Reardon-Schall-#6 (FINAL)

Developing a Championship Collegiate Tennis Program

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of

Masters of Coaching and Athletic Administration In

Exercise and Sport Science

by

Samantha Schall

Concordia University-Irvine

_______________

Graduate Advisor

_______________

Approval Date

Table of Contents

Chapter Page Number

Acknowledgements PREFACE

I. Statement of Purpose 4

II. Philosophy of Coaching Athletics 6

III. Research Methods and Analysis 10

IV. Ethics and Sportsmanship 18

V. Legal Aspects and Considerations 29

VI. Program Development 32

VII. Psychology of Coaching 53

VIII. Leadership and Administration 58

IX. Closing Statement 61

Appendices

A. Current Resume

B. Course Descriptions

C. References

D. Three Recent Letters of Recommendation

E. Risk Management Plan

F. Fourteen Legal Duties

G. Any additional documents, projects, etc.

2

Acknowledgements

I would first like to thank my family for supporting my decision to pursue my

dream of coaching and impacting others and for continuing to support and encourage me

as I pursue this degree. A special thanks to my mom for consistently being a sounding

board for my thoughts, struggles, emotions, and ideas. Also to my dad who serves as a

great example as a teacher and coach to me and many other lucky high school students,

also for being my personal tech support.

A big thank you to Daniel Hangstefer, head tennis coach at Metro State for

supporting and understanding my pursuit of this degree and encouraging me to spend

office hours working on homework in addition to my coaching duties. Thank you for

giving me my first coaching opportunity and for mentoring me along the way.

Another thank you to the staff and administration at Metro State for giving me my

first opportunity to coach and for supporting my ambitions and goals of coaching.

I would also like to thank my college tennis coach for inspiring my love of

coaching, for believing that I had the capacity to do the job, and for mentoring me in my

senior year to develop skills needed to start my career.

I would finally like to thank my instructors in the MCAA program. It has been a

great experience for me and each of my professors has provided abundant knowledge and

support throughout the program.

3

Chapter I

Statement of Purpose

This portfolio outlines seven comprehensive sections to developing a successful collegiate

tennis program. As I continue to pursue the start of my coaching career, it is invaluable to collect

my thoughts and ideas about how to develop a program and cultivate a team culture in line with

my ideals, priorities, goals, and expectations. In a smaller sport like tennis, it is critical to have a

relationship with each of the players, they need to know they you care about them and have their

best interest at heart. They need to believe this so that I can push them as hard as I will need to in

order to achieve the team goals. It is important to have a plan or a philosophy in place before

leading a program so that everything that is done during the season is purposeful and is

contributing to the success of the program.

During the second chapter of this portfolio a general coaching philosophy will be outlined.

This will be the backbone to the rest of the portfolio. Each different section of the portfolio will

stem from my personal coaching philosophy, the reasons I want to be a coach, and my coaching

style. In this chapter I will discuss a mission, vision, and core values for any team that I coach. I

will also discuss my coaching style in this chapter.

Following, the use of technology and research will be discussed in how it can be used in a

successful program. In chapter three a six-part research project has been executed. This project

includes a problem, a literature review, methodology, anticipated findings, and future

implications. This chapter demonstrates relevant research and uses for the information gathered,

as well as the ability to implement research when necessary in the coaching profession.

4

In the succeeding chapters, the importance of ethics and sportsmanship will be conveyed as

well as legal considerations within a collegiate program. While ethics and sportsmanship are

critical in every college sport, there can be added pressure of playing an individual sport where

the players call their own lines and faults. Ethical play is very important to the culture and the

competitive nature of tennis. In this chapter I will discuss the current status of ethical behavior in

college tennis and how to players and coaching should handle an ethically challenging situation.

Following the discussion on ethics is a chapter on the legal aspects of coaching college

tennis, which includes a risk management plan. This chapter will cover the importance of

understanding legal concerns and will address a plan for situations that may come up during a

coaching situation.

Finally keys to program development will be discussed. This includes leadership skills, and

an outlined strength and conditioning program. This portfolio will set a framework of the many

different facets of coaching, covering philosophies and central principles, to the mental,

technical, and physical side of coaching college tennis.

5

Chapter II

Philosophy of Coaching Athletics

Mission

Metro State Tennis is committed to pursuing excellence on court as part of a larger goal of

excellence in character and in education.

Our program has three very specific goals: to be ranked top 10 in the nation, to have a 3.3

team GPA, and to do 200 hours of community service work as a team, everything we do on and

off court is designed to progress towards those goals. This program values the lessons that

accompany athletic participation: the pursuit of excellence through personal development and

teamwork, ethical and responsible behavior on the court and off, leadership and strength of

character, and sportsmanship. In teaching these lessons to their students, Metro State instills

habits that will lead students to highly successful lives.  While winning is not an end in itself, we

believe that the efforts put forth by our athletes will result in excellence on court, in the

community, and in their education.

Vision

Metro State tennis will provide opportunities for academic, personal, and competitive

achievement in our players. We will serve as a source of pride for the university and community

while fostering a culture of integrity and sportsmanship.

Our players will graduate from Metro State transformed by this program. They will go

forth in their lives with great confidence in their abilities. They will be leaders of high character

6

and integrity as they pursue their career of choice and they will know how to be successful in all

aspects of their lives.

Core Values

Character Development- Every lesson we learn on court translates to off court.

We preach discipline, focus, determination, and teamwork on court. We expect our

players to hold the same values in their personal and academic life. Our players will know that

the value in personal and academic success exceeds that of competitive achievement and they

will be better competitors through that recognition.

We will compete when we are on a court.

We will show three signs of a good competitor. 1. We will run hard after every ball. 2.

Make a lot of shots. 3. Show positive body language. When our players are determined and

focused on each point and they show positive body language we know they are being good

competitors and that is all we can ask of them.

There is no individual success on this team. If the team wins, you win. We will complete

as a team and we will love and trust our teammates unconditionally.

The only way to perform to your highest potential is when you know that you have the support of

your team win or lose. Our team will love, support, and trust unconditionally. Players will know

that their teammates are competing for team success and nothing they do will let anyone down.

We will heed the words of Vince Lombardi, “Teamwork is what (Metro State Tennis) is all

about. They don’t do it for individual glory. They do it because they love one another”. We will

not allow the individual nature of tennis hinder the success we can accomplish as a team.

We will play discipline tennis.

7

We will hit deep and cross-court when we are behind the baseline and attack on short balls. We

will have high first serve percentages and high return percentages. In doubles, men will serve

and volley, women will call poaches and switches. We will return cross-court and be aggressive

with our volleys.

Be relentlessly positive. We will control what we can control.

We can control our minds, our actions, our attitude, and our energy. We cannot control our

opponents, the playing conditions, or the umpires and we will not allow this to cause us

frustration. Tennis is a highly psychological game and we will not give our opponents an edge.

We will be in control of our footwork, our energy, and our positive attitude because we can be!

Coaching Style

I strive to be a transformational coach throughout my coaching career. I have respect for

my players’ thoughts and opinions and want them to respect mine because they believe it is right

for them, not because I command them to. I like to ask my players questions about why they are

playing in a certain style or what they think they need to work on and take this into consideration

when developing practice plans and strategies.

I have learned a lot about what I want my own coaching style to be from working with a

command style coach. With tennis being such an individual and mental sport, I think you need to

consider your players’ individual needs rather than expecting each player to do things the same

way. I believe that coaching should be a partnership between the coach and his or her team. They

need to work together to achieve success. The coach will not be successful if he tries to do it all

on his own and will likely result in frustration from the coach and the players. Rather, I hold that

players and coaches need to work together to come up with the best coaching style that will work

for everyone.

8

In his book InSideOut Coaching, Joe Ehrmann (2011), asks himself and the readers why

do I coach? His answer inspired me and I now strive for a similar idea. “I coach to help boys

become men of empathy and integrity, who will lead, be responsible, and change the world for

good” (Ehrmann, 2011, p. 125). I will coach with empathy and instill that value in my players.

Martens (2004) stated that, “Coaches with empathy more readily communicate respect for their

athletes, and in turn they receive more respect” (Martens, 2004, p. 39). When you have earned

the respect of your athletes, they will do almost anything to serve you. This occurs once your

players feel your love for them, and they believe you will do anything for them. Empathy plays a

central role in earning love and respect, and once your players experience what empathy feels

like, they will show it to their teammates and other people along their path and receive more love

and respect throughout their lives. That is my goal as a coach, the reason why I coach.

9

Chapter III

Research Methods and AnalysisAggression and Violence in Athletics

This research topic is critical to understanding athletes and what motivates them and what

certain behavior can indicate. Aggression, anger, and violence are behaviors that coaches should

note and consider when dealing with players on a day to day basis.

This chapter also demonstrates research that may be done during a coaching career. A

coach may research an issue and based on the findings develop a plan to address the issue.

The Problem

Within the past few football seasons there has been a spotlight on the NFL’s domestic

abuse policy after a second video of Ray Rice’s altercation with his fiancé lead the NFL to

suspend him. In the past, other players have also had altercations with violence resulting in

arrests and suspensions. Recently, Adrian Peterson was indicted for child abuse, and last year

Aaron Hernandez was arrested for murder. The list continues. The topic of aggression in sports

has been discussed and debated by researchers, parents of athletes, coaches, and many others

involved in athletics. There is a concern that aggression in athletics leads to violence outside of

sport and that sports that promote more aggression result in more violent acts outside of sports.

This paper will investigate whether male athletes who participate in contact sports are more

aggressive and or violent outside of athletics than males who play non contact sports.

10

In sport and aggression research, it has been determined that things like athletic identity

and aggression need to be considered and defined when examining this topic. Athletic identity

involves how much one identifies with the athletic role and, “aggression has been defined as a

non-accidental overt verbal or physical act with the intent to psychologically or physically injure

another person or oneself” (Visek, Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, & Watson, 2010, p. 102). In Visik, et

al. (2010) research, it was shown that athletes who participated in contact sports had a higher

correlation in these two categories than athletes in noncontact sports. Youth violence is a major

concern across the board and with high profile athletes often being in the spotlight for violent

acts; it raises concern among those involved in athletics at all levels. In a study between 1999

and 2007 it was determined that the number of youth found guilty of a criminal offense increased

from 12,330 to 14,404 (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010). Statistics like these have lead researchers

to study the correlation between violence and sports.

Moesch et al, (2010) studied the sociological effects that sports have on violence by

describing the catharsis theory. “Catharsis theory hypothesizes that acting aggressively is an

effective way to reduce anger and aggressive feelings. Sporting activities can lead to a release of

strains and aggressions, which result in a reduced readiness for violent behavior” (Birrer,

Moesch, Seiler, 2010). It may be hard to determine the underlying correlation between sports and

aggression or violence. It can be seen as the sports causing the violence, or the violent nature of

an athlete leading them to elect to play a more physical sport. Catharsis theory suggests that

playing a contact sport may actually channel aggressive or violent feelings into a controlled

environment.

In the textbook, Social Issues in Sport, author Ron Woods examines this concept further

by suggesting that athletes who become accustomed to using physical intimidation and violence

11

in sport naturally revert to those behaviors when facing conflict outside of sport (Woods, 2011).

“Athletes who do respond physically may be simply reflecting cultural upbringing that was

established outside of sport. Sport may not be the cause of violence, but rather a result of the

athletes’ upbringing or natural disposition, which led them to choose a violent sport” (Woods,

2011, p. 325). Many factors may determine which sport an athlete chooses, such as body type

and stature, upbringing or natural disposition, or socio-economical issues. When studying the

correlation in violence and athletics, one should consider if the physical nature of the sport is

causing the violent and aggressive behavior, or are athletes with a more violent disposition more

likely to choose a contact sport.

Review of the Literature

In Birrer, Moesch, and Seiler’s (2010) research they investigated the influence of sport

engagement on youth violence. They used a comparative approach to investigate groups of

adolescents with different characteristics of violent behavior. They compared this to their sport

background and psychological variables associated with violent behavior. When they completed

their research, they found that five clusters of characteristics had formed. They defined these as,

“non-violent adolescents, adolescents at risk, violence supporters, psychological harassers, and

violent adolescents” (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010, p. 4). They determined that harassers were

most engaged in sports, more violent adolescents participated in sports with body contact, and

non-violent adolescents were involved in individual sports with aesthetic judgments like

gymnastics and diving (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010). Results also revealed that non-violent

adolescents scored highest on general self-concept and relationship to parents, whereas harassers

scored highest on general sport abilities (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010). Given the nature of the

12

study and the resulting groups, no conclusion about whether aggressive sports cause violence can

be drawn; however, there are some interesting correlations to consider.

Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, Watson, and Visek (2010) explored the relationship between

sport identification, and aggression. They studied over 550 athletes hoping to assess relationships

among athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness in competitive athletes and to assess cross-

cultural differences (2010). They found that male athletes participating in contact and collision

sports in the United States and Hong Kong showed positive relationships among athletic identity,

anger, and aggressiveness with differences in variables found with respect to sport type and

culture (Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, Watson, and Visek, 2010). The correlation they found through

the extensive survey given to the athletes is strong between athletes who participate in contact

sports and those who have more aggressive and violent tendencies. This study also showed that

non contact sport participants had far less predisposition to violent behavior.

Mohammad Ali Boostani and Mohammad Hassan Boostani focused on aggression within

athletics studying non-contact, limited contact, and contact sports, as well as non-athletes. They

studied 105 elite athletes and 105 non-athletes in different sport fields through questionnaires

and determined that there was a significant difference in aggression levels within each type of

sport. The contact sport participants reported the highest level of aggressiveness; however, the

non-contact participants were the second highest. The authors believed this suggested that

participating in a limited contact sport allowed participants to release an amount of aggression in

a healthy and safe environment (Boostani, Boostani, 2012).

Each of these studies shows a correlation between contact sports and violence and

aggression outside of sports; however, it still isn’t clear if the sport is actually causing the

aggression and violent tendencies.

13

Methodology

The question of what effect athletics has on violence and aggression on male athletes is

complex and has many factors to the must be considered. The underlying hypothesis is: do

contact sports foster forceful behavior, causing athletes to be more aggressive and violent in their

lives outside of sport? In order to study this, several terms must be defined. The primary focus of

this study is on violence and aggression. Visek et al. define aggression as, “a non-accidental

overt verbal or physical act with the intent to psychologically or physically injure another person

or oneself” (Visek et al., 2010, p. 13). Similarly, violence is defined as behavior involving

physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

Contact sports will be considered any sports that emphasize or require physical contact

between players. Contact sports can be broken down into full contact and limited contact. Full

contact sports include football, wrestling, and hockey where players are required to strike, hit, or

be in contact with other athletes. Limited contact would comprise lacrosse, basketball, and soccer

where contact occurs but isn’t required for the game. Noncontact sports involve competition with

players physically separated and have no physical contact with each other during competition.

