see his/her team growing in spite of all the challenges that may come as well as experience the success of the team when it achieves a targeted goal( Wiersma & Sherman , 2005).On the other hand, being a coach calls for huge responsibility, especially when it comes to coaching youths because the coach needs to ensure that he/she is both a role model and mentor to his/ her team members and that every team member gains a positive experience from the process. Research shows that youth coaches have a great impact on their youth participants in as far as enjoyment, enthusiasm and motivation of the sport activities they are jointly engaged in is concerned. However, the hugest challenge circumventing the coaching of youths today is that most youth organizations are heavily dependent on volunteer coaches who have little or no knowledge in coaching and training (Wiersma & Sherman, 2005). Additionally, youth sport coaches are required to be knowledgeable about child development, sport psychology, coaching styles, nutrition, first aid, legal risk management and injury prevention, this can be the responsibility of the organization that hired the coach but at the same time any coach should aim to be the best he/she can be in the coaching field because failure to do so makes coaching youths become a challenging exercise. Youth psychology in relation to sport. As earlier stated coaching youth sports can be a bit challenging for the coach if he/she does not understand certain aspects of youth sport such as youth psychology and physiology in relation to sport. Mitchell (2012) argues that psychological studies in the field of youth sports have offered insights into subjects such as child development but are often contradictory. The author continues to add that every child is different from the other hence parents and youth sport coaches need to identify the uniqueness of each child and nurture it. Mitchell (2012) identifies three psychological facets of youth sport: intensity, continuity and balance. Intensity: This is the amount of time youths spend engaging in sport and is important especially when they receive positive outcomes from their participation in sport. This calls for commitment from the coach as well as the youth. Studies show that kids who have time commitment to sport develop a greater mastery of skills such as critical thinking which is crucial and helpful in other areas of life. Continuity: When coaching kids, the coach should ensure that there is stability and a specific duration over which kids participate in sport. This is especially important across their adolescent years. Research shows that coaches who inculcate continuity in their training programs as far as coaching youths is concerned, benefit them because over time as it enables kids overcome challenges in their performance. In addition, continuity facilitates the kids to interact better with their team members and develop interpersonal skills amongst each other. Finally, continuity in coaching youths helps develop in them a sense of initiative and an inner power to overcome challenges that lasts up to a lifetime. Balance: This is the most vital of the three aspects of youth psychology in relation to sports, because it involves helping the youths achieve a balance between sports and other activities. For instance a coach could change the game a little by organizing a volunteer activity for the team; this enlightens them on the world around them and culminates a sense of civic identity outside the world of sport which mostly constitutes winning and losing. In fact, studies reveal that kids who engage simultaneously in sports and other school activities such as school clubs have a lower rate of depression when compared to kids who exclusively engage in sport. Sport Physiology and exercise planning Wilmore and Costill (2004), state that sport physiology is closely related to exercise physiology whereby the latter can be defined as the study of how human body structures and functions are adjusted when human beings are exposed to continual exercise, the former which is sport physiology, applies the principles of exercise to training the athletes while gradually improving their sport performance. In essence, sport physiology relates to the effects training has on the athletes’ bodies (Sports –Training – Adviser.com, 2012). It is the duty of the coach to be aware of certain factors in sports physiology such as flexibility training, nutrition and hydration, injury and first aid, the training environmental conditions and the effects they have on the athletes’ performance. Coaches training youths need to understand the internal effects that exercise has on their athletes to enable them design appropriate training programs. In addition, coaches should always be conscious of current research in the area of sport physiology and apply them in their training programs. Exercise planning for youths needs to be very specific and should ensure fitness as well as sport development (Locke, 2012). It needs to be logical and well planned through all phases of training which includes off season, pre-season, competition season and post competition. Hence the coach should identify and plan for the appropriate exercises for each phase. Below is a list of the various exercises that coaches use when training youths: Strength training Endurance training Power training Speed training Agility training Balance and coordination Flexibility Sports skills development The parent factor Parents play an important role their children lives, more so when they are involved in extra-curricular activities such as sport, for instance parents shape their child’s psychological development in the course of their involvement in their child’s sporting activities (Côté & Hay, 2002). In light of this, Price (2012) comments that, parents have often be accused of being too skeptical of coaches which is the moral thing to do as parents are always critical of anything that may affect