Coaching Children in Sport

All coaches working with children will know that they differ substantially from adults in their capabilities, capacity for development and in their ability to meet the demands that sport places upon them. Coaching Children in Sport provides an up-to-date, authoritative and accessible guide to core knowledge and coaching skills for anybody working with children in sport.
Written by a team of leading international coaching experts, teachers, psychologists and specialists in children’s issues in sport and health, the book explains why children should not be treated as mini-adults in sport and helps coaches to devise effective ways of working that not only achieve results but also take into account the best interests of the child. It examines key topics such as:

fundamental coaching skills
coaching philosophies and models
children’s physical and psychosocial development
children’s motivation
safeguarding and child protection issues and coaching ethics
sport and children’s health
talent identification and high performance coaching
reflective practice in sports coaching.
Including case studies, practical reflective activities and guides to further reading throughout, Coaching Children in Sport is an essential text for all courses and training programmes in sports coaching. It is also vital reading for all students, teachers and practitioners working with children in sport, physical education or developmental contexts.

Ian Stafford has worked extensively in teaching, higher education, coaching and coach development within the United Kingdom. Latterly, he was the Director of Coaching System Development at sports coach UK. He has also worked with national governing bodies of sport and national sport agencies in a variety of consultancy roles. One of his key responsibilities within sports coach UK was to oversee all developments relating to coaching children. He has written a book on long-term athlete development and a variety of coach development resources, particularly in relation to coaching children.

Introduction
Chapter 1: What Is A Coach And What Is Coaching?
John Lyle
Chapter 2: Developmentally Appropriate Approaches to Coaching Children
Bob Muir, Gareth Morgan, Andy Abrahams and Dave Morley
Chapter 3: Models of Young Player Development in Sport
Richard Bailey, Martin Toms, Dave Collins, Paul Ford, Áine Macnamara and Gemma Pearce
Chapter 4: Coaches’ Learning and Development
Chris Cushion
Chapter 5: The Essential Skills of a Coach
Ian Stafford
Chapter 6: Communication with Young Players
Julia Walsh
Chapter 7: Professional Responsibilities of Children’s Coaches
Hamish Telfer and Celia Brackenridge
Chapter 8: The Reflective Coach
Andy Miles
Chapter 9: Enhancing Children’s Positive Sport Experiences and Personal Development: A Motivational Perspective
Eleanor Quested & Joan L. Duda
Chapter 10: Physical and Movement Skill Development
Clive Brewer
Chapter 11: The Family Factor
Tess Kay and Di Bass
Chapter 12: The Child in High Performance Sport
Karl Wharton
Chapter 13: Coaching Disabled Children in Sport
Ken Black
Chapter 14: Girls in Sport
Ruth Jeanes
Chapter 15: Developmental Transitions in Sport
Mark Bruner, Leisha Strachan and Jean Côté
Chapter 16: Health of Young Athletes
Robert M. Malina
Chapter 17: Sport and Positive Youth Development
Nicholas L. Holt
Chapter 18: Children's Sport in Policy Contexts
Michael Collins
Chapter 19: The Young Player as a Learner
Tony Rossi and Richard Tinning