Coaching Articles
Coaching Applications:
Due for the 2007-2008 Season March 9th,2007
Handouts
To be handout out by all Coaches to the parent of each team.
Concussion and Head Injuries
Concussion and Post Concussion Syndrome
Heads up - Head Injury and Trauma in Sport
Impact of Tramatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Second-Impact Syndrome: Reason To Be Cautious
Sport Injuries
Stretches for Hockey and Ringette
Tips for dealing with common sports injuries
Therapy Room
The Young Athlete
Nutrition
Gatorade Sports Science Institute
Nutition For Female Athletes
Sports Nutrition
Introductory Coaching Fundamentals
Canadian Journal For Women in Coaching
Equal Playing Time: Should It Be The Rule, Not The Exception
Positive Messaging for Girls and Young Women
Self-Esteem, Sport and Physical Activity
The Team Charter - Blueprint For A Hassle-Free Season
Tech Talk Issue 1 from Ringette Canada
Tech Talk Issue 2 from Ringette Canada
Youth Sports - Articles of Fair Play
Advanced Coaching Fundamentals
3-in Ringette - Coaching Ringette
Coaching Science Abstracts
Introduction to Sports Psychology
Goaltending Tips
Sportsalliance - Coaching Tools
Learning Strategies Database
Concussion and Post Concussion Syndrome
Did you know that a concussion occurs every 4 minutes in Canada?
Parents and Coaches are reminded to review the following materials on concussion and post concussion syndrome. As a precaution, once a player is diagnosed with a suspected concussion, the player must discontinue all forms of physical activity.
Most simple concussions, where the initial symptoms do not last more than a few minutes, will clear in about twenty-four hours. However, the individual with the concussion should be cautioned that any physical activity might cause the symptoms (e.g. headache, dizziness, foggy thinking) to return. If symptoms return then the concussion is considered to be a complex concussion.
*POINTS TO REMEMBER*
1 ) When going into the boards, try to put up your hands, arm, or shoulder to cushion your collision.
2) If you are unable to get your hand, arm, or shoulder up to cushion your collision, then be sure to keep your head up. Don't put your head down.
HEADS UP, DON'T DUCK !
Please click here to read the full article.
Other articles
New Center for Sports Medicine Concussion Program
The symptoms of a concussion
Subtle Brain Injury
Canadian Hockey Safety Program - Concussion Awareness
Concussion Card
Heads up - Head Injury and Trauma in Sport
"Anyone who has a concussion of any degree should report it to the doctor, the team or the coach. Too many people laugh about concussions, but they are very serious things."
http://www.connect.ab.ca/~smca/headsup.html
Impact of Tramatic Brain Injury (TBI)
The leading causes of Tramatic Brain Injury are falls, motor vehicle crashes, bicycle crashes, and sports related injuries.
Every year in Ontario, over 4,000 people die as a result of Tramatic Brain Injury. Brain injury can vary from mild concussion to severe deep coma. Depending upon the severity of the injury, some may recover after a period of rest. Others will require a lifetime of support.
Tramatic Brain Injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children. It is estimated that the direct and indirect costs associated with Tramatic Brain Injury costs $1 Billion in Ontario.
The severity of a brain injury is often measured by the depth and duration of coma. It is important to remember that even a seemingly minor injury can result in major changes in a person's life.
To become more aware of Tramatic Brain Injury please visit the web site of the Ontario Brain Injury Association: http://www.obia.on.ca/.
Second-Impact Syndrome: Reason To Be Cautious (By Robert C. Cantu, M.D.)
Protecting The Head
Head injury is the most frequent direct cause of death in sport. Injury to the head takes on unique importance when one understands that the brain is neither capable of regeneration nor, unlike many other body parts and organs, of transplantation. Therefore, every effort needs to be made to protect the athlete's head because injury can lead to dementia, epilepsy, paralysis, and death.
Second Impact Syndrome: On The Rise
As a result of rule changes, equipment standards, better conditioning of the neck, and improved on-field medical care, there has been a dramatic decrease over the past 20 years in the most serious head injuries. There has, however, during this same period and especially in the last five to ten years, been a dramatic increase in the number of reported cases of second-impact syndrome (SIS) which occurs when an athlete who sustains a head injury - often a concussion or worse injury, such as a cerebral contusion (bruised brain) - sustains a second head injury before symptoms associated with the first have cleared.
The Difficulty Of Recognizing Head Injuries
Recognition of a head injury is easy if the athlete has lost consciousness. It is much more difficult to recognize the far more frequent head injuries in which there is no loss of consciousness but rather only temporary loss of mental sharpness. More than 90% of all cerebral concussions fall into this mild, or Grade 1, category, which, under my guidelines is characterized by only a brief (less than 30 minutes) period of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) or other post-concussion signs and symptoms. Because SIS can occur after even a Grade 1 concussion, just as it can after more serious head injuries, it is very important for on-field medical personnel be able to properly evaluate and recognize all grades of concussion.
