Full Description
Today, more than 68 million children and adolescents participate in sport programs in the United States. Yet despite the growth and popularity of highly-organized athletic competition, controversy still swirls around the role that adults, particularly coaches, play in the world of youth sports. Coaches not only occupy a critical leadership position in the athletic setting, but their influence can extend into other areas of life as well.
Sport Psychology for Youth Coaches is a practical "how-to" guide that helps coaches use their leadership role to achieve optimal benefits for young athletes, both on and off the field/court. It is designed to help coaches create rewarding experiences for young athletes and provides specific behavioral guidelines that have proven to have positive, and lasting, effects. The authors address a wide range of everyday concerns including motivation, stress reduction, psychological skills, relations with parents, legal responsibilities, and other areas of importance to both coaches and athletes. Using clear examples and real stories, they help coaches hone their own skills so they can bring out the best in their young competitors - in sports and in life.
No coach should be without this essential guide, whose principles have been successfully applied and tested on thousands of coaches around the world.
Contents
Part I. Developing a Coaching Philosophy
1. Athletic Competition for Children and Adolescents: Why Youth Sports?
2. Sport Models and Goals: Kids Are Not Professionals!
Part II. Becoming a Better Coach
3. Coaching Roles and Relationships: Influencing Young Athletes' Lives
4. The Mastery Approach to Coaching: Applying Sport Psychology
5. Communication and Self-Awareness: Skills for Improving Coaching Effectiveness
Part III. Performance Enhancement Skills for Young Athletes
6. Goal Setting: Charting the Road to Success
7. Athletic Stress: Teaching Coping Skills to Young Athletes
8. Mental Imagery: Using the Mind to Program the Body
Part IV. Coaching Challenges and How to Deal With Them
9. Working Effectively With "Problem Athletes:" Turning Problems Into Opportunities
10. Coach-Parent Relationships: A Vital Link in Successful Youth Sport Experiences
11. What to Do If . . .
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
