ARCAA Contents & Abstracts Volume 8, 1993

ISBN 978-0-89641-260-6

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    The 1992 United States Olympic Team Sport Coaches: Satisfactions and Concerns Patricia A. Sullivan, Honey W. Nashman — Perceptions of job-related satisfactions and stressors were examined using an interview procedure with all 10 head coaches of the 1992 United States team sports in the winter and summer Olympic games. Coaches perceived themselves as exhibiting primarily stress-prone behaviors, not utilizing stress reduction techniques, and being quite satisfied with their coaching roles. (1-14)

  • Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use in Athletes: A Coaches' Guide Kurt E. Riem, Karl G. Hursey — Despite increased drug testing of athletes, anabolic-androgenic steroid (ASA) use by and large remains a private choice. Millions of athletes, from preteens to adults, are currently making decisions about whether to use these drugs. The information available to athletes is often contradictory, however. This forces athletes to place greater reliance on anecdotal testimonials from peers but it also enhances the potential role of coaches as sources of accurate information for athletes weighing the consequences of using anabolic-androgenic steroids. The available evidence suggests that the health effects in adult males are transitory and there is a significant potential for the physiological consequences in adolescents and women to be more serious. The occurrence and magnitude of these effects, however, varies widely among individuals, may depend on the specific AAS or specific combinations of AASs used, and cannot be predicted. (15-43)

  • Coaching Evaluation: A Guide for Establishing Job-Specific Criteria Joanne C. MacLean — The evaluation of employee job performance is a critical step towards achieving organizational effectiveness. Criteria specific to a job are outlined in an attempt to provide guidelines for measuring successful performance. The organizational structure of sport associations often reflects a variety of administrative and program oriented positions. The athletic team coach is one central position within the organization's structure. The coach is often intensely involved with the sport organization's pursuit of success and yet their job performance evaluation remains an enigma. One possible explanation for the lack of formalized performance appraisal for this group is difficulty setting specific criteria for the evaluation process. The author has presented a step-wise procedure towards developing performance criteria specific to individual jobs. The procedural model is designed to output job-specific appraisal criteria in an effort to quantify what should be appraised. Six steps toward deriving evaluation criteria are described and explained for the coaching profession. The procedure will prove useful for any athletic administrator, and in particular the athletic director of high schools, colleges, and universities. (44-60)

  • Current Issues in College Hockey: Coaches' Perspectives Norm Chouinard, Wayne Blann — Participation in hockey at the amateur level in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. This strong base of youth hockey players has provided more talent for college coaches striving to build competitive teams. The purpose of this study was to investigate NCAA hockey coaches' perspectives on some of the current issues currently impacting on the game of hockey. To obtain data on current issues, a questionnaire was sent to all NCAA hockey coaches. Academic progress of the student-athletes, officiating, recruitment of hockey players, and the amount of physical play were the four most pressing concerns expressed by coaches. While some efforts are being made to address the concerns raised in this study, the authors believe a comprehensive, re-educative approach of the entire sport community is needed to bring about a lasting change. Game officials, coaches, athletic directors and league commissioners must take the initiative and all work together to address these important issues and act as change agents in their struggle to make the game safer and more enjoyable for all student-athletes competing in intercollegiate hockey. (61-76)

  • Prevalence of Postcompetitive Behavioral Practices of Arousal Management by High School Football Coaches Donald P. Foshee, James H. Conn — The purpose of this study was to determine interscholastic football coaches' of attitudes towards and knowledge of arousal management and resocialization of athletes. The subjects of the investigation were 161 high school head football coaches. The subjects were asked to respond to the Coach's Postcompetitive Behavioral Questionnaire (CPBQ) which was designed and piloted by the investigators. The low and high acceptance of responsibility groups were significantly different on comparisons of statements relating specifically to arousal management, but do not differ on statements that involved dismissal from the locker room. Virtually all coaches were "aware of risky behaviors", but the level of acceptance of responsibility groups were highly significantly different in the matter of "confronts risky behaviors." Coaches who felt that additional training in sport psychology/sociology would be beneficial to all coaches, differed significantly on concern and personal interaction with players, marginally on management, but not in the area of confrontative behaviors. Also, coaches in this study felt responsible for supervising the postcompetitive period of athletes, have a reasonable level of knowledge about arousal but do not appear to know what to do to incorporate this training and practice into their programs. (77-92)

  • Coaches as Leaders and Culture Builders W. James Weese, Joanne MacLean, John Corlett — Many leadership theorists suggest that the two most important functions of a leader are (l) to ensure group members are satisfied and (2) that the organization attains its desired end. While this mindset has served business leaders, leaders of social movements and coaches well in the past, the most recent developments in the leadership area suggest that leaders need to offer more. Specifically, successful leaders play a significant role in the development and maintenance of the culture of their organization. Some promising research findings, conducted primarily in business settings, have provided support for this line of thought. Coaches of sports teams also can benefit from adopting a mindset that considers their role as culture builders. The authors have outlined the recent developments in the leadership and organizational culture fields as they apply to the coaching domain. Specifically, they outline how coaches can be "true" leaders and culture builders in their respective settings. (93-108)