Examples of this include tennis, volleyball, swimming, and running sports.

This question will be examined through cross-sectional or survey research. This will

involve taking a cross sectional sample of high school, college, and professional athletes playing

both contact and non contact sports. The sample will consist of athletes at multiple ages and from

different style sports to determine any correlation differences between athletes who have played

the sport longer than others. The target sample will be half contact sports and half non contact

sports, and have equal participants at each age group.

14

The data will be collected through questionnaires and assessed by statistical analysis.

Participants will be selected randomly so findings can be generalized to the wider population.

Stratified random sampling will be used to ensure that an equal number of athletes who play

contact sports and those who play noncontact sports are represented. The ideal sample size for

this research is 180 participants.

The research will be done quantitatively, focusing on whether there is a correlation

between contact sports and violent behavior but not the cause. Therefore the research will be

done through the use of a questionnaire. This can be either a postal questionnaire or an online

questionnaire, as a researcher will not need to be directly involved in the questioning. For this

study an online questionnaire will be used. This questionnaire will consist of closed and open

questions regarding what sport the participant plays, as well as their age and how and why they

became involved in the sport. It will go on to use a semantic differential scale to have the athlete

rate his aggressive or violent feelings by asking situational or hypothetical questions.

This study is consistent and can easily be replicated making it reliable. To replicate the

study one could give the same survey to a new set of participants and yield similar results. The

instrument used in this study is the survey created to assess the aggressive and violent tendencies

of athletes of various ages who participate in both contact and non contact sports. This is reliable

because the study ensured that an appropriate number of athletes did the survey and that there

were equal participants in each category studies.

This study was designed to measure if athletes who participated in contact sports have

more aggressive and violent tendencies outside of sports than athletes who participate in non

contact sports. To collect data, athletes from different sports and at different ages completed a

survey. The survey asked situational questions to measure the violent or aggressive tendencies of

15

the athletes, as well as collecting data on their age and sport participation. If the athletes are

honest with their self-assessments the test will have both face validity, and content validity.

Once the data is collected, inferential statistics will be used to infer relationships between

different sports and aggression and violence. These statistics will be interpreted using parametric

tests to find correlation. If there is a positive correlation between contact sports and aggressive or

violent behaviors then the hypothesis will be proven true.

Anticipated Findings

The expected result of the study is to find a greater correlation between contact sports and

aggressive behavior, and lesser correlation between non contact sports and violence and

aggression. It is anticipated that the statistical analysis will reveal that athletes who participate in

contact sports report higher levels or aggression, and violence outside of sport than athletes who

play noncontact sports. In similar studies results have showed that athletes who play contact

sports were found to experience more self-reported anger and aggressiveness than non contact

sport athletes (Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, Watson, & Visek, 2010). In Collichio’s (2000) study of

collegiate male athletes, he discovered, males who participate on contact sport teams have a

greater behavioral disposition for violence against women than non-athletes and those who

participate in noncontact sports. When an athlete is exposed to or rewarded for aggressive and

violent behavior on the field every day, it is natural for those characteristics to translate into life

outside of sport.

This study serves as a base understanding of the relationship between violence and sports.

While it is anticipated that there will be a correlation between violence and contact sports, the

cause of the connection is more ambiguous. The results gained from this study may serve as a

beginning to a new stage of research to determine why the correlation exists and what coaches

16

and parents can do to control it. With the increasing number of violent acts within athletics and

the current spotlight on abuse, coaches, parents and other personnel should be aware of the

connection between sports and violence. This awareness may lead to a better understanding of

the athletes, and greater control over violent behavior.

Professional Implications

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between contact sports

and violent and aggressive tendencies outside of athletics. Understanding this correlation is the

first step to addressing the growing concern on violence and aggression in athletes. The hope is

that necessary interventions may be done proactively rather than reactively as a result of this

information.

Although a correlation is anticipated from this study, varying results may prove that there

are other factors contributing to violent tendencies than ones athletic identity. Further research on

the underlying cause of aggressive and violent predispositions in contact sport and noncontact

sport athletes will provide more insight to the issue. Hopefully, by understanding the relationship

and cause between violence and sports, more can be done to prevent unnecessary violence.

17

Chapter IV

Ethics and Sportsmanship

There is a need for ethics and sportsmanship in athletic competition. It is evident that

society places great value on competition and those who coach and play serve as role models for

those who aspire to be athletes themselves. However, today athletics, athletes, and athletic

competition fail to consistently provide examples of ethical behavior and good sportsmanship.

There are constant reminders in athletics both professionally and often personally, of unethical

behavior and lack of sportsmanship, so much so that parents may question if this is the best

environment for young people. Potgieter (2013) stated,

Sport has been advocated as a builder of character throughout history from the earliest

writings of Plato to contemporary declarations of educators, administrators and

politicians. This popular belief has not been challenged often, but the current prevalence

of cheating and corruption in sport has highlighted valid questions about the contribution

of sport to moral and ethical development. (Potgieter, 2013, p. 154)

These questions are valid when considering the future impact of athletics within society.

People should not accept poor behavior because it is so common.

So many of the poor behaviors that occur are thought to be ‘part of the game,’ emanating

from a logical attempt to gain an advantage…Many players feel that “it’s only cheating if

18

I get caught.” Teaching and demonstrating that your athletes make the correct behavioral

choice is the sole responsibility of the coach. (Brown, 2003, p. 78-79)

The need for ethics and sportsmanship in athletics is clear and it should be expected at all level

of sport.

Ethical Dilemma

An example of an ethical dilemma took place when Coach L, a college tennis coach,

continued to alter his line up during the conference tournament after telling his Athletic Director

that he would stop making changes during the season resulting in disqualification from the

conference tournament when it was discovered that he continued to do so. NCAA and ITA rules

state that a team must play its best player at number one, the second best at number two and so

on. A coach cannot move a player more than one spot in their line up in each match. A coach

also cannot remove a player from his line up for a match and replace him higher in the lineup for

the next match.

His athletic director first questioned Coach L about his line up after a match with a

conference rival. Coach L had switched his number one and two players, as well as his number

four and five players. The opposing team complained to their Athletic Director that this was a

tactic to ensure wins at certain positions. The two AD’s spoke to each other and then Coach L

met with his AD to discuss this match. Coach L verbally agreed to submit a fair and consistent

line up for the rest of the season. During the next match, Coach L made several more changes to

his line up but it remained consistent for the remainder of the regular season. During the first

match of the conference tournament Coach L removed his number two player from the line up

and switched his number three and five. During the second match he put his former number two

at the top of the line up and moved everyone else down.

19

After this match the conference tennis chair disqualified Coach L and his team from the

tournament for violating ITA and NCAA rules while on probation for his actions earlier in the

season.

Options and Choices for Those Directly Involved

There are options and choices for behavior and actions that may be taken by those

directly involved in the dilemma. The individuals or groups directly involved include Coach L,

the Athletic Director, the players on the team, and the conference chair.

The conference chair could have outlined the consequences of tampering with a line up

before the tournament, additionally he could have directly warned Coach L. He also could have

directed the other teams to play on regardless of Coach L’s line up. He could have worked with

the athletic directors in the conference to come up with a plan to address any cheating at the

tournament and ensure that everyone was in agreement. The conference chair could also make

Coach L use his original line up for the match.

Coach L’s Athletic Director could have outlined the consequences for Coach L if he

continued to change his lineup. He could have put something in writing stating that Coach L was

on probation and there would be consequences if he continued his behavior. He could have

explained why Coach L needed to stop altering his line up and why it wasn’t in the best interest

of his program and the athletic department. The Athletic Director could have also fired Coach L

for continuing his behavior when asked to stop.

The players on the team could have asked Coach L to keep a consistent line up. They

could have explained that he wasn’t helping the team by making changes and they prefer to

compete with a team straight up, rather than trying to gain an advantage by making unfair

changes. They could have refused to play unless they were in their rightful spots. They also

20

could have communicated their beliefs with the Athletic Director and made it clear that what

Coach L was doing is unfair. The players could have insisted on playing challenge matches and

respecting their outcomes. The players can also leave the team for next year; they can insist on

playing for a fair coach and request a release from the team.

Coach L could have consulted with other coaches or his players about what they thought

of his lineups or even appointed his assistant coach to submit the lineup. He could have accepted

that he can’t always make a change that will ensure a win. He could have had his team play

challenge matches against each other and respect those outcomes when constructing the lineup.

He could have continued to use the same line up from the beginning of the season or stop making

changes after other coaches began to complain. Also, he could have apologized to his team,

athletic director, and the other coaches in the conference for continuing to change his lineup.

Options and Choices for Those Indirectly Involved

There are options and choices for behavior and actions that can be taken by those

indirectly involved in the dilemma. The individuals or groups indirectly involved include the

other teams in the region and nation, other athletics with line ups such as golf or bowling, other

coaches and teams in the athletic department, other athletic directors in the conference and

region, alumni and donors, prospective student athletes, athletes parents, the tennis community

and the other players and coaches in the conference. The other players and coaches in the

conference could have ignored Coach L’s lineup changes and competed against the team he put

forward without complaint. They could have approached Coach L directly about the situation

rather than handling it through their athletic directors. They also could have gone straight to the

NCAA or ITA to report Coach L. Another option would be to alter their lineups to match Coach

L’s or they could refuse to play the team with that line up. The other college teams can express

21

their opinions to the Athletic Directors in Coach L’s conference, and the conference chair on

lineup consistency. They can come up with a plan on how to address a similar situation within

their conference.

Other programs that use lineups in competition can share their decision making when

putting a line up together. They can offer support to Coach L and help him to understand that he

can’t always control the outcome of a team match. They can also share their opinions on how to

handle the matter with their Athletic Director or people involved with running the conference

championships. Other coaches in the department can also share their opinions on cheating or

other situations that come up in their sport. They can reflect with Coach L on how important

winning is and how to look after the well-being of his players and to respect the integrity of the

sport. They could also turn their back and condone him for trying to manipulate the game and

causing a bad reputation for the university.

Other Athletic Directors in the region and conference need to have a plan in place for

how to handle this type of situation if it happens at their university or if it happens within their

conference. They can also condone Coach L’s AD for how he handled the situation. Another

route would be to consult with Coach L and or his AD to come up with a plan and a protocol to

avoid this in the future or a procedure for how to handle it next time something like this may

occur.

Alumni and donors may choose to stop sending money or support to this program

because they are considered cheaters and ruined the chances of a conference championship.

Athlete’s parents and community members can take on a similar role, or they can become more

involved with the program. They can schedule a meeting with Coach L and confront him about

his decision-making. They can help him to understand why what he did was unethical and how

22

he should handle the situation next time. They can create a system that ensures fair lineups

through communication and tracking player progress. Prospective players on the team can

choose to sign else ware because the coach doesn’t show high ethical standards. They could also

choose to sign with the team because the coach will do almost anything to win.

Social, Emotional, Physical, Academic and Spiritual Considerations

This dilemma may be analyzed with respect to five considerations: social, emotional,

physical, academic and spiritual. In this circumstance, the actions of the coach affected numerous

individuals and changed the outcome of the playing season. Coach L’s decisions directly

impacted, not only his entire team, but everyone his team competed against. Other coaches at his

university, his Athletic Director, boosters and alumni, prospective student athletes, and the

conference chair in charge of collegiate tennis were also affected. This impact tested each of

these individuals both ethically and morally as this dilemma unfolded.

The social considerations impact those directly involved, as well as those close to the

situation. One pressing concern in this scenario is the reputation of Coach L, his actions could

severally damage his standing both within his own athletic department, as well as with other

coaches he will compete against. This can result in teams outside of the conference being

unwilling to play them, as well as reduced support from his Athletic Director, or other personnel

within his athletic department.

Coach L’s decisions could also damage the relationships between him and his players. If

a coach is changing his line up just to try to win a match, it sends mixed messages to his players.

They may feel that they don’t have individual value and that he doesn’t care for each of them.

This will likely affect team chemistry. The players might grow to resent each other as a result of

23

competing for a spot they haven’t earned. They may also resent the coach for making unjustified

changes to the lineup this could lead to a lack of trust within the entire program.

Coach L’s impaired reputation could also have a social affect on booster and alumni as

well as prospective student athletes. Boosters and Alumni may have supported Coach L’s

decision to try to put forth the best line up to win, they may chose to continue to support Coach L

as he tries to find any way to win. On the other hand, they may also resent his decision making

and view his actions as unfair and unethical. In this case they may pull their support or distance

themselves from Coach L and his program. Prospective student athletes also must determine how

they feel about Coach L’s actions. They may want to play for a coach who would go to such

extremes to win a match. They could see it as an opportunity to play in a spot they haven’t

earned, or they may resent his decision making. Athletes may chose to attend a different

university as a result of this controversy, which would affect them, Coach L’s team, and the

other school they chose to attend.

The emotional factors in this situation extend from Coach L and his athletic department

to his players and the teams he competed against. Coach L may have been frustrated with how

his team was performing so stacking his team was his solution. He could have also felt guilty for

ruining the teams’ chances at winning the playoffs, all because he was trying to ensure them a

victory. In this case the frustration likely continued when he didn’t get the results he wanted and

had to face negative repercussions of his decisions. This frustration likely extended to the

Athletic Director as well as the other teams. The AD would be aggravated when Coach L

continued to change his lineup after they discussed the need for a consistency. Other coaches and

players may feel like they are being cheated when playing against an unfair line up. They may

feel that it is unfair that they have to play against a stacked team, rather than competing

24

genuinely to see who the better team is. Finally the players on the team could be emotionally

impacted by Coach L’s decisions. In this circumstance it would be very easy for the players to

lose trust in their coach. A coach who only cares about winning may damage the self-esteem of

his players. They could become confused about their place on the team and begin to doubt their

self worth. This situation would likely be very frustrating for the people involved but it could

have lasting effects on the emotional state of each individual.

