Coach Education Essentials

Kristen Dieffenbach, PhD, is an associate professor of athletic coaching education at West Virginia University. She earned her doctorate in exercise science with an emphasis in exercise and sport psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the president of the United States Center for Coaching Excellence and has served as a member of the executive board of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She also serves on the research committee for the International Council for Coaching Excellence.Dieffenbach’s areas of educational, research, and consultation concentration include coaching education, professional issues in coaching, ethics in coaching, performance enhancement, and long-term athlete talent development. She has worked on numerous grants, projects, and consultations in these areas for the U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, United States Tennis Association, USA Cycling, USA Hockey, USA Triathlon, U.S. Paralympics, USA Swimming, USA Water Polo, Peaks Coaching Group, and Carmichael Training Systems.Dieffenbach has published research articles in scientific journals, authored and co-authored numerous book chapters, and written for applied publications such as Olympic Coach, VeloNews, and Dirt Rag. She has also served as an expert panelist for the Outdoor Life Network and for publications such as Runner’s World, Performance Conditioning for Cycling, Backpacker, Bicycling, and Adventure Sports.Together with Steve McCauley, Dieffenbach co-authored Bike Racing for Juniors, a book for coaches, parents, and young cyclists. She has also written or co-authored chapters for U.S. Tennis, USA Cycling, and the U.S. Marine Corps. As an AASP-certified consultant, Dieffenbach works with a wide range of athletes and coaches as a consultant and educator.As a coach, she holds an elite-level USA Cycling license and has earned a level 2 endurance specialization from USA Track and Field. She has coached at the high school, collegiate, and elite levels. Currently, she coaches both semi-professional and professional road cyclists, mountain bikers, and adventure racers. She specializes in working with junior and Espoir elite athletes, and she runs a mountain bike development camp for USA Cycling.A former Division I runner and road cyclist, Dieffenbach now enjoys endurance and ultra-endurance multi-sport racing. She specializes in 24-to-72-hour adventure racing events.Melissa Thompson, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she has coordinated the sport coaching education program since 2008. She instructs sport psychology and sport coaching courses at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. She was appointed director of student-athlete development for the university’s athletic department when the program was established in 2017.Thompson is a board member of the United States Center for Coaching Excellence. She is certified by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the International Council for Coaching Excellence, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and she is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry and several other organizations. She previously served on the national sport steering committee for SHAPE America as the coaching representative, a position that allowed her to co-author the alliance position statement on minimum levels of coaching education for all levels of sport. Her publications, in both scholarly and trade journals, are focused on coach development and are a combination of empirical research and application-based articles.From 2007 through 2008, Thompson served as a lead graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University, where she earned her doctorate of philosophy in educational psychology with an emphasis in sport psychology. She received her master of science degree in kinesiology from Georgia Southern University, where she also served as an assistant softball coach. Thompson was a member of the women’s softball team at Rockford University (Illinois), where she graduated magna cum laude with a double major in psychology and elementary education.

