CHILD PUNISHMENT BY COACHES

“It may not be apparent unless one works in the field, but abuse of athletic children in the name of their sports is relatively widespread, even in so-called civilised societies.

No one in their Right and Reasonable mind could imagine that a Responsible Parent or Guardian would sign or verbally give “permission to participate” that allowed a Temporary Substitute Caretaker, such as the Coach, to have his or her way-with and Physically, Emotionally and/or Sexually Abuse their Child during Sports, Recreation, Exercise or any other school and non-school activity. [mbmsrmd]

(continued) Abuse of athletic children “includes the imposition of training regimes suited for adult athletes, punishment, encouraging the development of eating disorders and doping, psychological, sexual and emotional abuse from parents and coaches (who should be the protectors of the child athlete), and other competitors.”

[Br J Sports Med 2007;41:59-60 Book review
Human rights in youth sport Nicola Maffulli
Edited by P David. London: Published by Routledge, 2005]

Discipline for bad behavior through Reasonable means are within the rights of Parents, Custodians and Temporary Substitute Caretakers.

But UnReasonable Punishment of a Child by a Temporary Substitute Caretaker such as a Youth Coach, Teacher, School Bus Driver, Clergy, Camp Director, Day Care Worker, Youth Minister, Boy Scout leader etc. for not properly executing, achieving and performing their assignments, tasks and play during Sports, Recreation, Exercise and other School and Non-School Activities are totally inappropriate.

Furthermore, if the Punishment Elevates to the level of Child Abuse, its unlawful.

“In the law of Negligence, the reasonable person standard is the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would observe under a given set of circumstances. An individual who subscribes to such standards can avoid liability for negligence. Similarly a reasonable act is that which might fairly and properly be required of an individual. [West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2.]

However, Physically and Emotionally Harming and Endangering a child are certainly not Reasonable.

Parents, Guardians and Temporary Substitue Caretakers must know their own and the Child’s limitations and not cross the line causing serious injury and/or death to the Child being disciplined and punished.

Parents, Guardians and Temporary Substitute Caretakers are the Child Advocates and are responsible for protecting the Child.

Discipline and Punishment should only occur through Reasonable means. Serious Injury, Death and all forms of Child Abuse are not Reasonable. Contrarily, they are Criminal.
____________________________________________

“The pressure to win can cause significant emotional stress for a child. Sadly, many coaches and parents consider winning the most important aspect of sports. Young athletes should be judged on effort, sportsmanship and hard work.”

“They should be rewarded for trying hard and for improving their skills rather than punished or criticized for losing a game or competition.

“The main goal should be to have fun and learn lifelong physical activity skills.” [Tips for Sports Injury Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics 4/11/2012. Healthychildren.org]
____________________________________________

“An ongoing debate exists over the problems with our nation’s education and sports programs; however, you “never hear experts arguing - nor see solid research proving - that schools [and athletic teams] would be much better if only the students were beaten [and punished] more regularly.”

“The use of physical discipline, or corporal punishment, on children has a long and sordid tradition in America’s homes, schools and athletic programs.

The recent deaths of middle school, high school, college, semi-professional and professional athletes indicates that the use of excessive exercise and punishment by school officials and coaches can kill.”

“Athletic officials and the media attempt to spin athletic injuries and deaths as unfortunate byproducts of playing the game.

“Despite their spin, ‘coaches tweak and torque the athlete to see how far [they] can be pushed.’

“Today athletes are treated as superhuman-heroes who are expected to play even when hurt, sick or fatigued.”

“According to common law standards, public school teachers and coaches may impose reasonable but not excessive force to discipline a child.

“The use of excessive force or exercise to discipline a child violates that child’s substantive due process rights.”

[EXCESSIVE EXERCISE AS CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN MOORE v. WILLIS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT - HAS THE FIFTH CIRCUIT "TOTALLY ISOLATED" ITSELF IN ITS POSITION? Author By Kristina Rico Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, Villanova University, CASENOTE: 9 Vill. Sports & Ent. L.J. 351. 2002]

_____________________________________________

“Children and youths have many opportunities to be physically active in the school environment, including physical education class, recess, and before- and after- school programs. In addition, more than one third of children ages 9-13 participate in organized youth sport (Corbin, Pangrazi & LeMasurier, 2004).”

“It is imperative that these experiences promote the importance of physical activity to one’s health. To become active adults, children and youths need to encounter positive physical activity experiences, as supported in the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s (NASPE) Appropriate Instructional Practice Guidelines documents for elementary, middle and high school physical education (NASPE, 2009).”

“A student’s motivation for being physically active by engaging in the important subject matter content of physical education and sport should never fall victim to the inappropriate use of physical activity as a disciplinary consequence. NASPE supports that view in its National Standards for Sport Coaches: Quality Coaches, Quality Sports, which states that coaches should “never use physical activity or peer pressure as a means of disciplining athlete behavior” (NASPE, 2005, p. 17).”

[Position Statement, 2009, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, an association of theAmerican Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, www.aahperd.org/naspe
1900 Association Drive • Reston, VA 20190, U.S.]
_____________________________________________

The following study “concerned how coaches’ efforts to solicit better performance from athletes related to male athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ communication and to athletes’ self‐reports of satisfaction and performance. Data were collected from 192 former male high‐school athletes. Results indicated that when male athletes perceived that their coaches used more aggressive tactics athletes evaluated their coaches communication unfavorably and that when male athletes evaluated their coaches’ communication unfavorably they reported less satisfaction with their coaches, less team success in terms of win‐loss percentage, and less sportsmanship.”

[Aggressive communication in the coach‐athlete relationship by Jeffrey W. Kassing & Dominic A. Infante. Communication Research Reports Volume 16, Issue 2, 1999]

____________________________________________

“The four overarching ethical principles elaborated in the Coaching Code of Ethics, Ethical coaching practice, set standards for coaching conduct that prohibit physical punishment.

“Coaches have a special responsibility to respect and promote the rights of participants who are in vulnerable or dependent positions and less able to protect their own rights”., namely vulnerable, susceptible, minor Children.

