Personal Trainer
Introduction to sports coaching A sports coach is a person who teaches, advises instructs and trains a sports team or of individual sportspeople. A coach can also be defined as a teacher. Sport coaching requires understanding and knowledge of athlete development and effective communication strategies. Sport coaching also includes coaching ethics, and code of conduct. Sport coaching can be applied to specific population groups, including children, older adults, females, athletes with a disability and athletes from various cultural backgrounds. However sports coaching can mean different things to different people. For some, being a coach is a job, while to others it is a pastime that they do on a part-time basis, such as running a football team on a Sunday, or a netball team on a Saturday.
The full-time coach pursues the vocational study of sports training to acquire certification that demonstrates a level of competence. The objectives for coaching are to: 1. Apply basic coaching principles and plans as well as group management and time strategies to teach sport skills 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the training requirements for various sports and different populations 3. Conduct and interpret the results from a range of fitness and sportspecific tests
Lesson 1: Understand the importance placed on sport in modern society The importance of sport in modern society Development of sports and its place in modern society is of great importance. As well as physical culture, sports and a healthy lifestyle play an important role in society, which relate to sport in modern society being directly connected with health, science, culture, upbringing and education. In modern society, millions of people watch Olympics, and world cup finals, on the television and this is made easy because of the amount of sports channels available, such as sky sports, as well as many other channels airing sports games, to the wanting viewer. This as well as media coverage, makes sport very much part of modern society. Sport also ascertains to improving health as well as improving the economy of the nation. When young people are playing sport, it improves their well-being, their sense of adventure, their self-esteem, and their diets. Many young sports people will adapt their lifestyles and eating habits to coincide with their sporting activities, for example eating a high protein diet rather that crisps and coke, hence changing their eating habits. The performance of sport also encourages young people to stay away from drugs and alcohol, which impacts on the reduction of crime. Sport also helps redress social divisions around class race gender and disability.
Sport is an important social phenomenon in all levels of modern society, providing a large impact on key areas of social life: it affects national relations, business life, social status, fashion forms, ethical values, and people's lifestyle. It also helps in the development of physical abilities, as well as the satisfaction of social and natural needs. Activity impacts on the physical state and health, of the body. Physical development helps to prevent and reduce the large number of diseases, as well as enhancing human health, physical development and improvement in lifestyles. Appreciate the context in which sports coaching currently exists Modern sport is also important in the development of contacts between people, not only within one country, but also internationally, playing a significant role in deepening mutual understanding between people. Therefore, the sport is closely connected with the mental, moral, aesthetic, communicative, and other spheres of culture. The Olympic movement aims participation in building a peaceful and better world, through education of youth through sport, in a spirit of Olympics and without any discrimination. The Olympics has allowed many people of all genders to participate, and show their abilities, encouraging participation amongst different cultures, as well as the able and disabled bodies. The Olympics allow a feeling of euphoria amongst players, and brings wealth not only in sport but also in monetary terms to the hosting country. Modern sport - is also a microcosm of modern society, and therefore the most important problems of modern sport are similar to the basic
problems of modern society, such as sexual, ethnic and racial discrimination, crime and deception, control of violence, drug use, gambling, alcoholism, environmental protection social, political and international relations, etc. Also sport, can be used as a means of strengthening the political power, as an effective instrument for strengthening mutual understanding of nations, as sport has an opportunity to consolidate peace, especially in times of international tension, it can help to stabilise international relations as part of cultural exchange. Sport in Culture Sports hold a variety of different meanings across cultures. In Brazil, every city is home to at least one professional soccer team. Different teams tend to represent different culture groups, such as different economic levels and ethnicities. This creates allegiances at a local level, but the team that represents a city in the national championships will have the support of all the people of that city, thus building political unity on a greater level. The support represents teams and gives people something to identify with. Their support for their team can be taken as giving support to their nation. This is even more so in World Cup championships, when the entire country of Brazil unites to support their country's official team. Brazilians are the only country to win the World Cup five times; 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
Soccer was especially practiced by the lower income people throughout the 20th century. Socially and economically deprived boys dream of becoming the next Pele or Ronaldo and because of this, they promote the national soccer culture even more. The prospect of playing soccer for their county is a motivation for millions of poor children who want to escape from their poverty. The combination of soccer and living in poverty balances out the good and the bad. In Brazilian life it's not uncommon for soccer culture to have a bigger influence than politics or economics. Sebastian Coe s father become his coach and, developed his knowledge and understanding as his son developed through his teenage years up to, and including, his achievements on the international stage. He was not a performance coach when he started, but he adapted and grew as a coach. Research has shown that intrinsic rewards, such as being involved in sport with their friends, mean more to children than the extrinsic rewards of receiving trophies or prizes. According to children, they play sport to: Have fun develop fitness
Make friends Learn new skills Enjoy competition Be challenged. Define sports coaching Coaches portray "learning by doing" as this is the most common way they acquire knowledge about their sport, but many learn more through guided education. Coaches can sometimes fail to implement the proven methods they are taught even after completing coaching education programs, As with all physical activity, care should be taken to consider individual circumstances before an athlete can dedicate himself or herself to any training program. Sport is defined as teamwork, which can include soccer, teams, hockey teams, etc. or individual sports such as tennis or golf. Sport can be defined as being physical, requiring skill and competitive attitude, in order for teams and individuals to win rather than lose. The definition of sport also includes performance, which estimates how well a person or team does. The advice of correct eating from a coach to the player enhances wellbeing and good health. Gaming on consoles such as the Wii also involves some type of activity, such as bowling and tennis, and can be played individually or within a team. The goal of a sports coach is to improve the performance of an individual or a team in competition. Many football managers are sacked if they cannot achieve successful games, from their players.
