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Youth in sport programs are not only gaining skills in sport techniques but also observing and learning ethical attitudes such as how to treat others in competition or whether to play in accordance with sport rules. Youth sport coaches influence youth directly through the provision of guidance and feedback and indirectly through the behaviors they model and attitudes they reflect. In the sport context, gamesmanship is any in-game misconducts that stay within the boundaries of the rules but still are ethically controversial and may lead to a competitive advantage. In this study, the gamesmanship beliefs of youth sport coaches across multiple sport disciplines were analyzed. The participants of this study were 109 youth sport coaches of a variety of sports. A 20-question gamesmanship beliefs survey was used in data collection for this study in which youth sport coaches were asked to determine their opinion of the identified conduct and respond with a rating on a 4-point Likert scale. Responses of youth sport coaches in this study suggest that only a small portion of them are inclined to instruct players to act in a way that utilizes gamesmanship practices. This study's examination of whether formal coaching training or years of coaching experience influence attitudes toward gamesmanship found that there appeared to be little effect on coaches' attitudes. As gamesmanship situations are typically present in the youth sport context, this study provides value in understanding how youth sport coaches think about gamesmanship and their awareness of ethical concerns.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of former youth sport athletes and their recalled experiences with their parents (mothers and fathers) during the time they were participating in youth sports. Participants included 270 college students from 12 states who participated in youth sports in various sized cities and communities. Participants completed a 14 item survey with an additional 28 questions from the Parental Involvement in Sport Questionnaire (PISQ). This paper presents results from the open-ended questions on the positive and negative experiences the participants recalled with their parents during their youth sport years and PISQ results.

This study evaluated gamesmanship beliefs of high school coaches from a rural Midwestern state in the United States. Two hundred and fifty-six coaches participated in this study with comparisons drawn by gender, highest level of participation, formal coaching training, years of experience, and officiating experience. Participants completed a 25-statement survey. The survey consisted of 25 gamesmanship statements that asked subjects to indicate if an action was clearly acceptable (1), acceptable (2), unacceptable (3), or clearly unacceptable (4). Chronbach's Alpha measure (a=0.938) indicated a high consistency and reliability for the statements on the survey instrument. A crosstabs analysis provided Pearson Chi-Square or Fischer Exact tests to identify statistical significance within the variables. For all of the statements, a majority of respondents identified the statements as either unacceptable or clearly unacceptable. In addition, there were very few significant differences based on gender, highest level of participation, years of coaching experience, formal coaching education, or officiating experience. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of health-related fitness (HRF) and physical activity (PA) courses at U.S. institutions of higher learning. Data were obtained from 116 two- and four-year colleges and universities. The results show that health-related fitness courses were offered at many 2-year (89.2%) and 4-year institutions (82.0%), while physical activity courses were also widely available with 86.5% of 2-year schools and 87.2% of 4-year schools offering such courses. There was no significant association between the type of institutions and the prevalence of HRF or PA courses, and there were more similarities than differences between 2-year and 4-year institutions regarding other aspects of HRF and PA courses. It was found, however, that a large portion of both 2-year and 4-year institutions provided HRF courses involving the use of the Internet. The results also indicate that the prevalence of HRF courses has increased at U.S. institutions in the past 10 years. (Contains 6 tables.)

This study of appropriate practices focused on the knowledge and usage of instructional strategies in K-12 physical education programs. Three hundred and eight physical education teachers from two Midwestern states participated by completing a questionnaire that consisted of 36 statements. Participants were asked to identify whether they believed the instructional strategy described in the statement was an appropriate or inappropriate strategy and to indicate how often they used the strategy during their teaching. Results showed that a high majority of the physical education teachers were knowledgeable about appropriate and inappropriate instructional strategies. The study indicates that a majority of the time teachers are using appropriate strategies and not using inappropriate strategies. Results also suggest that there is a direct association between how the teachers identified each statements and how often they practiced them. (Contains 5 tables.)