“Coaches must maintain Children’s dignity and Rights in Sports”. Coaches must 1st do no harm, “primum non nocere” and Promote Athlete Safety 1st

We are on the cusp of a worldwide sea change regarding physical punishment of children.

Passage of laws is often preceded, and usually accompanied, by public education
regarding physical punishment and the value of positive approaches to discipline.

Implementing measures to ensure the protection of children from harm—including physical punishment—is an obligation of governments under the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child,

Pediatric Societies “recommend that physicians strongly discourage disciplinary spanking and all other forms of physical punishment.”

Now a growing number of voices from within sport and recreation are raising awareness of physical punishment and supporting its elimination.

“Credible information will change even long-standing attitudes and behaviour.

Growing numbers of Canadian parents are accepting the evidence that physical punishment is ineffective as discipline and potentially harmful, and are becoming familiar with and using “positive discipline.”

The sport and recreation community—leaders, coaches, volunteers, parents, and youth—has begun to reflect on the fundamental difference between punishment and appropriate training. Sports leaders, coaches, volunteers, parents, and youth are speaking up. The times indeed are a-changin’.

[Physical Punishment of Children in Sport and Recreation:, The Times They Are A-Changin’, Coaches Plan Summer 2010 : Vol. 17, No. 2
Ron Ensom and Joan Durrant]

WHAT MOTIVATES ATHLETES?

WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE MOTIVATES ATHLETES ?

There are two fundamental types of Motivation.
• Positive Motivation
• Negative Motivation

Positive Motivation is the preferred method of Psychology. Positive Motivation enhances the participation in sport because it encourages playing for the Love of the Game. Pleasure is the fundamental emotional driving force.

Negative Motivation is the most foul and abusive method. of Psychology. It enforces participation in sport with the fear emotion, The driving force is fear for survival and fear of not making the team and returning to poor life. Negative Motivation is characteristic of the old fashioned Bully-Boy, Plowline Coach.

THE 4 R’s OF COACHING CONDUCT are tools for Positive Motivation. They foster the Play of Sport for Love of the Game. See the 4 R’s of Coaching this web site
http://www.cappaa.com/4-rs-of-coaching

“The term affective process should be used broadly to include moods, sentiments, simple feelings of pleasantness and unpleasantness, interesting activities, etc. That emotion should be employed specifically to designate that variety of affective process which is characterized by acute upset.

Of great practical importance in the definition of emotion is the distinction between a contemporary event revealed in conscious experience and behavior and bodily change, on the one hand, and an assumed disorganization within the subject, on the other hand.

An acute upset, however, of itself is not a motive… An emotion is an acute affective disturbance within the individual as a whole, arising from the psychological situation, and manifest in conscious experience, behavior, and especially through bodily changes which are regulated by the autonomic nervous system.”

Dr. Young proposes that emotions designate an event or occurrence, an acute upset, while affect be reserved for persistent states.” 126

An acute upset for an Athlete is a transformation, conversion, or alteration of the Athlete’s current situation, state of affairs, conditions or circumstances.

Playing out of Fear is playing in response to threats and dangers from a coach. That type fear is connected to pain. Fear is a survival mechanism and results because of a specific, strong, negative stimulus, namely negative motivation.

Some of the fears threatened by Plowline Coaches are the fear of the coach, fear of God, fear of being called a quitter, fear of returning to poverty, fear of returning to the cotton fields and plowing with the mules, fear of returning to chopping up “pup wood” (Bull Cyclone Sullivan), fear of disappointing father, family, and community, fear of disappointing the high school coach and school, and the fear of becoming shunned and ostracized by their hometown community, and fear of the unknown.

Southern football coaches were particularly notorious for coaching out of those fears. This is outdated and behind the times.

“Harriett Woods (June 2, 1927–February 8, 2007) was an American politician and activist, a two-time Democratic nominee for the United States Senate from Missouri, and a former Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. She was Missouri’s first and so far only female Lieutenant Governor.” [Wikipedia]

“In the end, it’s extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But
winning takes a lot more than that, too. It starts with complete command of the
fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice.
And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man.”

Put all these together, and even if you don’t win, how can you lose?”- Jesse Owens

“James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 metres, the 200 metres, the long jump, and as part of the 4×100 meter relay team.”

“In 1936, Owens arrived in Berlin to compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler was using the games to show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany. He and other government officials had high hopes German athletes would dominate the games with victories (the German athletes achieved a top of the table medal haul).

Meanwhile, Nazi propaganda promoted concepts of “Aryan racial superiority” and depicted ethnic Africans as inferior. Owens surprised many and showed the fallacies of racial supremacy by winning four gold medals.” [Wikipedia]

“Good coaches teach respect for the opposition, love of competition, the value of trying your best, and how to win and lose graciously.” - Brooks Clark

Brooks Clark, a veteran youth coach in Tennessee and former writer for Sports Illustrated, says, “Yelling at referees is like yelling at waiters…they can’t yell back, and they’re paid to take it. Its really about development for all of us, not just our kids.“

Clark mentioned David Cutcliffe, who coached both Eli and Peyton Manning in college, about the role his father, NFL legend Archie Manning, played in their development. “He’s the parent who knew the most, and said the least. Silence sometimes teaches more than words.”

Rick Telanders’s book, The Hundred Yard Lie, was originally published in 1989 and again in 1996. Many in sports say its message is applicable today. The message is that “college football is a corrupt system that exploits players in a money-making endeavor that has no relationship to the educational process. That corruption extends to professional football coaching”. Winning-at-all-costs can sometimes in some situations be profitable.

Win-at-all-cost coaching was infectious in the Northern U.S. From the North came Vince Lombardi who was born in Brooklyn, New York. Lombardi became famous while coaching the NFL Green Bay Packers. His famous quote was, “winning isn’t everything, its the only thing.”