Factors that affect the individual being a successful player, and the coach s influence on training them can be age, gender, disability, personality, motivation, the way in which they learn and their reasons for learning. Lesson 8: Psychology for coaches Sport Psychology provides information that coaches need to help athletes build mental toughness and achieve excellence. A coach, will gain a big-picture perspective on the mental side of sport by examining how athletes act, think, and feel when they practice and compete. Mental tools to be used could include as goal setting, imagery, relaxation, energisation, and self-talk motivation, energy management, focus, stress management, and self-confidence leads to increased and improved life skills, and enhanced performance. Sport psychology is a science of knowledge from the areas of Kinesiology and Psychology. It involves the study of how psychological factors affect performance and how participation sport and exercise affect psychological and physical factors. in Instruction and training of psychological skills for performance
improvement, applied sport psychology may include work with athletes, coaches, and parents regarding injury, rehabilitation, communication and team building. Sports Psychology started to become visible at the Olympic games in 1984 when the Olympic teams began to hire sports psychologists for their athletes. The role of sport psychologist has been called on to meet the increasing demand for anger management for athletes. Applied sport psychology Applied sport and exercise psychology consists of instructing athletes, coaches, teams, exercisers, parents, fitness professionals, groups, and other performers on the psychological aspects of their sport or activity. The goal of applied practice is to optimise performance and enjoyment through the use of psychological skills. There are different approaches that a sports psychologist can use while working with athletes. For example, the social-psychological approach
focuses on the social environment and the individual's personality, and on how complex interactions between the two-influence behaviour. The psychophysiological approach focuses on the processes of the brain and their influence on physical activity, and the cognitive-behavioural approach analyses the ways in which individual thoughts determine behaviour. Generally, there are two different types of sport psychologists: educational and clinical. Educational sport psychologists Educational sport psychologists emphasise the use of psychological skills training (e.g., goal setting, imagery, energy management, self-talk) when working with athletes by educating and instructing them on how to use these skills effectively during performance situations. Mental toughness is a psychological area that helps an athlete perform at a high level consistently. Mentally tough athletes exhibit four characteristics, which are confidence in their ability to perform well, an internal motivation to be successful, the ability to focus one s thoughts and feelings without distraction, and composure under pressure. Selfsufficiency is a belief that one can successfully perform a specific task in sport. Arousal refers to the athlete s physiological and cognitive activation the relationship between arousal and performance. Motivation can be defined broadly as the will to perform a given task. People who play or perform for internal reasons, such as enjoyment and satisfaction, are said to be intrinsically motivated, while people who play
for external reasons, such as money or attention from others, are extrinsically motivated. Life skills refer to the mental, emotional, behavioural, and social skills and resources developed through sport participation. Life skills are developed and transferred from sports to other areas in life (e.g., from tennis to school) and on program development and implementation. Burnout in sport is typically characterized as having three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. Athletes who experience burnout may have different contributing factors, but the more frequent reasons include perfectionism, boredom, injuries and excessive pressure. Coaching While sport psychologists primarily work with athletes and focus their research on improving athletic performance, coaches are encouraged to improve their coaching technique and their athletes' performance. Motivational climate refers to the situational and environmental factors that influence individuals' goals. The two major types of motivational climates coaches can create are task-oriented and ego-oriented. While winning is the overall goal of sports competitions regardless of the motivational climate, a task-orientation emphasises building skill, improvement, giving complete effort, and mastering the task while an ego-orientation emphasizes demonstrating superior ability, competition, and does not promote effort or individual improvement. Coaches have become more open to the idea of having a good professional athlete - coach relationship.
