The Importance Of Athletic Coaching

Throughout generations, coaching has been considered an art. Athletic coaching is a role of leadership as seen within the society. The coaching responsibility is to be in control, leading a team or individuals. The athletes are to respect their coaches, to perform a certain way, and to follow the coach’s directions. The Social Role Theory (SRT) offers an understanding as to why gender issues may occur within the coach and athlete relationship. “SRT is the belief that men and women act and behave differently in social situations and take different roles, due to the expectation that society puts upon them (Sullivan, 2015).” This theory argues that women’s roles position them as nurturers and care givers that reveal collective qualities.

Coaches have authority over their athletes; this authority comes from the idea of gender connection of virility. Coaching is an occupation driven by technicality, which to be successful, there must be practice, guidance of skills and techniques. Since the majority of coach are men, athletes are more than likely have not been coached by a female, portraying women as below excellent athletes themselves. This then supports the philosophy that men are innately greater athletes and coaches. Furthermore, physical size and strength plays a role in the ideology of male advantage of coaching ability. “One respondent, recently retired from a very successful international career as an athlete, is a small woman who feels her size in combination with her youth is a barrier to her acceptance as a coach…” (Theberge, 1993). Concerns about a person’s strength or size concentrates on the views different from male and female coaches. Women attempt to change the gender strength stereotype to achieve recognition, but is not completely effective. The ideology of masculine advantage stays whole (Theberge,

Being a male coach comes with certain stereotypes including that males are indifferent to emotional needs of young girls, to their physical growth, or they are unknowing of females. There also have been extreme situations where coaches have sexually mistreated their athletes. When the coach intends well, difficulties commonly occur. Female athletes are susceptible to want to satisfy male authority figures. Instead of blaming their coach, they may blame themselves for a coach’s unpleasant conduct toward them. Coach’s may approach instructing female athletes the same as male athletes, this includes being aggressive. The coach may put more pressure on the female athlete than needed or may have a heightened training schedule. These approaches that may work for male athlete, may not have the same effects of female athletes because females are more sensitive and mature contrarily. (Bloom,