“He has corrupted football coaching more than any other man before or since. Because he won games and bullied his players in a way that quite literally dehumanized them. He opened the door for all kinds of abuses in the name of winning. Telander said, “I have had several Lombardi-type coaches in my own sporting career, and not just in football, and I strongly believe they did more damage to me and my teammates than they had any right to.

”The boot camp mentality of football practices only appears to be less obvious, but is still present everywhere. Closed practices are the halmark of Negative Motivation.

Lombardi was an assistant’ at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His coaching style was greatly influenced by Colonel Red Blaik, the head coach. Lombardi was offensive line coach. Blaik’s demanded football precise execution.

That would become a hallmark of Lombardi’s NFL teams. Lombardi coached at West Point for five seasons, with varying results. Lombardi was known for his philosophy and motivational skills. Lombardi’s speeches are often quoted today. He is well known as being totally committed to winning. Lombardi had a 105-35-6 record as head coach and he never had a losing season. His Packers recorded three consecutive NFL championships in 1965, 1966, and 1967; winning the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi died at age 57 of intestinal cancer.

“Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate” Lombardi said. Bullying, abusive coaches and athletes, who respond to bullying, abusive behaviors, are attracted to each other on the professional sport level. After all, choosing the profession of football for your income is different than a student athlete who will not work as an athlete all of his or her lifetime.

Coaches, who get inside their players heads and motivate them with trust and lead them as a mentor, are cerebral coaches. That is appealing to the student athlete.
The student athlete values x’s and o’s. From their cerebrum, blackboards and power points they will learn to earn their living.

The Southern Plowline Abusive Coach appears to take root from Bull Cyclone Sullivan and Bear Bryant. Their Athlete Motivation is worthy study.

Motivation was self examined by Bear Bryant. He wondered about the tactics he used to motivate his own players after becoming a football coach. And he wondered about what motivated himself. He believed he was motivated out of the fear of returning to the hard times he had growing up in Moro Bottom, and later in Fordyce, Arkansas. Bear Bryant played and coached out of fear, not the love of the game.
“One of the things that motivated me, that fear of going back to plowing and driving those mules and chopping cotton for 50 cents a day.” Holding onto that Plowline was his destiny and fortune.

Coach Bull Cyclone Sullivan, East Mississippi, said football players play for one of two reasons. They play out of fear of they play for the love of the game. Bear Bryant called Bull Cyclone the “toughest coach ever”.

Bear Bryant also traveled with his momma on a wagon peddling goods. His childhood was tough. His older brothers were plow boys and hooked up the mules and used plowline to guide the mules when croppers, who got stuck up in the mud when it rained, needed help. The Bear hated it and hated every minute of that life.

His parents were very religious and strict disciplinarians. They were fundamentalists. He got whipped a lot at home and in school as a youngster. Bryant was a prankster and a disciplinary problem. He said his parents never spared the rod. Was he severely abused as a child? Did he abuse and bully because of his abuse? That is the usual abusive scenario. The abused abuse.

Bryant wasn’t very good at basketball and knew very little about football. He was always the last one picked when the teams were being chosen. He was on the bottom of the playground hierarchy.

Bryant wasn’t a good student and was very lazy in school. He made up for it by getting into many fights. If you can’t beat them, hurt them. He was the last one anyone would think would go to college and get a degree. People who knew him didn’t think he would stick it out in college. He was motivated out of his own hard times and parental abuse with a lack of athletic ability and studious dedication . He became a bully boy abuser in his own right. He feared many circumstances. Bear didn’t block his fears, tackle his problems or keep his feet moving when the going got tough. He just became a bully.

Bryant thought about how much a man could influence another person. He relied on Coach Thomas and Coach Crisp in later years for advice. He believed you surround yourself with good people who can help you. Thomas and Crisp weren’t good at football technique, but knew what it took to win. They were motivators and win-at-all-cost motivators. Bryant described himself as a field coach and a “motivator” who didn’t know much about x’s and o’s on the chalk board. Bryant majored in physical education but “didn’t study anything”. He never had and never did.

Coach Thomas’ favorite punishment was to have Bryant and his teammates run laps at 4:00 AM. He would make them run 100 laps or pack up and leave the team. Bryant was proud of playing too soon after a fractured tibia in his leg. Playing hurt was his red badge of courage. Bryant was cut out of the same cloth as Bull Cyclone Sullivan, Coach Thomas and Coach Crisp. Charlie Bradshaw, when he assumed the head coach position at the University of Kentucky in 1962 was cut from the same mold, but he was the most abusive of abusive coaches. He was a tyrant.

Bryant learned form coach Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech. “I believe that football can teach you to sacrifice, to discipline yourself. Bobby Dodd had been quoted as saying some super-tough coaches have found they can take a group of “lesser boys”, an inferior team, and beat a superior team by super-tough conditioning and fear. Bryant and Dodd were harsh contrasts.

Bear Bryant said Dodd was right about that and Bryant was flattered “if I fall in that category”. Some teams like Georgia Tech get all those big, fine, wonderful student athletes, and the boys play about 75%. Teams that live tough and play tough and are dedicated beat their fannies seven out of nine times, which our boys have done to Georgia Tech. On examination, Bryant appeared envious of the student athlete he had never become. Regarding the fear and abuse, “Has anybody thought to ask the boys if it was worth it?

Bryant said, “I’ve tried to teach sacrifice and discipline to my coaches and my boys, and there were times I went too far and asked too much and took out my mistakes on them. I’ve made mistakes, a lot of stupid mistakes. I know that I lost games by overworking my teams, and I lost some good boys by pushing them too far, or being pigheaded.”

“I’m older now, and not as dumb, I hope, and some things I would do differently because I know better, but that doesn’t change my mind about the value of hard work.”

Everyone agrees with the hard work that is necessary to become successful. Tts the “Hard Headed” that we disagree.

In 1961, the year Alabama won the first of Bear Bryant’s national championships, Bill Curry was a red shirt sophomore on a good Georgia Tech team that included eight or 10 future NFL players.

Bear Bryant could hold a grudge but he could also forgive and forget. Curry said, we were coming off a painful loss to the Crimson Tide the previous year and wanted to prove we could whip them in their own backyard. We thought we could spoil their ranking and take their place as the dominant team in the Southeastern Conference, where Tech played until 1963.

