American Press: Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual #15 (2000)

ARCAA Contents & Abstracts Volume 15, 2000

ISBN 978-0-89641-350-4

A Summary of Articles Published in Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual, 1986-1997— Jessica Garner, Arnold LeUnes — In 1986, the Journal of applied Research in Coaching and Athletics (JARCA) was created and published quarterly. Two years later, it was decided to move from a quarterly publication to an annual, and the journal was renamed Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual (ARCAA). An analysis of all editions of ARCAA from 1986 through 1997 was conducted and revealed that 198 articles and 90 book reviews had been published. Analyses were conducted on 11 areas to include: (1) most common topics covered in the articles; (2) most prominent authors in terms of number of publications; (3) professional affiliations of the authors; (4) international author involvement; (5) article length; (6) number of citations per article; (7) author gender; (8) subject gender; (9) number of authors per article; (10) types of studies conducted; and (11) types of statistical procedures employed in data-based studies. Results indicate that ARCAA has had an interesting past and, hopefully, will prosper in future years. (1-13)

An Examination of the Influence of Coaching Certification and the Presence of an Athletic Trainer on the Extent of Sport Safety Knowledge of Coaches — Rita Kujawa, Cheryl A. Coker — Injury prevention and care has become increasingly important as the number of school-aged people participating in athletic activity increases into the millions with a corresponding increase in athletic injuries (Whiddon, 1988). The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of basic first aid/CPR, basic sport safety and advanced emergency care knowledge of certified coaches with a staff trainer (group 1), certified coaches without a staff trainer (group 2), and non-certified coaches without a staff trainer (group 3) in the state of New Mexico. Results indicated a significant difference in the area of sport safety knowledge and total test scores between group 2 and 3. In addition only 10% of the questionnaire’s respondents achieved the 70% passing score. This suggests that the coaches surveyed possess low levels of knowledge in injury prevention and care. Today’s coaches can not afford to remain apathetic to this issue. (14-23)

Coaching Expertise in High School Athletics: Characteristics of Expert High School Coaches — Brent Hardin — This study identified and compared qualitative coaching attributes of five expert high school coaches. The participants had (a) a minimum of five years coaching experience, (b) a 70% or greater win/loss record or a record of two or more post season playoff titles (i.e., city, district, region, or state championships), (c) awards for outstanding coaching (e.g., coach of the year, divisional coach of the year), (d) leadership roles in establishing coaching training or sports clinics, and (e) accessibility to the researcher. The constant comparative method was used to develop themes and categories from the data. Data sources included: (a) field observations, (b) structured and semi-structured interviews with the teacher/coaches, and (c) document analysis. Study results identified three coaching themes among the expert high school coaches. The three coaching themes found were: (a) planning, (b) experience, and (c) continuing education. This project provides a glimpse of the profile of an expert high school coach. (24-38)

Factors Affecting the Sportsmanship Attitudes of Interscholastic Coaches — Andy Gillentine, Barry P. Hunt — This study investigated the sportsmanship attitudes of interscholastic athletic coaches from metropolitan school districts in a midwestern state. Variables considered in the study included levels of sportsmanship attitudes, gender, years of coaching experience, and school classification. Subjects (n = 150) used a Likert scale to respond to the McMahan Sportsmanship Attitude Scale. Respondents ranked their level of agreement/disagreement with 21 sport specific statements. Data analysis (ANOVA) did not indicate any significant difference (p<.05) in relationship to the variables of gender, level of competition, years of coaching experience or through a combination of all variables. No differences were noted between mean scores for male or female coaches based on any of the study variables. Outcomes suggest that while sportsmanship scores for coaches were relatively high, potential for improvement still exists. Implications are for enhanced sportsmanship training for pre-service coaches and effective in-service programs for professionals. (39-54)

An Empirical Examination of Coaching Representation in Women’s Intercollegiate Basketball and Volleyball — Kurt A. Stahura, Mike Greenwood — Although several studies have investigated the decline of female coaches in women’s athletics since the enactment of Title IX, specifically at the interscholastic and intercollegiate level, none has examined the impact of this legislation on which sports men and women coach with respect to level of prestige within women’s athletics. In other words, what affect does sport type prestige have on occupational employment patterns in women’s intercollegiate athletics. Second, no studies have examined the impact of institutional level (i.e., Division I versus Division III) on coaching representation among female and male head coaches in women’s sports. In other words, what affect does institutional prestige have on occupational employment patterns in women’s intercollegiate athletics. The word prestige is used in both contexts simply because it implies a hierarchical order. The sports of women’s basketball and volleyball, by virtue of budgets, exposure and coaching salaries on average are more prestigious than the sports of tennis and golf for example. These two sports are the female equivalent of men’s football and basketball. With respect to institutional level as one moves from the Division III to the Division I level budgets increase, exposure increases, coaching salaries increase, and of course there is the presence of athletic scholarships. Keeping this in mind, the purpose of this investigation was two-fold. First, given that men have successfully infiltrated women’s intercollegiate athletics, how many women versus men coach the higher prestige sports of basketball and volleyball? Second, does the institutional structure (Intercollegiate—Division I versus Division III) also affect coaching representation? The implication is that as one is more likely to find more men in the more prestigious positions. With respect to sport type men are more likely to be found coaching the sports of basketball and volleyball. With respect to institutional structure men are more likely to be found at the Division I level as opposed to the Division III level. (55-77)

