Coaches play an important role in ensuring that safety measures, including proper helmet fit, are practiced in youth and high school football. If proper guidelines and safety checks are adhered to, helmets will function as they are intended for in injury prevention and protection. Studies have shown that approximately 84% of youth and high school…

The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development have forged a partnership with the goal of exploring the role youth sports can play in developing young people's social and emotional skills. With funding from the Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) and guidance from a strategic advisory…

Mentoring is the act of guiding another person, and developing under the guidance of a mentor, as a mentee, is a common method for aspiring coaches to learn how to coach. An established and effective coach will frequently state that the best learning experiences as a coach occurred under the supervision of a mentor. The beginning of a…

The 2012-2013 school year represents a pivotal juncture for DC Public Schools. Last spring, Mayor Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduced "A Capital Commitment," their ambitious plan to dramatically accelerate student achievement in the district over the next five years by providing all of their students with a safe, academically…

"Writing on the Bus" showcases the what, how, and why of using athletic team notebooks and journals. The book guides coaches and athletes, from elementary school through college, in analyzing games while thinking deeply about motivation, goal setting, and communication in order to optimize performance. Filled with lesson plans, writing activities,…

This article is intended to provide coaches, parents/guardians and school administrators with specific guidelines that identify coaching practices that are in the best interests of the adolescent female athlete (appropriate) and those that are counterproductive or even harmful (inappropriate). These guidelines can be used as a self-assessment for…

This publication incorporates the final legislative actions of the 104th annual NCAA Convention, January 13-16, 2010. In addition, interpretations incorporated by the Legislative Review Subcommittee, noncontroversial amendments adopted by the Management Council, pursuant to Constitution 5.3.1.1.1, and modifications of wording adopted by the…

This publication incorporates final legislative actions taken during the 2009-10 legislative cycle. Legislation adopted after August 1, 2009, interpretations incorporated by the Legislative Review/Interpretations Committee, modifications of wording and editorial revisions are set off by a gray background and also include an adoption or revision…

The Editorial Board of "Strategies: A Journal for Sport and Physical Educators" would like to encourage more practicing K-12 teachers and coaches to contribute to the journal. Although the submission rate for manuscripts remains steady, they would like to see a wider and more diverse collection of topics addressed in the journal. The purpose of…

When most people think of legal issues in sport, they think about negligence. However, most professionals will face a much broader range of issues. For instance, topics such as sexual harassment, corporal punishment, drug testing, transportation, and hazing are all of special importance today. Also anti-discrimination laws and the concepts…

Details some of the many martial arts training techniques and their potential applications for inclusion in performance enhancement programs, focusing on the benefits of martial training, the arts continuum, and martial arts training modes. The article concludes that the various martial arts techniques provide a stimulating and intuitively…

In volleyball officiating, two areas of concern are overlapping and ball-handling calls. Overlapping involves the illegal positioning of players during the contact of the serve by the server. It is imperative that officials be able to recognize overlapping violations in order also to recognize back line player violations. Consistency in ball…

Presents suggested actions for strength and conditioning coaches to take when an emergency arises, focusing on: athlete collapse; thermoregulatory conditions (heat illness and cold illness and their prevention); asthma/bronchospasm and prevention of asthma/bronchospasm emergencies; diabetes and prevention of diabetic emergencies; and…

A seven-step comprehensive evaluation process, which athletic directors may use to evaluate coaches, is outlined. Pre-season, in-season, and post-season activities are given. An example of performance review criteria is included. The article emphasizes the motivational aspects of constructive feedback. (IAH)

If athletics is structured, administered, and evaluated according to its educational function and value, there should be little conflict between the role of teacher and the role of coach. In addition, coaches should be evaluated using the same criteria that are used to evaluate teaching. This article presents guidelines for doing so. (MT)