Michigan State University Study
I had an opportunity to look around on the NFHS Learning Center site after completing the certification portion of this class. I located helpful links under the locker room tab and the “Institute for the Study of Youth Sports” stood out for me. Not having yet coached a sport, I am always looking for good material to read about coaching. I figure that if I am educated and have the necessary tools or resources, I have a head start at being the best coach I can be. I ran across an article written about the research conducted in 2005 by the Institute of the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University.
The purpose of the study was, “To identify the major issues, concerns, and challenges facing high school sports leaders and their athletes today.” Through 2 separate focus groups, the study attempts to identify education needs of coaches and problems that student athletes are facing. The focus groups consist of coaches with an average of 26 years of coaching experience. Some of the coaches of the focus group were coaches for boy’s sports, other were for girl’s sports, and some were for both boy’s and girl’s sports. A total of 14 coaches took part in the two focus groups.
The following are the major questions asked in the study:
1. What are the best or most rewarding things about being a high school coach today?
2. What are the worst or least rewarding things about being a high school coach today?
3. What are the biggest challenges coaches face when working with high school athletes?
4. What are the biggest issues facing high school student athletes today?
5. What are the life skill needs of today’s high school athletes?
This article can be very insightful for those who are just starting out as coaches and for those who have also been coaching for years. I found a response to the question What are the best (most rewarding) things about being a high school coach today both very surprising and powerful. The response to the question was, “You get to know kids in a different non-academic setting- you are with them more than their parents…”
There are also some responses that you might find surprising when the coaches are asked what the biggest challenges are they have faced as coaches. I don’t want to give the whole article away for those who have yet had the opportunity to read it. It’s a relatively short easy reading article and worth the time to read. It gave me a lot of food for thought and made me think about how I would respond to certain issues coaches face.
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Comments
I agree with you, this book will give insight on what a high school coach has to deal with on and off the field and how the easiest part of coaching a high school team will actually be coaching.
I agree with you, this book will give insight on what a high school coach has to deal with on and off the field and how the easiest part of coaching a high school team will actually be coaching.
Thanks for sharing this precious information. It is definately helpful for us as starters in this, but also, i have been reading some interviews with coaches, and sharing experience of others is also really beneficial in my opinion! Thanks
Good information. It is good to read and learn from others mistakes and trials. It gives a base to start and find your own way of doing things.