Curry said we were coached by our own living legend, “The Gray Fox”, Bobby Dodd. He and Coach Bryant were longtime friends, and the Alabama coach was fond of saying, “When I look across the field on game day I would rather see anybody other than that damn Dodd. He can beat you with his brain.”

Coach Dodd was a General Bob Neyland disciple and understood the wisdom of ball security, field position, and error-free football better than anyone else in his era.
Coach Dodd also made public reference to the fact that he wanted his boys to have fun playing football and refused to allow us to scrimmage during the season. Rival coaches found this appalling and said so. In that era football was supposed to be a daily gut check, not fun. Not so with Coach Bobby Dodd.

Heart and desire from the love of the game come from within. Rules are taught and skills developed but the will to win comes from deep inside.

The will to win is nurtured by a Credible Mentor Coach. Contrast the difference in Coach Vince Lombardi a “super tough” hard-nosed Plowline Coach who said : Winning is not everything, winning is the only thing. Winning at all cost is not everything in amateur athletics. Compare Lombardi to Mentor Coach John Calipari who said: Winning is not everything, the will to win, because of the love of the game, is everything. Mentoring the will to win requires applying the 4 R’s of coaching.

Positive Emotions Drive Motivation. Keys to producing positive emotions are finding inspirational devices that make the athlete euphoric, exhilarated and confident about their athletic performance. Inspirational signals are music, phrases, mottos, recordings and photographs. An inspirational quote or picture can be placed in plane view, easy to see. Practice and experience the emotions the signals create within. These signals will inspire and motivate the athlete to continue to work hard toward their goals.

REFERENCES:
Coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant: The Early Years By Cecil Hurt | Sports Editor Published: Tidesports.com, Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
It’s all about Rick: From Telander to Neuheisel Is college football corrupt? By: Richard Linde, Updated 9 October 2003, 3 February 2008
The NCAA News By Gary K. Johnson
Popularity of Football newsdial.com
American Football Gaining International Popularity Footballorbust.com
A Longitudinal and Retrospective Study of The Impact of Coaching Behaviors on the 1961-1962 University of Kentucky Football Wildcats, Kay Collier McLaughlin, Ph.D., Micheal B. Minix Sr. M.D., Twila Minix, R.N., Jim Overman, Scott Brogdon
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL ABUSE STUDY Team Study Results The 1961-1962 University of Kentucky Football Freshman Micheal B. Minix, Sr., M.D.
http://www.cappaa.com/kentucky-football-abuse-study-1962
Coakley, Jay J. (1982) Sport in Society, Issues and Controversies (Second Edition). St. Louis: C.V. Mosby Company.
Debendotte, Valerie. (1988, March) Spectator Violence at Sports Events: What Keeps Enthusiastic Fans in Bounds? The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 16 (4) 203-11. EJ 372 800.
Holding a grudge is football tradition October 21, 2004 By Bill Curry Special to ESPN.com Archive
Malpractice at Practice: Should NCAA Coaches Be Liable For Negligence? Loyola of Los Angles Entertainment Law Review
[vol. 22: 613]
When does the language used rise to Verbal Abuse ?
Redmen - Unofficial site of St. John’s University BY TOM ROCK
STAFF WRITER (Newsday) February 27, 2005
SPORTS: WHEN WINNING IS THE ONLY THING,
CAN VIOLENCE BE FAR AWAY? Canadian Centres for
Teaching Peace Box 70 Okotoks, AB CANADA T1A 1S4
Psychology Today, The Power of Prime The cluttered mind uncluttered. by Jim Taylor, Ph.D.
brainyquote.com - Vince Lomabrdi quotes
Wikipedia encyclopedia

COACH OF CHILDREN IS A “SUBSTITUTE CARETAKER”

April, 2012. Youth Baseball has begun. Baseball parks are sights to behold, full of great memories and a place for continued developmental recreation.

But everyone should exercise caution when Children are at play. The reasons follow.

When Parents and Guardians leave their Children <18 in the Coach’s Custody and Control while Coaching, the Coach becomes a Legal “Substitute Caretaker” (or Caregiver in the UK and other countries).

In addition, the signed Permission to Participate in Baseball, and in any School and Non-School Sport, Recreation and Exercise for Children <18, is a transfer of that Child Care and Welfare.

Permission is not grated or waived for unlawful behavior, Child Abuse and Gross Negligence.

Since Children are required by law to attend school, extracurricular school activities automatically transfer the same Teachers’ Care and Welfare to the extracurricular Coach or Supervisor.

Children’s Participation in SRE is about Participant and Athlete Safety 1st.

Times have changed since many Coaches, the lawn chair grandparents and parents played the games. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Reauthorization Act 2012, Public Law 111-320 was first enacted in 1972 after many Coaches, grown-ups and elders played the games.

Voluntary Ignorance of Child Protection Laws are:
• Risk of injury to Children
• No excuse for serious injuries and deaths
• No defense in court serious injuries and deaths
• Risk of litigation for Coaches

Report Child Abuse.

[The CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010: What Advocates Should Know, Children’s Rights Litigation, Section of Litigation, AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION - Home › Children's Rights Litigation › Articles]

Link: http://apps.americanbar.org/litigation/committees/childrights/content/articles/010311-capta-reauthorization.html

QUESTIONS TO COACHES RECRUITING STUDENT ATHLETES

First Published 4/2/2009. Updated several subequent dates.

About 5 % of high-school athletes in the United States become college athletes

Less than 3 % of college athletes turn pro. “In other words, for every 100 college athletes, only three go on to pro sports.” [National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)]

Firstly, the Main life ingredient that Colleges offer Student Athletes is an Education. Secondly and less important is their experience in their chosen Sport.

Ironically, the Sport is second to an education, but a bad Athletic expericnce can have a negative impact on the Athlete’s education. So Parents, Guardians and Student Athletes must be diligent during the College and Team selection process.

