Maureen R. Weiss *, Lindsay E. Kipp ** and David Goodman ***
(*) University of Minnesota, USA
(**) University of Kentucky, USA
(***) Simon Fraser University, Canada
The purposes of our study were twofold: (a) we replicated past research by exploring age and gender differences in unsporting attitudes (general and contextspecific) and perceived approval by parents, coach, and teammates, and (b) we extended past research by examining gender and age as moderating variables in the relationship between approval by significant others and unsporting attitudes. Youth hockey players (191 male, 84 female) in age-group competitive leagues read scenarios and responded to questions assessing study constructs. Results indicated: (a) boys and older players reported greater unsportsmanlike attitudes (general and situation specific) and social approval than girls and younger players, (b) players reported higher legitimacy of and intention to use unsporting actions in situations described as helping the team win the championship and if an opponent committed the act first, and (c) teammate approval of unsportsmanlike actions was the predominant predictor, followed by parents, of players’ endorsement of unsporting acts for both genders and age groups. Results partially support and extend past studies on the social learning of unsportsmanlike play and reinforce the powerful influence of significant adults and peers for shaping moral attitudes and behaviors in the sport context.
Keywords: Coaches, Moral development, Parents, Teammates
Jesús Viciana and Daniel Mayorga-Vega
Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Granada, Spain
The aim of this study was to verify the differences in the instructions delivered by university and non-university degree soccer coaches within youth sport, and secondly between coaches with and without the title issued by the soccer federation. Ten volunteer Spanish soccer coaches participated in this study. One regional competition match for each coach was recorded. Qualitative (a thematic system of 23 categories from the transcribed instructions was created) and quantitative (comparing the frequency of categories) methodologies were used. Eleven categories were found statistically different (six from seven within the emotional dimension, two from eight within the tactic dimension; and one from two within the technique, official references, and other aspects of the game dimensions, respectively), the emotional dimension being the most influenced between university and non-university coaches. Only three categories were found different between coaches with and without the federative title (one from each emotional, technique, and official references dimensions), reflecting the low impact of this training on the coaches’ instructions. This study contributes to clarifying the impact of different training programs on the behaviour of coaches in the youth soccer setting. Recommendations to improve the pre-service training are suggested.
Keywords: Communication, Content analysis, Physical education, Sport coaching, Sport violence
Jin Wang * and Liwei Zhang **
(*) Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, USA
(**) Beijing Sport University Beijing, PR of China
In the 21st century, coaching industry becomes more internationalized. Kamphoff, Gill, Araki, and Hammond (2010) emphasizes that cultural competence is a critical professional skill for applied sport and exercise psychology. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the culture challenges a foreign coach faced and the successful strategies he implemented for leading 2 Chinese Olympic freestyle skiing aerial jump teams to achieve peak performances in 2 Winter Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000. This case study illustrates how a foreign coach faced and resolved tremendous challenges and obstacles and was thus able to work successfully in a country that is vastly different from his own. Not only will Coach Wilson’s success story inspire many international coaches to pursue their professional goals, but also his experiences will help other coaches be bettered prepared and avoid making mistakes when they work abroad. Hopefully, Coach Wilson’s cultural perspectives would provide valuable information to international coaches, practitioners and sport psychology researchers.
Keywords: Coaching, communication, cultural issues, cultural sport psychology, peak performance, foreign coach, and international coaching industry
Jenn Bennett *, Kate Hays *, Pete Lindsay *, Peter Olusoga ** and Ian W. Maynard **
(*) English Institute of Sport, Sheffield, UK
(**) Centre for Sport and Exercise Science, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
This study explored the lived experience of performance problems in sport, where athletes suddenly lose the ability to execute previously mastered skills. Specifically, this study explored lost move syndrome (LMS) and the yips, with the aim to make suggestions for diagnosis and more effective treatment methods. Sixteen national, international, Olympic, and world-class athletes were interviewed about their experiences of LMS and the yips. Analysis revealed that emotional, cognitive, physical, and wider impact factors were all similarly associated with LMS and the yips. Specifically, LMS and the yips are characterised by a sudden and temporary loss of fine, and/or gross motor control, manifesting as locked, stuck, or frozen movements. A central finding of the paper associated LMS and the yips to feeling like someone, or something, other than the athlete was in control for a momentary period of time. These findings provide a rationale for further research investigating the two disorders, and developing targeted interventions.
Keywords: Emotional, LMS, Performance block, Trauma, Yips
Yin-Hua Chen */** and Yeou-Teh Liu */***
(*) Graduate Institute of Exercise and Sport Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
(**) Research Center for Mind, Brain and Learning, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
(***) Department of Athletic Performance, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
In this study we asked fencers and non-fencers to estimate their reach-ability by imagining themselves touching an approaching or retreating opponent with a lunge holding a hand-held object (a 110cm fencing sword or a 180cm stick). Overall, fencers showed refined affordances of their reach-ability with less error and lower variability of estimates than non-fencers. Moreover, they demonstrated the same level of overestimation bias toward different hand-held objects, but smaller estimation variability particularly for the fencing sword as compared to non-fencers. Only fencers showed a greater overestimation when the opponent was approaching them rather than moving away from them, implying that they predicted the opponent’s approaching step and thus perceived that they could reach the opponent from a further location. In conclusion, our results provide new empirical evidence of the influence of athletic experience in perceiving affordance in sports: affordances could be refined but also attuned if needed. The findings from this study have contributed to our understanding of estimating one’s attacking distance in addition to the fine movement skills in fencing.
Keywords: Affordances, Distant perceptions, Fencis