Team dynamics Team cohesion can be defined as a group's tendency to stick together while pursuing its objectives Team cohesion has two components: social cohesion (how well teammates like one another) and task cohesion (how well teammates work together to achieve their goal). Teams may share belief that they can or cannot accomplish a given task. Depending on the level of competency they have to perform a task. Leadership can be thought of as a behavioural process that influences team members towards achieving a common goal Leadership in sports is relevant because there are always leaders on a team (i.e., team captains, coaches, trainers). Evolutionary perspectives Evolution psychology perspective Includes studies on testosterone changes in sports which are similar to those in in non-human primates; with testosterone levels increasing and decreasing as an individual's status changes. A decreased testosterone level may decrease dominant and competitive behaviours which when the status conflicts involved fighting may have been important for preventing physical injury to the loser as further competition is avoided. Testosterone levels also increase before sports competitions, in particular
if the event is perceived as real challenge as compared to not being important. Arousal regulation Arousal regulation refers to entering into and maintaining an optimal level of cognitive and physiological activation in order to maximize performance. This may include relaxation if one becomes too anxious through methods such as muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, and meditation, or Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Motivation can be divided into two types: intrinsic (internal) motivation and extrinsic (external) motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for reward. People who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities. Athletes are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they: Attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy Believe they have the skills to be effective agents in reaching their desired goals, also known as self-efficacy beliefs Are interested in mastering a topic, not just in achieving good grades
Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, whether or not that activity is also intrinsically motivated. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards, for example, money for showing the desired behaviour, and the threat of punishment following misbehaviour. Competition is in an extrinsic motivator because it encourages the performer to win and to beat others, not simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A cheering crowd and the desire to win a trophy are also extrinsic incentives. Explain why motivation matters in the context of sport Sport psychology focuses on the mental and behavioural processes of humans within the sociocultural context of competitive sport. Within this lies social behaviour such as achievement or competition and associated thoughts and feelings: anxiety, self-esteem, and motivation. Sport psychology is, the relationship between personality and sport participation. Sport psychology is attempting to understand motivation as the complex process that influences individuals to begin an activity and pursue it with vigour and persistence.
Motivation would include self-confidence, self-esteem, and stress that influence motivational behaviour in sport. Interpersonal and group processes influence individuals behaviours in sport such as the presence of spectators, group membership, and leadership. Included in this area are aggression and gender socialization, which are behaviours or characteristics that result from interpersonal social processes. The area of mental training or psychological-skills training encompasses the use of intervention techniques to learn cognitive skills and behavioural strategies that can enhance sport performance and personal development. Personality and Sport Participation Personality is the psychological characteristics and behavioural tendencies that make individuals different from and similar to each other. Successful athletes have a more positive mood profile, more self-confidence, and better strategies to focus attention and manage anxiety. Sport psychology has also examined the effects of sport participation on personality development and change. Competition reduces prosocial behaviours such as helping and sharing, and losing magnifies this effect. Sport participation has been shown to increase rivalries, antisocial behaviour, and aggression, and sport participation has also been linked to lower levels of moral reasoning. Motivational Processes Motivation encourages people that are motivated to feel competent, worthy, and self-determining.
Another important factor that influences motivation is what psychologists call perceptions of control. Humans are motivated to be self-determining, which means we want to be in control of our own actions and behaviour. Individuals with more internal perceptions of control are more motivated than individuals who feel others control them or that they are lucky. Motivation can help in achieving self-esteem and self-confidence. Selfesteem is our perception of personal worthiness and the emotional feelings associated with that perception. Self-esteem is an important need for all individuals and it originates from feeling competent and in control of our behaviour. Lesson 9: Understanding special populations in coaching Athlete-centred coaching expresses the notion of humanistic coaching as something that centres the athlete within an authentic experience of sport that develops human character. Females; males; individuals with an illness, disease, pregnant women; individuals with a disability: the elderly; people from different ethnic backgrounds; elite athletes. Modified activity includes all participants taking part in the same session, while providing different challenges based on the (dis) ability of individual. each
Parallel activity is the focus of the coaching session is the same for a parallel activity. The challenge and the focus of coaching are the same but participants can develop at a suitable pace for them. Separate activity is the focus is on separate sessions. If you have a large group and some athletes are non-disabled and some are (dis) abled then you might need to separate the two groups for some special requirements. Disability sport activity: reverse-integrating the non-disabled athletes to include them in a disability sport activity where the rules are adaptive for (dis) abled athletes. Physical differences Physical differences may include the physiological differences between males and females such as pelvis width, shoulder width and hormone differences. However, as a coach it is important to recognise that the differences from one person to another as it will impact on the coaching of that individual Socialisation into sport is different between males and females. Socially how men and women in sport are different can impact on every individual s experience of sport. For example, if a coach thinks women are not as strong or quick as men and treats them differently; then it is obvious that this unnecessary and damaging behaviour will impact negatively on the coaching process. Magazines and media portray a view of the male/female body that is often unobtainable by the vast majority of people. However, in women in particular these feminine body images are often slender and the body type required for sport is often more muscular and athletic which creates a negative view of the athletic female.
Media Coverage There is a distinct lack of sporting coverage of females in sport, and even when there is coverage the focus is often on sexuality. This leads to the creation of poor role models for the sporting female. Negative Attitude There is a negative attitude to women in sport. Often this attitude is based on socially constructed notions of the role of men and women in society, which is reflected in sport. Stereotypes exist around the physical and psychological prowess of women in sport that is often misguided and generalised. There are ideas that men are quicker than women, more powerful and better at sport. These stereotypes are not constructive and are damaging to women in sport. Competitive sports settings are often seen as a masculine (and therefore a male domain. This can lead to issues for males and females taking part in sports. The coach should try to encourage people to take part in sport and not stereotype people based on the sports or physical activity they choose. Sport, and competition can be extremely positive for individuals used in the correct way and this is important for you to consider as a coach.