\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This thesis explores the terminology and coaching behaviors used in practice by an instructor of beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball players.\u00a0 Each session was categorized into nine groups: instructions, \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d modeling positive, modeling negative, encouragement, scolds, smiles, and grunts.\u00a0 The modeling positive and negative categories were used when the coach demonstrated the correct or wrong way to perform a drill.\u00a0 It was hypothesized that the beginners would receive more encouragement than the advanced or intermediate athletes.\u00a0 To obtain the data, nine basketball practices were observed throughout the summer. \u00a0It was found that the beginners received the most instructions, \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d and encouragement, while the intermediate group was given the most modeling negative, and the advanced athletes obtained the most modeling positive, smiles, and grunts.\u00a0 The coach never scolded the athletes.\u00a0 The results of this thesis will help new basketball coaches who are unaware of coaching techniques.\u00a0 These coaches will understand that athletes of every skill level need encouragement as well as instructions and demonstrations to help them understand the drills.<\/p>\n
An Introduction to Comparing and Contrasting the Coaching Behaviors and Terminology Used by an Instructor to Teach Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Basketball Players<\/p>\n
Statement of Need<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Basketball players competing at different levels require the coaches to instruct with appropriate terminology and behaviors.\u00a0 One coaching technique will not benefit every skill level because it may be too complex or too simple and will not provide for the optimal learning experience.\u00a0 For example, a coach may teach a younger team to shoot by offering examples that relate to their everyday lives, while coaches of advanced basketball players will instruct their athletes with lectures and demonstrations, explaining the concept concisely.\u00a0 A need for a standard set of coaching behaviors that should be exhibited by the instructors of each age group is significant because the performance and skills of the athletes will be greatly improved when the concepts can be clearly understood by every player.<\/p>\n Smith, Smoll, and Cumming (2007) state \u201ccoaches occupy a central and influential role in youth sports\u201d (p. 39).\u00a0 An instructor\u2019s behavior often impacts a child\u2019s decision on whether or not to participate in a certain sport.\u00a0 Actions such as scolding when a mistake is committed may be harmful to a young athlete because they are \u201cespecially sensitive to fears of failure\u201d (p. 40).\u00a0 Furthermore, the researchers have discovered that when children are scolded, they develop high anxiety levels that decrease sport enjoyment and performance.\u00a0 In order to avoid these negative situations, coaches should always encourage their players and provide constructive criticism instead of a reprimanding approach.\u00a0 Additionally, coaches who establish goals and values for their team usually have more pleasant and skilled athletes.\u00a0 When these factors are promoted, the children will continue to play and enjoy the sport.<\/p>\n Smith, Smoll, and Curtis (1979) agree with Smith, Smoll, and Cumming (2007) because they state that young athletes need encouragement when learning the fundamentals of a sport.\u00a0 Bloom, Crumpton, and Anderson (1999) supported this theory when they wrote, \u201c[in] youth sport basketball\u2026coaches most frequently exhibited praise or encouragement\u201d (p. 167).\u00a0 By encouraging the players, self-esteem and motivation will be stimulated.<\/p>\n Gallimore and Tharp (2004) state that the same method of coaching will not work for every team.\u00a0 The coach must understand the players and work with their strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0 Since one coaching method will not be beneficial every team, various coaching systems need to be developed that will help all of the players improve their skills and performance in basketball.<\/p>\n In their investigation on successful university coaches, Vall\u00e9e and Bloom (2005) discovered that expert coaches \u201cequipped each athlete with skills, strategies, behaviors, and values that would build each individual into a champion on and off the court\u201d (p. 187).\u00a0 In order to form a well-rounded person \u201con and off the court\u201d (p. 187), the coaches must establish a trusting relationship with each athlete that will foster respect and communication between the two.\u00a0 Furthermore, upon entering the sport program at a college, instructors develop visions and goals for their team to achieve.\u00a0 The visions included plans for long-term success as well as individual growth.\u00a0 Lastly, every successful coach contains organizational skills that are used to plan practices and to prepare for the upcoming game.