  • Selected Psycho-social, Physical, and Technical Factors among Rock Climbers: A Test of the Flow Paradigm Jerry Freischlag, Todd Freischlag — A common feature of several theories of intrinsic motivation applied to leisure sports is a clear set of challenges in an activity. This study attempted to extend one such theory, Csikszentmihalyi's (1997) leisure activities paradigm of flow, by focusing on rock climbers. Selected psychological, physical, technical/climbing, and social factors were measured among 102 male and female climbers. The research protocol consisted of subject completion of an instrument to obtain psychological, demographic, and technical/climbing data. This was followed by anthropometric measurements of each subject. The Secord & Jourard Body Cathexis Scale (1973) and an adaptation of the Adjective Checklist (Snyder & Spreitzer, 1979), along with two open-ended qualitative questions requiring explanation of strategies used to cope with stress during climbing and to describe the personal meaning derived from climbing, comprised the psychological measures. Results indicated a distinct demographic profile, an orientation to climbing-related experiences, and adherence to supplemental training regimens. Psychological factors showed more positive self assessments as climbing ability increased, confirming the flow paradigm. Stress coping strategies and expressions of personal meaning were found to be independent of climbing ability. Discussion considers these findings in social context as well as the holistic nature of this leisure sport. (109-122)

  • Improving Swimming Stroke Using Reverse Teaching: A Case Study Cheyne A. Sherman, Brent S. Rushall — A package of instructional procedures that facilitated the use of a reverse order teaching progression to change the established front crawl arm technique of an elite swimmer is described. The technique focused on the implementation of a reverse teaching progression strategy that has been used in previous studies with human subjects. The topography of the stroke was changed in a desirable manner after three daily sessions of approximately 40 minutes duration. Pre- and post-intervention measures of stroking efficiency and swimming speed were improved markedly. The efficacy of using reverse progression teaching for instructing swimming skills was supported. (123-143)

  • The Relationship between Athletic Ability and Social Desirability within Youth Baseball Players Phillip W. Lowcock, James D. LaPoint, David L. Cook, Carolyn M. Hoffman — This study examined the relationship between athletic ability and social desirability within eleven- and twelve-year old male baseball players. The players (n=261) were participants in baseball leagues in a major midwestern city. Social desirability and athletic ability were assessed using two questionnaires, one for the players and one for the head coach. Correlations were determined to test the relationships between desirability and ability. Social desirability was found to be significantly correlated to all of the ability measures at alpha < .001. The highest correlations were found between the players' opinions about social desirability and the teammates' athletic ability. Overall, the social desirability of the players was found to be strongly linked to their physical playing ability. Discussion includes implications of these findings, including the effects on self-esteem and the affiliation aspect of youth sports. Suggestions for alleviating some of the ensuing problems for participants in youth sports are given, including recommendations for parents and coaches. (144-157)

  • Correlates of Learned Helplessness in the Youth Sport and Physical Activity Michael P. Boyd, Zenong Yin, John L. Callaghan, Jeffery P. Simons — Recent development in the area of achievement motivation has highlighted the pervasiveness of learned helplessness in sport. Following from the work of Dweck (1980, 1986) and others, the purpose of the present investigation was to quantify learned helplessness in the area of youth sport and physical activity. A sport-specific, modified version of a children's depression inventory was distributed to male (N=110) junior high students 13-15 years of age who were attending ongoing physical education classes. Also administered were measures of perceived physical competence and sport importance, as well as attributions given for sport success. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed significant overall differences between those who were in the high and low helplessness groups. Follow-up univariate ANOVA's indicated that subjects higher in learned helplessness in sport expressed less perceived physical competence, perceived sport as less important, and attributed success in sport less to internal factors and more to external causation than did subjects lower on helplessness. Although preliminary in nature, these results suggest that investigations of learned helplessness in the youth sport domain could contribute to our understanding of long term involvement in sport and physical activity. (158-176)

  • Participation and Attrition in Organized Youth Sport Programs Judy L. Reed, John M. Chevrette — No abstract. (177-187)

  • The Influence of a Mental Training Technique upon the Performance of Selected Intercollegiate Basketball Players Ralph A. Vernacchia, David L. Cook — This article describes the influence that a mental training technique had upon the game performance of two intercollegiate basketball players. Athlete A was a member of the 1989 University of Kansas men's intercollegiate basketball team, who was experiencing a shooting or scoring slump, and Athlete B was a member of the 1989 Western Washington University women's intercollegiate basketball team, who wanted to improve her concentration during games. The mental training technique utilized in this study was a mastery rehearsal audio-cassette tape. The athletes were instructed to identify their desired performance behaviors and goals by writing a script which vividly described how they would like to perform their skills in the actual game situation. This script was then recorded (approximately three to five minutes in length) on an audio cassette tape which was supplemented with background music selected by the athlete. The athletes were instructed to listen to the tape daily during the days prior to competition. Based on the game performance statistics and the self-report of each athlete, it was concluded that the use of a mastery rehearsal tape was an effective mental training technique. (188-200)