• Part I. Establishing a Strong Educational Base to CoachChapter 1. Frameworks for Coach Education and DevelopmentKristen DieffenbachThe Intersection of Sport Culture and CoachingCoaching Education: Time for an UpgradeFuture DirectionsSummaryChapter 2. Ethical and Philosophical Grounding of CoachesMelissa ThompsonEthics in Sport CoachingApproaches to Understanding EthicsDeveloping EthicsThe Coaching PhilosophySummaryChapter 3. Holistic, Athlete-Centered Coaching OrientationCharles H. Wilson Jr. and Trey BurdetteCoaching in the Real WorldFoundations of HACCBecoming a Holistic, Athlete-Centered CoachCreate the Right Motivational Climate and CultureChallenges to Holistic, Athlete-Centered CoachingConquest CoachingSummaryChapter 4. Athlete Development Process and CoachingMatt RobinsonAthlete DevelopmentAthlete Development DefinedStatus of Athlete Development in the United StatesThe Role of the Coach in the Developmental StagesThe Role of the Coach in Athlete DevelopmentCoaching in an Athlete Development ModelThe Five-by-Four Coaching ModelSummaryChapter 5. Coach Instruction for Effective Athlete InstructionMatthew A. GrantWhat Coaches Should KnowWhat Coaches Should DoSummaryPart II. Teaching Coaches to Excel Within Their ContextChapter 6. Educating Youth Sport Coaches: An Empirically Supported Training ProgramFrank L. Smoll and Ronald E. SmithTheoretical Model and Research ParadigmMeasurement of Coaching BehaviorsCoach Behaviors and Children’s Evaluative ReactionsAchievement Goal Theory and CoachingTranslating Basic Research Findings Into a Coach InterventionOutcome ResearchDisseminationSummaryChapter 7. Coaching Club and Interscholastic SportsDaniel Gould and Jenny NalepaCharacteristics of Scholastic and Club AthletesParticipation Effects or OutcomesBest Coaching PracticeChallenges, Barriers, and Key IssuesImplications for Guiding PracticeSummaryChapter 8. College and High-Level Amateur SportsCecile ReynaudHigh-Level Amateur SportsCollegiate CoachingSet the Vision and StrategyShape the EnvironmentBuild RelationshipsConduct Practices and Structure CompetitionsRead and React to the FieldLearn and ReflectSummaryChapter 9. Coach Education of Professional- and Olympic-Level CoachesCameron KiosoglousDefining and Understanding the Context of Professional and Olympic SportsUnderstanding Deliberate Practice in the Context of High-Performance CoachingDefining Sport Coaching SuccessExcelling Within This ContextApplication in PracticeSummaryChapter 10. Paralympic Sport CoachingGordon A. BloomHistory of Paralympic SportCareer Progression and Learning of Paralympic CoachesParalympic Coach LeadershipSummaryPart III. Developing the Best CoachesChapter 11. Current Models of Coach Education, Training, and CertificationSarah McQuadeThe United KingdomSouth AfricaNew ZealandCanadaSummaryChapter 12. International Coach Education and Development: A Case StudySergio Lara-Bercial and John BalesThe International Council for Coaching ExcellenceThe International Sport Coaching FrameworkExamples of a Framework Approach to Coach Education and DevelopmentImplementation ChallengesSummaryChapter 13. Professional Development Opportunities for CoachesChristine NashA Professionalism ApproachTransitions to ExpertiseCareer Transitions in Coaching: The Importance of ContextSummaryChapter 14. Career Guidance and Mentorships for CoachesClayton R. Kuklick and Brian T. GearityTypes of Sport ParticipationTypes of Knowledge Needed for Effective CoachingHow Coaches Learn to Be EffectiveCareer DevelopmentSummaryChapter 15. Long-Term Coach Development ProcessPenny CrisfieldThe Complexity of Coaching: The Changing Role of Coaches, Coaching, and Coach DevelopmentDeveloping Coaching ExpertiseHow a Professional Learns: Opportunities for Improving the Current ApproachExploring New Models of Learning Within Sport Coach EducationCoach DevelopersSummaryPart IV. Evaluating the Impact of Coach EducationChapter 16. Reflection on Accreditation and Endorsement of Coach Education and Development ProgramsLori A. Gano-OverwayAccreditation: What It Is and Why It Is ImportantInsight Into Accreditation and Endorsements: What It Looks Like NowCoach Learning and Development: Issues and Concerns for Accreditation and Endorsement ProgramsSport Coaching Standards and Competencies: Issues and Concerns for Accreditation and Endorsement ProgramsFuture Considerations for Accreditation and Endorsement SchemesSummaryChapter 17. Standards for Coaching EffectivenessWade GilbertThe Journey From Coaching Legend to Scientific Frameworks for Quality Coaching: Learning From the “Coach of the Century”Scientific Frameworks and Standards for Coaching EffectivenessMeasuring Standards of Coaching EffectivenessSummaryChapter 18. Coach Behavior and Performance AnalysisStephen Harvey, Edward Cope, and Luke JonesCoaching BehaviorA Rationale for Performance Analysis Practices in CoachingSummaryAppendix A. The Role of the National Standards for Sport Coaches in Coach LearningAppendix B. Coaching Education Program Accreditation RequirementsAppendix C. Bachelor Degree Coaching Education Program Guidelines