\u00a0 This is an important quality for an expert coach to possess because a practice is composed of many different exercises, which needs to be planned out in order to run successfully.<\/p>\n This thesis will examine the coaching behaviors and terminology used by an instructor to teach basketball to beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes.\u00a0 The study will cover the gap in Smith, Smoll, and Cumming\u2019s (2007) investigation because the affects of a coach\u2019s actions will be viewed not only with youth, but also with more advanced athletes.\u00a0 Furthermore, in Vall\u00e9e and Bloom\u2019s (2005) analysis on successful university coaches, college instructors are the only type of expert coach studied.\u00a0 This thesis will cover the gap and examine how an expert basketball trainer\u2019s behavior and thoughts differ between skill levels.<\/p>\n Main Goal<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This thesis sought to compare and contrast the coaching behaviors and terminology exhibited by an instructor to beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball players.\u00a0 The purpose of this study was to discover effective coaching techniques used to instruct athletes of all skill levels, so in the future, coaches will understand the correct vocabulary and behaviors to use when instructing a basketball team.\u00a0 When the coaches understand the correct way to manage a practice, the players will further develop their skills and improve their performance.\u00a0 The coaching actions discovered that are appropriate for each skill level will extend the knowledge base by providing coaches with information necessary to improve their team\u2019s abilities.\u00a0 It is hypothesized that beginners will receive more encouragement than the intermediate and advanced athletes.\u00a0 The primary field of study was coaching because an instructor was observed, and the secondary field of study was education because the coach should understand each athlete\u2019s learning capabilities.\u00a0 Subtopics considered during this study included learning styles, previous skills, the coachability of an athlete, and the coaching techniques used.<\/p>\n Methods and Evaluation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Data collection began by obtaining the summer training schedule from the coach.\u00a0 The researcher attended nine practices during the summer, observing and recording the terminology and coaching behaviors exhibited by the instructor when teaching three skill levels of basketball.\u00a0 While observing, the researcher recorded specific words and actions shown by the coach and kept a tally of how often the coach instructed the athletes, said \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d demonstrated the correct and wrong ways to perform a drill, encouraged and scolded the players, and how frequently he smiled and grunted during the session.\u00a0 For example, when the coach told the athletes to shoot five free throws, a tally was placed in the instructions category.\u00a0 This system of tallies helped the researcher understand the most prominent style of coaching when instructing a certain skill level.\u00a0 When the data collection concluded, the tallies were organized into bar graphs, which showed the comparisons and differences between the coaching techniques used in the three different skill levels. \u00a0The final product is a five-chapter thesis with an introduction, a review of literature, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion.\u00a0 Videos of the training sessions were included in the final product to demonstrate the format of the practices.\u00a0 The research was deemed successful since different amounts of coaching behaviors and terminology were used to instruct the three different skill levels.\u00a0 The coach used age appropriate language and demonstrated the concepts in a way the athletes understood.\u00a0 The governing question was proven valid because coach of the practices agreed with the results of the thesis.<\/p>\n Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Possible conclusions, consequences, and connections resulted from the outcome of this thesis.\u00a0\u00a0 The conclusion showed a difference between the terminology and coaching behaviors used to teach beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball players.\u00a0 Furthermore, the consequences will most likely lead to more knowledgeable coaches, which will produce greater skilled athletes.\u00a0 Lastly, this thesis connects with the learning styles of children and adolescents because the coach must fully understand the capabilities of each skill level.<\/p>\n Significance<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This thesis is truly original because it is the first to compare and contrast the coaching behaviors and terminology used by an instructor to teach three different skill levels.\u00a0 Basketball coaching is a significant area of research because many kids and young adults throughout the world are involved in the sport and it is a necessity that they properly understand the rules and how to play the game.