MSU Prepares Coaches' Training Information for NFL
Michigan State University has been drafted by the National Football League (NFL) to help prepare training manuals for youth and high school football coaches -- something that will not only help the coaches and their young players, but also could help to secure the future of the NFL.
Vern Seefeldt, former director of MSU's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, and John Powell, an MSU assistant professor of kinesiology, are gathering information on the psychological considerations of coaching.
The 29 short essays will be written by faculty members and graduate students from the institute. Some of the topics are developing a coaching philosophy, dealing with parents, communicating effectively, helping athletes deal with competitive stress and building self-confidence and self-esteem.
The NFL will compile all of the submitted information for distribution in a number of forms, including videos, books, pamphlets, posters and Web sites.
"The idea is to prepare better coaches," Powell said. "If you help to develop better coaches, kids will maintain their interest in the sport. This will be much better for the kids in the long run, and the NFL will be able to keep its fan base."
MSU was one of four organizations selected by the NFL to create a health and safety education series for use in youth and high school football. The others are the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Athletic Trainers' Association and the Red Cross/USOC Sports Training Program.
"We were very pleased to be the only educational institute selected by the NFL," said Seefeldt, founding director of the MSU Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. "I believe we are in a position to provide the league with some very valuable information that can make the youth football experience a good one for both coaches and players."
"Sometimes coaches forget that they are not coaching the game of football, but rather coaching and teaching and helping kids enjoy the game of football," Powell said. "We'd like the coaches to be more sensitive to the needs and welfare of the children they work with, not their own needs or those of the community or of the game."
Other topics that will be covered by the other participating organizations are first aid and safety (Red Cross), nutrition and healthy bodies (American College of Sports Medicine) and strength and conditioning (National Athletic Trainers? Association).
To participate in the project, MSU and the other organizations had to go through a rugged selection process. The Institute for the Study of Youth Sports was chosen, said Seefeldt, because of its many years of experience producing educational materials for athletic coaches.
"We wrote the national standards for athletic coaches for the beginning to the Olympic level coach," he said. "We made a contribution by defining what it is coaches should be able to do, know and value."
In addition, the institute, in partnership with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, has certified more than 15,000 high school coaches in the state of Michigan since 1988.
One of the few organizations that certify coaches, the institute offers a 12-hour program for coaches, who must then pass a written exam with a score of 80 percent or better.
"With a turnover rate of more than 50 percent every year, there is a constant need to educate coaches," Seefeldt said, noting that the only official qualifications for coaches in Michigan are to be at least 18 years old and not to be a coach and a student in the same district.
For additional information on the institute, access its Web site at http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/ysi/
Contact: Vern Seefeldt, MSU Institute for the Study of Youth Sports(517) 353-6689
John Powell, Department of Kinesiology(517) 432-5018
Tom Oswald, University Relations(517) 432-0920
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