1. Developing a Championship Collegiate Tennis Program
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of
Masters of Coaching and Athletic Administration In
Exercise and Sport Science
by
Samantha Schall
Concordia University-Irvine
_______________
Graduate Advisor
_______________
Approval Date

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Table of Contents
Chapter Page Number
Acknowledgements PREFACE
I. Statement of Purpose 4
II. Philosophy of Coaching Athletics 6
III. Research Methods and Analysis 10
IV. Ethics and Sportsmanship 18
V. Legal Aspects and Considerations 29
VI. Program Development 32
VII. Psychology of Coaching 53
VIII. Leadership and Administration 58
IX. Closing Statement 61
Appendices
A. Current Resume
B. Course Descriptions
C. References
D. Three Recent Letters of Recommendation
E. Risk Management Plan
F. Fourteen Legal Duties
G. Any additional documents, projects, etc.

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Acknowledgements
I would first like to thank my family for supporting my decision to pursue my
dream of coaching and impacting others and for continuing to support and encourage me
as I pursue this degree. A special thanks to my mom for consistently being a sounding
board for my thoughts, struggles, emotions, and ideas. Also to my dad who serves as a
great example as a teacher and coach to me and many other lucky high school students,
also for being my personal tech support.
A big thank you to Daniel Hangstefer, head tennis coach at Metro State for
supporting and understanding my pursuit of this degree and encouraging me to spend
office hours working on homework in addition to my coaching duties. Thank you for
giving me my first coaching opportunity and for mentoring me along the way.
Another thank you to the staff and administration at Metro State for giving me my
first opportunity to coach and for supporting my ambitions and goals of coaching.
I would also like to thank my college tennis coach for inspiring my love of
coaching, for believing that I had the capacity to do the job, and for mentoring me in my
senior year to develop skills needed to start my career.
I would finally like to thank my instructors in the MCAA program. It has been a
great experience for me and each of my professors has provided abundant knowledge and
support throughout the program.

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Chapter I
Statement of Purpose
This portfolio outlines seven comprehensive sections to developing a successful collegiate
tennis program. As I continue to pursue the start of my coaching career, it is invaluable to collect
my thoughts and ideas about how to develop a program and cultivate a team culture in line with
my ideals, priorities, goals, and expectations. In a smaller sport like tennis, it is critical to have a
relationship with each of the players, they need to know they you care about them and have their
best interest at heart. They need to believe this so that I can push them as hard as I will need to in
order to achieve the team goals. It is important to have a plan or a philosophy in place before
leading a program so that everything that is done during the season is purposeful and is
contributing to the success of the program.
During the second chapter of this portfolio a general coaching philosophy will be outlined.
This will be the backbone to the rest of the portfolio. Each different section of the portfolio will
stem from my personal coaching philosophy, the reasons I want to be a coach, and my coaching
style. In this chapter I will discuss a mission, vision, and core values for any team that I coach. I
will also discuss my coaching style in this chapter.
Following, the use of technology and research will be discussed in how it can be used in a
successful program. In chapter three a six-part research project has been executed. This project
includes a problem, a literature review, methodology, anticipated findings, and future
implications. This chapter demonstrates relevant research and uses for the information gathered,
as well as the ability to implement research when necessary in the coaching profession.
In the succeeding chapters, the importance of ethics and sportsmanship will be conveyed as
well as legal considerations within a collegiate program. While ethics and sportsmanship are

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critical in every college sport, there can be added pressure of playing an individual sport where
the players call their own lines and faults. Ethical play is very important to the culture and the
competitive nature of tennis. In this chapter I will discuss the current status of ethical behavior in
college tennis and how to players and coaching should handle an ethically challenging situation.
Following the discussion on ethics is a chapter on the legal aspects of coaching college
tennis, which includes a risk management plan. This chapter will cover the importance of
understanding legal concerns and will address a plan for situations that may come up during a
coaching situation.
Finally keys to program development will be discussed. This includes leadership skills, and
an outlined strength and conditioning program. This portfolio will set a framework of the many
different facets of coaching, covering philosophies and central principles, to the mental,
technical, and physical side of coaching college tennis.