Exercising Caution
This is why, under my guidelines it is preferable for athletes suffering even a single Grade 1 concussion not to return to play for at least one week, in order to allow time for both the injury to be properly evaluated and to allow the brain to heal.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Robert C. Cantu, MD is Chairman, Department of Surgery, and Chief, Neurosurgery Service at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts. Dr. Cantu is also medical director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a past President of the American College of Sports Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), and an editorial board member of The Physician and Sports Medicine.
Tips for dealing with common sports injuries
Do you like to work out, but worry sometimes that you might overdo it?
Even if you have perfect form, there is no guarantee you're not going to get injured in the process. And if you're exercising incorrectly, there is a pretty good chance you will get injured.
An NHL athletic trainer and a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon will tell you what to do if you do get an injury while working out.
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=8846&sidebar=574&category=wellness
Gatorade Sports Science Institute
"For me, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute is simply the best source of endurance and sports-nutrition information anywhere. At Runner's World, we refer often to GSSI experts and the GSSI Web site, because we're committed to giving our readers the best and most scientific information available. I particularly like the Sports Science Center at www.gssiweb.com." -- Amby Burfoot, editor, Runner's World Magazine
http://www.gssiweb.com/index.cfm
Sports Nutrition
Athletes who want a winning edge should get the right nutrition. When you drink enough water and eat a balanced diet, your body can make energy efficiently and fuel top performance. You can make the most of your athletic talents and gain more strength, power and endurance when you train. Base your diet on a variety of factors including your age, size and physical condition; and the type of exercise you are doing. See your doctor for individualized nutrition advice.
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=309&topcategory=Sports
Equal Playing Time: Should It Be The Rule, Not The Exception (By Brooke deLench)
The Fifty Percent "Solution"?
Nick coached my son's travel soccer team one fall season. The season consisted of eight games, one every Saturday afternoon. The policy of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association was for every child to play a minimum of fifty percent of each game.
Seems fair enough, right? Think again. The way it worked on Nick's team was for six of the players (one of them his son) to play between seventy-five and one hundred percent of the game while the remaining twelve boys (including two of my sons) shared the remaining time. Sure, they all played fifty percent of each game, but thirty-five minutes, instead of the upwards of seventy the "lucky six" played each week.
The Coach's Favorite
One of the players seemed to get special consideration. Ricky was a strong, natural athlete: big, fast and tall. Yet, despite the fact that he had never played travel soccer, missed all but two of the team's sixteen weekday practices due to other sport team commitments, he never came out of the game! Ever!
The favoritism that Nick showed Ricky wasn't lost on the parents, many of who grumbled on the sidelines about how unfair it was that he was always playing.
Building Resentment
It wasn't lost on the players either. Because my son Hunter was essentially sharing a position (left wing) with another boy, by the end of the season, each had played the equivalent of four full games, while the lucky six had played almost eight full games. Yet, each family paid the full price for their sons to be on the team.
Since it is generally agreed that the more one plays, the better one tends to get, not only did playing the less developed players, like Hunter, less than the more skilled and experienced players make it harder for them to catch up to the other boys, but, worse, it made being on the team less fun and tended to build resentment among the "half nots" towards the full time players which was clearly destructive of team chemistry and cohesion.
Playing, Not Winning, Should Come First
Dr. Milton Fujita, a California-based child-adolescent psychiatrist, has seen plenty of children harmed by participation in sports. "Organizing games for children is fine as long as it's organized so all the kids who want to play actually get to play," he says. When the whole issue of winning becomes primary, then participation suffers. "Winning is kind of inherent. You can't really de-emphasize it. But winning at costs is something that needs to be looked at very seriously," says Fujita.
Why The "Best" Players Don't "Deserve" More Playing Time
Giving the "best" players more playing time than the so-called "weaker" players may help a team win more games, but at what cost? Some boys never missed practice, yet only played the minimum. Others hardly ever, or never, came to practice, yet were "rewarded" for their lack of commitment with extra playing time because the coach wanted to win. A major league superstar earning $10 million a year and leading the league in batting and home runs deserves more playing time than a kid fresh up from the minors with a batting average less than his weight. Saying that a player deserves more playing time because he is leading the Little League TM "Majors" in hitting simply doesn't wash. Every child deserves an equal chance to play and learn new skills.
Coaches: Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
Playing the stronger players more isn't necessarily a surefire recipe for future success either. In Nick's case, it appeared he played Ricky 100% of the time at the expense of the other players in the hopes of developing him into a top-notch player for the town's soccer program. It didn't work out as he planned: The next year Ricky quit soccer to play football!
