USOC Olympic Coach E-Magazine
Winter 2009

By Doug Ingram One of the great attributes of a good coach is their curiosity in what it takes for their athletes to perform at the highest level possible. Coaches look for new ways that a skill may be taught and learned, mental states that change, or even a different leadership approach. A key element is where coaches go to satisfy their curiosity. Full Article...

MINDSETS: DEVELOPING TALENT THROUGH A GROWTH MINDSET By Carol S. Dweck, Stanford University Coaches are often frustrated and puzzled. They look back over their careers and realize that some of their most talented athletes—athletes who seemed to have everything-- never achieved success. Why? The answer is that these athletes didn’t have everything. They didn’t have the right mindset. Full Article...

NON-VERBAL OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING AMONGST ELITE ATHLETES By Garrett Klugh, Olympic Management Trainee (2004 Rowing Olympian) As an elite athlete for seven years in the sport of rowing my skill acquisition strategies developed and evolved with my training environment. In the early stages of my elite athletic career I undoubtedly learned the most from conventional coaching methods: explanation, demonstration, trial, and feedback. However, after several years with the same coaches in the same environment, I began to seek alternative methods for acquiring skills. Full Article...

DEVELOPING A SELF-RELIANT ATHLETE By Catherine Sellers- USOC Coaching Here you are--at the biggest event of your athlete’s career and you can’t even get close enough to talk! You are always right there for your athlete. Every problem the athlete has they look to you for the correction. Your athlete looks frightened and almost confused. You see them searching for you and you are yelling out to them, so much everyone that hears you stares… Full Article...

COACHES AND EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS By Dr. Athena Yiamouyiannis, Ohio University and Dr. Heather Lawrence, Ohio University Whether you are a high school, college, or Olympic coach, gaining a better understanding of contract law as it relates to employment contracts is important. This knowledge can better prepare you for the contract negotiation process and perhaps result in greater compensation and benefits as well as protecting one’s rights. Contract law may seem complex, but the basics are easy to understand. This tutorial on employment contracts will begin with a general overview of the basics of contract law, essentially the conditions necessary for a valid employment contract. This will be followed by an overview of the key elements included in more complex employment contracts. Full Article...

PIA SUNDHAGE - SOCCER Pia Sundhage did a remarkable job at the 2008 Olympic Games leading her team to a Gold medal victory over a strong Brazilian team. Her philosophy and leadership became invaluable as the team lost three key players, one just two weeks before the opening rounds of the Games. Full Article...

IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND PERFORMANCE By Bob Seebohar, Fuel4mance Iron is an extremely important mineral for good health and performance. The most important role iron plays is as a component of the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s cells. A higher level of iron can mean a higher aerobic capacity and better performance. Full Article...

DEVELOPMENT, ENHANCEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF EXPERT PERFORMANCE IN SPORT On November 13 -14, 2008, the United States Olympic Committee hosted a conference focusing on Expert Performance in Sport. This was the last conference in the 2008 Educational Series. Five of the top experts in the World presented to coaches and Coach Educators about their research and it’s implication to sport. This article provides key points made by each of the presenters on their topic. Full Article...

A THREE-STEP FORMULA FOR COMPETITION READINESS: FROM PREPARATION TO EXECUTION By Sean McCann, USOC Sport Psychologist- Strength and Power When an athlete prepares well, has the talent, but simply doesn’t execute, it is frustrating and often puzzling to figure out what went wrong. At the Olympics, it is relatively rare to see a total performance collapse. When athletes underperform at the Games, the most common phenomenon is a series of small, atypical mistakes and changes in performance. Added up together, these changes and mistakes derail the performance just enough to create a below-average performance. Over the years, in my work as a sport psychologist, I have tried to determine what factors are present when athletes underperform and what it is that allows some athletes to perform at their best, time after time. After eight Olympics, I have observed a few consistent factors that result in strong performances. Full Article...

"Hot Off The Press" is a regular feature of OLYMPIC COACH. This column provides a reading list on a topic or topics covered in the current issue or information that is of interest to the coaching community. The list will take the form of websites, books or journals. To obtain a copy of the books and journals listed here contact your local library. If they do not own the publication, they may obtain a copy for you through interlibrary loan. Full Article...