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Chapter II
Philosophy of Coaching Athletics
Mission
Metro State Tennis is committed to pursuing excellence on court as part of a larger goal of
excellence in character and in education.
Our program has three very specific goals: to be ranked top 10 in the nation, to have a 3.3
team GPA, and to do 200 hours of community service work as a team, everything we do on and
off court is designed to progress towards those goals. This program values the lessons that
accompany athletic participation: the pursuit of excellence through personal development and
teamwork, ethical and responsible behavior on the court and off, leadership and strength of
character, and sportsmanship. In teaching these lessons to their students, Metro State instills
habits that will lead students to highly successful lives. While winning is not an end in itself, we
believe that the efforts put forth by our athletes will result in excellence on court, in the
community, and in their education.
Vision
Metro State tennis will provide opportunities for academic, personal, and competitive
achievement in our players. We will serve as a source of pride for the university and community
while fostering a culture of integrity and sportsmanship.
Our players will graduate from Metro State transformed by this program. They will go
forth in their lives with great confidence in their abilities. They will be leaders of high character
and integrity as they pursue their career of choice and they will know how to be successful in all
aspects of their lives.
Core Values

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Character Development- Every lesson we learn on court translates to off court.
We preach discipline, focus, determination, and teamwork on court. We expect our
players to hold the same values in their personal and academic life. Our players will know that
the value in personal and academic success exceeds that of competitive achievement and they
will be better competitors through that recognition.
We will compete when we are on a court.
We will show three signs of a good competitor. 1. We will run hard after every ball. 2.
Make a lot of shots. 3. Show positive body language. When our players are determined and
focused on each point and they show positive body language we know they are being good
competitors and that is all we can ask of them.
There is no individual success on this team. If the team wins, you win. We will complete
as a team and we will love and trust our teammates unconditionally.
The only way to perform to your highest potential is when you know that you have the support of
your team win or lose. Our team will love, support, and trust unconditionally. Players will know
that their teammates are competing for team success and nothing they do will let anyone down.
We will heed the words of Vince Lombardi, “Teamwork is what (Metro State Tennis) is all
about. They don’t do it for individual glory. They do it because they love one another”. We will
not allow the individual nature of tennis hinder the success we can accomplish as a team.
We will play discipline tennis.
We will hit deep and cross-court when we are behind the baseline and attack on short balls. We
will have high first serve percentages and high return percentages. In doubles, men will serve
and volley, women will call poaches and switches. We will return cross-court and be aggressive
with our volleys.

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Be relentlessly positive. We will control what we can control.
We can control our minds, our actions, our attitude, and our energy. We cannot control our
opponents, the playing conditions, or the umpires and we will not allow this to cause us
frustration. Tennis is a highly psychological game and we will not give our opponents an edge.
We will be in control of our footwork, our energy, and our positive attitude because we can be!
Coaching Style
I strive to be a transformational coach throughout my coaching career. I have respect for
my players’ thoughts and opinions and want them to respect mine because they believe it is right
for them, not because I command them to. I like to ask my players questions about why they are
playing in a certain style or what they think they need to work on and take this into consideration
when developing practice plans and strategies.
I have learned a lot about what I want my own coaching style to be from working with a
command style coach. With tennis being such an individual and mental sport, I think you need to
consider your players’ individual needs rather than expecting each player to do things the same
way. I believe that coaching should be a partnership between the coach and his or her team. They
need to work together to achieve success. The coach will not be successful if he tries to do it all
on his own and will likely result in frustration from the coach and the players. Rather, I hold that
players and coaches need to work together to come up with the best coaching style that will work
for everyone.
In his book InSideOut Coaching, Joe Ehrmann (2011), asks himself and the readers why
do I coach? His answer inspired me and I now strive for a similar idea. “I coach to help boys
become men of empathy and integrity, who will lead, be responsible, and change the world for
good” (Ehrmann, 2011, p. 125). I will coach with empathy and instill that value in my players.

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Martens (2004) stated that, “Coaches with empathy more readily communicate respect for their
athletes, and in turn they receive more respect” (Martens, 2004, p. 39). When you have earned
the respect of your athletes, they will do almost anything to serve you. This occurs once your
players feel your love for them, and they believe you will do anything for them. Empathy plays a
central role in earning love and respect, and once your players experience what empathy feels
like, they will show it to their teammates and other people along their path and receive more love
and respect throughout their lives. That is my goal as a coach, the reason why I coach.