\u00a0 The outcome of this project is significant to the field of study because it will allow instructors to adjust their current coaching methods to become more understandable to the athletes.<\/p>\n Applicability<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This thesis extends beyond the scope of the research because the coaching behaviors and terminology exhibited by the training instructor can be mimicked by other coaches of beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball players throughout the United States.\u00a0 Furthermore, one could extend the research of this thesis by studying a girls\u2019 basketball coach and determining if the same vocabulary and coaching behaviors are used by the instructor.\u00a0 Additionally, while observing practices, the researcher learned how to communicate with a child or adolescent in a way comprehensible to their age.<\/p>\n A Literature Review Pertaining to Different Instructing Methods, Behaviors, and Terminology Used by Sport Coaches of Varying Skill Levels<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Researchers have proposed two reoccurring theories accounting for the coaching styles of beginner and advanced sport teams.\u00a0 One theme suggests that coaches of beginner teams should encourage the athletes to see improvement in self-esteem and performance (Smith, Smoll, & Curtis, 1979), while the other theme indicates that coaches of advanced teams tend to instruct their players about drills and the upcoming game rather than display encouragement (Gallimore & Tharp, 2004).\u00a0 No conflicting theories are discussed in the literature because most researchers agree with the existing beliefs.\u00a0 This literature review sought to answer the question of how do the coaching behaviors and terminology exhibited by an instructor differ when teaching beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball, while presenting details about the learning styles of different skill levels, the coaching methods used to instruct each group, and the factors that contribute to a relationship between the coach and the athlete.<\/p>\n Beginner Athletes<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Youths who participate in basketball are usually beginners coached by volunteers.\u00a0 They are taught the basic fundamentals such as dribbling, shooting, passing, and defense, which will be necessary when learning more advanced skills.\u00a0 Often times, youth athletes participate in multiple sports each year because they are discovering the sport that suits them best.\u00a0 When an athlete is deciding what sport in which he or she should partake, the coach\u2019s personality is considered.\u00a0 For example, many youth athletes need a coach that will encourage and not scold when making mistakes.<\/p>\n Coaching methods.<\/strong>\u00a0When coaching beginners, instructors tend to provide positive reinforcement, praise, and rewards instead of scolding the players (Smith, Smoll, & Curtis, 1979).\u00a0 These coaching behaviors produce athletes with greater self-esteem and the knowledge that mistakes are to be used as positive learning experiences.\u00a0 This theory explains why the behavioral coaching method studied in Allison and Ayllon\u2019s (1980) examination was effective in improving the techniques of athletes because the coaches would encourage the players to perform the skill accurately as well as correct their improper form by using pleasant and supportive language.\u00a0 Rush and Ayllon (1984) expanded on the study by Allison and Ayllon because they investigated the behavioral coaching method by using a peer as a coach instead of an adult.\u00a0 The researchers discovered that a peer becomes a good coach when he or she \u201cdemonstrates high competence, is an expert, possesses high social status, is older in age, and controls resources valuable to the learner\u201d (Rush & Ayllon, 1984, p. 326). \u00a0The results of the study agreed with the results of Allison and Ayllon\u2019s because they discovered that peer behavioral coaching improves the skills of an athlete and more than doubles the amount of times a skill is performed correctly.\u00a0 Vernadakis, Antoniou, Zetou, and Kioumourtzoglou\u2019s (2004) study expanded the knowledge on coaching methods used to instruct youth teams because they determined that the best way to coach the shooting of a basketball was to have a series of lectures, drills, and demonstrations reinforced by a video teaching the same material, which is called mixed instruction.<\/p>\n Learning styles.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0According to the National Science Resources Center (2002), \u201cchildren learn best when they can link new information to something they already know\u201d (p. 21).\u00a0 This process allows children to learn by relating their newly learned information to their previous experiences.\u00a0 Furthermore, children learn best when taught age appropriate material.\u00a0 This idea relates to basketball because at a young age, children should be taught the fundamentals instead of more intricate concepts such as plays and formations.