Underpinned by a philosophy of empowerment, athlete-centred approaches to coaching are defined by a style that promotes learning through ownership, responsibility, initiative and awareness. Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching offers an in-depth theoretical examination of player-focused coaching models, and provides professional guidance for practising coaches.
Written by a cast of world-leading scholars and practitioners, and offering a breadth of approaches to, and critiques of, the application of athlete-centred coaching, the book covers topics including:
• athlete-centred coaching and holistic development
• coaching tactical creativity
• athlete-centred coaching in disability sport
• team culture and athlete-centred coaching
• developing thinking players through Game Sense coaching
• supporting athlete wellbeing
• athlete-centred coaching and Teaching Games for Understanding
• athlete-centred coaching in masters sport.
Based on the latest research and offering the most comprehensive enquiry into this central area of coaching theory, Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching is important reading for any students and lecturers of sports coaching or physical education, and practising coaches across any sport.
Introduction (Shane Pill)
Part I: Theoretical Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching
- Athlete-Centred Coaching: Extending the Possibilities of a Holistic and Process-Oriented Model to Athlete Development (Linda L. Griffin, Joy I. Butler and Joanna Sheppard)
- An Athlete-Centred Approach to Enhance Thriving Within Athletes and Coaches (Gretchen Kerr, Ashley Stirling and Joseph Gurgis)
- Coaching Tactical Creativity in Team Sports (Daniel Memmert)
- Athlete-Centred Coaching in Disability Sport: A Critical Perspective (Robert Townsend and Christopher Cushion)
- Team Culture and Athlete-Centred Coaching (John P. Alder)
- The Importance of Context in Athlete-Centred Coaching (Wayne Smith and Rod Philpot)
- Developing an Athlete-Centred Coaching in High Performance Field Hockey (Stephen Harvey)
- Developing Thinking Players: A Coach’s Experience with Game Sense Coaching (Shane Pill)
- Supporting Wellbeing: Athlete Transitions Through Elite to Sub-Elite Sport (Deborah Agnew and Andrew Marks)
- Body in Movement: Better Measurements for Better Coaching (Carlos Goncalves, Humberto Moreira Carvalho and Luís Catarino)
- Athlete-Centred Coaching and Teaching Games for Understanding: Not Quite the Perfect Match (Adrian P. Turner)
- Athlete-Centred Coaching for Individual Sports (Richard Light)
- The Autoethnographic Journey of Athlete-Centred Experiences, Research and Learning: Athlete to Researcher, Now Coach, and Beyond (Karlene Headley-Cooper)
- Athlete-Centred Coaching in Swimming: An Autoethnography (Terry Magias)
- Athlete-Centred Approach - Beginning the Process in Junior Teams (Greg Forrest)
- Coach Educators as Athlete-Centred Practitioners (Ed Cope and Andy Lowe)
- Applying the Game Sense Approach and Mosston and Ashworth’s Inclusion Style-E to Promote Athlete-Centred Tennis Coaching with Junior Novice Players (Mitchell Hewitt, Ken Edwards, Machar Reid and Shane Pill)
- Athlete-Centred Coaching: Tensions and Opportunities Arising in the Masters Context (Chris Zehntner and Dawn Penney)
Part II: Research Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching
Part III: Researcher-Practitioner Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching
Biography
Shane Pill is Associate Professor in Physical Education and Sport at Flinders University, Australia. He received a 2016 Australian Government Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning and is author of the popular Play with Purpose resources for teachers and coaches.