I have seen the same thing happen in other sports. One spring, a JV lacrosse coach used one player exclusively on the power play all season, presumably to groom him to play for the varsity the next year. He clearly was building the team around his strengths. Problem was, the player transferred to a private school the next fall. Too bad the coach hadn't given some of the players who were returning a chance to develop more!
Many high school freshman and junior varsity teams that adopt a win- at-all-costs approach may win more games but end up hurting the varsity in the long run. Those that put player development before winning end up doing what they are supposed to do: develop the largest possible player pool to "feed" the varsity.
How many times have you watched as a starting player suffers an injury during a tournament and is replaced by a player that hasn't had any playing time? Chances are the new player won't perform as well in such a pressure situation than had he had some playing time during the season.
How To Ensure Equal Playing Time: Making A Grid
To ensure equal playing time, your child's coach should:
Prepare a detailed substitution pattern or "grid" before each game. Trying to keep track of how much each child has played during a game is next to impossible. It is much easier to do the night before, when the coach can set up a balanced lineup with a mix of more and less experienced players. Writing out the lineup in advance also makes it easier to move players around so they can play different positions. Locking players into set positions for every game may increase the team's chances of winning, but as I learned with Spencer in his first season of T-ball, it can take the fun out of the game in a hurry!
Tell the players before the game starts when and what positions they are going to play. The coach should make sure that everyone gets to starter an equal number of games.
Stick to the game plan, even if the team is losing. The coach should resist the temptation, in the heat of competition, to scrap the substitution grid if her team is losing to keep the "best" players in the game in order to try to win the game. Remember: Most kids play sports to have fun, not to win.
Equal Playing Time: A Winning Formula
Deciding on a substitution pattern in advance, and then following it during the game, creates a win-win situation for players, parents and the coach:
Players (except, perhaps, for the spoiled star who feels it is his or birthright to play the whole game) because they will have more fun, won't be resentful or jealous of each other, will play together more as a team, and be less selfish;
Parents (again, with the exception of those who feel their son or daughter is so much more talented that they are entitled to more playing time at the expense of the weaker players, or those who value winning above all else) because they will know that their kids are being treated fairly, so there won't be any need to confront the coach after the game or on the phone about a lack of playing time for their child; and
The Coach because (a) she can concentrate on watching the game instead of thinking about the next substitution, or worrying whether she has forgotten to give Judy enough playing time; and (b) because the players on the sidelines won't be constantly pestering her, in the words of the well-known rock song, with please to "Put me in coach! I'm ready to play!"
Tip For Parents
At the pre-season meeting, ask the coach if he or she plans to give players equal playing time and offer to help set up a substitution grid and keep track of the time with a stopwatch.
If you notice your child sitting on the sidelines during a game, approach the parent who has been designated as a go-between parents and coach, to relay a question to the coach. Don't automatically assume that the reason your child isn't playing is that the coach is playing favorites. Your child may have told the coach that she is not feeling up to playing in the game but would rather cheer for her teammates, or has forgotten her asthma inhaler, or has an injury.
Tip For Coaches
Don't assume that your top players are always going to be there. At the sub-varsity level and below, developing all your players insures that someone will be able to step in if a player gets injured, becomes ineligible, switches to another sport, moves away or decides to enroll in a different school.
Tip For Kids
Remind the coach that if all kids got equal playing time, all would have an equal chance to develop new skills and the team would be stronger for it!
The Team Charter - Blueprint For A Hassle-Free Season (By Jeannette Twomey)
A Tool For Conflict Resolution & Behavior
Picture this: the exhilaration of a new season; spotless uniforms, equipment just out of the box, clipboards jammed with fresh paper...boundless enthusiasm and cooperation. It's the euphoric honeymoon phase of youth sports. Now, "fast forward" a few months. The honeymoon is long since over and conflicts among and between the players, coaches and parents have inevitably emerged. How well everyone copes with the conflicts may depend on whether they can refer to a team charter, a team-generated set of guidelines for the interaction of parents, players and coaches.
Accounting For A Range Of Expectations And Attitudes
If you have ever attended an initial parents meeting, you know that parents and coaches don't always share the same expectations, attitudes and philosophies about youth sports in general or the upcoming season in particular. Some parents have tight budgets; others don't. Some expect lots of out- of- town meets or tournaments; others want less travel and more time spent at home on skills development. There are the "play through pain" adherents and those who expect decisions on sitting a player due to injury to be based on credible medical advice. Coaches may have a "give everyone lots of playing time" philosophy, while some parents are thinking "a championship this year or never," even if means that some players will be spending a lot of time riding the bench. Some players joined the team for fun and camaraderie; others may have their sights set on record books and college careers. The problem is not that these different viewpoints exist, but that, generally, they do not surface until there is a crisis. By then, emotional intensity and crippled communication have destroyed the opportunity to find reasonable solutions. By agreeing before the first practice to a team charter, your team can take some conflict-prevention measures -- anticipating challenges and determining in advance how to handle them. Working as a group, you can reach a common understanding of everyone's expectations, agree on principles that will build stability and confidences, and iron out differences before any actual problems arise.