Parents, Guardians and Student Athletes must evaluate realistically the Coach’s Behavior and Reputation and the way the Coach has conducted themselves and their Code of Coaching Conduct and Methods of Coaching.

Parents, Guardians and Student Athletes should not gauge the Coach based on how the Coach is supposed to conduct themselves, but how the Coach does conduct themselves.

The Check list of Questions for the high school student athlete to ask the Coach during the recruitment process are the following and should be based on Fact, not Fiction:

What are the Coach’s Outcomes for the development of student athletes (? marks are implied)
What is the Coach’s winning and losing record
Does the coach have a good reputation on campus and in the community
Does the coach have past illegal citations and violations of the law
Has the coach been sanctioned by athletic associations, such as the NCAA
Is the Coach Currently under NCAA violation investigation
Have you studied the National Letter of Intent (NLI) throughly? (NLI appears to favor the College not the Athlete)
Is the coach a leader among his coaching peers
Have his players become leaders and role models
Is the coach honest
are his players honest
Has the coach been a listener to the players
Does the community, school and media respect him
Does he encourage academic achievement
Do the players have study hall
Are the players grades and classroom achievements monitored and of utmost importance to the coach
What education does the coach have
Was he a good student
Has the coach helped develop previous players spiritual lives by allowing the players time to practice their faith
what percentage of his players practice their religion
What percentage of his players have graduated college
What percentage of his players have meaningful employment after the sport
What percentage of his players play at the next level

How many injuries have his players sustained during their career
How many injuries were permanent.
How many injuries were career ending injuries
How many players had surgery during their career for injuries
How many times were players sick during excessive practice
Have players been forced to play through the pain that turned out to be serious injury

Are nutritional requirements of each player overseen and individualized

Do players get adequate rest
Do players get adequate medical attention
Are practices too long
Are there additional punitive practices for players
Do players run too much

Does the coach use foul language
Does the coach belittle players when he critiques or corrects them
Does the coach use physical abuse
Is the coach verbally abusive

Will the coach attempt to win at all costs to the players, school , and community
Will the coach cheat to win
Does the coach have the best interest of the player at heart

After the above questions are answered to the player’s satisfaction, then the player can turn to the success of the Coach’s teams i.e. wins, loses, championships, tournaments, bowls etc.

About the National Letter of Intent (NLI)

Most sources say the NLI completely favors the College not the Student-Athlete. And most say the NLI is not in truth a contract by contract law. So Student-Athletes should be cautious and weigh the NLI carefully.

“Two weeks ago, word spread across the country: Brandon Knight, one of the top high school basketball players in the country, had signed a Letter of Intent to play at Kentucky. But he hadn’t.

“Knight signed an “aid agreement,” which is a different animal entirely. It means that Kentucky owes him a full scholarship for next year. This has been widely reported as Knight “committing” to Kentucky.

“But he didn’t really do that, either.

“Knight did not commit to anything. If he was truly committed to Kentucky, he could have signed a Letter of Intent, like virtually every other top player in the country. Players often commit to schools, but they almost always do it during a time of year when they are not allowed to sign a Letter of Intent. Knight did it instead of signing a Letter of Intent.

Nobody knew quite what to make of Knight’s pseudo-commitment. He said he was going to Kentucky, he signed something with Kentucky … it seemed like a technicality. But it isn’t.

“Knight gamed the system. The whole point of signing with a school is to enforce a two-way commitment: The school and the prospect swear to love each other, in sickness and in health, in the NCAA tournament and the NIT. Schools can take scholarships away after players spend a year on campus (which I don’t like, but that’s another column). The Letter of Intent ends the recruiting process.

“By signing an aid agreement, Knight forced Kentucky to make all the vows. The Wildcats are committed to him, but he is not committed to them.

“This is perfectly legal, and my first thought was: Good for Knight. Every year, coaches sign a batch of recruits, then bolt for another job and the recruits don’t find out until they turn off the Xbox and see the news stream across the bottom of their TV screen. Players don’t have much power in college sports. Knight found a way to take a few chips away from the house. Good for him.”
[“UK recruit Knight a game-changer even before he enters school,” Michael Rosenberg> INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL April 29, 2010]

YOUTH BASEBALL COACH FYI

Youth Baseball has begun. Coaches FYI:

As in any profession and occupation i.e Coach, Doctor, Lawyer, Clergy, Teacher, Boy Scout Leader, Camp Director etc., “a few bad apples spoil the lot”.

Its usually 10% to 20%, who manifest bad behavior. This post is directed at that minority, but its for the Awareness of everyone.

Coaches, remember, you are “Temporary, Substitute Caretakers’ according to the law, when Coaching Children less than 18 in School and Non-School Sports, Recreation and Exercise (SRE).

Permission to Participate signatures by Parents and Guardians do NOT protect Coaches from Child Abuse, Assault and Battery, Gross Negligence and Human Rights violations charges in SRE.

• PEMISSION TO PARTICIPATE IS NOT GRANTED by the Youth and Adult Athlete FOR THESE RISKS that are NOT Inherent to the games they PLAY

• The Parent, Guardian and Participant do not waive or release claims based upon unlawful endangerment, maltreatment and abusive misconduct by the Coach

• Preventable, Non-Accidental Injuries are Injuries, Deaths, Human Rights Violations and Sexual Abuse not inherent or natural to the games that were/are played.

• “the duty owed athletes takes the form of giving adequate instruction in the activity, supplying proper equipment, making a reasonable selection or matching of participants, providing non-negligent supervision of the particular contest, and taking proper post-injury procedures to guard against aggravation of injuries. [Leahy v. School Board, 450 So.2nd 883, (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1984)]”

• “Several other courts have defined the duty of care owed by coaches and high schools to student-athletes. In Kahn v. East Side Union High School District, 75 P.3rd 30, (Cal. 2003), the court stated that a coach will breach his duty to a student-athlete if the coach “intentionally injures the student or engages in conduct that is reckless in the sense that it is ‘totally outside the range of the ordinary activity’ involved in teaching or coaching the sport.”

