Book Description

The bulk of athletes around the world are dissatisfied with the conditions of their training. This is a grave tragedy, when sports ought to be a source of joy and recreation, even when played at a high level. In recent years, we have been hearing examples like the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, and the relatively poor conditions of their facilities and amenities, when compared to those of the less successful men's program. That is a travesty due to the incredible success and popularity they have enjoyed for many years. Why is that? The largest chunk of the problem is that organizations, coaches and even parent's do not take an athlete centered approach. Athletes many times can be bullies, and exhibit maladaptive behaviors that will not serve them well in life, period. How do coaches allow athletes to act in a manner that is damaging to the community? Governing bodies, coaches, programs and even some parents do not take a holistic approach to the whole lifetime of their little or emerging athlete. Short term results orientation and ego-driven focus are ruining the experience, and in many cases the longer term health and well-being of the player. The purpose of this book is to solve this problem by degrees, to increasingly empower coaches and sport stakeholders to change the worldwide culture of sport. The aim is to make a major contribution to the literature of athlete centered coaching, and promote the idea until it is the norm.