This emotional stress on the players could easily impact their academic success by adding

anxiety and pressure to their studies. Players who are concerned or frustrated with how their

coach is determining their spot on the team may be distracted from their studies. This type of

distraction could undermine the academic performance of any athletes involved. Physical

implications may occur on Coach L’s team if he places one of his players against a stronger or

better player. The opposite could be true if Coach L put one of his best players against a weaker

player on the other team.

The spiritual implications in this case involve principles of sports ethics and fair play.

Coach L decided that he would try stacking his line up to try to win more matches. While the

NCAA rules clearly state that this is a violation, he did so anyway resulting in an unfair

advantage. Coach L tried to take the easy route to try to ensure a win for his team. This is both

unfair and unethical and it sends the wrong message to his athletes. Good character must be

taught through example:

You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing,

do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?

You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by

25

breaking the law. For as it is written, The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles

because of you. (1 Romans 2:21-24, New International Version)

Coach L may want his athletes to have good character but he does not show this himself and

therefore cannot expect his athletes to be fair and ethical.

Precedents for the Future

Actions taken and choices made in this dilemma will set precedents for the future. The

fact that Coach L was able to continue to change his line up all the way until the conference

championship opens a door for other coaches to try to same tactics to ensure wins. Opposing

coaches may try to change their line up to match up better with Coach L’s or they may try to

stack their line up to favor them in future matches. Should this type of behavior occur again in

the future, a procedure should be enacted to prevent the situation from escalading. Coaches and

Athletic Directors should understand the consequences for manipulating a line up to try to gain

an advantage. There should be a clear procedure for disputes in a line up and a warning system

for when this occurs. After Coach L’s team was disqualified, other coaches may be reluctant to

try the same tactics for a fear of being disqualified. This event may send a message to other

tennis coaches not to tamper with line-ups because the results would be devastating to the

players and the program. Either situation would result in fewer disputes over line-ups, which

would be a positive change in the college tennis system.

Ethical Considerations

In order to make good choices and decisions an ethical standard is needed. “Shortcuts

never pay off in the long run. It may be possible to fool people for a season but in the long run

their deeds will catch up with them because the trust does come out” (Maxwell, 2003, p. 11-12).

In this example Coach L tries to take a short cut to ensure his team a win however this ethical

26

standard does not follow a successful path. What is fair or true will come forth in the long run.

That is what happened to Coach L and his team. A good coach should think about what would be

good for the future of his team. They should focus on developing his players to be able to win at

the position they should play rather than placing them where they don’t belong.

Implications for the Coach and Discussion

The role of a coach is to provide his players with opportunities to be successful within

their sport as well as outside of it. In this scenario the coaches’ role was simply to try to win as

many matches as he could. He did not focus on the well-being of his players, but rather fixated

only on how his team could get a win. A coach cannot simply preach good character, it must be

taught through example. When the players see Coach L trying to take the easy route to win, they

will believe that they can do the same. They will not want to work hard, but rather they will think

there is an easier way to get something done. Coach L should be setting a different example, one

of strong moral character and teach the value of hard work, rather than undermining it.

Although Coach L’s actions ultimately resulted in the disqualification of his team, it

should never have gotten to that point. Once the Athletic director was made aware of the

situation he should have had a more serious discussion with Coach L. They should have gone

over why his actions were wrong and why he shouldn’t try to win at all costs. There should have

been clear consequences for continuing to essentially cheat and an emphasis should have been

placed on the effect the coaches actions were having on his players and on the other teams. A

good coach needs to understand the impact they have on their players and take it very seriously.

Coach L should not have tried to change his line up, but he also shouldn’t have had the

opportunity to continue without consequences as long as he did.

Code of Ethics

27

The standard for ethical decisions in athletics and competition are often found in a code

of ethics.

Engaging in sporting practices inevitably require us to be pre-occupied with

central principles such as fairness (and therefore justice), our encounters with

notions of 'fair play' and of a 'level playing field' provide practical examples of

where sport and the moral inherently coexist. The coach plays a central role in

influencing the moral terrain within contemporary sports practices. The coaching

session, the training field, the changing room, the game, are all environments

where children (and older athletes), alongside the presence of the. coach, develop

and test the moral dimensions of their evolving characters. (Hardman, 2010, p.

345)

A code of ethics determines what morals and behaviors will represent the team as a

whole. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s code of ethics highlights values like respecting

colleagues, adhering to the governing rules, and putting the welfare of student athletes first while

encouraging them to exhibit good sportsmanship. These ideals must begin with a coach. The role

of the coach is to set the tone and the standard of behavior for everyone involved in the program.

The coach does this anytime they are representing their team, even if it is unintentional. Coaches

must “Be a model of the behavior you are asking (the team) to exemplify. If they respect you as a

coach, the players will be more likely to take on your characteristics” (Brown, 2003, p. 26).

28

Chapter V

Legal Aspects and Considerations

A coach holds a great deal of responsibility when dealing with young athletes. Coaches

have inherent duties to provide a standard of care to the players they train. This is important

both morally and legally to a coach’s career. A coach is entrusted with the health and safety of

their players. Many coaches will place their player’s safety and wellbeing as a top priority.

Coaches need to ensure that they are adhering to legal aspects of their sport, and providing a high

standard of care to the athletes they work with.

There are fourteen duties that sports coaches or administrators should fulfill in order to

ensure the safety of athletes, coaches, and spectators. These Fourteen Legal Duties are outlined

and described in Appendix F. The broadest duty that a coach must fulfill is the duty to plan. This

is extensive and covers almost every aspect of a coach’s job. A coach of a major college program

has to consistently be planning for the future, from the upcoming matches, to preparing the

players, to making sure the players best interests are being met. A lot goes into planning a tennis

season at Metro State University of Denver. Coaches have a big impact on the lives of their

players and they need to be sure that efficient planning is put into every situation to ensure that

each player is consistently in a safe environment.

This planning starts before the players even commit to the team. Before a player can try

out for the team, they are required to submit a physical showing that they are fit to play, and sign

a tryout waiver. Once the athlete is on the team, specific insurance is required that covers injuries

29

sustained during the course of the season. Coaches verify that players have proper insurance,

medical screening, and proper injury prevention methods and injury care are provided.

Another important aspect of planning for a college team is putting together a competition

schedule and all of the travel requirements for the season. Coaches must ensure that they players

have safe transportation to and from away matches. They must make sure that players have a

safe place to stay, that they receive meals and other forms of care when traveling for

competition.

Coaches must also plan practices, they must make sure that athletes are competing in the

safest possible environment and that they are properly prepared to compete. If injury occurs

because practices aren’t planned properly, the coach will be liable.

In his scholarly article on the required Fourteen Legal Duties of Care, Janis K. Doleschal

comments on the importance of planning and instructing properly, “During the planning process,

coaches should be researching successful lead-up techniques that can be used for their sport and

adapting them, if necessary, to meet the needs of individual athletes” (Doleschal, 2006, p. 313).

A second duty that is required for a college coach is the duty to instruct properly. Doleschal

(2006) has argued that “The duty to instruct properly includes the elements of progression,

complexity, athlete readiness, and safety” (Doleschal, 2006, p. 312). Coaches have to do what is

best for their players. In order to do this they need to understand the needs, wants, abilities, limits

of their players. Over the course of a season, a coach should develop his or her players to give

them a competitive advantage. This should start with developing fundamental skills and

consistency and progress into tactical and more complex skills. A coach should ensure that a

player had good technique that will not break down, or cause injury over the course of the

season.

30

At Metro State there is a sequence and training regime to ensure that athletes are

instructed properly. This can be subtly changed or altered to each individual player, but generally

the instruction and player development follows a structured path. This plan is developed before

the season begins, it is established through knowledge of what has worked in years past, and

what is best for the current players. It can be difficult to know for certain what the best course for

the team will be but it is learned through experience and trial and error.

By being aware of these duties and taking measures to fulfill them, coaches are protecting

their players from unnecessary risk and themselves from legal liabilities. It is very important for

coaches to be aware of each of these duties to best serve their players and their program.

Coaches must also be prepared for foreseeable risk. Foreseeable risk is a danger which a

reasonable person should anticipate as the result from his/her actions. Coaches need to carefully

think through risks associated with their sport, and have a plan to address foreseeable events that

can occur. “The key to fore-see-ability is foresight and the reasonable, prudent professional must

be able to anticipate or foresee dangers or risks faced by the participant” (Cotton, Wolohan,

2013, p. 242). A risk management plan for a college tennis team is included in Appendix E.

31

Chapter VI

Program Development

Athletics are altogether about the people involved. A successful athletic program is about

providing opportunities for accomplishment in different aspects of a student athlete’s life. A

successful team will not just find triumph in competition, but also in academics, and within the

community as well as through personal character development. Through these facets the young

athletes involved will discover how to be successful on and off the court, translating to valuable

life skills.

The goal of any coach should be to develop a program that allows for athletes to become

well-rounded individuals and be held accountable to high standards of academic performance,

integrity and self-efficacy. An atmosphere must be developed in which education, competition,

personal improvement, and team successes are combined in a positive, constructive, and

disciplined manner. In order to create this type of team culture and atmosphere a coach needs to

be thoughtful and organized when planning, and communicating with others. He also need to put

together efficient and productive team practices, have clear and thought out coaching behaviors

and styles and develop a good working relationship with their coaching staff. Coaches also need

to consider the growth and well being of their athletes, and strive for character development.

Finally they need to ensure they are utilizing fundraising events and boosters while developing

good relationships with those surrounding the program and use ethical recruiting practices.

Organization

32

Within a college program it is critical that a coach has strong organizational skills. A big

part of the job is done in the office and covers a range of responsibilities such as recruiting,

fundraising, budgeting, scheduling, and trip planning to name a few. When coaches are

organized, they can expect their players to do the same. It is critical for players to understand the

expectations of the coach and be on the same page. One way a coach can exhume their

expectations is to hold a team meeting and distribute a player handbook. A lot can be

accomplished within the first team meeting; it will set a tone for the season and allow the players

and coaches to start on the same page. During this meeting the team handbook should be

distributed, reviewed, and signed by the players stating that they agree to the rules, and

expectations stated. An example of a team handbook can be found in Appendix G.

Developing and distribution a handbook is the first step in having good communication

with student athletes. The first thing a coach needs to communicate with the players is the goals,

rules, and expectations on the team. This is the first step a coach will take to achieve buy in from

their players; this aspect is critical for the success of the team. Players need to understand the

goals of the program and ensure that all of their actions are moving toward achieving the goals of

the program. It is also important for players to set their own goals, both for their personal

ambitions, and also for team accomplishments. This goal setting program is based on Eva V.

Monsma’s findings that she published in an article for the association of Applied Sports

Psychology. At the beginning of each semester every player will write down three individual

goals, and three team goals. This allows the coaching staff to understand what the players aspire

to and also to hold them accountable throughout the season (Monsma, 2007).

Before the season a coach should also clearly communicate the rules they have for the

team. This ensures that each of the players understands the behavioral expectation placed on

33

them. It is important for the athletes to understand that he or she is held to a higher standard and

they must follow the rules put in place from many different departments. First they need to

follow NCAA rules, as well as institution rules, athletic department rules, and finally team rules.

A coach should also convey clear expectation for the team. This can include broad themes, such

as discipline, preparation, focus, and timeliness but there should be a clear discussion about what

the expectations are and examples of each.

It is also important for players to understand the support they have surrounding them

within the athletic department. Players should know their administrators, the trainers, and the

strength and conditioning coaches. Within a college athletic department there are often several

administrators dedicated to helping student athletes to be successful in different areas. For

example there is often an administrator dedicated to student services meaning they assist them

with classroom issues, class registration, and academic advising specifically for student athletes.

There is also a compliance director in every athletic department who works with coaches and

athletes to ensure that the players remain eligible for practices and competition. Another example

of support for student athletes is a sports information director who manages websites, student

athletic pages, biographies, and often social media pages. There are countless other support

systems for student athletes within an athletic department, such as assistant athletic directors,

marketing directors, business managers, and of course the athletic director, in addition to athletic

trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches. It is important for student athletes to get to know

these people who can help them have a successful athletic experience during college. Players

should make a point of introducing themselves to these people when they see them in the offices,

and out at athletic events.

Players have an easier time getting to know the athletic trainers and strength and

34

conditioning coaches since they often work directly with them on a day-to-day basis. It is

important for coaches and players to have a good relationship with these departments. Players

and coaches need to have excellent communication with the athletic trainers so they can help the

players and teams to the best of their ability. Trainers need to know each player and what issues

or injuries they have. It is critical to have good communication between the trainers and the

coaches so that everyone remains on the same page.

It is also important for coaches and strength and conditioning coaches to have open

communication. Coaches should have input on how the athletes are training off the court. It is

vital for the strength and conditioning coaches and the head coach to have the same end goal and

ensure that the players are working to achieve improved on-court performance, as well as injury

prevention and rehabilitation exercises if needed. Coaches and athletic trainers should also use

the same terminology.

Team Practice

Practices will always have a theme or general goal. These will change depending on what

part of the season it is. Throughout one calendar year there will be four phases of practice. The

first phase is in the fall when school begins and the players can begin training. During this

period, practices times are generally limited by the NCAA however this time is about training

with live ball drills, and doing a lot of point play. From the beginning of the fall season to the

first match there is little time to establish the line up and doubles pairings so there is also a lot of

doubles play, and singles sets to establish the line up and prepare to compete. The fall is the non-

championship season for tennis, meaning teams compete in tournaments and matches but do not

play a full season or compete in a championship as the main championship season takes place in

the spring. The fall season lasts about two months with four weeks of match play.

35

After the fall season, practices focus on individual training. Often players will train one

or two at a time and focus on technical and tactical development. During this training phase

players can work on deficiencies within their game and make large-scale improvements either to

their strokes or to their style of play. Each player gets a lot of hands on coaching from the

coaching staff.

When the fall season ends the players enter their offseason until mid January. In January

the spring season begins and the players can train more often during the week. This begins the

indoor practice phase. Coaches book practice times indoors in January and February so players

can train when the weather is too cold to be outside. During this time the number of courts

available determines the type of training done. The focus is back on tactile training and trying to

get ready to compete. Players will do a lot of doubles drills and fed drills that push the players to

execute the shots they trained in the fall. In March the team is competing almost every weekend

and sometimes during the week. During this time coaches are assessing the match performances

and addressing the needs of the team and work on specific situations that are occurring during

the matches. This phase of training is almost all live ball and no feeding drills.

The fourth phase of training is after the spring season ends and school is completed.