The Process Of Creating A Team Charter
There are six steps to creating a charter meeting your team's specific needs:
Select A Facilitator. The key to developing an effective team charter is informal, respectful group discussion moderated by a person who does not take sides. The facilitator explains the purpose of the discussion, gets its started, and keeps it on track. Look for someone who doesn't have a stake in the team and who has patience and organizational and communication skills. If you can't find the ideal outsider, select a parent or team supporter with these qualities who can remain neutral.
Meet Early. If you don't create the Team Charter at the beginning, it's not going to work. Get parents and coaches together, with their input from players, soon after the team is formed. An hour or two should be enough time.
Identify The "What Ifs?" The facilitator asks the group to make a list of anticipated problem areas -- where glitches in communication and decision-making might arise. This entails identifying a series of "what if" questions, like "What if we have unexpected expenses?" "What if we can't get enough parents to share the driving?" "What if someone disagrees with the coach's approach . . . to injury, or homework, or the use of muscle-building supplements?" Anyone in the group can contribute, and no one judge's another's entry.
Brainstorm Solutions. Members of the group suggest strategies for handling each "what if." Everyone gets an opportunity to be heard, and there's no evaluation or debate. All potential solutions are welcome. The atmosphere should be upbeat and pro-active.
Build Consensus. The facilitator re-visits, with the group, the list of "what-ifs" and possible solutions. Agreed-upon solutions become part of the charter. Any disputed items are discussed and addressed by voting, modifying, or dropping from the charter.
Give Everyone A Copy. The result of the group's effort is a team charter, a copy of which is given to each parent, coach, and, if age appropriate, players. A Guide For Constructive Behavior The finished product should be a useful guide for constructive behavior. Parents, coaches and players are committed to following the charter because they have help to create it. It's a simple document, but one that can be the backbone of a smoothly functioning youth sports team and the catalyst for a stress-free, enjoyable season.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jeannette Twomey is an attorney and a certified mediator She is a frequent lecturer before local and statewide groups on the topics of mediation and conflict resolution, trains court-appointed mediators, and has advanced training in business, employment, disability and family mediation. Ms. Twomey is active in the Virginia Mediation Network and the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution.
Youth Sports - Articles of Fair Play
This is a must read for all parents and coaches with children in organized sports.
This British web site provides a healthy perspective on fair play with helpful articles concerning fair play, positive coaching, and sports psychology.
Click here to access these topics: Teaching Youngsters How to Be Good Sports; Noticing Progress; Positive Coaching: A Behavior Checklist for Youth; Coaching Youth Sports; Coach's Concerns; Just for Athletes; Parent's Perspectives; and General Articles.
Players, please click here to read a real wicked article on how to be a good sport. Also, click here to read essays written by elementary school students.
Click here to read about a February 2000 - Canadian Living article on the winning spirit (When underdogs behave like champions, everyone learns the true meaning of sportsmanship).
3-in Ringette - Coaching Ringette
Ringette rules allo for 3 players of a team to enter the defensive or offensive zone. 3-In Ringette capitalizes on that rule. The purpose of this article is to explain the concept of 3-in ringette but also to foster discussion amongst, players, parents and ringette coaches.
http://www.erra.ncrrl.on.ca/3-in.html
Introduction to Sports Psychology
Brief discussion on Sports Psychology covering the following topics.
1. Introduction to Sports Psychology
2. Goal Setting for Motivation and Self-Confidence
3. Imagery & Simulation - Practising in Your Mind
4. Focus & Flow - How to Achieve Perfect Concentration
5. Tools for Sports Psychology
http://www.mindtools.com/page11.html
Goaltending Tips
Goaltenders underestimate the potential of the mind! Do you think you could make more saves if you knew where a play was going to happen, how it as going to happen, and when it was going to happen? Could you make more saves if you knew what play was going to happen and had the most effective save already in mind?
http://www.angelfire.com/bc/firstattempt/RingettePage6Goaltending.html
Sportsalliance - Coaching Tools
The sportalliance delivers a multitude of programs, services and expertise geared toward Ontario Coaches. By providing these resources, the sportalliance strives to assist in the safe and fun delivery of Sport in Ontario. Click here to visit the Sportsalliance "coaching tools" section of their website.
