The purpose of this investigation was to determine, the difference in selected kinematic variables of the shuttle-racquet head interaction for players of different ability levels executing the badminton overhead forehand clear. These variables included, (1) resultant velocity of the racquet head at contact, and (2) time between peak velocity and contact. This study also examined the total horizontal displacement of the shuttle after contact, the angle of deviation of the shuttle, the time of flight of the shuttle, the angle of projection of the shuttle after contact, and the shuttle velocity after contact. Six volunteer male subjects were divided equally into three groups corresponding to their ability; novice, intermediate, and advanced. Data were collected using a high speed motion picture camera. The data did not establish significant differences between the three groups with respect to the racquet head velocity at contact, or for the time differences between peak velocity and contact time. However, it was found that the angle of projection of the shuttle as well as the flight time of the shuttle decreased with ability.

Focusing on the perspectives of coaches from a First Nations community in Manitoba’s Interlake region, the purpose of this study was to understand the importance of hockey in the community and to explore needs/interests in relation to coaching education. Of specific interest with respect to coaching education was the identification of content and delivery elements that would optimize the relevance of such initiatives to the needs and interests of the selected community. Grounded in a qualitative tradition, a case study design was employed using individual interviews with Aboriginal youth hockey coaches to collect the data required for achieving the purpose of the study. The findings revealed that the coaches viewed hockey as a critical means for positively altering behavioral patterns and attitudes of children. The findings also make clear the need for sport organizations to use their resources to deliver ongoing coaching education tailored to the needs of the selected community.

The purpose of this project was to create a leadership development series for interscholastic and intercollegiate coaches that could be implemented into their athletic programs to help facilitate leadership growth within their players and team. The Impact Leadership Development Series contains four parts: 1) Part One: Responsibility, 2) Part Two: Role, 3) Part Three: Relationship, and 4) Part Four: Reach. Each part was designed for a specific grade level; Part One: Responsibility for the freshmen, Part Two: Role for the sophomores, Part Three: Relationship for the juniors and Part Four: Reach for the seniors.Although the Impact Leadership Development Series was not tested, the review committee felt that a series such as this had merit within interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics. One committee member noted that the series was a -'brilliant'' idea and the others agreed that if they were still involved in coaching they would implement a program of this nature. / School of Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of critical self-reflection by life coaches. Life coaching is expanding within many disciplines including education, health care, business, social work, and wellness. Life coaching involves a coach working with an individual or groups aimed at effecting change for professional and personal development. This study addresses the gap in understanding the experience of critical self-reflection in the coaches’ practice. This was a qualitative study grounded in the phenomenology method. Data was collected from certified life coaches who were purposively sampled from referrals by certified life coaches within the United States. Data was collected from the participants through the use of critical incident questionnaires (CIQ), journal summaries, and a semi-structured final interview. The epoche phenomenological analysis was utilized to analyze the generated narratives (i.e., data). The results of the analysis emerged five themes (1) structure and discipline, (2) increased self awareness, (3) passionate purpose, (4) professional development, and (5) enhanced relationships with self and others. The findings revealed critical self-reflection provided an introspective self-analysis for the coaches to enhance and expand their coaching skills including presence, powerful questions, listening, strategic interventions, and self-management. The coaches identified increased energy for themselves between coaching sessions after completing the CIQ, which provided a mechanism to slow down, focus, and prepare for each coaching session. The focused attention on the coach’s behaviors, thoughts, and actions led to the coach’s increased awareness of how to redirect and course correct before and during a coaching session. This redirection and focus created a deeper connection with their clients. The coaches recommended critical self-reflection be taught in coach training schools and become a regular practice within the coach’s professional development. / Department of Educational Studies

Focusing on the perspectives of coaches from a First Nations community in Manitoba’s Interlake region, the purpose of this study was to understand the importance of hockey in the community and to explore needs/interests in relation to coaching education. Of specific interest with respect to coaching education was the identification of content and delivery elements that would optimize the relevance of such initiatives to the needs and interests of the selected community. Grounded in a qualitative tradition, a case study design was employed using individual interviews with Aboriginal youth hockey coaches to collect the data required for achieving the purpose of the study. The findings revealed that the coaches viewed hockey as a critical means for positively altering behavioral patterns and attitudes of children. The findings also make clear the need for sport organizations to use their resources to deliver ongoing coaching education tailored to the needs of the selected community.

The purpose of this study was to identify how coaches who have surpassed their athletic achievements acquired their coaching knowledge. Six University coaches from basketball, volleyball, and hockey, with a combined total of fourteen coach of the year awards were selected to participate. Each coach was coaching at a higher level (e.g., University level) than he had competed as an athlete, had a winning percentage greater than .500 at the University level, and had been the head coach at their current program for a minimum of five years. Semi structured, open-ended interviews were conducted using an interview guide created exclusively for this study and based on the tenets of Cote, Salmela, Trudel, Baria, and Russell's (1995) Coaching Model and Chelladurai's (1978) Multidimensional Model of Leadership. Data analysis followed the guidelines forwarded by Cote, Salmela, Baria, and Russell (1993). Results of this analysis revealed three higher order categories which indicated the path coaches had taken to reach their current positions including the many ways knowledge was acquired. These were (a) career path which discussed the journey of knowledge acquisition of these coaches, from their earliest sport participation to their current coaching position, (b) personal factors, which included how the coaches' journey of knowledge acquisition had been influenced by who the coaches were, and (c) coaching knowledge, which involved the participants' current level of coaching knowledge. Despite the idiosyncratic nature of each coach's career progression many common themes emerged, including the different ways knowledge was acquired, the coaches' personal characteristics, and the level of coaching knowledge accumulated. Many of the findings that emerged were similar to those highlighted in previous studies pertaining to expert coach development (e.g., Cregan, Bloom, & Reid, in press; Salmela, 1994; Schinke, Bloom, & Salmela, 1995) which suggests that while athletic experiences may be helpful in expert coach development, they are not essential. The results provided evidence that sources of knowledge acquisition are accessible to aspiring coaches to acquire the necessary coaching knowledge, regardless of their athletic background. The current findings could potentially enhance the quality and standard of formal coach education and training programs in Canada by illustrating how a unique sample of coaches acquired the knowledge to achieve success at the university level.

