Understanding sports coaching

Introduction 55

What is a coaching philosophy? And why does a coach need to develop one? 57

Problematizing coaching philosophies 58

Developing functional, flexible philosophies 61

Concluding thoughts 64

Suggested readings 64

End-of-chapter tasks 64

PART TWO: THE ATHLETES 65

Chapter 5

Learning and development 67

Introduction 67

Behaviourist orientations to learning 68

Cognitive orientations to learning 73

Cognitive orientations to development 77

Concluding thoughts 82

Suggested readings 83

End-of-chapter tasks 83

Chapter 6

‘Developing’ athletes 85

Introduction 85

Developmentalism – what is it? 85

What does development do? 87

Doing development differently 90

Concluding thoughts 91

What is identity? 94

Suggested readings 92

End-of-chapter tasks 92

Chapter 7

Understanding athletes’ identities 93

Introduction 93

Disability and identity 96

Gendered identity 99

Sexualized identity 104

Ethnic and religious identity 107

Two case studies: Anne and Hussain 108

Concluding thoughts 111

Suggested readings 112

End-of-chapter tasks 112

PART THREE: COACHING CONTENT 113

Chapter 8

The discourses of coaching 115

Introduction 115

What is discourse? 116

Why study discourse in the coaching context? 117

The dominant discourse of ‘coaching science’: Performance, rationality and a hierarchical coach–athlete relationship 118

The effect on athletes of a power-dominated discourse 120

An alternative coaching discourse 123

Concluding thoughts 124

Suggested readings 125

End-of-chapter tasks 125

Chapter 9

Examining coaches’ content knowledge 126

Introduction 126

Content knowledge 127

Vignette: Utilizing content knowledge 129

Limitations of the framework 130

(Re) thinking coaches’ knowledge 133

Concluding thoughts 134

Suggested readings 134

End-of-chapter tasks 134

Chapter 10

Assessment and ability in coaching 135

Introduction 135

Assessment for educational purposes 137

Assessment and ability 141

Vignette: Coaching the professionals 141

Reconceptualizing ability 142

Concluding thoughts 145

Suggested readings 145

End-of-chapter tasks 146

PART FOUR: COACHING CONTEXT 147

Chapter 11

Coaching ethics 149

Introduction 149

Ethical codes and ethical issues in coaching 151

Problematizing ethics: Moving towards virtues-based conduct 153

Personalizing coaches’ ethical behavior 157

Concluding thoughts 160

Suggested readings 160

End-of-chapter tasks 160

Chapter 12

Theory, practice and professionalism in coaching 161

Introduction 161

Theory, practice and professionalism 162

Coach education and the development of professionalism in coaching practice 165

Concluding thoughts 173

Suggested readings 173

End-of-chapter tasks 174

Chapter 13

Power and the coach–athlete relationship 175

Introduction 175

Power and the coach–athlete relationship 176

Concluding thoughts 191

Suggested readings 191

End-of-chapter tasks 192

Bibliography 193

Index 214