Youth Coaches

Deconstruct the article for pertinent information

The report identifies that the needs of Athletes suffering from Hidden disabilities have been left out by Youth Sports Coaches. According to statistics from the CDC, 10% of children in the United States suffer from disabilities. Some children’s limitations are evident from their appearance as well as their deficiencies in interaction and in the ability to carry out appropriate learning process.

On the other hand, there are children with hidden disabilities (HD) who appear pretty ordinary. However, their deficiencies result in sports participation issues and their struggles in meeting learning expectations. Most coaches gain the ability to identify and develop appropriate inclusive measures for HD athletes through interaction and experience. Most youth coaches volunteering with communities lack this experience, and the needed skills to identify and appropriately train athletes suffering from HD. Coaches who had previous interaction with HD athletes are more receptive to identifying the needs and providing appropriate training for HD athletes. Ideally, little has been done by coaching administrators to include HD training within the coaching certificate programs to promote knowledgeability among coaches (Martin, 2017). The article provides research on individual attitudes on the need for training youth sports coaches on HD athletes.

Identify results and conclusions

The results were as follows; Most of the respondents (83%) agreed that HD athletes do not need additional athletic skills as such, they should be allowed to participate in sporting activities equitably. Respondents also concurred that the inclusion of HD athletes would not jeopardize the experience of training for ordinary athletes. Most coaches (83%) however pointed out to their lack of knowledge on HD athletes. A majority (77%) also agreed that their coaching certificate programs provided inadequate skills on how to handle HD athletes. Thus, (92%) suggested the need to include HD training in the undergraduate coaching training curriculum. Conclusively, the respondents unanimously pointed out to the need for improvement of coaching curriculum to cover the needs of HD athletes, as well as the needs of all children. Coaching educators showed maximum support and agreed that they would provide HD training within the undergraduate training programs for coaches. The research also highlighted the need for the professional institution to expand the curriculum to include HD and other special needs training for youth coaches. Support from the institution is necessary for promoting inclusive coaching that caters for the needs of all athletes.

Critique the use of the value of the methods and results

Thirty-six participants (18 females and 18 males) involved in the study were from different genders and educational backgrounds, from Ph. D to B.A providing different outlooks and perspectives on HD athletes. Unfortunately, the values did not serve as measures for result comparison; instead, the results were general. The Qualitative method of data collection employed also provided a comparative analysis of the attitudes and perspective of participants on HD athletes. Using the five-point scale and the use and an open-ended response section allowed the study to collect comprehensive information.

Determine the practical use of information from the research article.

The practical use of information from research allows coaches to develop techniques to assist in HD inclusivity. For instance, developing structured practice routine and communicating them to athletes at the beginning of practice with the help of visual and auditory assistance would allow HD athletes to appropriately understand details of the whole exercise (Mayer, 2012). It is also essential that coaches develop eye contact communication with athletes to boost the concentration of HD athletes. Coaches should encourage athletes to provide input by setting aside time for discussion to allow HD athletes to offer opinions and think. As such, the practical application of information from the research is instrumental in developing appropriate measures for inclusivity.

References

Martin, J. J. (2017). Handbook of Disability Sport and Exercise Psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Mayer, J. E. (2012). The Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching. Bloomington, IN AuthorHouse.

 

 
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