During the summer there is volunteer based training twice a day. This is where players can make

the biggest developmental strides in their games. The coaches will be available each morning for

drills and each afternoon for supervised match play. During the summer, players will also be

given a strength and conditioning program that they should do to keep their physical fitness up

for the next season.

The expectation on the team is for the players to arrive 15 minutes early to each team

function. This time is used for the warm up. Practice begins at the designated start time and

36

players are expected to be fully ready to play at that time. The warm up is a dynamic progression

that prepares the players for practice by establishing functional flexibility, balance, coordination,

and blood flow. The warm up begins with a four lap jog around two courts, during this jog the

players warm up their legs by doing different movements. The first is a complete jog, the second

lap, the team will do high knees and butt kicks along the long edge of the court. The third lap,

they will do high skips and carioca. The final lap, they shuffle along either side of the court. Next

they move into dynamic stretches. They do a move down a full court and then run through the

next court. They do walking lunges, walking toe touches, hip hurdles, and knee to chest, and

walking quad stretches. The final part of the warm up is quick line jumps, followed by a sprint.

They do this four times. Once all this is done they start rallying from the service line, they will

then back up to the baseline and go through hitting all their shots to complete the warm up.

After the warm up the team will gather and the coaches will discuss the theme or goal of

the days’ practice. They will explain the first drill and the players will begin practice. This

should not take more than five minutes. Depending on the purpose of the drill there will not be

much technical instruction.

There are three types of drills that may be used during a team practice, a cooperative drill,

a fed drill, or a competitive drill. Examples of cooperative drills include making 20 balls deep

and cross-court during a rally. The players will rally a ball cross court and keep track of how

many they make in the space they are aiming for. During this drill no one is trying to win the

point but rather they just keep the ball in play to one another. Another cooperative drill is done

where one player is hitting to one space on the court and the other player is hitting from side to

side. This is done so one player can practice playing offense and running their opponent while

the other player had to play defense and control the ball. For this drill the players must make 15

37

balls to their target in less than one minute.

A fed ball drill is when a coach feeds a ball into the court and the player is trying to

execute a specific shot. Examples of this include feeding an approach shot, followed by a volley,

followed by an overhead. The player has to hit their shots from corner to corner to corner to

practice moving their opponents around. Another fed ball drill is feeding the players very hard

side to side so they are on the run to every ball and they have to get ten balls back in a row cross

court with topspin. Another fed drill is having the players hit a ball to one side of the court, then

to the other side and then running in and taking a volley into the open court.

Finally competitive drills are used to simulate match play. These can be done with the

players starting the point with a groundstroke or with a serve. Sometimes players will play points

with no additional rules; however, most of the time coaches will add a rule to work on a specific

tactic. For example, players may only be able to hit down the line if they are in front of the

baseline and cross-court if they are behind the baseline. Sometimes a player can only hit a

backhand if it is on the outer third of the court but otherwise they have to hit a forehand. Coaches

can also set up a box in the middle of the court that players cannot hit. This encourages players to

hit the ball with depth and outside of the middle of the court. An example of a practice plan is

included in Appendix G.

Generally, practice will end with a meeting in the locker room. This is a chance to recap

practice, to go over any tactic or strategy, and also to make announcements regarding the team.

For example, this time can be used to draw out a doubles play or tactic that we might try to use.

Coaches can go over positioning or singles strategy points using the white board. Another

example would be making announcements that the team needs to hear regarding classes,

registration, travel plans or other things that come up during a season. This is a good time to get

38

everyone in a room together and be sure that everyone is on the same page, even if it is only for a

few minutes each week.

Players will have separate strength and conditioning practices. During the season these

will take place in the mornings four days a week with conditioning on Monday and Wednesday

and strength training on Tuesday and Thursday. Training will differ depending upon what part of

the season it is. Different conditions will require different training. During the preseason the

objective is to bring athletes to peak conditioning and strength. This will be accomplished

through high intensity workouts and conditioning twice a week. During the season the goal is to

maintain or improve gains made in the preseason. The goal is to do this through high intensity on

court training and less intense conditioning sessions that focus more on balance and agility. After

the season the objective is to recover and maintain fitness in preparation for preseason.

During the off-season players need to become stronger and more importantly keep their

conditioning level up. This is a chance to make gains and keep or improve the speed and agility

acquired during the season. Players will strength train 4 days a week, with a different focus each

day. They will have three rest days from strength training each week. Players will do speed or

agility 4 days a week. This is to ensure peak condition, speed, and footwork for the season. The

drills will reflect tennis movements. Players will have two rest days per week.

This preseason plan is based on the NCAA rules for preseason training. Programs are

allowed 2 hours of on court training and 8 hours of strength or conditioning training or meetings.

Players must also have two days off per week. Players will either do strength or speed and agility

work during the week and have weekends off.

During the season players will continue to do strength training on Tuesdays and

Thursdays. They will focus on explosive movements with the legs, core work, and shoulder

39

strengthening exercises to prevent injury. Players will do speed and agility training on

Wednesday and Friday mornings. They will not do this on Fridays if we have matches over the

weekend so once the competition starts we will only be conditioning once per week. Players will

have Monday off from off court training to ensure recovery from weekend matches.

Players are each given the following hydration and nutrition plan, based on the studies of

Professor Ron Maughan and Professor Louise Burke while working for the Nutrition Working

Group of the International Olympic Committee. In their work titled Nutrition for Athletes they

break down the science of nutrition for athletic performance. The guidelines included are derived

from the Olympic committee’s recommendations.

General Hydration

Fluid balance is essential for on court performance. Hydration affects cardiovascular

function, body temperature regulation, injury prevention, and recovery. An athlete who loses two

percent of their weight in water will see decrease in performance and symptoms like increased

heart rate, fatigue, and decease in sustained attention (Maughan, Burke, 2012)

General Guidelines

Players should drink 20 ounces of fluid 1 hour before practice.

Players should drink 14 to 40 ounces of fluid during practice.

After practice players should drink 24 ounces of fluid for each pound lost during exercise

During practice and matches players also lose electrolytes they should be replacing.

Players should drink Gatorade or Pedialyte to replace lost electrolytes and avoid cramps.

General Eating Guidelines

It is extremely important for athletes to understand the importance of proper nutrition as

diet can play a huge part in determining the level of an athlete’s performance. Intensive exercise

40

burns off a large number of calories and the body must be constantly refueled to enable it to

continue working effectively and efficiently. Eating a range of foods from different food groups

will ensure an athlete gets all the essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins they need to maintain

a good level of general health as well contributing to producing an effective performance.

Ideally, meals should contain a mixture of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fruits and vegetables

(Maughan, Burke, 2012).

Carbohydrates

Most athletes eat a carbohydrate-rich diet as this helps to keep them fueled; complex

carbohydrates release energy slowly, which enables the body to keep working for longer periods

of time. Examples of foods with a high content of complex carbohydrates include pasta, rice,

bread and cereals (Maughan, Burke, 2012).

Proteins

Proteins are essential for muscle growth and repair and are therefore an important part of

an athlete’s diet. Examples of protein-rich foods include meat, fish and eggs.

Fats

Fats are an essential element of a balanced diet and are needed to transport and absorb

vitamins and minerals. The intake of fats should be moderated, especially saturated fats, which

can build up in the arteries and contribute to serious health issues including heart disease. Foods

that are high in ‘good’ fats include avocadoes, nuts and oily fish (Maughan, Burke, 2012).

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain a huge range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, which are

essential for the successful completion of several daily activities as well as increasing the

efficacy of the immune system which increases resistance to illness and infection. It is important

41

to try and eat a range of fruits and vegetables as this will ensure all the necessary vitamins and

minerals are consumed. A suggest shopping list is included in Appendix G.

Eating Around Competition

Eating before Competition

What an athlete puts into his or her body before a match is just as important as everything

else done to prepare for competition. One of the most important reasons for eating well before an

event is to prevent low blood sugar and its’ symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, fatigue, muscle

weakness, and blurred vision. Proper nutrition also prepares your muscles for the physical

exertion ahead. One important thing to remember in designing a pre-match meal is to stick with

foods that your body is familiar with. Suggestions for pre-match meals are included in Appendix

G.

Eating after Competition

After the match or practice, nutrition becomes crucial for recovering from energy

depletion. Glycogen stores can take 24-48 hours to refill; therefore, it is important to start

replenishing carbohydrates immediately following exercise to accelerate the recovery process.

Within the first 30 minutes after the match: eat a large snack or medium portion dinner with

2 parts carbohydrates, 1 part protein, and sports drink. A carbohydrate/protein energy bar or

pasta/rice, lean meat, and a vegetable would be appropriate at this time (Maughan, Burke, 2012).

Within 2-3 hours after the match: eat a well balanced meal including a variety of

carbohydrate sources, a protein portion, and plenty of fluids. A pasta/rice based meal with lean

meat and vegetables with several glasses of fluid make an ideal post-match meal.

Supplementation Response

42

Coaches and athletic trainers must approve any supplements taken by athletes. Athletes

are responsible for ensuring they are not taking anything that is banned by the NCAA.

If athletes wish to add extra protein or calories to their diet supplements can be very

useful however athletes should focus on getting most of their nutrition from their diet.

Coaching Behaviors

A coach must first ensure that the practices are going the way they envision for their team

as this is the foundation for athletic development and the culture on the team. They need to be

able to communicate the practice expectations with the players at the beginning of each practice.

They must also be able to effectively communicate with the team both in close proximity, and

from across the courts. This ensures that practices will be efficient and the players will

understand what is expected of them. This will translate to efficient and productive practices and

result in improved match performances.

Coaches need to take steps to make sure that the players are motivated and focused

during each practice session. This requires that players are challenged, doing drills that are

realistic for their skill set, and that are appropriate for their development.

Clear communication is essential to having a good practice session. This begins with

motivating the players and covers everything from explaining drills, explaining goals, concepts,

and purpose for the drills. Before practice begins the coach should bring everyone together and

discuss the practice. They may only explain the first drill or they may cover the entire practice in

that initial team huddle. On a tennis team there are fewer number of players so it is fairly easy to

get everybody together and have discussion. After the initial team gathering the players will go

and execute the drill they are working on. If a coach needs to communicate with a player at this

time, they can walk up and talk to them one on one briefly. If a coach needs to communicate

43

with the entire team at this point they have three options. They can yell out to all the courts while

the players are doing the drill. They can have everyone stop what they are doing, yell out to the

courts and then the players can resume. Or finally they can have all of the players come in and

have another discussion with the entire team. A coach must determine the appropriate form of

communication depending on the situation. If they have a quick instruction they can shout it,

however if the players are missing an important concept the coach should bring them all together

to discuss the drill or to motivate the team. A coach should avoid stopping the practice too often

so the players can get into a rhythm and aren’t constantly stopping and starting a drill.

When coaching at the college level, each player has a similar skill sets and ability,

however coaches must address each player individually. In tennis, it quickly becomes clear who

the strongest players are and who are the weakest. The players are constantly competing with

each other for a spot in the lineup and each match in this line up is put on display for everyone to

see. Coaches must be sensitive to each player’s position and ensure that each player understands

their importance and value on the team. Coaches should be inclusive of all players and ensure

that they are not treat players who are lower in the line up like they are not important. They can

do this by having each player doing the same drills and mixing up who is playing together.

Coaches need to see what skills need to be addressed and adjust accordingly. If the

players begin a drill that is not going well, the coach should change or adjust the drill to improve

it. In practice, a drill can become too slow or low energy; this is when a coach can change the

drill to increase the energy and excitement at practice. This can be a good tactic to keep the focus

and productivity at practice high. A coach should not be stubborn in continuing a drill that is not

productive for the team.

Growth and Well-Being of Athletes

44

A coach’s first priority should be on the wellbeing of their athletes, they must always

prioritize this above all else including winning and any other impacts on the team. They must

show this in their actions; they must make it clear to the players and everyone who is involved in

the program and athletic department. It is important that a coach has open communication with

the team so they know what is going on with the players. If a coach needs to step in and help a

player they should do so. Coaches should have an awareness of each player’s mental, emotional,

physical, psychological, and social state. This connection will allow the coach to know what a

player needs and provide support to encourage the well being of each athlete.

A coach can hold their players to a high standard but they must have clear expectations.

The team goals can be the cornerstone to the expectations on the team. For example there should

be a goal regarding academic performance, community engagement, and athletic achievement.

These goals should translate to expectations such as preparedness, discipline, determination,

focus, and engagement. Players need to understand that they are expected to be prepared each

day for practice, and each day in the classroom. They are expected to do their homework

assignments on time and study for tests and quizzes.

Student athletes also need to show discipline in their decision making on and off the

court. On court, students are expected to play high percentage, thoughtful tennis. Off court, they

need to be making smart decisions about what they are doing in their free time. These decisions

include whom they are surrounding themselves with, and what they are involved in. Athletes are

expected to make decisions that reflect well on the program, and avoiding things that would get

them into trouble like drinking or drugs or other poor decisions.

A coach should instill the expectation of determination and focus in each on court

performance and training. This should translate to other aspects of the athlete’s lives and prove

45

as valuable life skills. Finally general engagement should be expected at all times. People should

be fully engaged at the task they are doing. While at practice that should be the only thing the

players are thinking about. They should not be distracted by school or social life. While in class

they need to be engaged in what they are studying. They should participate, and avoid

distractions. This also translates to community involvement, when players are giving back to the

community they need to be engaged and involved in doing the best they can to improve the lives

of others in some way.

A coach must do what they can to avoid athletic injuries, ensuring a safe environment

during all practices, training sessions, and match play. Coaches must train players with correct

techniques to avoid injury or danger. They must be aware of things like weather, and other

environmental factors, as well as doing safe drills, and ensuring that players aren’t training with

an excess of balls on the courts near their feet. It can be dangerous if players steps on a tennis

ball.

Coaches should also make it a priority to educate their athletes on important issues like

substance abuse, body image, nutrition, and bullying. These are important topics that contribute

to the growth and well being of athletes.

Coaching Staff

The entire coaching staff is responsible for setting the tone of the team from the culture to

the energy to the positivity to the professionalism and focus. First and foremost coaches need to

be on the same page. They should be in agreement about the goals and expectations on the team

and the direction that the team is going and how to get there. They should never disagree in front

of the players and they should have good communication with each other. If there is a

disagreement, it is important that it be discussed at an appropriate time.

46

As often as possible coaches should meet briefly before practice to discuss what the

practice plan is and how practice will be run. They should constantly be discussing drills and

ways to improve players’ performance or team performance. They should have an in-depth

meeting before and after each playing season to discuss direction, goals, and execution.

