Developments in Coaching
The Introduction of a Sport Coaching Degree in South Africa
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Simeon Davies
Sport in South Africa continues to be male dominated and it is argued that the opportunity to introduce a new qualification in Sport Coaching provides a unique opportunity to promote and prioritise female sport, given that it has been systemically marginalised. The initiative also supports vision statement of National Government “to be an active and winning nation” (SRSA, 2011:18). This paper provides an insight into the proposed structure and knowledge content of the qualification along with the principles that guide its need for inclusivity, given the historical antecedents that characterised discriminatory systems and policies under Apartheid. A significant element that has formed the catalyst for the introduction of the Sport Coaching Degree is to fill the vacuum created by the effective dismantling of Physical Education as a compulsory element of school education in South Africa. Thus the intent of the qualification is to ensure graduates are educated and trained to work and comply with best practice in local, national and international sport-coaching environments. Importantly the graduates will be able to conduct research in the field of sport coaching that will inform and contribute to relevant policy development, notably in terms of female issues concerning sport participation, access to sport, inequality, as well as sport related socio-economic and health issues.
Coaching Education: Sports Confederations Program
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ana Santos
The recent academic literature has sought to understand how the education programs for sports coaches can be elaborated efficiently, optimizing the integration between theoretical and practice aspects. This study aims to collaborate on the production of knowledge about this theme. First, we detailed the scenario of initial education in the coaches' career in Brazil. Next, we described the educational activities promoted by the Olympic summer sports confederations during the year 2016. This period is particularly relevant because it was the year in which the country hosted the Olympic Games. Then, through content analysis we classified such activities according to categories. Finally, we discussed the coherence between the initial education proposal for coaches and what confederations held as a proposal for continuing education, and the activities offered by the confederations analyzed considering the literature on coaching development and learning. The results indicated 224 educational activities were promoted by confederations in 2016. Some confederations had specific departments, and commissions focused on sports education and science, and a public document related to their conception of continuing education for coaches. It was verified that regard to the learning situation the majority of the activities were mediated. The main context focus on these activities was the development of sport, and in these activities, the target audience was newcomer’s coaches and coaches in general. It was also verified there is a prevalence of contents related to sport technic and tactics, followed by pedagogy, physiology and biomechanics in the activities promoted.
The Effect of Youth Coaching Styles on “Winner," "Non-Winner,” and “Loser” Scripts in Young Athletes
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mark Cogburn, Rita Y. Horton, Joshua Hollis
Childhood coaching experiences, like parenting, are powerful influences on normal and abnormal and development among athletes across the lifespan. It is quite common for adults to look back on their lives and recall how a coach pushed them toward a life narrative of success, indifference or failure. This presentation examines the likely effects of youth coaching on the development of the “Winner,” “Non-Winner”, and “Loser” Transactional Analysis scripts in children and adolescents. Presenter’s will initially draw from Richard Erskine’s research on relational needs. Youth coaches can hopefully fulfill these needs and contribute to healthy emotional development in players. Sadly, without this information, coaches will continue to contribute negative psychological impacts to their athletes predictably resulting from not meeting these basic relational needs. Then, the presentation will explore how youth coaches teach athletes the “Winner, Non-Winner, or Loser” scripts from a Transactional Analysis point of view. Presenters will address how coaching styles influence young athletes toward a self-image of being “OK” or “Not-OK”. A model will be presented to allow youth coaches to immediately understand their specific coaching style, and its ultimate effects on the growth and development of the young athlete projected across the lifespan.
The Coaching Profession in Spain
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ingrid Hinojosa Alcalde, Ana Andres, Susanna Soler
Traditionally, there has been a low presence of women in the sports labour market and sports leadership positions, especially in coaching positions. In order to provide elements of understanding, this research proposes an analysis of the situation that coaches experience in Catalonia. Specifically, the aims were to: Describe the sociodemographic characteristics of coaches, assess the psychosocial work environment of coaches, analyse the presence of work-life conflict in coaches. This project was developed using a multiple method approach, including surveys and interviews, organized in 3 studies. The results of the first study showed the under-representation of women in the field of coaching, as well as some key indicators in the analysis of the labour market from a gender perspective. The second study allow researchers to identify the areas of the psychosocial work environment (work-family conflict, emotional demands, insecurity on working conditions) that negatively affected coaches’ health, as well as those that affected positively coaches’ health. The third study highlighted the different strategies that men and women coaches used in order to manage their work-life conflict. In conclusion, the results highlight that coaches need favourable work environments that supports their permanence and development in the profession, as well as become an attractive profession to other social groups under-represented in coaching. Thus, in addition to examining the regulation and quality of working conditions, there is a need to rethink the organizational culture of sport clubs and sports organizations.