• “Coaches must provide proper supervision, training, and instruction. Coaches should take measures to ensure that players follow the rules of the game in an effort to avoid injuries. Coaches must warn against all known dangers or dangers that should have or could have been discovered in the exercise of reasonable care. In addition, coaches must supervise their players in proportion to how dangerous the activity is. The more dangerous the sport, the greater the responsibility the coach bears.”

• “In addition, coaches may be found liable if an injured player was not provided with the proper protective and safety equipment and, even further, the coach must see to it that the athlete was properly instructed as to the appropriate use of this equipment. A coach must also see that the equipment is properly maintained so that its effectiveness is maximized.”

• “A coach may never be free from all potential theories of liability, but a coach can protect himself or herself by using reasonable care and ensuring that athletes under his or her supervision are fully prepared, and protected, before stepping foot on the field or court” [Assessing a Coach's Liability for Injury to the Student-Athlete By Robert J. Romano, Esq.]

Coaches, bone-up. Protect Children and yourselves (Coaches) in SRE. Tell your buddies. Please share this FYI with your friends.

See More Details:
http://www.cappaa.com/category/wheres-the-will-to-enforce-athlete-abuse-law

Report Child Abuse.

RETURN TO FOOTBALL PLAY AFTER ACL RECONSTRUCTION

Conclusions: Return to Play (RTP) after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) in competitive high school and college football is only ~64%. Return to the same performance High School – 42% College 42%.

Fear was the reason not to RTP High School - 53% College 44%. Played at the next level after ACLR High School 12% College 14%To our knowledge, this is the first report of football specific RTP for amateur athletes and to identify fear as a modifiable risk factor to improve RTP in competitive football at these levels of play. [AOSSM 2012 Specialty Day, Return to High School and College Level Football Following ACL Reconstruction by Kirk A. McCullough MD1; Kevin Phelps MD2; Kurt P. Spindler MD3; Matthew J. Matava MD4; Richard D. Parker MD5; Warren R. Dunn MD,MPH2; MOON Group MDs2; Emily K. Reinke PhD6, Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute, Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine Center, Nashville,TN, Washington University Orthopedics Chesterfield, MO, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, OH
_____________________________________________

“Recent research suggests that there's been a dramatic increase in the rate of ACL injuries in youth athletes over the past decade, at least partially attributable to the growth of year-round sports programs.”

“At the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day this past Saturday (referring to study above), two separate teams of researchers presented studies about how anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in youth athletes could hinder or end their sports careers.”

“One study, based out of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, examined how often youth football players returned to the field after suffering ACL injuries. Based on their findings, the authors asserted that fewer football players may be resuming their careers than might otherwise be expected.”

“While return to play may be perceived as the central concern for a competitive athlete recovering from an injury, it is easy to ignore psychological factors keeping a player off the field," said the study's senior author, Dr. Kurt P. Spindler.

"Fear of re-injury and concern over decreased performance may hinder even the most physically capable athlete." [Studies Examine Crippling Impact of ACL Injuries in Youth Athletes By Bryan Toporek on February 14, 2012]

SPIRITUALITY, SPORTS, RECREATION AND EXERCISE

Sports, Recreation and Exercise are activities, in which Adult and Children Human Beings participate. During participations and Coaching, Human Beings should tender the “Folder of their Soul,” because the Spirit of Man and Holiness Transformation are the meaning of Human Life.

Failure to implement and ignoring the true meaning of Life while maltreating, abusing and neglecting Children in Sports, Recreation and Exercise are sins far worse than Human pain, suffering and death. Sins are aside from their unlawfulness.

The Human Brain has many characteristics and features that are superior to other animal Brains. Examples are:

Intelligence, Wisdom, Love, Kindness, Parental Instinct, Ethics, Right vs Wrong, Morality, Character, Meaning, Understanding, Adaptation, Desire, Worship, All Cognitive Behaviors, Time and Death Perception, Sensation, Motor Dexterity, Pain, Suffering, Sports, Recreation and Exercise Abilities

Spirituality was the impetus for these higher superior physiologies of the Human Brain. Genome sequences evolved to support the potential for Human Spirituality and Holiness Transformation, the desired God creations.

God created Biblical Human Evolution, Human Behavior and the world in which we live, as illustrated in the Bible. Adam was involved in the original sin and Noah was favored by God after manifestations of his spiritual evolution.

From the first man Adam, after a time period to Noah and his family, DNA became hardwired with genome sequences for spirituality and spirituality support software; likewise SRE abilities.

“And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last man Adam a quickening spirit”: 1Cr 15:4, 15:42, 15:44, 15:45 [King James Bible] [The Sustaining Church]

Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Gen 7:1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all they house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Proverbs 20:27 “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”

The inward parts of the belly, including SRE Participants and Coaching abilities, were created to support Spiritualtiy and Moral and Lawful Behaviors.

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven……even when Coaching SRE.

Sports builds good Character ……when Good Caretaker Coaches are Coaching Children in Sports.

2 CATEGORIES OF SPORTS INJURIES

There are 2 Categories of Injuries in Sports, Recreation and Exercise (SRE). Both are usually unintentional.

Coaching Children in Amateur SRE carries with it a Supreme Standard of Child Athlete Care, not like Amateur College and Professional Sports

• 1. Accidental, Not-Preventable Injuries that are inherent or natural to the Game or Activity that the Athlete or SRE Participant plays or participates.

• 2. Not-Accidental, Preventable Injuries that are NOT inherent or natural to the Game or Activity that the Athlete or SRE Participant played or participated.

• Not-Accidental, Preventable Injuries represent 50% or SRE Injuries and are secondary to improper Child Protection and Supervision by the Coach or Supervisor.

