A philosophical framework for success in coaching is established, upon which the results of 571 coaches’ views of success in coaching is consequently evaluated. The coaches are Czech nationals from seven sports, who coach all age groups from U8 to adult professional teams, with length of experience ranging from 1 to 26 years (mean 7.1). Success definitions were coded and categorized before being analyzed across sport, age group coached, experience and licensing level. Hal-lowell’s success cycle is used as a standard of evaluation. Results were also assessed in terms of modern coaching philosophies. Overall, it was shown that the most common definition of success by coaches fell into the Sport Growth domain (31.7%), by which they primarily meant Player Development (20.6% of these coaches). The second most common domain for defining success was Performance (28.2%), primarily defined in terms of Winning (15.5%). Emotional Growth (21.1%) and Personal Growth (7.6%), though emphasized in modern coaching philosophies, were largely undervalued by Czech coaches. Enjoyment, a key element of success from Aristotle to Seligman, and essential to Hallowell’s success cycle was evident in only a small number (5.6%) of the success definitions of coaches.
Coaching education has been part of the United States soccer landscape for over 40 years. However, the education of youth soccer coaches is a recent phenomenon. The purpose of this study was threefold: a) to provide contextual reflections of the USSF National Youth Coaching License (NYL); b) to share the impact of the course on coaching efficacy; and 3) to critically discuss the implications of the lessons learned through these reflections and research on the design of quality coach education for youth sport coaches. The statistical evidence in conjunction with reflective comments demonstrate that The Game in the Child model and the NYL curriculum provide the contextual framework for an effective L-S coaching education program.
The licensing of soccer coaches to coach at the teenage and adult levels have been in existence since the early 1970’s through the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Coaching Schools. However, it has only been since 1995 that US Youth Soccer, an affiliate of the USSF created a child-centered curriculum to address the needs of children 12 and younger and the individuals who coach them, namely the parent-coach. To date over 5000 coaches have attended this five-day course. However, no such analysis has occurred to determine the impact and influence of this program on coaching efficacy. Coaching efficacy as defined by Feltz, Chase, Moritz, & Sullivan, (1999) “is the extent which coaches believe that they have the capacity to affect the learning and performance of their athletes.” The Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) developed by Feltz, et al was used as the primary date survey instrument.
The positive and appropriate development of children through youth sport is of the utmost importance. The quality of this experience can also have a direct effect on their life-long engagement in physical activity and sport (Newman et al., 2018). The Game in the Child Model was designed on the premise that you must first learn how to teach the child before you can teach them to play the sport and is most beneficial for children 12 years of age and younger. This foundational premise guides all other components of the model from a philosophical as well as a developmental level. These guiding factors consist of four levels beginning with child characteristics (how they think, feel, grow), coach characteristics (their past and present experiences), organizational characteristics (type and purpose). The leads to gaining a better understanding of how play can be used as a tool for growth and development within an athlete-centered environment. The final two levels address a game-based pedagogical approach that reflects the first two levels with the goal of unlocking the Game within the Child. The model also recognizes the importance of the child’s social, economic, and political influences through the envelopment of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory (1975, 1977).
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