One thing that veteran ballplayers and fans know, long before the opening pitch, is that there are dangers on the base path. That is illustrated by this case of 13-year-old second baseman Tara Kelly, whose ankle was fractured when an opposing team's player slid into her as she made the tag.

This case shows how important it is for all coaches, especially head coaches, to know and understand the rules of their sport. Not just the playing rules, but also administrative rules, which include rules on recruiting. Failure to follow the rules and procedures led the defendants in this case to be liable for negligent supervision.

Teaching physical education involves more than overseeing what happens on the field, court or in the swimming pool. Physical educators also need to control the locker room, where students hazing other students may be common practice at certain schools. This case is a good example of what happens when teachers and coaches fail to supervise athletes…

A girls' field hockey team coach instructed players to warm up in an area adjacent to the school's turf field, where the boys' soccer team was practicing. Plaintiff Morgan Dennehy, a member of the field hockey team, was struck at the base of her skull by an errant soccer ball. The plaintiff filed this suit against the coach, the school and others…

Historically, written and oral assessments such as essays and group presentations have been the predominant modes of assessment used to assess pre-service physical education students' and sport coaching students' teaching and coaching knowledge the pedagogical content knowledge of preservice physical education students and sport coaching students.…

This article will help youth coaches utilize theory-driven motivational strategies to benefit their athletes and themselves. Researchers and coach educators can also use the stories as educational intervention tools to teach coaches about motivational theories.

Physical activity levels and participation in sport-related activities is, in many cases, decreasing. This decrease has been associated with the quality of physical education, which in turn may be determined by the motivational climate. This article aims to provide practical applications, derived from self-determination theory, that may help…

This article provides a brief overview of teacher/coach role conflict and possible implications if inappropriately managed. Following this, the authors provide suggestions on how to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) to manage this conflict by outlining coursework to be included in physical education teacher education programming and practical…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are becoming more commonplace in K-12 education. As PLCs represent a departure from isolation toward a culture of collaboration, physical educators may be ideally situated to shape school culture. Physical educators often serve the dual roles of teaching and sport coaching in schools. Sport coaching…

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of quality physical education from the lens of fictional high school students who are enrolled in physical education classes. Providing insights from one of our key stakeholders (even fiction students) may propel us to further examine how we might continually improve our instruction and student…

Feedback given by coaches can have a profound effect on athletes' performance, as well as on their perception of the motivational climate. The Coaching Behaviors Assessment System classifies the feedback that coaches give during practices or games into 12 behavioral categories, which will be described in this article. Real-life scenarios will be…

Visual behaviors are often overlooked in sport performance training. The literature suggests that training visual behaviors, such as the quiet eye, can result in better performance across a wide variety of motor skills. The purpose of this article is to provide specific recommendations to physical education teachers and coaches for including…

Physical educators and coaches serve essential educational functions, including promoting higher levels of physical activity, increasing understanding of culturally-appropriate sports skills and games, and providing a foundation for lifelong fitness through increased knowledge of health and exercise. Although movement principles are often…

Many public high schools in large urban school districts face challenges staffing their sports programs with knowledgeable and well-qualified coaches. Compared to smaller and more suburban districts, these schools have low student participation in sports and high coach attrition rates. These challenges make it difficult for districts to provide…

Despite the increased advocacy for inclusive practices in the U.S. public school system, the exclusion of individuals with disabilities (IWD) from physical education and extracurricular sports remains a concern. This article discusses barriers to the inclusion of IWD in school-based physical education and other sport and physical activity…