Teaching Values And Implementing Philosophies: Dilemmas of The Youth Sport Coach

The purpose ofthis study was to (1) identify the values and life skills that  coaches deem important and the manner in which coaches claim to teach these desired outcomes, and (2) examine the philosophies of youth sport coaches and the degree to which coaches implement such philosophies. In order to address these two areas, in-depth interviews averaging 74 minutes  in length were conducted with 22 youth sport baseball and softball coaches (10 women and 12 men). Analysis of the responses of these individuals revealed that coaches generally recognized the importance of teaching a wide range of values and life skills to youth sport participants, yet struggled in articulating how they attempt to teach youngsters these outcomes.  Secondly, inconsistencies were noted between the stated coaching philosophies of the coaches and the actual implementation of these philosophies. Various factors were identified that may contribute to these two main findings.