their child’s well-being. However, do they sometimes cross the line? On another note, studies show that parents influence young athletes’ competence, emotions and motivation (Brustad, Babkes, & Smith, 2001). They can also affect or influence how a long a child stays involved in a sport because they have a direct influence on how a child perceives his or her talents, for instance when it comes to motivation, has the parent cultivated a motivational climate for his or child to better at a certain sport? Research also shows that parents heavily influence the emotions/emotional responses of their children towards participation of a sport, for instance some kids experience a lot of anxiety before the start of a game probably because they have been pressured at home to win the game, without an ounce of reassurance that it doesn’t really matter whether they win or lose and that they can always try harder the next time (Gould, Eklund, Petlichkoff, Peterson, & Bump, 1991). Moreover such controlling behavior could be as a result of increased competition for athletic scholarships, in spite of being viewed as ‘looking out for the child’s best interests’ such actions are usually in the immediate and long- term, detrimental to the young athletes’ lives and greatly affect their sporting experience (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000). This raises the question of how much is too much as far as parent involvement in their child’s sporting activities is concerned. Parents are advised to be moderately involved, because it communicates volumes to the child such as their interest and support to the child’s sporting endeavors. This in turn positively influences him/her to enjoy and continually participate in youth sports. However, when parents become overly involved in the young athletes’ lives then problems are bound to arise because the athletes feel that their parents will control every decision they make as far as the sport they participate in is concerned as a result they enjoy sport less and may even give it up(Vallerand, Deci, & Ryan, 1987). The main issues in coaching youths The discussion above highlights a few issues in coaching youths these include: coaching styles/training for youth sport and parental inv involvement in youth sports. Coaching styles for youth sport Coaching like any other skill is influenced by various factors as far as the person delivering it is concerned in this case the coach. McStravick (2010) commented on this and stated that factors such as, the coach’s personality, his/her reason for coaching, experience and knowledge influences the coaching style he/she uses. The table below summarizes these factors Factor How it influences Personality Is he or she loud? An enthusiast? Quiet? A coach’s personality directly influences his or her coaching style. Knowledge Is he or she knowledgeable in the field of coaching? Reason for coaching Is it out of passion or obligation? Previous experience of being coached Past experiences also influence coaching styles After identifying the factors that influence the coaching style, it is important to state the different coaching styles that various authors have identified in the field of youth sport. Crisfield& Cabral (1996) identified the following as the four main coaching styles ideal for youth sports: Tell – In this coaching style, the coach makes all the decisions and does not allow the participants to be involved in decision making. Here, the athletes are told what they are required to do and how to do it. Research shows that this is a comfort zone for many coaches as it allows them plan and control the situation. However, this coaching style discourages proper and adequate communication between the coach and his/her athletes. Sell- This coaching style involves the coach making the decisions as well as showing the athletes what is required. He or she provides explanations for instructions given and encourages the participants to ask questions where they fail to understand the instructions given to them. Share- In this style the coach gives instructions, asks questions and invites suggestions. Decisions are made based on the feedback from the team members. Allow- In this coaching style, the coach together with his/her athletes outline the problem, with the coach setting limits and allowing the athletes to make decisions. This style is centered on building the athletes’ well being as well as a positive group relationship. It is entirely up to the coach to decide on which coaching style to use when coaching his/her young athletes; however he/she should ensure that the coaching style chosen will bring out the best in the athletes. Parent involvement in youth sport The literature review section discussed the parent factor in youth sports and mainly touched on parents’ role in the psychological development of their child as well as anything that affects them in life. Parents influence in youth sport cannot be underestimated as it is clear they influence their children’s emotional response to sports, motivation and competence in sports which does not always yield positive results (Brustad, Babkes, & Smith, 2001). However, this can change if parents stepped back a little and become moderately involved in their children’s participation in youth sport as this encourages them to develop in the field because they believe that their parents support them in their sporting endeavors (Vallerand, Deci, & Ryan, 1987). Case study: Parents perceptions of the effectiveness of a youth sports program in a community-based athletic association. By Dr. Lisa Kihl (PI), Matthew Soroka University of Minnesota This case study outlines parental perceptions on their community-bases athletic association’s organizational effectiveness. The initial research for this case study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved surveying 272 parents on their thoughts on the delivery and effectiveness of services within the youth program. They