\u00a0 The children will understand the fundamentals and expand on their knowledge as they grow older.<\/p>\n Coach-athlete relationship.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Smith, Smoll, and Cumming (2007) indicate that a child who perceives their coach as supportive \u201cexperience[s] higher levels of sport enjoyment\u201d (p. 40).\u00a0 When an athlete has an encouraging coach, they do not fear failure, nor do they worry about committing mistakes.\u00a0 Coaches should strive for the best possible relationship with their team in order to improve their performance in a sport.\u00a0 Kenow and Williams (1999) agree with Smith, Smoll, and Cumming because they state that high coach-athlete compatibility stems from positive behaviors exhibited by the coach.\u00a0 In addition to positive behaviors, Kenow and Williams state that the \u201cathletes\u2019 goals, personality, and beliefs\u201d (p. 155) need to be in accordance with the coach in order for a coach-athlete relationship to form.\u00a0 Having compatibility among the team will result in an increase of the players\u2019 self-confidence.\u00a0 Vall\u00e9e and Bloom (2005) add that success will result from a coach-athlete relationship based on \u201ctrust, respect, communication, and care for the person\u201d (p. 193).\u00a0 This bond will occur when the athletes enjoy playing for the coach and a mutual respect is established.<\/p>\n Youth coaches.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Koester (2000) determined that many injuries in youth sports are caused by an untrained coach\u2019s teaching methods.\u00a0 He states, \u201cmany injuries can be attributed to improper technique and conditioning methods taught by volunteer coaches\u201d (p. 466).\u00a0 This situation evokes the need for knowledgeable and trained coaches, which will lead to less injuries and more experienced athletes.<\/p>\n Intermediate Athletes<\/strong><\/p>\n Intermediate athletes possess more abilities than beginners, but have not acquired the skill level of the advanced players.\u00a0 Usually, intermediate athletes play at the middle and high school levels where they are instructed by semi-knowledgeable coaches.\u00a0 By middle and high school, coaches expect the athletes to understand most of the fundamentals, so practices will not be spent going over the basics.<\/p>\n Middle and high school coaches.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>The study completed by Jones, Housner, and Kornspan (1997) examined the differences between experienced and inexperienced basketball coaches who instructed at the high school and middle school levels.\u00a0 The researchers concluded that experienced coaches display significantly more technical instruction such as how to perform a skill, while inexperienced coaches exhibited more silent observation during practice.\u00a0 These differences are due to the knowledge an instructor contains about a sport because after many years of coaching, an instructor obtains an understanding about the teaching process and when a contingency plan is required during practice.\u00a0 Furthermore, an experienced coach is able to provide feedback to the athletes and explain the correct positioning when executing a specific skill.\u00a0 Claxton\u2019s (1988) observation of successful and unsuccessful coaches agrees with Jones, Housner and Kornspan\u2019s study because he found that less experienced coaches often spend practice in silence, which is not a productive or effective instruction strategy.\u00a0\u00a0 Moreover, Claxton revealed that successful coaches question their athletes more than less successful coaches.\u00a0 Questioning is useful when assessing an athlete\u2019s knowledge or when asking why they performed a skill a certain way.\u00a0 Additionally, questioning helps to build the understanding of a sport and skills because any confusions or misconceptions will be removed.<\/p>\n Advanced Athletes<\/strong><\/p>\n Elite athletes participate in the college and professional levels of basketball.\u00a0 They are coached by experienced men and women who have instructed at a high level for many years.\u00a0 Most athletes playing at the top level of basketball have participated in the sport since they were youths.\u00a0 They have increased their knowledge of the sport and improved on their basic skills.<\/p>\n Coaching methods.<\/strong>\u00a0Since most college basketball players understand the fundamentals, practices usually consist of instructions on how to perform drills or information about the upcoming game (Gallimore & Tharp, 2004).\u00a0 Furthermore, unlike youth practices, elite basketball players are rarely praised or encouraged by their coach after making a shot, hustling for a ball, or executing any other positive plays.\u00a0 Bloom, Crumpton, and Anderson\u2019s (1999) results from their study on Fresno State men\u2019s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian agree with Gallimore and Tharp\u2019s conclusions in their study of Coach Wooden because they discovered that Coach Tarkanian mainly exhibited tactile instruction during his practices and infrequently praised or scolded his athletes.