Racquetball is a constant game of cat and mouse, creating a situation where players make a transition between offensive and defensive play, or trap themselves in a game of uncertainty and misdirection because they do understand some basic racquetball fundamentals. A first step in learning the sport of racquetball is to understand terminology. This article provides definitions of terms commonly used in racquetball. Several racquetball strategies for beginners are also presented. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.)

In this article, the authors conducted a bit of action research. As a starting point, they gathered information from physical education majors regarding their knowledge of appropriate practices in elementary physical education as outlined by the Council on Physical Education for Children (COPEC). The authors constructed an 80-item survey from components of the 2000 COPEC statement of appropriate practices for elementary school physical education. Participants were to respond to each item as being either appropriate or inappropriate. Among other things, they present 10 items that the participants had the most difficulty identifying correctly as either appropriate or inappropriate. Each is accompanied by a discussion of the relevance of the item.

The general purpose of this study was to determine if marching band members, while carrying instruments, obtained 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on a daily basis. Heart rates were collected on 16 members of a university marching band. Results indicate a significant difference in highest heart rate means for those carrying light and heavy instruments. Subjects carrying heavy instruments obtained moderate intensity physical activity for 9.5 minutes daily while subjects carrying light instruments obtained moderate intensity physical activity for 8.3 minutes daily. Subjects did not meet the Surgeon General's recommendation of 30 minutes daily of moderate activity from participation in marching band. (Contains 2 tables.)

Describes how one North Dakota middle school taught students self-management skills for active lifestyles. Students learned basic principles of activity through classroom activities and were encouraged to establish and maintain after-school activities. Heart rate monitors helped teach the concepts of physical activity as detailed on the Fitness Education Pyramid which was created at the school. (SM)

Physical and mental burnout is common in all aspects of life, but overtraining and burnout in sports are more common than meets the eye. Burnout can cause athletes to drop out of sports at an early age thus hindering them from reaching their full potential. This paper describes the results of an action research project with an intact class of college students enrolled in a sport psychology course. It was learned that all athletes reported some aspect of overtraining and burnout during their school sport experience. The three most frequently cited causes of burnout were self-criticism, fatigue, and high expectations of oneself. Suggestions are provided that will help coaches address burnout in their athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of heart rate monitors in research on fitness levels of children in physical education research. The primary goal of physical education in schools is to produce physically fit youth, teach about the relationship between physical activity and health, and promote skills necessary for productive lives of adults. Heart rate monitors can be used to assess success of physical education programs.

College and university racquetball instructors often find themselves with too little class time to cover important aspects of racquetball. Seven strategies are described that give students a more comprehensive course and also extend the course beyond actual class time. (MT)

The National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) have created three documents (elementary, middle school and high school) to guide physical educators in appropriate instructional practices (AIP) in physical education. The purpose of these documents is to aid physical educators in exposing their students to lessons and activities that will enable them to be successful in physical education classes and physical activity. Unfortunately, many students have been exposed to such activities as dodge ball, having captains picking teams in front of the whole class, and many others. This paper is a review of research dealing with appropriate instructional practices in physical education with a multitude of different populations. From these different populations, eight instructional practices have been repeatedly misidentified. These eight repeat offenders will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the characteristics of coaching experience including gaining knowledge, developing coaches' philosophy, and using their experiences to teach and master their coaching techniques. Topics include development of an expert coach, expert performance, and building relationships with athletes, as well as planning and preparation, expertise and time. Also discussed are the types of knowledge being developed including professional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal knowledge.

The article discusses the important facts that physical education teachers and sport coaches should know about the assessment of concussions. Other topics discussed include the baseline measures for concussion assessment, clinical examination of concussion, the sport concussion assessment tool (SCAT), and the implications of concussion etiology and management for physical education teachers and sport coaches.

The article focuses on the strategies of athletic coaches in teaching the rules of the games in youth sports. It mentions that athletic coaches particularly in basketball, football, and baseball are teaching their students to cheat and cut corners and not consider the established rules of the game. It adds that effective coaches teach their trainees to respect the established rules of a particular game including the respect for the umpire's call.