noted that the program achieved in delivering quality equipment, child sport skills development, providing positive and constructive experiences for the young athletes. Hence most parents believed that the youth program was effective, however questions were raised on whether the association provided the athletes with quality equipment, facilities, matching player skills and whether there were opportunities for team play. The second phase of this research dealt with the stakeholder’s of the community based association organizational skills and why they believed that the youth program was effective, in terms of the way it was structured and programmed. The research for this case study mainly used parental and coach interviews as well as administrative focus groups and individual interviews as well as documents. It helped provide a model to enhance the quality of existing organizational and programming youth sport effectiveness. Recommendations for coaching youths So far a lot has been said on youth sports; youth psychology, sport physiology and exercise planning, coaching styles and parent involvement in youth sports. Below are the proposed recommendations for coaching youths; Coaches should make practice fun and enjoyable as youth sport athletes are interested in having fun as well as learning. Coaches should be creative when making training programs for his/her youth athletes. Repetitive exercises can easily bore them hence calls for creativity on the coach’s part.  Since this is youth sport building self esteem among the youth athletes is crucial therefore , coaches should always emphasize on what the athletes are doing right as opposed to what they do wrong otherwise the kids would end up feeling unsuccessful. Coaches should redefine success to their youth athletes as making progress, improving skills and playing to the best of one’s ability as opposed to just winning to prevent those kids who feel they are on the losing end from quitting youth sports. The coach should encourage them that talents are made and not born. Lastly, coaches should always keep themselves updated on current research findings on youth sports so as to better their coaching skills and make the training experience for their youth athletes as constructive as possible. Methodology The research methods used to collect information for this study include literature review and interviews. Literature review This study heavily relied on current literature on the topic of discussion (coaching for youths) such as books, articles, journals, web pages as sources of information. These will be cited in the bibliography. Interviews Interviews were conducted with various coaches from schools, colleges and sporting organizations on the topic of coaching for youths. Interviews were also conducted with youth sport participants on the same topic. Parents were also interviewed. Current findings Perspectives of young players towards sports Young players perceive sports as a fun activity that is enjoyable. For young players it is rarely about winning, it’s about having fun at practice with other kids (Educated Sports parents, 2012). Moreover, studies show that young players participate in sport for various reasons such as, to learn new skills, to make new friends, to see new places as well as new experiences, to be part of a team and also for the competitive challenge and sometimes because their parents pushed them into playing a sport (Gaelic Athletic Association, 2012). This calls for coaches to use different strategies when coaching them as they are different from their adult counter parts failure to do so renders the whole coaching experience ineffective and may frustrate the young players forcing them to quit the sport. Differences between youth and adult coaching methods. (Gaelic Athletic Association (2012) identifies that when it comes to sports children differ from adults on the following levels: Technical – Children have limited co-ordination and balance when compared to adult athletes. Adult athletes have better co-ordination hence their coaching methods are entirely different from their younger counterparts. Coaches expect them do as they are instructed and often use the authoritarian style when it comes to training adults. Their exercises are also quite strenuous and more intense when compared to the ones undertaken by younger players. Tactical- Children’s tactical skills are undeveloped. Adult athletes are more intellectually developed than younger players, they are able to maneuver around the playing field and make tactical decisions that enable them to win a game. Team play- Children play for themselves and have limited communication skills when compared to adults. Adult athletes can communicate better among themselves hence they do not always need the coach’s help whenever they are discussing team related issues or at practice. Physical- Children have limited strength. When compared to adults, children are weaker hence they cannot undertake certain tasks as far sporting is concerned, for instance they require frequent breaks to relax. Endurance- Children lack endurance in spite of having lots of energy. They are still developing and hence get bored quickly; similarly, they require frequent breaks and cannot go on for long periods undertaking the same exercise, unlike adult athletes, who have the will power and capacity to endure long strenuous exercises. Speed- It’s more of reactive speed for children i.e. they react as per the coach’s direction while adult athletes are quick and able to move very fast at their own initiative. Psychological- Children lack self confidence. Adult athletes are fully developed and operate as individuals without necessarily requiring reassurance from anybody. On the other hand, children tend to be shy and tend to avoid asking questions at the fear of being laughed at by their team mates, something that rarely bothers adults. Children can be emotional, they tend to be discouraged and sad when