Can't almost all of us say we were playing some kind of sport as six year olds? Whether we were kicking a soccer ball, swinging a bat, or dribbling a basketball, we were exposed to the world of sports at young ages. Have you ever noticed how many possible mistakes can be made in a game? Ever notice your coach or parent's reactions? Well I certainly have, and sometimes they were not the best responses, filled with harsh criticism. Some of them still stick with me today, like the time I thought I was the goalie when I was six and picked up the ball on defense. "You can't use your hands! You're not the goalie!" I was six however, and got over it. But, go to a town soccer field on a Saturday morning and I can guarantee you will see some screaming parents yelling at their kids to be better, coaches who really want to win, and more parents screaming at the referee. David Bornstein writes about all of these aspects of sports and today's modern day coaches. I agree with Bornstein that some of these aspects and many others have the ability to turn kids away from playing sports at a young age. Playing sports should be about having fun and becoming better people. Bornstein highlights those values along with a program called Positive Coaching Alliance in his New York Times article "The Power of Positive Coaching".
In his opinion article, David Bornstein appeals to his audience with a variety of techniques. Bornstein opens his article with questioning the audience in various coaching situations and what your reaction would be if you were the coach. This technique helps the audience understand some of the difficult situations coaches are put in, and how their reactions are crucial. David Bornstein also provides statistics that over 2.5 million adults volunteer to coach in America, and less than ten percent have formal training. This shows that the people who influence younger children in critical moments of their childhood don't actual have a formal way of responding to the situations presented. Another statistic Bornstein presents is that because sports continue to become more competitive and selective, seventy to eighty percent of kids drop out of sports. Bornstein's most effective technique in his opinion article is when he writes about the Positive Coaching Alliance. He writes about the total people influenced by the program, sports associations that use it, and well known coaches that support the program. Some of the coaches include Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson. These examples help the audience make a reference to parts of their lives. Bornstein goes on to write about the history of the program and what kinds of techniques the program uses. My particular favorite was the criticism sandwich, with a piece of criticism between two compliments. Overall, David Bornstein writes a great article about the modern types of coaching and how they can change to be more positive influential experiences for kids in "The Power of Positive Coaching".
Source: Bornstein, David. "The Power of Positive Coaching." The New York Times 20 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 21 Oct. 2011.
Very good analysis, Janet. Go Wildcats!
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