Validation of the First Pitch Axiom in Baseball — Gregg Bennett, Mark Maneval — The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and manner in which intercollegiate hitters respond to the first pitch in any at bat in NCAA Division I baseball. The results of 3,570 first pitches were monitored during the 1998 baseball season at the Division I level. Chi-Square analysis revealed a significant tendency [Chi-Square (1, N = 3570) = 2.10, p < .001] for intercollegiate hitters to take the first pitch of any first at-bat attempt in any inning. Percent analysis indicated that 69.7% of hitters take the first pitch in any first at-bat attempt in any inning. Further analysis indicated that hitters take 75% of “off speed” pitches and 67% of “fastballs” on any first bat attempt during the game. The importance of this investigation is that the old axiom “that it is important for pitchers to throw first pitch strikes” is solid coaching advice. This advice, which is germane to pitching coaches, now is underscored by research that indicates that intercollegiate batters will take the first pitch in most cases. Baseball pitching coaches, at the Division I level, can now impart this axiom with confidence and instruct their pitchers to throw accurate first pitches without the fear of a batting reprisal on the hitter’s part. (78-84)

The Relationship between Existing Mood States and Performance on a Novel Accuracy Task — Sharon Huddleston, Mick G. Mack, Cindra Schelling, Wei Bian, Delond Bush, Joseph K. Mintah, Joseph Pacelli, Randall J. Wee, Jennifer J. Nelson, Timothy M. Suchan — The primary purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between existing mood states and performance on a novel accuracy task. College students (n=211) completed the Mood Scale (Kavanagh, 1987; Kavanagh & Hausfeld, 1986) and received six attempts at a target accuracy task. Preliminary general linear model analyses revealed that males (n=127) performed better than females (n=84). No significant differences were found between subjects for total mood. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that performance was not related to total mood for the entire sample or for females. A weak inverse relationship was found, however, between existing total mood and performance for male subjects. Subsequent linear regression analysis indicated that 3% of the variance in the performance of male subjects was explained by total mood. (85-100)

Chronobiology and Athletic Performance: An Analysis of Individual Circadian Rhythms — Krisanne L. Morgan, Robert E. Burns, Mike Greenwood, James N. Pasley, Allyn Byars, Michael E. Soulsby — Chronobiology is a well documented quantitative science used in the medical and biological sciences that can be applied in athletic situations. The purposes of this study were to measure circadian rhythms in individuals; examine the possibility that circadian rhythms exist in novice and experienced skills; and investigate the possibility of enhancing athletic performance using circadian timed training regimens. Subjects were studied at six time points during a 24-hour period. Temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, reaction time, visual motor errors, memory scores, archery scores, and swimming times were evaluated. All parameters were studied before and after the swimming event. Data were interpreted using paired “t” tests and ANOVA procedures. Results showed significant circadian rhythms existed in all variables studied and each swimmer had a peak and trough swimming time, which was considered when initiating conditioning schedules. (101-121)

COACHES CORNER

A Fund Raising and Promotion Primer for Sport: Part Two — William F. Stier, Jr. — This is the second part of a two-part series dealing with the challenges of generating outside resources for amateur sports and school based athletic programs. Part one presented the fundamental principles of fundraising and promotions as they relate to the business of sport. This second installment presents specifics of planning and implementing appropriate and successful fundraising projects. A review of appropriate strategies and tactics commonly utilized in successful fundraising is also shared. Finally, elements essential to any fundraising plan are provided in the form of questions that must be asked by the organizers of potential projects of events. (122-147)

BOOK REVIEWS

Tai Chi: In the Classroom and Beyond by Duane A. Crider and John J. Kerecz, reviewed by Tina Hernandez (148-1500

Coach's Communication Playbook by Kathleen Hessert, reviewed by Chase Koester (150-152)

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