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Chapter III
Research Methods and Analysis
Aggression and Violence in Athletics
This research topic is critical to understanding athletes and what motivates them and what
certain behavior can indicate. Aggression, anger, and violence are behaviors that coaches should
note and consider when dealing with players on a day to day basis.
This chapter also demonstrates research that may be done during a coaching career. A
coach may research an issue and based on the findings develop a plan to address the issue.
The Problem
Within the past few football seasons there has been a spotlight on the NFL’s domestic
abuse policy after a second video of Ray Rice’s altercation with his fiancé lead the NFL to
suspend him. In the past, other players have also had altercations with violence resulting in
arrests and suspensions. Recently, Adrian Peterson was indicted for child abuse, and last year
Aaron Hernandez was arrested for murder. The list continues. The topic of aggression in sports
has been discussed and debated by researchers, parents of athletes, coaches, and many others
involved in athletics. There is a concern that aggression in athletics leads to violence outside of
sport and that sports that promote more aggression result in more violent acts outside of sports.
This paper will investigate whether male athletes who participate in contact sports are more
aggressive and or violent outside of athletics than males who play non contact sports.
In sport and aggression research, it has been determined that things like athletic identity
and aggression need to be considered and defined when examining this topic. Athletic identity
involves how much one identifies with the athletic role and, “aggression has been defined as a

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non-accidental overt verbal or physical act with the intent to psychologically or physically injure
another person or oneself” (Visek, Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, & Watson, 2010, p. 102). In Visik, et
al. (2010) research, it was shown that athletes who participated in contact sports had a higher
correlation in these two categories than athletes in noncontact sports. Youth violence is a major
concern across the board and with high profile athletes often being in the spotlight for violent
acts; it raises concern among those involved in athletics at all levels. In a study between 1999
and 2007 it was determined that the number of youth found guilty of a criminal offense increased
from 12,330 to 14,404 (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010). Statistics like these have lead researchers
to study the correlation between violence and sports.
Moesch et al, (2010) studied the sociological effects that sports have on violence by
describing the catharsis theory. “Catharsis theory hypothesizes that acting aggressively is an
effective way to reduce anger and aggressive feelings. Sporting activities can lead to a release of
strains and aggressions, which result in a reduced readiness for violent behavior” (Birrer,
Moesch, Seiler, 2010). It may be hard to determine the underlying correlation between sports and
aggression or violence. It can be seen as the sports causing the violence, or the violent nature of
an athlete leading them to elect to play a more physical sport. Catharsis theory suggests that
playing a contact sport may actually channel aggressive or violent feelings into a controlled
environment.
In the textbook, Social Issues in Sport, author Ron Woods examines this concept further
by suggesting that athletes who become accustomed to using physical intimidation and violence
in sport naturally revert to those behaviors when facing conflict outside of sport (Woods, 2011).
“Athletes who do respond physically may be simply reflecting cultural upbringing that was
established outside of sport. Sport may not be the cause of violence, but rather a result of the

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athletes’ upbringing or natural disposition, which led them to choose a violent sport” (Woods,
2011, p. 325). Many factors may determine which sport an athlete chooses, such as body type
and stature, upbringing or natural disposition, or socio-economical issues. When studying the
correlation in violence and athletics, one should consider if the physical nature of the sport is
causing the violent and aggressive behavior, or are athletes with a more violent disposition more
likely to choose a contact sport.
Review of the Literature
In Birrer, Moesch, and Seiler’s (2010) research they investigated the influence of sport
engagement on youth violence. They used a comparative approach to investigate groups of
adolescents with different characteristics of violent behavior. They compared this to their sport
background and psychological variables associated with violent behavior. When they completed
their research, they found that five clusters of characteristics had formed. They defined these as,
“non-violent adolescents, adolescents at risk, violence supporters, psychological harassers, and
violent adolescents” (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010, p. 4). They determined that harassers were
most engaged in sports, more violent adolescents participated in sports with body contact, and
non-violent adolescents were involved in individual sports with aesthetic judgments like
gymnastics and diving (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010). Results also revealed that non-violent
adolescents scored highest on general self-concept and relationship to parents, whereas harassers
scored highest on general sport abilities (Birrer, Moesch, Seiler, 2010). Given the nature of the
study and the resulting groups, no conclusion about whether aggressive sports cause violence can
be drawn; however, there are some interesting correlations to consider.
Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, Watson, and Visek (2010) explored the relationship between
sport identification, and aggression. They studied over 550 athletes hoping to assess relationships

