Coaches Can Utilize Parents to Optimize Youth Athletes’ Sport Experience

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Alan Chu, Associate Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Individuals including youth athletes have three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—outlined by self-determination theory. In sport, key social agents such as coaches and parents help satisfy these needs. Coaches, as well as fathers and mothers, can independently and interactively satisfy youth athletes’ basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness by providing autonomy support and a task-involving motivational climate. It is essential for coaches to understand this to not only better the youth athletes that they coach, but also educate parents who have tremendous influence over the youth athletes and in order to help provide the best environment in which youth athletes can thrive. Coaches should listen to and communicate with parents about their youth athletes and together, as a team, work to give their youth athletes the best chance of success.

Additional Information

Publication
Strategies, 33(2)
Language: English
Date: 2020
Keywords
coaching, youth athletes, youth sports, self-determination theory

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