\u00a0 Coach Tarkanian and Coach Wooden had similar tactile instructions because they both taught their athletes strategies for the upcoming games (Bloom, Crumpton, & Anderson, 1999).<\/p>\n Learning styles.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0In Gallimore and Tharp\u2019s (2004) study, Coach Wooden mentioned that an instructor \u201ccan\u2019t work with [the players] in the same way\u201d (p. 226).\u00a0 Each player benefits from different coaching methods and a coach should \u201cstudy and analyze each individual\u201d (p. 126) in order to determine the best coaching method.<\/p>\n Encouragement.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Although Gallimore and Tharp (2004) discovered that elite basketball players are not praised much during practices, the study by Andreacci et al. (2001) found that athletes perform better with encouragement.\u00a0 During the experiment, two types of praises were used to encourage the athletes.\u00a0 The first was positive reinforcement, which used phrases like \u201cWay to go\u201d and \u201cExcellent.\u201d\u00a0 The second set of phrases was called instructional commands, which were \u201cCome on\u201d and \u201cKeep it up.\u201d\u00a0 The positive reinforcements were used to praise the athletes, while the instructional commands not only encouraged, but also directed the athlete to continue their assignment.\u00a0 When both of these encouragement groupings are used in accordance, the athlete will excel at the assigned task, rather than if no encouragement is used.<\/p>\n Coach-athlete relationship.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jowett (2003) states, \u201cthe most important interpersonal relationship in the sport domain is that formed between the coach and the athlete\u201d (p. 444).\u00a0\u00a0 She believes a professional relationship is built upon \u201ctrust, respect, commitment, and understanding\u201d (p. 444) and these aspects cause team success.\u00a0 Jowett created the three C\u2019s to describe a coach-athlete relationship, which are: closeness, co-orientation, and complementarity.\u00a0 Closeness is characterized with mutual feelings of regard for one another, as opposed to disrespect and distrust.\u00a0 Co-orientation consists of communication between the coach and the athlete and allows the pair to share their thoughts, goals, and ideas for the team.\u00a0 Finally, complementarity \u201crefers to the type of behavioral interaction in which the coach and athlete are engaged\u201d (p. 445).\u00a0 If the three C\u2019s are achieved, the coach and athlete will have an improved performance as well as a long lasting connection that will be beneficial on and off the basketball court.<\/p>\n Qualities of expert coaches<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>Vall\u00e9e and Bloom (2005) state \u201cvery few leaders are able to build a successful program\u2026and maintain a level of excellence for an extended period of time\u201d (p. 179).\u00a0 This assertion conveys the message that only a few individuals have the experience and qualities necessary to be considered an expert coach.\u00a0 Furthermore, this examination discovered four categories that were exhibited by expert coaches, which were titled, \u201ccoaches\u2019 attributes, individual growth, organizational skills, and vision\u201d (Vall\u00e9e & Bloom, 2005, p. 185).\u00a0 This study extended the knowledge on the composition of expert coaches because the researchers found that great coaches put more emphasis on building the character of an athlete rather than winning championships.<\/p>\n Mentoring Coaches and Athletes.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Studies determined that mentoring does not have a clear definition, but researchers do know that the process occurs when \u201cthere is a trusting relationship\u2026when there is an interest on the part of the coach in the personal development of the athlete, when the coach purposefully allocates his\/her time to fulfill the needs of the athlete, and when an imitation of behavior takes place\u201d (Bloom, Durand-Bush, Schinke, and Salmela, 1998, p. 268).\u00a0 These qualities allow the athlete and the mentor to connect with one another, so the best possible learning environment exists.\u00a0 Furthermore, both the coach and the athlete benefit from mentoring because the athlete improves his or her skills and performance while the coach discovers new instructing methods.\u00a0 In addition to teaching one how to shoot or dribble, a mentor will teach the athlete valuable life skills.\u00a0 This statement is similar to Vall\u00e9e and Bloom\u2019s (2005) study because they asserted that expert coaches promote \u201cindividual growth\u201d (p. 185) among their athletes.\u00a0 Moreover, beginner coaches are mentored by expert coaches to enhance their knowledge about a sport.\u00a0 When a novice coach is mentored, they gain self-confidence and enhance their lesson planning.<\/p>\n Gaps in the Research<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Some articles insist that further research must be performed to fill the gaps in their study.\u00a0 Many sources request research to be completed on reasons why a certain result occurred.