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Sport has the potential to foster the development of life skills, such as initiative, teamwork, emotion regulation, and goal setting, that transcend the fields and courts on which youth participate (Danish, Forneris, Hodge, & Heke, 2004). However, it is often acknowledged that this growth does not occur on its own. One factor that plays a central role in shaping positive sport experiences is the coach (Hellison & Cutforth, 1997). The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature on coaching strategies considered best practices for life skills development as well as to provide illustrative examples of many of these practices garnered from a case study of a model coach and the strategies he used in his high school tennis program. The paper concludes with additional practical considerations and recommendations for practitioners, coach educators, and scholars who continue to add to the body of knowledge regarding a coach’s role in positive youth development.

Sibling relationships are often regarded as among the longest lasting connections in a person’s life (Conger & Kramer, 2010). Sibling research has addressed topics such as socialization, support, and similarities and differences of siblings (e.g., Eaton, Chipperfield, & Singbeil, 1989; Horn & Horn, 2007; Whiteman, McHale, & Crouter, 2007). Scant attention has been given to how a younger sibling may be influenced by an older sibling’s sport involvement. The current study explored the lived experience of an older sibling’s sport achievement from the perspective of a younger sibling. An open-ended phenomenological approach (Kvale, 1983) was used to gain a description of the experience of sibling achievements in sport. Participant interviews revealed an overall thematic structure consisting of both positive and negative experiences: family influence, social influence, fondness, identity, abandonment, and jealousy. These findings broaden both sibling and sport literature, while providing valuable information for researchers and practitioners.

This paper outlines how a program evaluation of a U.S. higher education coaching minor program was executed to clarify program needs and identify areas of improvement. Data were gathered from university students (n = 113), current minors (n = 13), program graduates (n = 26), coach education experts (n = 4), and community administrators/coaches (n = 13) using multiple methods including archival data collection, online surveys, and individual/group interviews. Descriptive statistics, curriculum mapping, and qualitative thematic analysis were used to document findings aligned with the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) evaluation model. The context evaluation identified the target population, program goals, opportunities, barriers, and the highest priority programmatic needs. The input evaluation outlined themes highlighting the importance of understanding one’s context, incorporating evidence-based practices and teaching principles, aligning assessments with learning outcomes, establishing faculty buy-in, and advocating for the program. The process evaluation revealed programmatic alignment with national coaching standards with inconsistencies and the need to expand current content to achieve learning outcomes. The product evaluation showed that students acknowledged learning outcomes, were satisfied with the program, and felt ready to engage in coaching. Program graduates indicated preparedness to coach with some exceptions. The findings provided insight into how a multifaceted and targeted program evaluation can inform program improvements and next steps in the evaluation process.