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among athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness in competitive athletes and to assess cross-
cultural differences (2010). They found that male athletes participating in contact and collision
sports in the United States and Hong Kong showed positive relationships among athletic identity,
anger, and aggressiveness with differences in variables found with respect to sport type and
culture (Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, Watson, and Visek, 2010). The correlation they found through
the extensive survey given to the athletes is strong between athletes who participate in contact
sports and those who have more aggressive and violent tendencies. This study also showed that
non contact sport participants had far less predisposition to violent behavior.
Mohammad Ali Boostani and Mohammad Hassan Boostani focused on aggression within
athletics studying non-contact, limited contact, and contact sports, as well as non-athletes. They
studied 105 elite athletes and 105 non-athletes in different sport fields through questionnaires
and determined that there was a significant difference in aggression levels within each type of
sport. The contact sport participants reported the highest level of aggressiveness; however, the
non-contact participants were the second highest. The authors believed this suggested that
participating in a limited contact sport allowed participants to release an amount of aggression in
a healthy and safe environment (Boostani, Boostani, 2012).
Each of these studies shows a correlation between contact sports and violence and
aggression outside of sports; however, it still isn’t clear if the sport is actually causing the
aggression and violent tendencies.
Methodology
The question of what effect athletics has on violence and aggression on male athletes is
complex and has many factors to the must be considered. The underlying hypothesis is: do
contact sports foster forceful behavior, causing athletes to be more aggressive and violent in their

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lives outside of sport? In order to study this, several terms must be defined. The primary focus of
this study is on violence and aggression. Visek et al. define aggression as, “a non-accidental
overt verbal or physical act with the intent to psychologically or physically injure another person
or oneself” (Visek et al., 2010, p. 13). Similarly, violence is defined as behavior involving
physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.
Contact sports will be considered any sports that emphasize or require physical contact
between players. Contact sports can be broken down into full contact and limited contact. Full
contact sports include football, wrestling, and hockey where players are required to strike, hit, or
be in contact with other athletes. Limited contact would comprise lacrosse, basketball, and soccer
where contact occurs but isn’t required for the game. Noncontact sports involve competition with
players physically separated and have no physical contact with each other during competition.
Examples of this include tennis, volleyball, swimming, and running sports.
This question will be examined through cross-sectional or survey research. This will
involve taking a cross sectional sample of high school, college, and professional athletes playing
both contact and non contact sports. The sample will consist of athletes at multiple ages and from
different style sports to determine any correlation differences between athletes who have played
the sport longer than others. The target sample will be half contact sports and half non contact
sports, and have equal participants at each age group.
The data will be collected through questionnaires and assessed by statistical analysis.
Participants will be selected randomly so findings can be generalized to the wider population.
Stratified random sampling will be used to ensure that an equal number of athletes who play
contact sports and those who play noncontact sports are represented. The ideal sample size for
this research is 180 participants.

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The research will be done quantitatively, focusing on whether there is a correlation
between contact sports and violent behavior but not the cause. Therefore the research will be
done through the use of a questionnaire. This can be either a postal questionnaire or an online
questionnaire, as a researcher will not need to be directly involved in the questioning. For this
study an online questionnaire will be used. This questionnaire will consist of closed and open
questions regarding what sport the participant plays, as well as their age and how and why they
became involved in the sport. It will go on to use a semantic differential scale to have the athlete
rate his aggressive or violent feelings by asking situational or hypothetical questions.
This study is consistent and can easily be replicated making it reliable. To replicate the
study one could give the same survey to a new set of participants and yield similar results. The
instrument used in this study is the survey created to assess the aggressive and violent tendencies
of athletes of various ages who participate in both contact and non contact sports. This is reliable
because the study ensured that an appropriate number of athletes did the survey and that there
were equal participants in each category studies.
This study was designed to measure if athletes who participated in contact sports have
more aggressive and violent tendencies outside of sports than athletes who participate in non
contact sports. To collect data, athletes from different sports and at different ages completed a
survey. The survey asked situational questions to measure the violent or aggressive tendencies of
the athletes, as well as collecting data on their age and sport participation. If the athletes are
honest with their self-assessments the test will have both face validity, and content validity.
Once the data is collected, inferential statistics will be used to infer relationships between
different sports and aggression and violence. These statistics will be interpreted using parametric

