During this time of year, many teams are just starting their spring season. To make sure the team starts off in the best direction, it is essential that the coach develops a high level with the players and amongst team members. By Jenny Nalepa The Importance of Trust One factor that contributes to team success… Read More »
Most coaches know positive reinforcement is important. But it’s more than just having a positive attitude or complimenting a job well done. These five principles are what make reinforcement work.
Sports are highly valued in our society because of the positive impact that we see sport have on so many athletes’ lives. Though we often like to focus on the more positive outcomes of sport, it is also important to acknowledge the potential for negative experiences. One such negative experience, emotional abuse, is an under-acknowledged,… Read More »
Written by Dr. Jennifer Nalepa Today’s Generation of Sport Parents Today’s generation of parents are different from sport parents in the past. Now, it is more common for parents to have a large role in their child’s sport than in past generations. Today, parents are often referred to as being over-involved and over-protective, having high… Read More »
“The SCL program gave me many hands on tools that I put into practice with my students today.” Teressa graduated from the Sport Coaching and Leadership master’s degree and is now a figure skating coach at the Oakland Ice Center. Find out more about Teressa’s experience in her master’s degree, what she learned, her most… Read More »
Written by Jill Kochanek, Doctoral Student, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports Though athletics are often treated separately from politics, recent events remind us of intersections between sport and social issues. Take for example, Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality on communities of color or #MeToo movement athlete activism regarding sexual violence on girls and… Read More »
Thanksgiving food for thought Written by Andy Driska As the Thanksgiving holiday approached this year, I recounted some memories talking to my niece and nephews about their sport experiences. Here I was, a so-called expert in sport psychology and coaching, but I didn’t have the first idea of what kinds of questions I might ask… Read More »
Written by Jennifer Nalepa As coaches, we try to help our athletes develop new skills and feel success in sport while still making sure each player is having fun. So how can we make it easier for athletes to learn new skills and feel success? Modify the equipment and rules of the sport to match… Read More »
Written by Andy Driska with contributions from Karl Erickson In our part 1 of our discussion, we took sides. Karl defended prioritizing fun in soccer practices for 7-10 year-olds, and I defended the idea of incorporating challenges to build skills. What we’re trying to explore in Part 2 is how we could meet both aims. … Read More »
Part 1 of a 2-part series Written and edited by Andy Driska Major contributions from Karl Erickson A big challenge for youth sport coaches is balancing enjoyment with developing skills. Throughout my coaching career (mostly swimming and some water polo too), and now into my academic career, I was (and still am) a big advocate… Read More »
