Supervision of Athletes
Proper supervision allows coaches to better understand the individual needs and capabilities of their athletes, which results in the implementation of safe, age-appropriate activities for participants. Properly supervising athletes is essential to the success of a team or program. However, many coaches and administrators overlook the importance of this aspect of their jobs. Such oversight can lead to incidents that result in charges and lawsuits against coaches, schools, and organizations. As a result, supervision of athletes is a common issue of sports law.
The number of youngsters participating in sports is at an all time high. Participants now enjoy competing at the grade school level, in recreation departments, and at the high school level. As a result of increased participation, it is more important than ever for coaches, trainers, and administrators to practice strict supervision of their athletes in every situation possible. Such supervision results not only in increased safety for the participants, but also in increased protection for coaches.
The numbers can be terrifying in regards to the supervision of so many participants in youth sports across our country. The following questions are examples any adult in a position of authority over children in a sport setting should consider.
- What is the player to coach ratio?
- What is the player to trainer ratio
- In what areas are coaches/trainers trained and certified… if any?
- Are there policies in place regarding supervision? If so, are they working? Is there accountability regarding current policy?
- What data is available concerning injury, or reported situations of lack of supervision?
- Which coaches are practicing proper supervision of athletes?
The statistics that prove how popular sports are in America (and most of these numbers are just for junior high schools, middle schools, and high schools) and those initiating such questions are as follows:
- Fifty percent of boys and 25% of girls, 8-16 years old, compete in an organized sports program sometime during the year.
- Seventy-five percent of U.S. junior high schools and middle schools offer school sponsored sports teams.
- Seven million high school students play a sport.
- Thirty-two male sports are offered in high schools.
- Twenty-seven female sports are offered in high schools.
Supervision of athletes can be divided into several categories, or “subheadings,” because supervision is performed for various reasons. Coaches may “keep an eye” on players before and after practice while everyone is waiting to arrive or leave. Coaches supervise the growth and development of athletes as well. And coaches obviously supervise the execution of the various sport related activities during conditioning, practices, and competitions. Regardless of the reason of supervision at any given time, the safety of the athletes must be the constant of the priority of the adult in charge.
All too often, players are left unattended. This usually occurs before or after a practice or game, when the athletes are not confined to a field or court with walls and fences. The coaches in these scenarios are often required to be in too many places at once. Before practice, a coach may be changing out of school clothes and into practice clothes, or may be in the office attending to administrative duties. After practice, the coach may be busy making sure an injured player is being treated. During such a scenario, the possible danger to the safety of the players is heightened because there are so many possible causes of harm. The obvious and most common injuries result from horseplay. Injuries can range from a player falling off the curb and spraining an ankle to a high school athlete having an accident in the parking lot while showing off. Nonetheless, it is the coach’s responsibility to properly supervise players and keep them safe. The first step in doing so is having an adequate number of coaches and staff members present and alert.
Supervising the growth and development of athletes is also very important to keeping them safe. No two athletes are identical. Only the proper supervision of athletes can guarantee physiologically appropriate expectations for players. All too often, especially in sports involving elementary school aged children, players are injured because their bodies are not able to handle what is being required of them. In many cases, such injuries can be avoided when coaches and trainers are properly supervising the growth of their players. Individualized physical conditioning programs must be created in order to meet the needs of all athletes, especially elementary and middle school kids.
Finally, it is also the duty of the coach to plan for and properly prepare athletes for drills, weight programs, and other forms of physical activity.
A fellow educator/coach recently told me:
“I once coached for a guy that neglected weight training, conditioning, and the fundamentals of proper blocking by his offensive linemen. Every year I was there (for three years), we lost two out of our three starting backs to injuries suffered during practice. I saw six kids get seriously injured because they got hit by guys taking free shots on them. These free shots were the results of no blocking instruction and his asking kids to do things they were not prepared to do. All he wanted to do was draw up an elaborate play that ‘couldn’t be stopped’ and go for it. Those kids got hurt because their coach neglected them. He did not pay attention to what his players were able to do.”
All too often, the incompetence of a coach jeopardizes the health and safety of the youngsters placed in the coach’s care. This is just one of the many reasons why coaches should be held accountable for their actions. Regardless of how the topic is scrutinized, proper supervision of athletes can greatly reduce the risk of harm to athletes when competent coaches utilize proper practices and procedures for those in their care.
Works Cited
Age Appropriate Periodized Training
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showexcerpt.cfm?excerpt_id=3821
The Young Athlete
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/brochure/thrreport.cfm?ThreadID=19&topcategory=Sports&searentry=young+athlete
Legal and Ethical Responsibilities of a Coach
http://www.iahsaa.org/RichEngelhorn.html
Information and Resources for Eligibility, Recruiting, and Compliance
http://sports.findlaw.com/student_athlete/
Consultation and Supervision in Sports Psychology: What I Need to Know
https://www.aaasponline.org/pdf/supervisionDocument.pdf#search=’athlete%20supervision