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tests to find correlation. If there is a positive correlation between contact sports and aggressive or
violent behaviors then the hypothesis will be proven true.
Anticipated Findings
The expected result of the study is to find a greater correlation between contact sports and
aggressive behavior, and lesser correlation between non contact sports and violence and
aggression. It is anticipated that the statistical analysis will reveal that athletes who participate in
contact sports report higher levels or aggression, and violence outside of sport than athletes who
play noncontact sports. In similar studies results have showed that athletes who play contact
sports were found to experience more self-reported anger and aggressiveness than non contact
sport athletes (Harris, Maxwell, Hurst, Watson, & Visek, 2010). In Collichio’s (2000) study of
collegiate male athletes, he discovered, males who participate on contact sport teams have a
greater behavioral disposition for violence against women than non-athletes and those who
participate in noncontact sports. When an athlete is exposed to or rewarded for aggressive and
violent behavior on the field every day, it is natural for those characteristics to translate into life
outside of sport.
This study serves as a base understanding of the relationship between violence and sports.
While it is anticipated that there will be a correlation between violence and contact sports, the
cause of the connection is more ambiguous. The results gained from this study may serve as a
beginning to a new stage of research to determine why the correlation exists and what coaches
and parents can do to control it. With the increasing number of violent acts within athletics and
the current spotlight on abuse, coaches, parents and other personnel should be aware of the
connection between sports and violence. This awareness may lead to a better understanding of
the athletes, and greater control over violent behavior.

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Professional Implications
The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between contact sports
and violent and aggressive tendencies outside of athletics. Understanding this correlation is the
first step to addressing the growing concern on violence and aggression in athletes. The hope is
that necessary interventions may be done proactively rather than reactively as a result of this
information.
Although a correlation is anticipated from this study, varying results may prove that there
are other factors contributing to violent tendencies than ones athletic identity. Further research on
the underlying cause of aggressive and violent predispositions in contact sport and noncontact
sport athletes will provide more insight to the issue. Hopefully, by understanding the relationship
and cause between violence and sports, more can be done to prevent unnecessary violence.

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Chapter IV
Ethics and Sportsmanship
There is a need for ethics and sportsmanship in athletic competition. It is evident that
society places great value on competition and those who coach and play serve as role models for
those who aspire to be athletes themselves. However, today athletics, athletes, and athletic
competition fail to consistently provide examples of ethical behavior and good sportsmanship.
There are constant reminders in athletics both professionally and often personally, of unethical
behavior and lack of sportsmanship, so much so that parents may question if this is the best
environment for young people. Potgieter (2013) stated,
Sport has been advocated as a builder of character throughout history from the earliest
writings of Plato to contemporary declarations of educators, administrators and
politicians. This popular belief has not been challenged often, but the current prevalence
of cheating and corruption in sport has highlighted valid questions about the contribution
of sport to moral and ethical development. (Potgieter, 2013, p. 154)
These questions are valid when considering the future impact of athletics within society.
People should not accept poor behavior because it is so common.
So many of the poor behaviors that occur are thought to be ‘part of the game,’ emanating
from a logical attempt to gain an advantage…Many players feel that “it’s only cheating if
I get caught.” Teaching and demonstrating that your athletes make the correct behavioral
choice is the sole responsibility of the coach. (Brown, 2003, p. 78-79)
The need for ethics and sportsmanship in athletics is clear and it should be expected at all level
of sport.
Ethical Dilemma