On game day, coaches should arrive early to prep the courts and to prepare in other ways

for the match. During the matches coaches will communicate with each other about strategies

within matches and which players need more coaching. They might sit on a player’s court or just

watch them play from a far. They may be coaching many players at once, or focusing on one

player. During the match, coach should be communicating about their coaching strategy and how

to best serve the team. After the matches players will help to clean up the courts and the coaches

will meet with the players to discuss the match.

Coaches should generally use positive reinforcement to motivate players. A general

coaching theme will be that players should try to perform the correct way, and avoid playing the

wrong way. This means that players are coaches will focus on executing the shots and not about

what can go wrong in the moment. This philosophy is achieved by coaches using positive

reinforcement to motivate players. Coaches should focus on what is best for the players and

communicate this well with the team. Players should always know how and why the drill is

helping them. They should understand the reason for everything they do.

Character Development

An important question every player and coach should ask is why he or she is involved

with the sport they play. If players have a good reason for playing they will be more apt to thrive

in character development. Coaches should constantly be focused on modeling professional

behavior, good character, and ethical decision making to set a good example for their players.

47

Coaches should base their actions on one question, “What message does this send?” This is a

good test to determine what actions to take and how to act around their players.

A few critical character expectations are respectfulness, responsibility, kindness, honesty,

fairness, and citizenship. Respect comes down to treating others as you wish to be treated by

them. Respect applies to oneself as well as to others. Respectful athletes and coaches speak to

one another in a calm and productive manner at all times. They also show deference towards

opponents, officials, and others involved in matches or around the program at all times.

Examples of respectful behavior in sport include using considerate language and nonverbal body

language even when angry or disappointed, speaking respectfully to yourself, your opponents,

and coaches, accepting victory and defeat without disparaging your opponents, and accepting

officials’ decisions without argument.

Being caring involves compassion, gratitude, and empathy. Athletes and coaches who are

caring are gracious in both victory and defeat, and they readily acknowledge the contributions of

others to their success. Caring athletes play for their team rather than just for themselves. Caring

also involves promoting the health and safety of everyone involved in sport, particularly athletes.

Examples of caring behavior in sport involve complimenting your opponent’s efforts, win or

lose; thanking your teammates, coaches, and supporters after a game, encouraging teammates.

Honesty involves being truthful, forthright, and acting with integrity and loyalty. Athletes

and coaches show their honesty by speaking and acting consistently and by doing the right thing.

The motives and actions of honest coaches and athletes are rarely questioned because their

actions are backed up by a personal sense of integrity. Honest behaviors in sport include being a

team player, dealing honestly and openly with other athletes and coaches, and playing fairly

within the spirit and rules of the game.

48

Playing by the rules and the spirit of the game whether winning or losing is one of the

key elements of sportsmanship and character. Athletes and coaches who play fairly will always

play by the rules, regardless of how doing so affects the outcome of the game. Athletes and

coaches display a sense of fairness by not taking unfair advantage by bending or circumventing

the rules.

Good citizenship involves contributing positively to community, whether local, regional,

or national. Athletes and coaches, who are good citizens, volunteer their time and effort to

worthwhile causes, follow the law, and act as positive role models.

In general good character is associated with behavior that is kind, trustworthy, honest,

faithful, and responsible. Sportsmanship is said to represent good character for those involved in

sports. If a coach models and expects these pillars on the team then they will set the foundation

for character development within the program.

A coach needs to use their best judgment when dealing with character or behavior issues

on a team. It is critical that a coach tries to achieve buy in from each of the players however if

they need to correct a behavior they can use different methods to attempt this. The first step will

be communication with the player. If something occurs that a coach and player need to address

the coach should schedule a one on one meeting with the player. The coach should communicate

the concerns and come to an agreement with the player about their future actions. If an issue

persists then a coach will have to take other actions such as kicking a player out of practice or

suspending them for practices or matches.

Fundraising and Boosters

Fundraising can be critical for a college team. Good fundraising can lead to more

scholarship money, more in season funding for travel expenses or better equipment. Individual

49

programs should make an effort to fundraise rather than leaving it up to the department or just

using the budget allotted to them. Players and coaches need to use their personal and professional

relationships to generate interest in the team and develop a type of booster club to help to support

the team. Parents can be extremely helpful in doing things to support the program, they will often

donate money to the program but they will also often donate time to do something special for the

players. For example they may cook dinner for the players after a match or bring food and drinks

to a match. These types of boosters are great to have around the program to show support to the

team.

It is also important to get the players involved with fundraising. Each player knows

people who are interested in their success and the success of the program. These friends and

family should be offered an opportunity to donate to the program. A fun way to fundraise is

through a pledge or sponsorship of some kind. The team can do something like clock the speed

of their serve and try to get a pledge for each MPH the hit their serve. This can be a very easy

fundraiser for a program and can yield a lot of donations.

Building Relationships

It is critical that a coach develops healthy relationships with several different groups they

work with. They need to have a great working relationship with the players on the team, with the

coaching staff and with the entire athletic department they work with. A head coach also needs to

forge relationships with members of the community, boosters, and alumni. Community service

should be a priority for a college tennis program. Players should learn the value in volunteering

their time and having an impact in their community. This is also a great way to get more people

involved in the program and develop interest in the program.

Coaches should also strive to have a good relationship with the players’ parents. Often

50

time college players are leaving home to compete for the coach and the parents want to know

that their kids are in good hands and the coach has their best interest at heart. The coach should

have open communication with the parents as long as it is appropriate and the player is involved

when necessary. The parent should not be discussing the team line up or other confidential team

factors. Coaches also need to ensure that parents are communicating in an appropriate way. They

can call or email if they wish to discuss something but it must be handled appropriately and

professionally from all involved.

Coaches should make an effort to communicate with the parents when they see them in

person. For example they should stop and talk to them if they come to a match. They can briefly

discuss how the player is doing on the team and express some positive things the player has done

to contribute to the program. This is a chance to reassure the parent and show that their child is in

a good environment and they the coach cares about them.

Recruiting Practices

Recruiting is one of the most important things a college coach does. Therefore it is vital

to have a clear philosophy regarding recruiting practices. A college coach needs to ensure that he

is bringing in the right level of talent and the right kind of personality to fit within the goals of

the program. Coaches need to find a balance between recruiting in state players, out of state

players, and international players. Much of this is impacted by how much scholarship money is

available a fully funded program may not care where they get the players from, and they may

even have only international players which are the most expensive to put on scholarship. If a

program has limited scholarship money they may focus on in- state players who would cost less

to put on scholarship.

In order to get enough high-level recruits, coaches must start the process early. They first

51

need to determine what level is appropriate for their team and they need to contact recruits that

are at that level. Luckily there are resources that allow coaches to obtain contact information for

players who want to be recruited. These services also rank players to give coaches a good idea of

the ones who will be good competitors for their team. Players or recruiting agencies can also

contact the coach. They can send an email or a letter that highlights the player’s athletic and

academic performances. They often include a video of the athlete playing.

A coach can begin an aggressive recruiting process by contacting many players that they

are interested in. If they respond with interest the coach can set up a phone call or Skype call

with them. If this call goes well and the coach and player are still interested then the player can

plan a visit to the college. The coach needs to decide if it will be an official visit or an unofficial

visit. If it is official they coach can pay for the player’s meals, hotel, and even sometimes a

flight. On an unofficial visit, players and parents must pay for everything themselves. A coach

cannot pay for anything while on the trip.

During the visit the coach has a chance to show off the facilities, the campus, and the

housing to the prospective student athlete. During the trip the coach will often tell the player if

they can offer them any scholarship money. The coach should have a strategic scholarship plan

before the recruiting process begins. They need to know what the team needs to improve, as well

as how much scholarship money they will have to offer.

52

Chapter VII

Psychology of Coaching

Athletes cannot execute their skills without mental prowess. It is the goal of a coach to

assist the players in developing physical and mental skills to contribute to their own court

success. A coach cannot just coach physical and tactical skills, he must also consider the mental

side of the game. Lee Westwood, a famous golfer said, “You don’t win tournaments by playing

well and thinking poorly.” A coach also needs to teach their players to think the right way.

Having a defined sport psychology program is vital to the success of any athletic

program. At the college level where all players have advanced training, they need to do anything

they can to gain a competitive advantage over their opponent. A sport psychology program

allows a player to unlock their potential and perform at a high level despite the circumstance.

In a sport scientist article featured on the NCAA website, Chris Carr and Jamie

Davidson highlight the importance of a sport psychology program. “The pressures and demands

on 18- to 21-year-old student-athletes are great…student-athletes' time demands are enormous –

daily practices, competitions that may involve travel, a full academic course load, strength and

conditioning programs, and sports medicine/rehab appointments present a demanding

schedule…” (Carr, Davidson, 2014, p. 17).

This type of program helps athletes to control their minds efficiently and consistently as

they execute within their sport. Athletes need to develop skills in concentration and stress

management, as well as self-confidence, and positive thinking. These psychological skills can

53

help athletes make adjustments to their actions, thoughts, feelings, and physical actions that will

improve their games. These skills, while valuable on court and during competition will translate

to life skills that will benefit people long after they conclude their competitive career. These

skills include imagery, concentration, and self talk.

Imagery can be extremely beneficial to a tennis player if they employ they right imagery

techniques. The biggest challenge in implementing imagery techniques on the team may be

overcoming the frustration that comes with playing tennis. The team I coach can be hot headed at

times and this may prevent them from getting into the positive mindset required for good

imagery implementation. They tend to lose their focus when things start to go bad in practice

and matches and this is a critical time for the use of imagery. Using imagery to develop a new

game plan and execute it can be very helpful to a tennis player.

In order to develop good imagery skills in my players I will need to establish the

techniques they can use. Having a single focus in tennis is extremely helpful; so, establishing a

verbal or nonverbal cue that will refocus my players is key. A standard tactic that each player can

use is to visualize the entire point being played, from the serve to the return to the next shot until

they visualize the point ending. After doing this the player should be in the right frame of mind

to play the point. The second tactic that will be used in imagery is the use of a cue word. I think

the word will vary from player to player but it can be something like “feel” to queue the feeling

of the ball on the strings and imagining how each shot will feel as you hit it. Another word may

be “carve” this can be used for a player who struggles with serves or volleys to imagine the

motion of the racquet around the ball as it is struck with spin. Other words may be used in

different situations. The team may also use symbolic images. You often see a tennis player go to

54

their towel in between every point. This is a very symbolic exercise as it may serve to “wipe

away” the previous point and begin a new one.

A successful sport psychology program should also emphasize focus and concentration

during practice. Tennis is a very precise sport so concentration becomes very important,

especially when executing a shot to win a point. Often times a player will set up a great point but

miss a put away volley or an overhead. To work on this, teams will do closing drills and discuss

concentrating on seeing the ball until the point is over. The biggest hindrance in making

concentration training effective and useful is simulating match or pressure situations. It is

important try to put the players in a pressure situation to practice executing and finishing a play.

Coaches can use visual, verbal, or kinesthetic cues to trigger a player’s concentration.

One thing a coach can encourage an athlete to do is visualize the point using all three of these

cues before playing it. The player will be concentrating on all parts of the point and the execution

will be perfect in their head. This should cause them to concentrate throughout the entire point.

Finally a coach may also encourage the players to draw on previous execution of a play when

they are thinking through a match. Drawing on past success can set them up to execute on the

next shot. It is important that this is a positive thought rather than a negative shot.

In a tennis sport psychology program, concentration will be emphasized at every practice

and match. Each player will have a concentration technique that they will be trying to execute

each day. It can be the same or different day to day but one must always be executed. At the

beginning of the season, athletes will go through the ACT principles to determine which style of

concentration they most need to work on. This will be the foundation of our concentration

program.

55

Positive self-talk can also benefit a player who is struggling with the mental side of their

game. In general tennis players can be negative in their self-talk saying things like, “You suck”

or, “You are so stupid”. I almost never hear positive exclamations from the players when they do

something well. This leads to the players only remembering the mistakes they made, or the

matches they lost, rather than focusing on the positive or the big picture. To address this we

added several focuses to practices. The first and most often implemented strategy is the echo.

One player will say, “Let’s go Metro” and every other player will also say it. This started with

the coaches always starting the echo but over the season the players took more ownership over it.

If the focus became too low in practice a player would start the echo, or if a teammate had a

negative outburst, the rest of the team would do the echo to not allow the player to stay negative,

or bring the team down. This has been extremely effective in cancelling the effects of negative

self-talk. The second thing we talked about is the in-between point routine. A tennis player has

20 seconds from when one point ends to when the next should begin. In this time the player

should have a routine that they do each time no matter the outcome of the pervious point. If the

player is doing their part in between point routine well then there isn’t ever negative self talk.

In Tim Gallwey’s (1974) book, The Inner Game of Tennis he describes that tennis players

player their best when they are not actively thinking about their performance. During the book

Gallwey is trying to address the most frequent complaint he received from his students: that they

kept making the same mistakes over and over even though they knew, and had practiced, better

ways to play. “The brain can be our worst enemy,” Gallwey argued. He presents various

approaches such as, concentrate on the ball to distract your brain from screwing up your swing;

think about where your racket is, not what it’s doing right or wrong to help tennis players keep

their mental state from getting in the way of peak physical performance.

56

Sport Psychology is critical to the success of a program. Athletes cannot execute their

skills without the mental fortitude. A Sport Psychology Program allows a player to unlock their

potential and perform at a high level despite the circumstance. This type of program helps

athletes to control their minds efficiently and consistently as they execute within their sport. A

complete sport psychology program is included in Appendix G.

57

Chapter VIII

Leadership and Administration

"A leader's most powerful ally is his or her own example" (Jackman, 2005). This quote

by John Wooden exemplifies the most basic principle in leadership. As a coach, it's easy to lose

sight of what is truly important. It's not about the X's and O's or about winning or losing, it’s

about leading. The most important thing coaches do is teach players about life, about how to be

happy and successful. Teach them how to be a good friend and teammate and to live with

integrity and confidence. Coaches need to be aware of the effect they have on the athlete.

Coaches are responsible for the development of future leaders. Successful teams have effective

leaders and the importance of this role is evident in the characteristics exemplified by the team.

These requirements include integrity, communication, and commitment.

“Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, whether or not

anyone is watching. It takes having the courage to do the right thing, no matter what the

consequences will be” (Forbes, 2014). A coach with integrity will set the same tone with his

team. Leaders with integrity expect the same amount of courage and leadership from those

around them. This type of leadership challenges others to be better; to live up to the standards

and expectations of the coach.

Goals and vision can only be as successful as they are communicated. Great leaders get

buy in from their followers. Possessing the ability to clearly and succinctly describe the goals

58

and vision is extremely important to effective leaders. If a coach can not relate the vision to the

team, they all will not be working towards the same goal.

If a coach expects their team to work hard and produce quality performance, they are

going to need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the leader working

as hard as anyone to accomplish the goal. A coach needs to be the first person on board with the

vision and be committed to the effort. This commitment will bread further buy in from the team.

Outside of the previous mentioned requirements of an effective leader, specific

characteristics are necessary for effective leadership and coaching. The most important

characteristic of a sports coach is knowledge of the sport. This knowledge includes an in-depth

understanding of the skills, tactics and strategies required for effective training, practices and

game-day decisions. Most sports evolve over time, making it essential for coaches to learn new

information as the competition, training techniques and rules change. The second characteristic

of an effective leader is selflessness. A good coach puts the needs, interests and wishes of others

before his or her own self interest. Another characteristic that a coach should have is

trustworthiness. A coach should build trust and confidence with a player so when they ask a

player to do something, the player knows it is in their best interest and the best interest of the

team.

Great coach’s duties don’t stop at the edge of the field. Caches can play a big part in the

lives of their athletes and often take on many different roles. A coach may serve as a counselor,

resolving emotional problems of the athlete. A coach may serve as a facilitator, identifying

suitable practice routines and competitions for the team to compete in to help them achieve their

overall objectives for the year. A coach may sometimes simply be an instructor, training athletes

in the skills of their sport. Often times, coaches will be a mentor to their players guiding them to

59

success in different aspects of their lives. A coach should also serve as a motivator to maintain

drive and focus over the course of the season. These are just some of the roles a coach performs

throughout a season.

All of these requirements, characteristics, and roles a coach plays throughout a season

can lead to challenges. One of the biggest challenges for any coach is achieving buy in. Winning

hearts and minds is tough, especially when proposing something challenging or different. Clear

communication of the vision and effective motivation can help achieve buy in from a majority of

a team. A second challenge that a leader may face is keeping people motivated and focused. An

effective leader must understand what motivates the team and strive to keep the focus high

throughout the season. A final challenge for a coach is keeping positive and confident throughout

a season. Once again, it is easy to get caught up in results in the middle of the season; however a

great leader will keep sight of the vision and enjoy the process of reaching their goals, no matter

the challenge.

In Appendix G there is a leadership project I led. It was a campus showdown tournament

that Metro State hosted for recruiting and fundraising purposes. The general goal of the

tournament is to give junior and college players opportunities for more competition, on college

campuses, and within NCAA rules and to get more junior players on campus giving them a taste

of college life and a chance to compete against college players. It also helps to build stronger ties

between college programs and the local tennis community. This was an opportunity to showcase

the Metro State University facilities, campus, and players to the community and potential

recruits.

For this project I had to put together a team to execute different rolls. Everyone worked

together very well and did their part to ensure that the project was a success. I learned how to

60

manage and encourage others without micro managing them. I also learned that a team will take

on the characteristics of the leader and it is important to be passionate and create an atmosphere

that people will thrive in.

Chapter IX

Closing Statement

This experience was surly life changing, not only does it make me a better coach and

person, but it was also help me to achieve my goals of becoming a head college coach. This

program allowed me to develop my philosophies and thoughts regarding all aspects of coaching

and athletic administration. Taking the time to study this program has allowed me to plan and

articulate my coaching ideals in a way that will stick with me throughout my coaching career.

I thought the program was well laid out and had a good progression. I think this last class

is great to have a project that I can use as a tool for getting hired. Now that I am finished with

this program I will be looking for a head coaching opportunity at the conclusion of this current

season. I will use this portfolio to show a prospective employer my overall coaching

philosophies and ideals to give them an outline on how I will run a college program.

61

Appendix A

Resume

Samantha Schall1315 Corona St #201

Denver, Co 80218 (602) 920-7913

[email protected]

OBJECTIVE Lead a college tennis team in on court performance, classroom performance, and in community engagement.

CAREER SUMMARY

Accomplished coach with a proven ability to develop a successful collegiate tennis program through player development, team cohesion, motivation, fundraising, community involvement, and inner-department organization.

EDUCATION Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration. Concordia University Irvine, December 2015

Bachelor in Human Performance in Sport, Sports Industry Operations emphasis, Minor in Management. Metropolitan State University of Denver, May 2013GPA 3.97

WORK EXPERIENCE

Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, COAssistant Tennis Coach- August 2013- Present

Work with Head Tennis Coach on all day-to-day operations, including recruiting, travel planning, fundraising, organization, and player relations.

Practice and match on court coaching Manage concession stand for all home volleyball and basketball events Organize and implement fundraising efforts for tennis program

Meadow Creek Tennis CenterTennis Pro- August 2013-Present

Junior Team Tennis Coordinator Run youth and junior drills and classes Lead in junior player development Lead adult drills and lessons Private and group lessons

VOLUNTEER WORKS

Student Athletic Advisory Committee - 2009 to 2013Make a Wish Foundation

Organize and execute fundraising events for St Jude. Raise $5,000 on

62

average each year. Organize toy drives and volunteer at local children hospitals. Donated

100 toys in 2011.Denver Homeless Coalition

Collect food and clothing and distribute at homeless shelters Organize and execute annual “Feed the Homeless” event. Spent 5

hours, twice a year preparing and serving food to homeless men and women of Denver.

SKILLS Proficient in Microsoft Office SuiteProficient in Banner SoftwareExperience using NCAA connect

Compliance Assistant LSDBi

HONORS AND ACTIVITIES

Metropolitan State University of Denver Tennis Team 2009 to 2013Tennis Team Captain 2011 to 2013Student Athletic Advisory Committee women’s tennis representative 2009 to 2013SAAC President 2012 to 2013School of Professional Studies Outstanding Student Award (Sports Industry Operations)2013 Student Involvement and Leadership Award – Female Athlete of the YearSix time Athletic Director’s Honor RollTwo Time Division II Academic Achievement AwardFour Time First Team Academic All-RMACThree Time Third Team All-RMAC for DoublesTwo Time Third Team All-RMAC for SinglesCapitol One Academic All District2013 RMAC Scholar Athlete

63

Appendix B

Course Descriptions

MCAA 510: Principles of Coaching & Leadership

Methods of teaching sport skills, and sport management skills. The purpose will be to

promote athletes' growth, development, and learning, while teaching age-appropriate

skills. Includes analysis of National Coaching Standards.

MCAA 520: Psychology of Coaching

Sport psychology principles applied in a coaching environment, including the concepts of

motivation, confidence building, competitive anxiety, communication skills, group

processes, and emotional growth.

MCAA 530: Ethics and Sport

Examination and analysis of the philosophy and ethics of coaching. Students will

examine how values are communicated, and how to facilitate positive social and

emotional growth. Students will write personal statements on their philosophy of

coaching, and will work through ethical dilemmas in sport.

MCAA 550: Research Methods & Analysis

Review of graduate research techniques. Introduction to action research and professional

portfolio development.

MCAA 560: Leadership & Administration

Principles of leadership, organization, and management of sport programs. Included will

be leadership skills and techniques, communication, scheduling, and program reviews.

64

MCAA 561: Athletic Finance

An advanced study in the finance, marketing and sponsorship of sport programs. The

class will incorporate the theories of athletic finance, current strategic planning models,

sport facility related finance and facility management.

MCAA 580: Legal Aspects of Sport

Legal aspects of sport administration and coaching, including analysis of liability,

application of sport law, and risk management. Included will be case reviews.

MCAA 585: Strength, Speed, & Conditioning

Principles of strength, flexibility, power and cardiovascular conditioning. Students will

learn to construct and apply conditioning programs.

MCAA 595: Culminating Project

This 4-unit experience will be an application of knowledge and skills related to one’s area

of coaching. Students must complete a professional portfolio which will be completed in

their last session of attendance. A passing grade on the project is needed to complete this

course. In order to enroll in MCAA 595 a student must have completed 4 core and 4

elective MCAA courses and have a cumulative G.P.A of 3.0 or higher in the program.

65

Appendix C

References

10 Big Challenges In Leading A Team. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2014, from

http://goalsandachievements.com/leading-people-and-teams/10-big-challenges-in-

leading-a-team/

Boostani, M., & Boostani, M. (2012). Investigation and comparing aggression in athletes in non-

contact (swimming), limited contact (karate) and contactable (kickboxing) sport fields.

Journal of Combat Sports & Martial Arts, 3(2), 87-89.

Campus Showdowns | USTA. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2014, from

http://www.usta.com/College-Tennis/538403_Campus_Match_Play/

Carr, C., & Davidson, J. (2014, November 3). Mind, Body and Sport: The psychologist

perspective. Retrieved November 24, 2015,

Collichio, G. S. (2000). Peer group support and propensity for violence against women: a study

of male intercollegiate athletes.

Cotten, D., & Wolohan, J. (2013). Law for recreation and sport managers (6th ed.). Dubuque,

Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub.

Ehrmann, J (2011) Inside out coaching: How sports can transform lives New York: Simon and

Schuster

Gallwey, W. (1974). The inner game of tennis. New York, New York: Random House.

Janis K. Doleschal, Managing Risk in Interscholastic Athletic Programs: 14 Legal Duties of

Care, 17 Marq. Sports L. Rev. 295 (2006)

66

Martens, R (2004) Successful coaching (3rd ed.) Champaign: Human Kinetics.

Maughan, R., & Burke, L. (2012, April 1). Nutrition for Athletes. Retrieved November 5, 2015.

Moesch, K, Birrer, D, & Seiler, R. (2010). Differences between violent and non-violent

adolescents in terms of sport background and sport-related psychological variables.

European Journal Of Sport Science, 10(5), 319-328.

Monsma, E. (2007, May 1). Principles of Effective Goal Setting. Retrieved December 1, 2015

Visek, A. J., Watson, J. C., Hurst, J. R., Maxwell, J. P., & Harris, B. S. (2010). Athletic identity

and aggressiveness: A cross-cultural analysis of the athletic identity maintenance model.

International Journal Of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 8(2), 99-116.

Woods, R. (2011). Social Issues in Sport (2nd ed., pp. 324-328). New York: Human Kinetics.

67

Appendix D

Letters of Recommendation

To whom it concerns,

I am the Men’s and Women’s Head Tennis Coach at Metropolitan State University of Denver. I am writing on behalf of my assistant coach, Samantha Schall, whom I hired on as our assistant coach in August of 2013. Sam has been an invaluable asset for the program in many ways.

Since arriving as the assistant coach for the MSU Denver Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams, Sam has been involved in every facet of coaching duties. She spearheaded and launched one of our biggest fundraiser’s, which has raised over $15,000 for the program. In addition to the numerous administrative and fundraising duties, Sam has also been in charge of running and maintaining the concessions stand for all basketball and volleyball games. This endeavor required her to organize staff, make purchase orders, and balance the budget for the concessions stand.

As a coach on the tennis court, Sam has demonstrated an ability to correctly assess areas that student-athletes need to improve upon, and then provide a path of improvement for the players on the team. More importantly, Sam has an ability to connect with players authentically that allows them to trust her as their coach. They accept her advice wholeheartedly and thoroughly enjoy having her as their coach. Additionally, Sam has shown tremendous amounts of organization, flexibility, and patience, which are tremendous qualities to have as an assistant coach.

It is my honor to recommend Samantha Schall. I believe Sam will be a tremendous and instrumental leader, coach, and friend as she pursues her next step.

Daniel HangsteferMen’s & Women’s Head Tennis CoachMetropolitan State University of Denver423-605-4495 [email protected]

68

69

To Whom It May Concern:

I highly recommend Samantha Schall as a candidate for a position at your university.

For the past seven years, I have known Samantha both as a student athlete and as a coach. I was Samantha's Athletic Director during her time at Metropolitan State University of Denver and I recommended her as the assistant tennis coach when she completed her degree at Metropolitan State.

Samantha has proven herself to be an excellent coach, a dedicated and hard worker, and a great leader. She has excelled in fundraising for the tennis program, and has displayed exceptional organization, and management skills during her time as a coach at MSU Denver.

I do not hesitate to recommend her for any coaching position as I’m sure she will be a valued addition to any athletic program. Do contact me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely, Joan McDermott Athletic Director Cal State East Bay

70

Appendix E

Risk Management Plan

Introduction

2.1 Plan Purpose

The purpose of this risk management plan is to assess the current risk management

strategies at Metropolitan State University of Denver and improve upon the existing policies to

ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff who participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Collegiate athletics are accompanied by inherent risks and require careful attention and planning

to safeguard and protect those who participate or are involved.

This plan will examine current policies and procedures in place at Metropolitan State

University of Denver and identify potential risks that may arise. This will ensure that a plan in in

place for all foreseeable risks and provide protecting over unknown risks. This plan will outline

procedures and policies to identify risks, and critique the current plans in place with intent

improve safety, and to reduce the liability within the MSU Denver Athletic Department.

3 Description of the Organization

3.1 MSU Denver Role and Mission

MSU Denver is a comprehensive, baccalaureate- and master’s-degree granting

urban university that offers arts and sciences, professional and business courses and

programs to a diverse student population in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Excellence

in teaching and learning is MSU Denver's primary objective.

71

MSU Denver’s mission is to provide a high-quality, accessible, enriching

education that prepares students for successful careers, post-graduate education and

lifelong learning in a multicultural, global and technological society. To fulfill its

mission, MSU Denver’s diverse university community engages the community at large in

scholarly inquiry, creative activity and the application of knowledge

3.2 MSU Denver Athletics Mission Statement

Metro State is committed to providing opportunities for student-athletes, to excel

in the classroom, in competition and in the community.

3.3 MSU Denver Athletics

MSU Denver is a member of the NCAA Division II and competes in the Rocky

Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). MSU Denver sponsors 15 sports providing

nearly 200 student-athletes an opportunity to compete in one of the top programs in

NCAA Division II while earning their degree.

3.4 Clientele Served

MSU Denver’s athletic programs are comprised of nearly 200 student athletes,

and over 50 coaches, administrators and supporting staff. The university hosts nearly

20,000 students, and there are 1,071 full-time employees that teach and work at MSU

Denver. MSU Denver also hosts events with school from the conference, region, and all

over the nation.