The purpose of this study was to understand the process of leadership in coaching football as it related to my personal experiences as a football coach. The results are based on the analysis of my coach narratives over a two-year period of coaching with a collegiate and high school level football team. Through a comprehensive literature review I have illustrated the development of leadership theory, from theories of transactional to more modern conceptions of transformational leadership. This study shows how coaching practices are rooted in coaches need to develop and establish a credible image that enables them to rely on preferred practices. It is through the process of reflection that I am able to identify and understand the motives underlying my practices that leads to a deepening awareness and to more transformational leader behaviors. In linking leadership to coaching I present an innovative approach to more effective coach leadership practices.

During the last two decades, managerial coaching has become increasingly popular in organizations. Despite its popularity, there is a paucity of empirical evidence in the study of managerial coaching outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between perceived managerial coaching behavior and employee self-reported affective and performance-related outcomes based on perceptions of selected organization employees. Three theories, path-goal leadership, career motivation, and organization support, were used to frame the hypothesized conceptual model of managerial coaching outcomes for the current study. The systematic review of relevant literature identified satisfaction with work, role ambiguity, satisfaction with manager, career commitment, job performance, and organization commitment for the potential outcomes of managerial coaching. A 36-item survey including seven existing instruments was utilized to collect data. An estimation of the readability level for the survey was Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level 7.1. The survey was sent electronically to all employees in the selected government organization. The sample included 431 respondents representing a population of 1,399 employees. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, Cronbach‘s alpha estimates for reliability, correlation analysis, two-step modeling techniques for structural equation modeling, and Sobel tests were the analysis methods used in the study. The results of the analyses indicated that the hypothesized conceptual model was adequately supported by the empirical data of the study sample (χ2/df = 3.53; CFI = .91; IFI = .91; RMSEA = .08). The further investigations suggested that managerial coaching had a direct impact on employee satisfaction with work and role clarity and an indirect impact on satisfaction with work, career commitment, job performance, and organization commitment. Role clarity, as a direct outcome of managerial coaching, influenced job performance—such mediation was consistent with the hypothesized model for the study. The hypothesized model had clear and comprehensive illustrations of how managerial coaching affects work and organization-related variables, satisfaction with work, role clarity, career commitment, job performance, and organization commitment. This study provides empirical support to the proposed benefits of managerial coaching in organizations, and enhances the selected theories by offering additional empirical support to them.

The climate of sport has been undervalued as a contributing factor in athletes� achievement of quality performances (Strean, 1995). Subsequently, the aim of this study was to generate insight into the climate created by New Zealand national rowing coaches in an elite men�s training programme. In particular, the participants� (i.e. coaches, athletes and administrators) interpretation of this climate was sought, with specific attention to the factors which enabled and constrained its development. This study relied upon ethnographic research methods using in-depth interviews, reflexive journals and observations to acquire a 'thick description' (Geertz, 1973) of the behaviour of the administrators, coaches and athletes in the programme and how that behaviour was interpreted. Data were collected over a five month period, as the athletes prepared for the upcoming Olympic trials. The participants in the study were two administrators, three coaches and eleven athletes. The data were primarily analysed using concepts from grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) and, in light of the prevalence of structural and agential factors in the creation of the climate, Giddens� (1979, 1984) structuration theory. Hence, two of the three discussion chapters are principally organised around the modalities of structuration theory, namely interpretative schemes and norms (Giddens, 1979). The third discussion chapter focuses on the concept of power. In this chapter I draw upon the work of Bourdieu (1989), Foucault (1977), Giddens (1984), Nyberg (1981) and Shilling (1991) to help explain the power dynamics in the training programme. Most significantly, it was found that all participants relied heavily upon their previous experience to interpret what it meant to be involved in the elite programme as well as how they were 'supposed' to act. Whilst each participant had an idea of how they were meant to behave, they also acted in ways which were dictated by the rowing community and the traditions in the sport that were considered to be normative practices. In addition, the participants also had expectations of each other�s behaviour. Often however, these were not congruent with the actual behaviours, resulting in a degree of frustration. Frustration also stemmed from the power dynamic which existed between the members of the programme. Although the coaches� role enabled them to exercise their power when working with the athletes, the athletes also exercised their power by sometimes defying the coaches� orders. Additionally, the administrators drew upon their authority to ensure their particular agenda was met, often at the expense of the coaches and athletes. This, not surprisingly, had implications on the climate of the programme as it affected the athletes� ability to trust those leading the programme which, in turn, affected their desire to train hard. The resulting climate was characterised by a degree of apathy on the part of the athletes which undoubtedly had consequences on their ability to support the programme and excel within it. This research extends previous work in the coaching science community by examining the various layers of social interaction within the sporting environment. It highlights the interrelated, interdependent and sometimes problematic nature of relationships that construct and influence the climate of a training programme. The findings of this research support the importance of climate and raise the possibility it has on athlete performance.

Zugl.: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2006