How would you characterize your style of leadership? Most leadership styles of athletic coaches today tend to be ones where the coach is always leading, manipulating, and motivating players in specific ways which the coach believes will lead to winning. DeSensi (2014) expressed it this way: “Concern for the needs and aspirations of athletes, followers in this case, does not seem to be at the forefront of coaching/leading responsibilities, nor is nurturing a part of the leader’s intent” (p. 62).

In recent years, an alternative leadership type has emerged. Named “servant-leadership” this leadership style involves leaders who are primarily concerned with serving others and their needs. Servant leadership has unique elements that set it apart from other forms of leadership (Burton & Peachey, 2013). In contrast to other forms of leadership (e.g., transactional or transformational leadership) that mainly focus on the success of the organization, servant leaders are worried about the well-being of and serving the needs of the followers within that organization (Barbuto & Wheeler, 2006; Greenleaf, 1977; Senjaya, Sarros, & Santora, 2008).

Robert Greenleaf is credited for introducing the concept of servant-leadership. Since then others have taken his definition and developed leadership training modules to enhance coaching efficacy. One particular author, Larry Spears, who teaches at Gonzaga University, developed ten characteristics of servant-leadership and uses this model today to continue to educate aspiring leaders. By focusing on the relationship between the leader and follower, servant leadership encourages leaders to consider the needs of followers. The goal is to initially serve followers rather than to focus first on leading them. (DeSensi, 2014).

Continuing our Psychological Skills Training series in pelinks4u, this month’s article focuses on sportsmanship. Use “site search” to locate previous articles and also see the list included in this article.

Bring to practice:

• Copies of the athlete handout
• Pencils
• Yardstick

This past spring, Ottawa University (KS) Men’s Basketball Coach Andy Carrier announced his retirement. During his 25-year career, Coach Carrier led the Braves to five National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II national tournament appearances, one NAIA District 10 championship, three Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) championships and three KCAC Tournament championships (Peterson, 2015). In addition he was inducted into the Ottawa University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011 and received numerous coach of the year awards throughout his career (Sell, 2015).

Having spent three seasons with Coach Carrier as his assistant coach, I was struck by the social media posts surrounding his retirement announcement. In a moment of reflection former student-athletes took to Twitter, sharing recollections of playing for Coach Carrier. In scrolling through the tweets familiar phrases Coach Carrier often used during his interactions with student-athletes appeared.

“That and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee.”
“Help someone get what they want and you will get what you want.”
“It’s better to beat a Blue Jay, than to be a Blue Jay.”

There are many basic principles to follow when teaching sports skills, strategies, and fitness for athletic competition. In this article I’m going to share a few of these basic principles. It’s a review of what must happen when you coach if you want your athletes to be able to perform effectively as individuals and as team members. Over the years, these principles have served successful coaches and athletes well and are effective in all sports programs. My experience is that many highly successful coaches employ them daily in their coaching without even thinking about them. Such coaches are so passionate about young people and their sport and are teaching with such high intensity, they never take the time to consider the actual principles that serve as the foundation for the way they teach.

The principles I want to focus on relate to getting the most out of your athletes in the area of conditioning and fitness training. These principles of coaching fitness training are presented to you with the hope that you can recognize the coaching concept more clearly. Newer coaches can then use them intentionally and coach more authentically. I’m also going to share key concepts in getting athletes more engaged in their training regimens.

One of the most important of all reasons why we have sports programs is to provide young people and adults with avenues to improve and maintain physical fitness. It’s not just for the sports they play but also for a lifetime of active living. Fitness conditioning involves three major principles: overload, progression and specificity. Any coach in any sport who conditions for fitness should be very aware of how all three of these principles work together to produce effective results. A warning to all coaches: it is critical that when conditioning young people in progressive resistance training (PRT) one should never employ one of these three principles without knowing about and implementing in concert the other two principles.

Title IX, federal legislation passed in 1972, prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs that receive federal money (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014, p. 5). Since the law’s inception, girls’ and womens’ participation in sports has increased annually. Today, more females are participating in sports then ever before. In comparison, a notable decline in female coaches has occurred (LaVoi, 2013). In 1972, [approximately] 9 out of 10 coaches for women’s teams were female (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014, p. 10). In 2014, the number has dropped to approximately 4 out of 10. In addition, only approximately 3% of coaches of men’s teams are women (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014).

“Sport is inextricably linked to the American ideal of meritocracy that if you are good enough, work hard enough, and make sacrifices, you will have the opportunity to achieve and succeed. Although this ideology has prevailed for athletes, does this same ideal of meritocracy apply to the coaching profession? Does it apply to all coaches both male and female?” (LaVoi, 2013, p. 1).

It has long been thought that playing experience determined coaching opportunities. But with more girls and women playing then ever before, and yet declining numbers of women in coaching, this long held belief is today being challenged. Interpretation of the data as to why women are not coaching may relate to economic biases, social myths, or personal reasons (Stoll & Van Mullem, 2010, p. 7).

Trailblazer, pioneer — words we use to describe a person who paves the way for new opportunities for others. Becky Hammon is a trailblazer and a pioneer. A 16-year veteran in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Hammon spent 8 years with the New York Liberty and 8 years with the San Antonio Stars (Voepel, n.d.). A decorated athlete, she was a seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree and three-time NCAA All-American [at Colorado State University] (Voepel, n.d).