3.5 Organizational Structure

The very top of the organizational structure is the NCAA. The NCAA is

comprised of committees that cover the different pillars of the organization. These

72

include compliance, academics, gender equality, and specific sports issues, among others.

Next in the organizational structure is the region, and conference committees that handle

issues like championship scheduling, and minor issues within the schools in their

division. Following is the president of the university and the Athletic Director who are in

charge of hiring and supervising head coaches. The athletic director has a staff of other

administrators that all have duties such as compliance, academic success, facilities

management, marketing, and media relations. Finally the coaches oversee each individual

program, including scheduling, recruiting, and other day-to-day operations.

3.6 Organizational Chart

3.6 Financial Resources

Coaches

Athletic Administrators

MSU Denver Athletic Director

MSU Denver President

Rocky Mountain Athletic Confrence

South Central Region

NCAA

73

MSU Denver’s athletic budget comes from athletics revenue, outside donations,

fundraising, state subsidy, and primarily student fees.

4. Personne l

4.1 Hiring

Effective hiring procedures are the first step an organization can take to reduce risk

within their institute. Employers must be sure that they are hiring people who understand the

inherent risk that comes with their position and do all they can to prevent situations where people

could be at harm. The importance of this should be clear to all candidates from the beginning of

the hiring process.

4.1.1 Hiring Procedures

MSU Denver athletics refers to the NCAA Best Hiring Practices procedures in all

of their hiring practices. This manual covers the process from start to finish, including the

search committee selection, the job description, the posting, the candidates, the

interviews, the selection, and the job offer. This is a very thorough and efficient

procedure and covers the university well against negligent hiring. See appendix A to view

the procedure.

74

4.1.2 Equal Opportunity Employer

If the organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is important that the

hiring committee does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin,

sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions or disability in admissions or

access to, or treatment or employment in, the educational programs or activities. MSU

Denver falls under this category and takes the necessary steps to ensure compliance in

this matter.

4.2 Employee Evaluation and Discipline Process

4.2.1 Employee Evaluation

At the conclusion of each school year MSU Denver Athletics employees go

through an evaluation process where they are rated on performance based on a number of

criteria. They also complete a program evaluation that includes a self performance

assessment. They are then given a performance plan with goals for the next year. This is a

very good evaluation form and is an exemplary piece of the risk managament plan at

MSU Denver. To see a copy of this evaluation form see Apendix B.

4.2.2 Employee Discipline Process

MSU Denver athletics refers to the university handbook for discipline practices.

This is sufficient measure to ensure that wrongful termination liability is reduced. The

discipline portion of the employee handbook is included in Appendix C.

75

5. Conduct of Activities

Coaches have a responsibility to provide a standard of care to the athletes on the team,

and all others that are involved in the program. MSU Denver could reduce their liability by

informing the coaches and staff of these duties. They currently do not provide any information

on the fourteen legal duties of athletic personnel.

5.2 Proper Instruction

Coaches have to do what is best for their players. In order to do this they need to

understand the needs, wants, abilities, limits of their players. Over the course of a season,

a coach should develop his or her players to give them a competitive advantage. This

should start with developing fundamental skills and consistency and progress into tactical

and more complex skills. A coach should ensure that a player had good technique that

will not break down, or cause injury over the course of the season.

At MSU Denver there is a sequence and training regime to ensure that athletes are

instructed properly. This can be subtly changed or altered to each individual player, but

generally the instruction and player development follows a structured path. This plan is

developed before the season begins, it is established through knowledge of what has

worked in years past, and what is best for the current players. It can be difficult to know

for certain what the best course for the team will be but it is learned through experience

and trial and error.

5.3 Warnings and Participation Forms

Before a player can try out for the team, they are required to submit a physical

showing that they are fit to play, and sign a tryout waiver. Once the athlete is on the team,

specific insurance is required that covers injuries sustained during the course of the

76

season. Coaches verify that players have proper insurance, medical screening, and proper

injury prevention methods and injury care are provided.

At MSU Denver there is a compliance meeting before the first practice where

players must sign participation waivers and catastrophic injury warnings.

5.4 Transportation Policies

Coaches must ensure that they players have safe transportation to and from away

matches. They must make sure that players have a safe place to stay, that they receive

meals and other forms of care when traveling for competition. MSU Denver’s

transportation policy is that coaches can drive South or East but must get a charter bus if

they are going north to Montana or West through the mountains. This is to reduce the risk

of driving on trips.

5.5 Rules

Players at MSU Denver are given the Athletic Department Handbook and the

team handbook. This outlines the department’s rules and regulations, as well as the

teams. The players are told that they must comply to the rules from the NCAA and down.

They fall under the umbrellas of the NCAA, the university, the athletic department, and

finally their team. They know they must understand and follow every rule in place under

all these categories. The MSU Denver Tennis handbook can be viewed in appendix D.

77

6. General Supervisory Practices

6.1 Supervision

Supervision is critical in minimizing risks, and is the first line of defense in

preventing accidents. Supervisory practices are broken down into: Supervisory plan,

crowd management, rules and regulations, emergency care, protection, and a plan of

succession.

6.1.1 Supervisory Plan

The supervisory plan necessary to reduce risk and dangers that can affect

participants, staff, and visitors. Accidents can often be avoided simply by having

a qualified supervisor overseeing an event. A supervisory plan should address the:

who, what, when, where, how, and why involving the proper supervision of all

areas of activity. The supervisory plan involves duties, responsibilities,

qualifications, and the schedule of supervisors. The plan should be developed

with input from supervisors and participants to ensure that it is efficient and

effective in preventing accidents. MSU Denver does not currently have a

supervisory plan and should develop one.

6.1.2 Crowd Management Plan

Crowd management is a duty owed to all patrons that enter the facility.

Risk is inherent when crowds are involved so all foreseeable risk must be

considered and planned for. This plan should include factors such as location,

capacity, available administrators, student employees helping Implementing this

plan involves a specific written plan, which is reviewed with employees so they

78

understand their role and responsibilities in the plan. MSU Denver has a general

plan in place, however it is not written down or reviewed with staff. This can be

improved upon to avoid accidents and liability.

6.1.3 Emergency Care

Emergency care is the medical assistance to an injured person in an

urgent, immediate response to an unforeseen situation. An emergency response

plan is necessary to reduce the risk of medical emergencies. The fundamentals of

this plan include emergency planning, appropriate personnel/injury assessment,

adequate equipment/certifications, and implementation of emergency procedures.

At MSU Denver an emergency plan at events is in place. There is a detailed plan

for foreseeable emergencies and a general plan for unforeseeable emergencies.

There are emergency call boxes a short distance from all athletic facilities and

AED machines in every building. All coaches are required to have CPR and AED

training every two years. MSU Denver is well equipped to handle an emergency

situation.

7. Facilities

7.1 Facility Description

An athletic facility is anywhere that competition, practice or training takes place.

It is the duty of athletic personnel to eliminate or reduce any foreseeable risk within the

facility. Taking a close look at facilities for any potential hazardous conditions,

necessary maintenance, health hazards, ADA and OSHA compliance, can prevent

liability.

79

7.1.1 Facilities Athletic Director

MSU Denver has an Athletic Director who is in charge of facilities. It is his duty

to address any hazardous conditions and remove, repair, or properly inform people about

the hazard. He also follows up to ensure that the hazard was taken care of. He also

oversees equipment, building maintenance, security, and access control. This is a new

position at MSU Denver and it serves as good protection from liability situations

regarding facilities.

7.1.2 ADA and OSHA

MSU Denver has recently completes construction on 4 brand new sports fields,

and a new athletic building. In the planning of these facilities, ADA and OSHA

requirements were taken into consideration.

80

8. Crisis Management and Emergency Response Plans

8.1 Crisis Management

Crisis Management is a critical part to a risk management plan. This aspect covers

unlikely or unforeseeable events that can be catastrophic if not properly handled. It is

important that is a crisis, everyone knows their role so a specific plan is necessary to

ensure that everyone is on the same page. MSU Denver athletics refers to the general

MSU Denver crisis plan. This plan includes procedures for a fire, active shooter, bomb

threat, hazardous material, and weather related emergencies.

While MSU Denver has a plan in place for these emergencies, it is clear that the

athletic department can improve in its training of the staff. Most staff members aren’t

aware of the procedures in place for these emergencies. If any of these happen at an

athletic event, MSU Denver could be held liable if the situation was not properly handled.

MSU Denver does provide staff training of CPR, first aid, and AED. They also have

emergency call boxes near all athletic facilities.

9. Insurance Coverage

Insurance protects against unavoidable incidences causing catastrophic monetary loss. A

lawsuit can bankrupt an individual or athletic department so insurance is necessary to ensure the

well being of staff and student athletes at a university.

81

9.1 Basic Medical

Basic medical coverage is insurance that only offers minimal coverage. MSU

Denver students are not allowed to carry this type of insurance because it doesn’t cover

against the inherent risks associated with playing collegiate sports.

9.2 Catastrophic Injury

Catastrophic injuries include; disability, death, hospital stays, surgeries. The

elimination of a catastrophic injury is a priority in any risk management plan. MSU

Denver uses waivers to inform the participant that there is a risk of catastrophic injury

while participating in athletics.

9.3 Employment Practices liability

MSU Denver has employee practices liability insurance in place. This protects

them against employee claims of negligence like wrongful termination, sexual

harassment, and discrimination issues.

9.4 Liability Protecting Employees

All MSU Denver employees fall under their liability protection. This protects the

employees if they are sued for negligence on the job.

9.5 Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and

medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for

mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort

82

of negligence. For workers compensation to be given one must first prove that they are an

employee and that the injury was suffered during the course of their employment. MSU

Denver employees must also see specific providers in non-emergency situations and

document each step of the transaction.

9.6 Motor Vehicle

At MSU Denver motor vehicle insurance is provided on all vehicles that are used

to transport athletes, staff, and visitors. The coverage includes collision coverage and

uninsured motorist coverage. The school vehicles are maintained regularly and

transportation is logged before and after each trip.

83

Appendix F

Fourteen Legal Duties

1. Duty to Plan – A coach must demonstrate awareness of the maturity, physical development

and readiness of athletes with appropriate plans for instruction, conditioning and supervision.

2. Duty to Supervise – A coach must be physically present, provide competent instruction,

structure practices that are appropriate for the age and maturity of players, prevent

foreseeable injuries and respond to injury or trauma in an approved manner. This duty

requires supervisors to make sure facilities are locked and that students are denied access

when a competent staff member cannot be physically present to supervise. This duty may

also require coaches to control reckless player behaviors. Supervision responsibility also

pertains to athletic administrators who are expected to be able to supervise coaches

competently.

3. Duty to Assess Athletes Readiness for Practice and Competition – Athletics

administrators and coaches are required to assess the health and physical or maturational

readiness skills and physical condition of athletes. A progression of skill development and

conditioning improvement should be apparent from practice plans. Athletes must also be

medically screened in accordance with state association regulations before participating in

practice or competition.

4. Duty to Maintain Safe Playing Conditions – Coaches are considered trained professionals

who possess a higher level of knowledge and skill that permits them to identify foreseeable

causes of injury inherent in defective indoor and outdoor facilities or hazardous

environments.

84

5. Duty to Provide Safe Equipment – Courts have held athletic supervisors responsible to

improve unsafe environments, repair or remove defective equipment or disallow athlete

access.

6. Duty to Instruct Properly – Athletic practices must be characterized by instruction that

accounts for a logical sequence of fundamentals that lead to an enhanced progression of

player knowledge, skill, and capability.

7. Duty to Match Athletes – Athletes should be matched with consideration for maturity skill,

age, size and speed. To the degree possible, mismatches should be avoided in all categories.

8. Duty to Condition Properly – Practices must account for a progression of cardiovascular

and musculoskeletal conditioning regimens that prepare athletes sequentially for more

challenging practices and competitive activities.

9. Duty to Warn – Coaches are required to warn parents and athletes of unsafe practices

specific to a sport and the potential for injury or death. This warning should be issued in

writing and both athletes and parents should be required to provide written certification of

their comprehension.

10. Duty to Ensure Athletes are Covered by Injury Insurance – Athletics administrators and

coaches must screen athletes to ensure that family and/or school insurance provides basic

level of medical coverage. Athletes should not be allowed to participate without injury

insurance.

11. Duty to Provide Emergency Care – Coaches are expected to be able to administer standard

emergency care (first aid, CPR) in response to a range of traumatic injuries.

85

12. Duty to Design a Proper Emergency Response Plan – Coaches must design plans to

ensure an expedited response by EMS and an effective transition to the care and supervision

of emergency medical personnel.

13. Duty to Provide Proper Transportation – In general, bonded, commercial carriers should

be used for out of town transportation. Self or family transportation for local competition

may be allowed if parents have adequate insurance coverage for team members other than

their family members. (follow School District guidelines)

14. Duty to Select, Train, and Supervise Coaches – Administrators have responsibility to

ensure that appropriate skill and knowledge levels exist among members of the coaching

staff to ensure appropriate levels of safety and well being among athletes.

86

Appendix G

Leadership Project

Introduction and Vision Statement for Campus Showdown

The vision of this project is to create both a recruiting and fundraising tool for the Metro

State Tennis program, by establishing an annual “Campus Showdown”. A Campus Showdown is

a United States Tennis Association and ITA sponsored event. It is often a one-day, short-format

tournament open to juniors, college players, professionals and adults. The tournaments are run on

college campuses, with the college coach acting as the tournament director. These tournaments

are non-sanctioned, non-ranking events; however, they are a great opportunity for additional

competition, exposure, and community outreach.

This tournament will give junior and college players opportunities for more competition,

on their college campuses, and within NCAA rules. It will get more junior players on campus

giving them a taste of college life and a chance to compete against college players. Finally it

helps to build stronger ties between college programs and the local tennis community.

The idea behind this tournament is for the Metro players to compete against and with

anyone who wants to play them, primarily junior players who have an interest in playing college

tennis. The vision is that this becomes a premier tournament for junior tennis players in Colorado

and around the country who have an interest in playing college tennis at Metro State. This is an

opportunity to showcase the Metro State University facilities, campus, and players to the

community and potential recruits.