\u00a0 For example, the study by Claxton (1988) wondered why less successful coaches praise more in practice and they demand further research on this subject.<\/p>\n Gaps in the articles about coaching methods.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The study by Vernadakis, Antoniou, Zetou, and Kioumourtzoglou (2004) insists that further research should be executed to determine whether the mixed instruction method is helpful to high school aged athletes when learning a particular skill.\u00a0 Moreover, Bloom, Crumpton, and Anderson (1999) request that further research is completed on coach Tarkanian\u2019s instructing behaviors during practice.\u00a0 The researchers want to examine the tactile training method and understand how the coach adjusts his game plans for the upcoming competition and if he creates new plays to match his team\u2019s learning style.<\/p>\n Gaps in the articles about experienced vs. inexperienced coaches.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Jones, Housner, and Kornspan\u2019s (1997) investigation on the behaviors of experienced and inexperienced coaches produced many gaps that need to be addressed.\u00a0 The researchers discovered that this study covered only one aspect of coaching behaviors, which may have allowed for minimal difference between the actions of experienced and inexperienced coaches.\u00a0 They announced that research should be conducted in order to discover all of the elements that form an expert coach, so that in the future, instructors can improve their teaching to \u201cbring meaningful instruction to athletes\u201d (p. 467).<\/p>\n Gaps in the articles about expert coaches.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0In their 2005 study, Vall\u00e9e and Bloom determined that an expert coach possesses leadership qualities, a desire to help their players grow as athletes and as human beings, and they develop visions and goals for the team when they enter the sport program.\u00a0 They discovered these characteristics through an interview that was semi-structured, meaning the questions were open ended, allowing the coach to take their own path in the discussion.\u00a0 However, these interviews only addressed the coach\u2019s views on a successful team and the athlete\u2019s opinion was not considered.\u00a0 Further research needs to be implemented to define how an athlete views an expert and successful coach because an instructor will only become successful through their team.\u00a0 Secondly, this study was composed of female coaches only, and male expert coaches may have different qualities than their female counterparts.\u00a0 Additionally, all five female coaches taught in Canada, which opens up a possibility to perform the same experiment with coaches from other nationalities because the qualities of an expert coach may not be similar for every country.\u00a0 Lastly, coaches of youth, middle school, and high school teams should partake in this study because the criteria for becoming an expert coach will not be the same for every level.\u00a0 This study needs to be expanded because the qualities of expert coaches are not completely defined.<\/p>\n Gaps in the article about mentoring.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The study by Bloom, Durand-Bush, Schinke, and Salmela (1998) was unable to define the concept of mentoring because many different types exist, such as when a coach mentors an athlete or when an expert instructor mentors a novice.\u00a0 The researchers request further research on the subject of mentoring in the sports domain because significant research is scarce.<\/p>\n Contributions to Present Coaches<\/strong><\/p>\n These studies contribute a plethora of knowledge to the coaches and athletes in the sports domain.\u00a0 From reading these articles, coaches should understand the correct behavior they must display when coaching either at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level.\u00a0 Sources about teaching at the novice level always mention encouragement rather than scolding when instructing the players on how to perform a skill while the elite level coaches instruct more during practice.\u00a0 They also describe how the coach and athlete should have a trusting relationship, which will boost performance and self-confidence among the team.\u00a0 When coaches understand that they must form a strong relationship with their players, the team will see more wins and greatly improved skills.\u00a0\u00a0 Furthermore, these documents explain effective instructing methods used to teach young children that should be implemented by coaches for every sport, individual and team.\u00a0 These methods include behavioral coaching, traditional instruction, computer-assisted instruction, and mixed instruction.\u00a0 All of these techniques are proven to be successful and they will help the team improve their performance.\u00a0 In addition to suggesting teaching methods, the articles also provide insight to the practices of arguably the greatest college basketball coach, John Wooden.