“I am an athletic trainer, and I wanted to stay in athletics but move to the administrative level. Becoming an athletic director is my #1 goal. I looked at the courses that Ohio University offered, and every course looks interesting and is something that I would directly use. Even now I could apply it, and later on when I move on to athletic administrator or athletic director, it will be perfect.” – Debby Casey, current student
“I chose this program over other master’s programs because of the ease of online classes and how it fits into what I am doing now. I don’t have to pick up and move somewhere else. I can keep coaching while moving up my education to the next level.” – Matt Karlgaard, current student
“I was looking for a master’s program that would allow me to still coach and not lose that step since I’m already a head coach. I also wanted to get a master’s in something that I enjoy doing – and that is coaching.” – Janelle Higgins, current student
Many young athletes and budding sports persons aspire to have a professional career in their own respective fields. No matter the skills of any young athlete, a strong coach is required for guidance every step of the way. A great coach can make or break a player. A coach with sound knowledge of the sport domain is imperative for their sporting success. Responsible coaching can help young sportsmen and sportswomen to have an enhanced training curriculum. It ensures that the youths are trained in a safe environment and encouraged to develop strong education and sport ethics. The children are encouraged and instilled a love for the sport, as opposed to traditional sports coaching which predominantly trains sports persons to perform to the maximum of their potential, sometimes at the expense of excess stress and compromising sport morals.
Responsible Coaching
Youths require several opportunities for a play which is unstructured. The youths also need an opportunity to exercise their creativity in the game that they are playing. Responsible coaches do not generally encourage the children to have an early sports specialization. Rather, more importance is placed on individual improvement and the development of skills. Responsible coaching also ensures that the children are coached for around one hour since children have short attention span. It’s equally important for coaches to use role models for demonstrating good performance. Some other attributes of responsible coaching include teaching one sport skill at a time, using simple language for instructions, knowing individual personality traits of the youths, individualizing communications, and being a good listener.
Communicating with your team
Being an effective communicator considerably reduces the communication gaps which may arise. Effective communication also garners respect, authority, and competence for the coach. Responsible coaches encourage teamwork and cooperation among the youths as well. The children who make a good contribution to a team’s performance are acknowledged. At the same time, the value of teamwork is reinforced to the team. To strengthen teamwork, aspects such as accountability, commitment, and unselfishness is inculcated.
Dealing with Parents
One of the greatest challenges for a responsible coach is dealing with the parents. Parental expectation is a crucial issue which often creates a hindrance for the career of a budding sportsperson. Instead of encouraging a high pressured outlook towards sports training, responsible coaches try to make the training sessions more supportive for the youths by convincing the parents to change their attitude towards careers in competitive sports. The immense role of supportive parents in the success of a child’s sporting endeavour is also intimated to the parents by the coaches. All in all, the key aspect of children’s sport is fun.
