NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Educational athletics

Interscholastic sport governed by the school and treated as an extension of the classroom, where learning, sportsmanship, and student development take priority over winning.

Coaching philosophy

A written statement of a coach's core values, beliefs about athletes and competition, and standards of behavior that guide decisions throughout the season.

Sportsmanship

Respect for opponents, officials, teammates, and rules, shown through behavior before, during, and after contests; it is a teachable educational outcome of athletics.

Title IX

A federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, including athletics; it requires equal opportunity in participation, benefits, and treatment.

Legal duties of a coach

The coach's legal obligations: supervise, instruct properly, warn of risks, provide safe equipment and facilities, match athletes by maturity and skill, and document actions.

Hazing

Any act that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers a student as a condition of joining or belonging to a team; it is prohibited and must be reported.

Coach as role model

The coach's behavior is observed and imitated by athletes, so modeling respect, self-control, ethical conduct, and healthy habits is part of the role.

Emergency action plan

A written, venue-specific plan that lists emergency personnel, roles, equipment, communication, and access routes; it is posted and rehearsed before the season.

Risk management

A continuous process of identifying hazards, assessing their likelihood and severity, applying controls, and monitoring results to reduce injury and liability.

Equipment inspection

Checking gear before each use and after repair, removing defective items from use, fitting equipment to each athlete, and documenting the inspection and repair history.

Supervision

Being present, visible, and attentive to athletes; never leaving a group unsupervised; and matching the level of supervision to the risk of the activity.

Informed consent

Written permission from an athlete and parent or guardian after being told of the risks of participation and agreeing to emergency medical care.

Incident report

A factual, timely written record of an injury or incident that includes who, what, when, where, witnesses, and actions taken.

Facility inspection

A pre-use check of playing surfaces, lighting, goals, bleachers, and other hazards; problems are documented and corrected before the facility is used.

Active listening

A communication skill of attending fully, paraphrasing, asking clarifying questions, and reflecting feelings to confirm the speaker's meaning before responding.

Feedback sandwich

A feedback structure that gives positive reinforcement, then a specific correction, then positive reinforcement; it must still contain honest and specific information.

I-statement

A conflict-management sentence pattern that describes a behavior and its impact without blaming, such as 'I feel frustrated when practice starts late because we lose time.'

Nonverbal communication

Messages sent through tone of voice, posture, facial expression, eye contact, and proximity; these signals carry meaning and should match the spoken message.

Conflict resolution

A process that separates people from the problem, clarifies interests, seeks common ground, and ends with specific agreed next steps.

Team cohesion

The sense of unity and shared purpose on a team, built through clear goals, defined roles, fair treatment, and positive interactions among athletes and coaches.

FITT principle

A training formula using Frequency (how often), Intensity (how hard), Time (how long), and Type (what activity) to design and adjust conditioning programs.

Progressive overload

Gradually increasing training demand above current capacity so the body adapts; increasing too much too soon raises injury risk.

Specificity

The principle that training adaptations are specific to the muscles, energy systems, and movements trained, so practice should resemble the demands of the sport.

Reversibility

The principle that fitness gains are lost when training stops; detraining can begin within days to weeks, depending on the fitness component.

Dynamic warm-up

A sequence of active movements that raises muscle temperature, blood flow, and joint mobility before practice or competition; it prepares the body for the session.

Overtraining

Accumulated training stress without adequate recovery, marked by persistent fatigue, performance decline, sleep problems, and mood changes; rest is part of the training plan.

Psychomotor domain

The learning domain of physical movement and skill performance, including coordination, technique, and motor control; it is the primary domain for sport skills.

Cognitive domain

The learning domain of knowledge and thinking, such as rules, strategies, safety, and decision-making; coaches teach it through instruction and questioning.

Affective domain

The learning domain of attitudes, values, and emotions, including sportsmanship, teamwork, effort, and self-control; it is developed through expectations and modeled behavior.

Fitts and Posner stages

Three stages of motor learning: cognitive (understanding the task), associative (refining technique with practice), and autonomous (automatic, consistent performance).

Part-whole method

Teaching a complex skill by breaking it into parts, practicing each part, and then combining the parts into the whole skill.

Random practice

Practicing skills in a varied, unpredictable order; it feels harder than blocked practice but improves retention and transfer to competition.