\u00a0 By reading the document, other college coaches can try to model their training sessions like his, using the same behavior and exercises described by Gallimore and Tharp (2004).\u00a0 Lastly, instructors should understand the qualities of a successful coach when they read the articles. The source explains that coaches should foster individual growth among their athletes to help them become wonderful young men and women in their life.<\/p>\n Methods to Address the Data Collection and Observations of Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Basketball Practices<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This thesis compared and contrasted the vocabulary and the coach\u2019s actions exhibited by an instructor to beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball players.\u00a0 The question for this thesis was: How do the coaching behaviors and terminology used by a basketball instructor differ between skill levels?\u00a0 Methods were quantitative and the data contains descriptions of the language and coaching techniques.\u00a0 The researcher observed training sessions of three different skill levels conducted by a former College of Charleston basketball player.\u00a0 He instructs athletes in elementary, middle, high school, and college.\u00a0 Practices, which are held at the Jewish Community Center and the YMCA on Cannon Street, were observed throughout the summer in order to obtain the most accurate data.<\/p>\n Participants\/Subjects<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Three different basketball skill levels were observed throughout the data collection process.\u00a0 One training session was composed of athletes who are beginning to play basketball, another session contained intermediate athletes, and the third practice consisted of advanced basketball players.\u00a0 The amount and race of participants depended on the athletes who signed up for the training sessions.\u00a0 For this thesis, the researcher observed practices involving individual athletes rather than teams.<\/p>\n Materials<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A video camera was needed for this thesis and was used to record practices for the purpose of obtaining video footage for the final product.<\/p>\n Procedures<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First, the researcher obtained the weekly practice schedule by emailing the coach every Sunday. \u00a0The researcher attended mostly Sunday training sessions, as well as a few practices during the week, and observed the terminology and coaching behaviors exhibited by the instructor. \u00a0The actions and vocabulary were categorized into eight groups titled: instructions, \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d modeling positive, modeling negative, encouragement, scolds, smiles, and grunts, and analyzed at the end of summer. In addition, a tally was kept showing the amount of time the instructor exhibited one of the categorized behaviors, which allowed the researcher to view the most prevalent form of coaching for each skill level.\u00a0 At the end of a beginner basketball practice, there were twenty-two tally marks by encouragement and only two by grunts, which explains how encouragement is most prominent when coaching beginners at basketball.\u00a0 The data collected was also sorted into charts and a bar graph displaying the occurrence of the coach\u2019s actions for each group.<\/p>\n Evaluation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The data collection was deemed successful because the tables and bar graph showed how different terminology and coaching behaviors were used to instruct the three skill levels.\u00a0 Since the beginners received the most encouragement, the hypothesis was proven correct.\u00a0 The validity of the thesis was partially proven because the bar graph\u2019s results are slightly consistent with the conclusions in the literature and the governing question was answered because the coach agreed with the findings of the thesis.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A possible conclusion justified by the data is that coaches instruct beginners with more encouragement and advanced basketball players with greater instructions and demonstrations.\u00a0 The data confirms the hypothesis through the bar graph displaying differences in the terminology and coaching behaviors when instructing beginner, intermediate, and advanced basketball players.<\/p>\n From the beginning of June to the end of July, nine training sessions instructed by Jermel President were observed.\u00a0 In total, eleven athletes attended the practices, their skill levels ranging from beginners to advanced basketball players.\u00a0 Some of the athletes were observed multiple times, which was beneficial because their progress over the summer was visible.\u00a0 The sessions were held at the Jewish Community Center and the YMCA on Cannon Street.<\/p>\n Beginner<\/p>\nAn Analysis of the Data Collected by Observing Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Basketball Training Sessions<\/h2>\n
Averages for Terminology and Coaching Behaviors Performed by Instructor during Training Sessions<\/h2>\n
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