The value of

Coaching Education:
Why is it Important?
Audience: College seniors
looking to get into coaching
(soccer players)
Linda Schirmeister-Gess

What is the role of a

coach?

The role of the coach has developed from merely being a

tactician and technical advisor, to one that integrates
psychological, physical ,social and academic development
into the education of their athlete.

Sports coaches have moved from being a more capable

other to become scientists, capable of directing the
activities of other scientists and working in a wide-range of
disciplines. They need to know a substantial amount about
each subject and of ways to communicate results
intelligently to the athlete Jones (2006) .

What is coaching
education?

Good coaches, like good teachers, constantly

engage in much reflection, not only on what they do
but why they do it. Jones (2006)

An intentional effort to educate coaches on the

intricacies of all facets of the sport they are coaching.

Development of a coaches knowledge in multiple

areas in order to increase their effectiveness as a
coach

The Importance of Sport in

Personal Development .
A growing body of research literature finds that in

addition to improved physical health, sport plays a

primarily positive role in youth development,
including improved academic achievement, higher
self-esteem, fewer behavioral problems, and
better psychosocial USADA (2012)
sport should play a role in teaching morality by

promoting positive values such as honesty, fair

play, and respect for others. USADA (2012)

The Importance of Sport

(cont)
Sport helps develop the five Cs that are vital for

youth development : competence, confidence,

connections, character, and caring . Jones, Holt,
Dunn (2009)
These five cs can be developed through sport, if

encouraged by an who is aware of them and

trained in developing them intentionally.

Benefits of participating in
college sports (1)
These general benefits of athletic participation may include:
(1) improving health and exerting students surplus energies;
(2) obeying the competition or societal rules and constraining
delinquent behaviors (such as cheating, acting violently,
consuming illegal substances, and drinking excessive alcohol,
etc);
(3) promoting societal values, integrity and building character;
(4) enhancing confidence, motivation, sense of empowerment,
and self-esteem;

Chen, Synder, Magnar (2010)

Benefits of participating in
college sports (1)
(5) providing social interaction, fun and enjoyment;
(6) offering opportunities for education and career in sports
(7) expanding life experience and making more friends;
(8) knowing how to deal with failure and difficult situation,
(9) developing life-skills
Chen, Synder, Magnar (2010)

Uneducated Coaches

Athletes trained by uneducated coaches have been

found to have more of the following:

Increase in injuries

Reports of sexual harassment

Reports of verbal abuse

Increased numbers quitting the sport

Increased numbers of college drop outs

Danish, Petitpas , Albert (2013)

Uneducated coaches (cont)

Studies have found athletes who played for

untrained coaches led to an attrition rate of 26%;

whereas those athletes play for a trained coach
resulted in a drop out rate of only 5%.

Danish, Petitpas , Albert (2013)

Educated Coaches

Educated coaches are more likely to be effective coaches.

The value of sports, especially college sports has already

been identified, an educated coach is more likely to be
able to be able to facilitate development and learning in
many different areas of an athletes life.

Educated coaches are able to provide athletes will a more

fulfilling and meaningful experience.

Cushion (2001)

Educated coaches (cont)

Coaching education can improve a coaches'

knowledge and effectiveness in the following

areas:

Philosophy and Ethics

Safety and Injury Prevention

Physical Conditioning

Growth and Development

Teaching and Communication

(Continued)

Sport Skills and Tactics

Organization and Administration

Evaluation

The athlete will be the ultimate benefactor of this.

A coach with knowledge and education in various

arenas of focus can facilitate and stimulate growth

exponentially in a student athlete

Cushion (2001)

Opportunities for coaching

education
Coaching education can vary from technical and tactical

based courses, to specialized areas of concern:

National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)

http://www.nscaa.com/education/coaching- courses

Long term and short term options

Degree seeking courses

Specialty certificates

Free online webinar/informational opportunities

http://bit.ly/1qxftnK - take a look !

Opportunities for coaching

Education
Positive Coaching alliance (PCA)

http://positivecoach.org

Varied programs for athletes, parents and coaches

http://bit.ly/1pCyQdE - take a closer look

United States Soccer Federation (USSF)

http://www.ussoccer.com/coaching- education

Licensing programs, online resources

http://bit.ly/1wzf5YB - example of an online educational

opportunity

Opportunities for Coaching

Education
United States Youth soccer:

http://www.ussoccer.com/coaching-education

Licensing programs, online resources, coaching

related literature , variety for novice and expert
coaches
http://bit.ly/1pkUsj4 - many great opportunities await
.

References

Chen, S., Snyder, S., & Magner, M. The Effects of Sport Participation on Student-Athletes and
Non-Athlete Students Social Life and Identity. Journal of issues in Intercollegiate Athletics , 3,
176-193.

Danish, S., Petitpas, A., & Albert, B. Life development intervention for athletes: life skills through
sports. The Counseling Psychologist, 21, 352-354.

Cushion, C. A systematic observation of professional top-level youth soccer coaches.. Journal of

Sport Behavior, 24.

Jones, R. The Sports Coach as Educator: Reconceptualising Sports Coaching. International Journal
of Sports Science & Coaching , 1, 405-406. Retrieved June 21, 2014,

Jones, M., Holt, N., & Dunn, J. Exploring the five C's of positive youth development in youth
sport: A pilot study. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 31.

True Sport: What We Stand to Lose in Our Obsession to Win. (2012, January 1). . Retrieved June
20, 2014, from http://www.truesport.org /library/documents/about/ true_sport_report /True-SportReport.pdf

The Value of Quality Trained Sport Coaches. (2014, January 1). . Retrieved June 22, 2014, from
http://www.instituteforsportcoaching.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Value-of-Quality-Trained-S
port-Coaches-White-Paper-2010.