FOR EXAMPLE, CONCUSSION

• About 50% of Concussions are Not-Accidental and are Preventable Injuries

• Concussion Mismanagement in SRE is Not-Accidental and a Preventable Injury and Unintentional

• SRE Coaches are legally Classified as “Temporary Substitute Caretakers” because they are Responsible for the Care and have a Duty of Care for Children while in their Custody and Control during the Child’s Participation in School and Non-School SRE

• When Coaches, Athletes, Participants, the Athletic Community and the General Public become aware of the Coach’s Legal Responsibilities, they will become more vigilant about Athlete Safety 1st, Child Athlete Abuse Syndrome Reporting and Self-Reporting

• The Special Standard of Care for Children in every venue, during every second of time, on every inch of ground, including SRE, is in force Worldwide
____________________________________________
• http://www.cappaa.com/lessons-learned-about-consussion
• http://www.cappaa.com/senate-bill-1877-letter-to-your-us-senator

UK COACH CALIPARI HAS SET THE BAR FOR RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS ATHLETES BY COACHES

Congratulations to the UK Men Basketball Athletes, Coach John Calipari, University of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation for the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.

On April 2, 2012 Kentucky defeated Kansas 67- 59. for the Chanpionship. Nine days later, on April 11, the 2012 Kentucky “national champs are reloading and rebuilding at a ridiculous rate.” Kentucky recruited the number #1 basketball class for 2012, for the fourth year in a row. [In unique style, Nerlens Noel makes Kentucky’s 2012 recruiting class — and future — flat-out scary by Ryan Greene April 12, 2012 | The Dagger Yahoo Sports]

Coach Cal has set the bar for recruiting the last 4 years. It appears since his tenure at UK began, Coach Cal has implemented his strategical change. Coach Calipari described his transformation as he matured in Basketball Coaching.

Coach Cal now emphasizes an Athlete Centered Basketball System. Cal has set the bar for Respect and Responsibility toward Athletes by Coaches. Cal described his Athlete Centered Basketball System and how the system won the Championship:

• Accolades are for the Players, not Coach Cal
• Coach Cal’s System is Players Centered System, not a Coach Centered System
• Calipari has Respect for his Players human dignity
• His Athletes are treated with love and respect regardless of differences
• Coach Cal takes Responsibility for his Athletes Safety and Welfare
• Athletes are required to attend classes and make good grades
• System designed for the players to live out their dreams
• “Kentucky is the best job in basketball coaching,” [Cindy Boren Wash Post]
• “There was not one peep of trouble out of this basketball team”
• Calipari has figured out how to keep the “me,” while incorporating the “we.” [Kentucky.com, John Clay 1/3/2012]
• Players are a part of something bigger than themselves
• Calipari has the best interest of each player at heart
• Calipari is attentive to Athlete Injury and follows the Doctors’ recommendations on play and re-entry
• “Just talent alone, folks, does not get it done,” Coach Cal said. “It doesn’t. These young men sacrificed for each other. They respected one another.” [John Calipari returns Kentucky to "gold standad, 4/04/2012 The Associated Press]
• Positive reinforcement, “He shot it. I said, That’s what I’m talking about, you’re as good a shooter as there is in the country. Let it go.”
• “All I’m doing is I’m doing what’s right for these people, helping them reach their dreams.
• “We’ll all sit down and they have a decision on the 28th or 29th of April, and they’ll make a decision. It will be about them at that point.
• “Because they listen and they trust.
• “The reason they trust, they know it’s about a player’s first in our program. It’s about them. They’re going to listen to what we ask them to do.
• “If they thought it was about me, they’re not going to listen to so much. This is about them and they know it. They’ll play how we’re asking them to play.
• “Now, we’re trying to make these guys the best they can be. [Kentucky Coach John Calipari, Wildcats talk about victory over Louisville, Saturday, March 31, 2012, By The Times-Picayune
• Coach Cal is not a Bully and does not Abuse his Athletes.
• Coach Calipari does not recruit or allow Gutter and Septic Tank morality and behavior.
• Nor does he allow trash talking over the top, physicality outside the rules of the game, bad attitudes on the floor, smart mouthing. childish face-making.
• During recruiting "Cal walks out of homes, if a kid disrespects a parent or grandparent....they won't listen to me either" [Sports Illustrated, April April 9, 2012, p.39]
• Its all hard dedicated work and business. Its about the business of developing mature Basketbll Athletes and Good Successful Citizens. Life after Basketball for Pro and no Pro.

• Servant Leadership

Another important Calipari successful leadership quality is the instillation of Servant Leadership in his players. Not only does Cal want his Athletes to “put their heads on the Rim” (Attack and Defend The Rimisphere), he wants them to focus-on or ‘put their heads on’ Sevant Leadership.

April 17, 2012 during the announcements, concerning the UK Basketball players, who will enter the NBA Draft, Coach Calipari spoke about the Servant Leadership of each player.

“Servant leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership, defined first in the Bible by Jesus Christ, (see Gospel of John chapter 13) and later implemented in the secular world by Robert K. Greenleaf (1904–1990).”

“Servant-leaders achieve results for their organizations (in this instance basketball team) by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve (Teammates and Coaches). Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organization’s resources: human, financial and physical.” [Wikipedia]

In Contrast to Coach Calipari and the UK Wildcats, there is a big difference in Coaching College Basketball and Coaching School and Non-School Sports Recreation and Exercise with Athletes and Participants who are less than 18 years old, on whom Cal has an enormous influence.

Even though Coach Cal isn’t required by law to meet the same Standards of Care for Children less than 18 years old, Coach Cal employs and applies the 4 R’s of Coaching which personifies his TRUST of his Athletes and TRUST of his Athletes for him.

These 4 R’s appear to be ingrained in him, natural and intuitive and are fundamentals for Coaching Children and Youth also. The 4 R’s are:

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, RELATIONSHIP RECOGNITION

• Coach Cal Respects the Human Dignity of his Basketball Athletes
• He Accepts Responsibility for his Athletes Care and Safety just like a Parent Caretaker
• Coach Cal Develops a Positive Relationship with each player
• He Recognizes each Athlete when they accomplish their assignments and behavior with a job well done and a pat on the back

Coach Cal not only returned the Gold Standard of College Basketball to Kentucky, but he also set the Gold Standard and the bar for the Coaching Code of Conduct for Child and Youth Amateur Athletes and Participants <18 years old in School and Non-School Sports, Recreation and Exercise (SRE) in the United States and possibly around the World.