Building the Team/Leadership

The team is built around all of the leadership role players. Everyone involved in this

project played a specific role. The success of this project depended on everyone involved being

87

accountable, communicating, and being on board with the vision of the project. The individual

jobs in this project were critical to the overall tournament. Everyone was responsible for their job

and others could rely on them to complete the tasks they were appointed. There were a lot of

moving parts to this tournament. It was vital that the team worked together to complete the

project. Everyone played specific role, and no two people did the same job, but they helped each

other when necessary.

It was important to make sure all team members were on the same page with the vision of

the tournament and the goals of it. To accomplish this, the vision of the tournament was

emphasized in the beginning of the project. The vision included what the tournament could

become in the future and why it will be good for the school, the athletic department, and the

tennis program. The importance of reaching out to American kids who want to play college

tennis was emphasized. Goals were set for the number of participants in the first tournament.

Goals are a great way to motivate the team and keep them accountable for their progress.

Building Team Competence and Relationship

A strong team is vital to the success of any project. For this tournament the team was

collaborative, trustworthy, and motivated. Although the tournament had one head planner, each

team member executed his or her role with minimal supervision. The team was ambitious and

driven. To improve collaboration and relationships, a larger task could be executed. Although the

project was successful the team did not fully live up to their potential and they can continue what

they started and accomplish greater tasks together. A leader of this team should continue to

organize and motivate the group, but also allow them to execute their role without micro

managing anyone.

Leadership Conclusion

88

Successful teams have effective leaders and the importance of this role is evident in the

characteristics exemplified by the team. These requirements include integrity, communication,

and commitment. “Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances,

whether or not anyone is watching. It takes having the courage to do the right thing, no matter

what the consequences will be” (Forbes, 2014). A leader with integrity will set the same tone

with his or her team. Leaders with integrity expect the same amount of courage and leadership

from those around them. This type of leadership challenges others to be better to live up to the

standards and expectations of the coach.

This type of leadership is only possible if the leader achieves buy in from his or her team.

This can be a challenge for a new team or a new, inexperienced leader. One way to prove oneself

as a leader is to communicate well with the team. Communicating the goals and vision of a

project are a great way to achieve buy in. Possessing the ability to clearly and succinctly describe

the goals and vision is extremely important to effective leaders. If a leader can’t relate the vision

to the team, they all will not be working towards the same goal.

If a leader expects their team to work hard and produce quality performance, they are

going to need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the leader working

as hard as anyone to accomplish the goal. A leader needs to be the first person on board with the

vision and be committed to the effort. This commitment will bread further buy in from the team.

Winning the hearts and minds of a team is tough, especially when proposing something

challenging or different. Clear communication of the vision and effective motivation can help

achieve buy in from a majority of a team. A second challenge that a leader may face is keeping

people motivated and focused. An effective leader must understand what motivates the team and

strive to keep the focus high throughout the season. A final challenge for a coach is keeping

89

positive and confident throughout a season. Once again, it is easy to get caught up in results,

however a great leader will keep sight of the vision and enjoy the process of reaching their goals,

no matter the challenge.

90

Sport Psychology Plan

1. Statement of Purpose

Athletes cannot execute their skills without mental prowess. A Sport Psychology

Program is a key component to the success of an athlete or a team. In an evolving

competitive landscape coaches and athletes must do everything possible to gain an edge

over their opponent. A Sport Psychology Program allows a player to unlock their

potential and perform at a high level despite the circumstance. This type of program helps

athletes to control their minds efficiently and consistently as they execute within their

sport. Athletes need to develop skills in concentration and stress management, as well as

self-confidence, and positive thinking. These psychological skills can help athletes make

adjustments to their actions, thoughts, feelings, and physical actions that will improve

their games. These skills, while valuable on court and during competition will translate to

life skills that will benefit people long after they conclude their competitive career.

2. What are you working on in your personal life?

In tennis, matches are won and lost because of a person’s mental toughness. This

is very broad and covers body language, in-between point routine, and self-talk. This is

something I struggled with when I was competing and to this day. I would like to

improve my self-talk. I am very hard on myself when I make mistakes but I see that it

doesn’t help my situation to become frustrated or say or think unproductive notions.

To address this I will use different techniques to stop my negative thinking and change it

to beneficial thinking.

91

Thought Stoppage- I used this often when I was competing in college. Once I

figured out that my negative outbursts or thoughts weren’t helping, I began to try

to try to control them. When I began to have a negative thought I would say aloud

“stop”. I still use this techniques when my thoughts get very negative but I would

like to use it more often to prevent negative thoughts from escalading.

Affirmation Statements- When competing I would repeat a mantra to myself. It

would vary but it would always be positive. Once I stopped my negative thought I

was able to replace it with a new statement. Often this was about executing a

game plan but sometimes it was as simple as “you can do it.” I plan to use a

mantra in my life now to stop the negative thought. I find this to be a quick easy

way to stop negative thinking. Finally I will take time to counter my negative

thoughts.

Countering- Often times my negative thoughts are a result of me being too hard

on myself, making something a bigger deal than it is, or jumping to conclusions.

To combat this I will stop the negative thought, say something positive, and take

time to think through my frustration or negativity and assess if I should be so

negative about it. I’m sure in doing this I will realize that I am overacting and be

able to move on from negative thoughts.

3. Key Objectives

Athletes will be in control of their mental state at all times on court and off. If

things start to get out of control they will be able to assess the situation and apply

the appropriate skill to gain control over the situation.

92

Athletes will gain a basic knowledge of mental training that will help them to

develop a state of maturity and prepare them for the next step in their lives.

Athletes will use relaxation techniques to stay in an ideal mental state to compete.

They will keep the presence of mind to control what they can and not.

Athletes will be able to demonstrate positive self-talk and maintain focus in the

moment, rather than dwelling on what happened in the previous point.

Athletes will use imagery to focus on skills they will need to execute. They will

use imagery during their in-between point routine to prepare for the next point.

Athletes will set appropriate team goals and personal goals that will lead to

personal growth and peak performance.

Coaches will have an understanding of sport psychology concepts and be able to

identify activities and training tools that will help athletes to improve their mental

strength.

Coaches will use positive reinforcement and constructive and positive forms of

feedback to increase motivation and skill correction.

Coaches will seek opportunities to train mental skills in practices and match

situations.

4. Foundational Skills

Achievement Drive- Within high level competition desire and determination can often

tip a match one way or another. When two competing athletes have a similar skill set the

outcome of the match often comes down to who is mentally tougher and can execute

better. Achievement drive is defines as the compelling desire to overcome obstacles to

accomplish something worthwhile. At the collegiate level athletes successful athletes are

93

able to remain intense and driven throughout a match. It is important to wear down an

opponent, control the momentum in a match and often times outlast the peaks and valleys

throughout a match. The athlete with more achievement drive, determination, grit is

usually the one who will win a closely contested match.

Self Awareness- Matches can have highs and lows for both players. A player who can be

aware of their own mental state and the flow of a match will be able to adjust to the

situation. Self-Awareness is the first step to making mental changes when competing.

Productive Thinking- Tennis players across the board tend to think too much. At the

college level, players know how to hit every shot, they have done it thousands of times so

they don’t need to be thinking about how to hit their forehand, but rather focusing of their

game plan and maintaining their focus throughout the match. Players need to use imagery

to prepare for the next point rather than focusing on how they were late to contact their

forehand. They need to have positive self talk and body language throughout a match to

avoid giving an edge to their opponent.

Self Confidence- Ask any player to describe their best match ever and they will use the

word confidence. Again players know how to hit a ball and how to construct a point, at

the college level it is all about executing and confidence is a huge factor. Confidence can

boost a player faster than any training technique.

5. Sport Psychology Skills

Goal Setting

Increased Awareness

Self Talk

Relaxation

94

Imagery

5.1

Goal Setting- Goal setting will provide a context for everything that we do as a

team. Each player will have team and individual goals that will serve as a driving

force for their training and competing. Goals allow players to have a focus and a

reason to perform the following Sport Psychology Skills in order to improve and

feel accomplishment.

Increased Awareness- Players need to first be aware of their mental state before

they can improve it. Players will key into their mental state by improving their

self-awareness. Once they are able to do this they can diagnose the issue and use

the next technique that will improve their mental state.

Self talk- Self-talk is the next step in mental training. Once a player is aware of

their mentality, they need to gain control over it. The first way of doing this is

controlling the outward and inward self talk throughout a match. When players

are focusing on what they are saying and thinking they are more positive,

determined, and confidant.

Relaxation- Players who can use relaxation techniques to slow down the pace of

a match and think through the situation they are in will be able to keep a clearer

head, be more self aware, confident. A relaxed player will be able to execute

productive thinking.

Imagery- Executing imagery means being in control of your thoughts. Players

who can do this are engaging in productive thinking and self-confidence.

95

5.2

Goal Setting- The athletes will set different types of goal setting throughout the

season. The players will set team goals and individual goals, they will also

distinguish between general objective goals, and specific objective goals. Goals

will not only be based on match results, but also for practices and training. There

will be a focus and a value placed on accomplishing goals in practice as it will

translate to match outcome goals. Athletes will set their own goals. Meeting may

be held after the goals are set to review or revise if necessary. Meetings will be

held during the season to review goals and what progress is being made toward

them if changes or new goals should be added, this can happen in the meeting.

Goals will be written down and submitted. I will keep a copy and the players will

keep a copy. Focusing on accomplishing goals motivates athletes and improves

self-awareness and confidence.

Increased Awareness- Athletes will be asked to focus on their mental state and

be prepared to assess their arousal level, thought processes, and focus during

performance. This will start in the warm up, as athletes prepare for practice they

will tune into their bodies and minds. As they do this they will determine what

they need to do to be successful both in their minds and in their execution. I

always want athletes to have a game plan or a thought behind each shot so their

thoughts should be on how to best execute their game plan. Players should also

assess their mental state and determine if they need to increase their focus,

increase or decrease their arousal, and assess their level of stress. Once an athletes

96

is able to do this, they will be able to use the rest of the mental training techniques

to improve their performance.

Self talk- We will ask our athletes to be aware of their self-talk and in-between

point routine so it doesn’t have a negative effect on their game. The players will

make sure their self talk is positive by using thought stoppage techniques,

countering, and affirming statements to ensure that their self talk is constructive

and helpful. Athletes will go through this routine after every point that they play.

Relaxation- Relaxation is very important when athletes are focusing on their self-

awareness. Athletes need to be able to maintain a calm enough state to be able to

assess their mental condition and adjust it. When things start to spiral in a tennis

match and players lose momentum it is important to be able to slow the match

down and remain calm in a pressure situation. If a player is going too fast they

will be reminded to take deep breaths and transfer nervous energy into

accomplishing performance goals.

Imagery- Athletes need to be on board with the value of imagery. We will

explain to the athlete that if they can imagine the point before playing it they will

have a clear plan, they will be confident in their ability, and they will be focused

on executing the shot, rather than another distracting thought. Imagery will be

practiced during training before playing a point and then translated to match play.

6. Sport Psychology Program Timing

In college tennis spring practice usually starts about 3 weeks before the first

match so there is a lot to get done in a short amount of time. The first aspect of the

psychology program will be in place before the season starts. The players will set goals

97

before the first practice and have them in mind from the very beginning of the season.

Within the first week of practice the idea of self-awareness will be addressed. Players

will be asked to cue into aspects of their mental state and verbalize what they are focused

on and what they can adjust to improve their state.

In the second week point play will usually begin at this time we will begin to

focus on self-talk, imagery, and relaxation. Self-talk will be the first issue addressed.

Athletes will be expected to use tools to improve their self-talk, and maintain good body

language throughout a practice. Relaxation will be discussed in the second or third week

of practice. Players will be given ideas for how to stay relaxed in pressure situations. We

will simulate these situations in practice and test the awareness, self-talk, and relaxation

by the end of the third week.

After the third week of practice I plan to have a meeting about imagery. This will

include the benefits, and tools to be successful at it. After this I will encourage the players

to use it in practice and matches throughout the season.

I think I can move quickly with introducing these concepts at the college level.

Although it may take a long time to master these skills, I believe players can be

introduced to them and begin working on them rapidly especially when we don’t have

much time to prepare before matches are underway. I believe it is best to set the tone

right away and have high expectations for mental strength from a team at this level.

7. Elevator Message

Competing at a high level means that everyone has a similar skill set. Winners

and losers are decided by who has a better game plan and who can execute it. Mental

98

strength plays the biggest role in each of those categories. Players often do not play their

best in a competitive or pressured situation but that is what we train for. Players don’t

work hard to get better just so they can see improvement, they want to compete and

perform at a high level and they need more than just a big serve to do so. Mental strength

training can benefit everyone on court by improving focus, discipline, and determination.

These skills don’t only help players on the court; they translate to success in all facets of

life.

99

Program Development

A typical on-court practice plan is as follows:

12:45-1:00 Warm Up

1:00- 1:25 Offense Defense Drill

1:25- 1:40 AVO’s

1:40- 2:10 Approach Shot Game

2:10- 2:40 Side to Side Drill

2:40- 3:00 Point Play with Serves

3:00- 3:15 Practice ends, team stretch, meeting in locker room

Suggested shopping list

Carbs:

Oatmeal

Sweet Potatoes

Brown Rice

Pasta

Potatoes

Wheat Breads

Pretzels

Proteins:

Chicken Breast

Tuna

Eggs

100

Fish

Lean Ground Beef

Steak

Deli Meat

Fats:

Peanut Butter

Olive Oil

Nuts

Milk

Yogurt

Cheese

Vegetables

Leafy Greens

Broccoli

Asparagus

Brussel Sprouts

Celery

Carrots

Tomatoes

Fruits:

101

Bananas

Berries

Apples

Watermelon

Suggestions for pre-match meals

• 8am event: Eat a high carbohydrate dinner and drink extra water the night before, at 6-

6:30am eat a 200-400 calorie meal (yogurt, banana) and have more water.

• 10am event: Eat a high carbohydrate dinner, extra water, have a familiar breakfast by

7am to prevent fatigue.

• 2pm event: Eat a high carbohydrate breakfast and a light lunch or combine them into a

big brunch eaten by 10am. Be sure to have a high carbohydrate dinner the night before,

drink extra water day before and up to noon on the event day.

• 8pm event: Eat a big high carbohydrate breakfast and lunch, have dinner by 5pm or a

lighter meal by 6-7pm, drink extra fluids all day.

• All day event: Eat a high carbohydrate breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day before event

and drink extra fluids, eat a breakfast you can tolerate on the day of the event, snack

every 1 ½ to 2 hours on carbohydrates during the day if possible, eat lunch if you can,

drink fluids before you feel thirsty.

102