  • Effects of Target Position and Gender on Response Time in Collegiate Athletes Michael C. Meyers, Jerry R. Elledge — This study examined the influence of target location on response time under standardized target distances and size during repetitive task exposure. Following written informed consent, response time assessments were performed on five males and three female college athletes (n=8). Each subject participated in a pretrial period for optimal protocol familiarity. Subjects were then randomly assigned to 10 practice trials/target at 6 medial to lateral target locations of 0, 70, 90, 110, 130 and 180 degrees followed by 10 visual recorded trials/target across the same target locations. Mean visual reaction (RT), movement (MT), and total response (TRT) times were determined using a Lafayette reaction/ movement timer equipped with visual stimulus and response keys 17 inches apart. Data were analyzed by target distance and gender. ANOVAs revealed no significant differences (p>.05) in total response time between target location. There was, however, a trend for TRT to increase while performing at 90 degrees versus 110, 130, and 180 degrees. Visual response times ranged from .438 to .488 msec. No significant differences (p>.05) were observed between gender in mean TRT, although males exhibited faster mean TRT of .446 msec versus .474 msec for females. In conclusion, athletes should be encouraged to practice throwing at targets across the entire range of motion during various sport-specific body orientations commonly experienced during competition. This would optimize motor response of the upper arm and subsequent sport performance during actual competition. (201-211)

  • Protein Supplementation for the Scholastic Power Athlete: A Risks and Benefits Analysis Frank A. Kulling, Bert H. Jacobson — Protein is a nutrient essential to fitness, growth and a full, healthy life. Surveys indicate a large, and perhaps increasing, percentage of scholastic power athletes subscribe to protein supplement use in the belief size, strength and performance will be enhanced. Existing literature was reviewed to examine the effectiveness of this practice from a risks and benefits perspective. Existing literature has yet to sufficiently document a strength, size or performance benefit from protein or specific amino acid ingestion in excess of normal, dietary levels Possible health risks associated with excessive protein consumption include liver and kidney disease, gout, loss of bone calcium, arthritis, and kidney stones. These health risks are likely to develop over a number of years or decades and be influenced by a number of variables yet to be studied. Possible performance decrements include diminished muscle mass, increased fat gain, dehydration, and gastrointestinal disturbances. These performance decrements have not been scrutinized using scientific methods. Finally, protein supplement use can be financially taxing. Although much research remains to be done, the best available evidence would suggest strength, size, performance, and health are best enhanced through proven training methods, a nutritionally sound diet, and the avoidance of protein supplements. (212-225)

  • The Relationship of the Basketball Evaluation System (BES) to Criterion Measure of Performance in Men's Division I College Basketball Kenneth L. Swalgin — The purpose of this investigation was to determine evidence of reliability and validity for the Basketball Evaluation System. The Basketball Evaluation System is a computerized player evaluation system that grades performance by "position of play" and "time played" under game conditions. Eight game related performance factors as well as overall performance are evaluated. Moderate to high correlations were found between the performance factors evaluated by BES and criterion measures. When combining factors to determine overall performance ratings, a correlation matrix was used to determine the average correlations between BES and the expert rates (Division I college coaches). This average (r = .695) was higher than the average correlation (r = .591) among coaches. This indicates that the Basketball Evaluation System is better able to combine performance scores to produce an overall grade than were coaches. (226-245)

  • COACHES CORNER

  • The Importance of Proper Coaching and Supervision when Preparing for Sports Participation: An interview with Bill Ranieri Bill Ranieri, Gerard G. Lyons — No Abstract (246-249)

  • BOOK REVIEWS

  • Counseling College Student-Athletes: Issues and Interventions edited by Edward F. Etzel, A.P. Ferrante, James Pinkney, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (250-251)
  • Applied Sociology of Sport edited by Andrew Yiannakis, Susan L. Greendorfer, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (252-253)
  • Sport and Religion edited by Shirl J. Hoffman, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson (254-255)
  • The Creative Side of Experimentation: Personal Perspectives from Leading Researchers in Motor Control, Motor Development, and Sports Psychology edited by Conrad Wesley Snyder, Jr., Bruce Abernethy, reviewed by Darel D. Terral (256-257)
  • PAL: Personal Athletic Log by Mark D. Hurwitz, reviewed by Warren K. Simpson, Devin D. Simpson, Mark Adams, Gerard G. Lyons (258-259)
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