they fail at a particular exercise or when they lose hence require a coach who will mentor them in the right direction and cheer them up so that they do not quit. On the other hand, adult athletes are more emotionally stable and deal with failure positively. Children’s decision making is slow and poor, they also have poor problem solving skills when compared to their adult counterparts. Children require a coach who guides them into making decisions and also solving problems that may arise among them. Adults are holistic and are able to make sport related or team related decisions with little or no help from their coach. Moreover, when it comes to problem solving adult athletes have proper and develop problem solving skills. It is therefore the coach’s responsibility to be aware of these differences before scheduling training programs for youth athletes. Ethical issues in this study This study complied with all ethical guidelines related to conducting research. The one who conducted it is an honest and genuine person. This work is 100% authentic, it was not plagiarized and where necessary references to other people’s works have been made. The participants of this study were fully aware of the researcher. The wishes of the subjects who participated in this study were respected. Requests for confidentiality, privacy and anonymity from the participants of this study were respected. The was participants of this research were not on any occasion subjected to any kind of physical and psychological harm in that neither embarrassing nor compelling questions were asked to them and no physical harm befell any of them. The subjects were free to answer or decline to answer the questions asked to them. In light of this, the participants of this research engaged in this study voluntarily and with informed consent. They were neither coerced nor manipulated to engage in this study. The findings of this study will be disseminated to the rightful parties and it was conducted for the general good of the society. Additionally, this research will help in identifying the main problems in coaching young players and recommend solutions to overcome these problems. Challenges of this study This study had its own challenges they include; Finding relevant sources of literature was a challenge. Literature resources on this topic were limited hence this study was compiled on the little that was found. Although there was a lot of information on youth sport, it was challenging finding information relevant to coaching for youths Second, when it came to conducting interviews, some of the interviewees especially, coaches were out of reach while some declined to comment and give their insight on the study. In light of this, most of the coaches interviewed lacked experience in the field of youth coaching hence gave very scarce information for this particular study. However, young players were very responsive, cooperative and the information they gave was helpful to this study. The time frame for conducting this study was also limited hence getting sufficient information was a challenge. Finally this study, was time consuming and strenuous. Possible solutions to these challenges The possible solutions to the challenges of this study would be; To use alternative sources of information such as journals and tutorials. To look for other experienced people in the field of youth sports who can offer more information that is required for this study. To conduct this study over a long period of time so as to acquire all information required to make it complete. Conclusion This study has looked at coaching for youths. In addition, this was a study on youth sport and the issues and challenges facing this activity such as youth psychology, the parent factor, exercise planning and sport physiology and the different coaching styles used in the training of youth sport have been discussed. Similarly, the main issues in coaching have also been highlighted and appropriate recommendations offered for coaches to take up. Moreover, the current findings of coaching for youths have also been discussed they include the perspectives that young players have on sport as well as the different methods of coaching adults and youth, the differences between adults and young players have also been mentioned. The various research methods used in conducting this study have also been identified. Finally, the ethical issues of this study, the challenges and possible solutions for the challenges thereof have been briefly discussed. Bibliography American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. (2000). Intensive training and sports specialization in young athletes. Pediatrics, 106 (1), 154-157. Brustad, R., Babkes, M., & Smith, A. (2001). Youth in sport: Psychological considerations. In R. Singer, H. Hausenblas, and C. Janelle (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (pp. 604-635). New York: Wiley. Crisfield, P., Cabral, P., &Carpenter, F., (1996). The successful coach guidelines for coaching practice. Coach Wise 1st4sport Publishers. Gaelic Athletic Association (2012).Coaching & Games Development: Coaching Children. [Online] Available from Locke, D. (2012) Kids Training Programs [Online] Available from< http://www.coaching-kids-sports.com/kidstrainingprograms.html > Martens, R. (April 2004). Successful Coaching.3rdEdition.USA: Human Kinetics. McStravick, T. (2010). The principles of Sport Coaching [Online] Available from< http://www.playingforthefuture.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Coaching-principles.doc> Wilmore, J H and Costill, D L (2004). Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Wiersma, L. D. and Sherman, C. P., “Volunteer youth sport coaches’ perspectives of coaching education/certification and parental codes of conduct”, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Vol. 76, pp. 324-338, 2005. Price-Mitchell, M., Ph.D. (2012). The Psychology of Youth Sports. [Online] Available on Read More