When Coaches of younger players begin to emulate Coach Cal, they will understand that Coach Cal Promotes the Athlete Centered SRE System vital to Athletes.

Hopefully, for their own protection and the protection of Child Athletes, Coaches of Youth Participants and Athletes will recognize there is a legal difference in Coaching College Basketball and Coaching Amateur Child Athletes and Participants <18 prior to College.

Youth Basetball players <18 have a Supreme Standard of Care. Child and Youth Athletes and Participants <18 years old in SRE have a Supreme Standard of Care that is to be enforced and adjudicated in each of our 50 United States. That Supreme Standard of Care is overseen by the U.S. Federal Government by The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Reauthorization Act 2010, Public Law 111-320.

Coaches should also begin to realize that they are legally defined as “Coach Substitute Caretakers” within that Supreme Standard of Care, CAPTA 2010 and State Laws, when they Coach Children and Youth <18 years old in School and Non-School Amateur SRE.

The following is the reason. Coaches of Child and Youth Athletes and Participants <18 are “Substitute Caretakers” who are Responsible for Children and Youth’s Care while they have Custody and Control during SRE Participation.

Coach Cal doesn’t have that same legal Standard when Coaching Youth Adults older than 18 years. He Coaches with that method naturally. Coach Cal doesn’t have “Temporary Substitute Child Custody” of his Athletes like Coaches of Children have. That’s the difference when he’s Coaching College Athletes.

Coach Cal can have the most positive influence and most dramatic impact on Coaches concerning the Care and Safety of Child and Youth Athletes and Participants from his natural and instinctive philosophy regarding an Athlete Centered Basketball System, Coaching the 4 R’s and his Championship success.

Coach Calipari has not always utillized his current Coaching metods. In fact he admits to being extremely self centered in the past. He worships daily and attends church almost daily [Sports Illustrated, April 9, 2012]

Now, His philosophy and Coaching methods, with which he won the NCAA Basketball Championship, are much imporved compared to his past and prior UK and other Coaches. You might remember the UK Basketball epidemic of Stress Fractures and other overuse injuires in recent past during another Coach’s rein.

None of us are perfect, including Coach Cal. His modus operandi is not perfect, but an Athlete Centered Sports and Rights Basketball System is a huge beginning.

Many of his antics and word-bombs are communications with his players, the media and the Big Blue Nation. [Sports Illustrated, April April 9, 2012, p.39] When Cal is conducting that event everyone understands.

He knows exactly what his antics, native coaching vernacular and word-bombs are doing. Imagine Coaching rock-stars into playing team Basketball and not allowing them to go solo-stingy, as they grew-up doing in “summer ball” and high school.

Imagine the big Blue media and Big Blue Nation.

Antics, vernacular and word-bombs aside, Cal is the leader of some very serious “stuff”.

Parents, particularly mommas, know that Cal will not take unecessary chances with the safety and welfare of their sons, on and off the court.

His current example should serve other Coaches, who are in need of improved direction.

Hopefully, they will heed Coach Cal’s message and, at the same time, improve their language and yell-out positive instructions and positive comments while setting examples.

Cal’s leadership is powerful and exremely important. Coach Calipari will change for the better the Culture of College Basketall and Child and Youth Sports, Recreation and Exercise.

SENATE BILL 1877, LETTER TO YOUR U.S. SENATOR

SENATE BILL 1877, LETTER TO YOUR U.S. SENATOR

Please Copy the Letter below. Then paste and send it to Your U.S. Senator.

Find your U.S. Senator’s contact information by alphabetical name, state or party on the following web site: Senators of the 112th Congress http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm:

Dear Senator_______________,

KEY REASONS COACHES ARE NOT REPORTED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE

I support S. 1877. but it needs further amendment.

The 1st Duty of the Coach is Care for the Child while the Coach has Custody and Control of the Child during School and Non-School Sports, Recreation and Exercise (SRE) Participation; The Coach is called the Caretaker (Caregiver)

The legal Role of the “Coach Substitute Caretaker” in SRE has not been properly authored in Section 3, Paragraph 2. of CAPTA 2010 and then issued, published and promulgated for Awareness to general public

Children will Self-Report, Doctors and Health Care Personnel will Report, other Coaches, the entire Athletic Community and the general public will most likely Report Child Sexual Abuse and Physical and Psychological Abuses when they realize and fully understand and have been educated about the Duty of the “Coach-Substitute-Caretaker”.

Additionally, Coaches will be less likely to be Blind-Sided with Criminal and Civil Litigations once Coaches realize their Standard of Care, Complete Role and Code of Conduct for Children Participants in SRE.

Please include the following amendment language (A) below to the definitions and to the S.1877 amendment listed in (B) below.

THE FOLLOWING PROPOSED AMENDMENT (A), IS A KEY SOLUTION TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE OF ATHLETES AND PARTICIPANTS IN SPORTS, RECREATION AND EXERCISE (SRE)

• {the Following is a Proposed additional Public Health Amendment to Section 3. Paragraph 2. an innovation by Athlete Safety 1st as suggested in 2005 by the U.S. Surgeon General. The New Language is Capitalized and a recommended addition to S. 1877 described below}:

(A) any recent act or failure to act, on the part of a parent or caretaker, “INCLUDING COACH SUBSTITUTE CARETAKERS OF SCHOOL AND NON-SCHOOL SPORTS, RECREATION AND EXERCISE”, that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, or sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm; or

• {the Following is a Proposed Amendment S. 1877 by Senators Casey and Boxer Language Capitalized Senate Bill 1877 (S. 1877 currently in Senate Committee awaiting action}:

(B) >ANY DELIBERATE ACT<, on the part of an individual other than a parent or caretaker, that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, or sexual abuse or exploitation, or that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to a child.’

See more:
http://www.cappaa.com/when-coaching-children-the-coach-is-a-substitute-caretaker

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