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.