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An example of an ethical dilemma took place when Coach L, a college tennis coach,
continued to alter his line up during the conference tournament after telling his Athletic Director
that he would stop making changes during the season resulting in disqualification from the
conference tournament when it was discovered that he continued to do so. NCAA and ITA rules
state that a team must play its best player at number one, the second best at number two and so
on. A coach cannot move a player more than one spot in their line up in each match. A coach
also cannot remove a player from his line up for a match and replace him higher in the lineup for
the next match.
His athletic director first questioned Coach L about his line up after a match with a
conference rival. Coach L had switched his number one and two players, as well as his number
four and five players. The opposing team complained to their Athletic Director that this was a
tactic to ensure wins at certain positions. The two AD’s spoke to each other and then Coach L
met with his AD to discuss this match. Coach L verbally agreed to submit a fair and consistent
line up for the rest of the season. During the next match, Coach L made several more changes to
his line up but it remained consistent for the remainder of the regular season. During the first
match of the conference tournament Coach L removed his number two player from the line up
and switched his number three and five. During the second match he put his former number two
at the top of the line up and moved everyone else down.
After this match the conference tennis chair disqualified Coach L and his team from the
tournament for violating ITA and NCAA rules while on probation for his actions earlier in the
season.
Options and Choices for Those Directly Involved

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There are options and choices for behavior and actions that may be taken by those
directly involved in the dilemma. The individuals or groups directly involved include Coach L,
the Athletic Director, the players on the team, and the conference chair.
The conference chair could have outlined the consequences of tampering with a line up
before the tournament, additionally he could have directly warned Coach L. He also could have
directed the other teams to play on regardless of Coach L’s line up. He could have worked with
the athletic directors in the conference to come up with a plan to address any cheating at the
tournament and ensure that everyone was in agreement. The conference chair could also make
Coach L use his original line up for the match.
Coach L’s Athletic Director could have outlined the consequences for Coach L if he
continued to change his lineup. He could have put something in writing stating that Coach L was
on probation and there would be consequences if he continued his behavior. He could have
explained why Coach L needed to stop altering his line up and why it wasn’t in the best interest
of his program and the athletic department. The Athletic Director could have also fired Coach L
for continuing his behavior when asked to stop.
The players on the team could have asked Coach L to keep a consistent line up. They
could have explained that he wasn’t helping the team by making changes and they prefer to
compete with a team straight up, rather than trying to gain an advantage by making unfair
changes. They could have refused to play unless they were in their rightful spots. They also
could have communicated their beliefs with the Athletic Director and made it clear that what
Coach L was doing is unfair. The players could have insisted on playing challenge matches and
respecting their outcomes. The players can also leave the team for next year; they can insist on
playing for a fair coach and request a release from the team.

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Coach L could have consulted with other coaches or his players about what they thought
of his lineups or even appointed his assistant coach to submit the lineup. He could have accepted
that he can’t always make a change that will ensure a win. He could have had his team play
challenge matches against each other and respect those outcomes when constructing the lineup.
He could have continued to use the same line up from the beginning of the season or stop making
changes after other coaches began to complain. Also, he could have apologized to his team,
athletic director, and the other coaches in the conference for continuing to change his lineup.
Options and Choices for Those Indirectly Involved
There are options and choices for behavior and actions that can be taken by those
indirectly involved in the dilemma. The individuals or groups indirectly involved include the
other teams in the region and nation, other athletics with line ups such as golf or bowling, other
coaches and teams in the athletic department, other athletic directors in the conference and
region, alumni and donors, prospective student athletes, athletes parents, the tennis community
and the other players and coaches in the conference. The other players and coaches in the
conference could have ignored Coach L’s lineup changes and competed against the team he put
forward without complaint. They could have approached Coach L directly about the situation
rather than handling it through their athletic directors. They also could have gone straight to the
NCAA or ITA to report Coach L. Another option would be to alter their lineups to match Coach
L’s or they could refuse to play the team with that line up. The other college teams can express
their opinions to the Athletic Directors in Coach L’s conference, and the conference chair on
lineup consistency. They can come up with a plan on how to address a similar situation within
their conference.

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Other programs that use lineups in competition can share their decision making when
putting a line up together. They can offer support to Coach L and help him to understand that he
can’t always control the outcome of a team match. They can also share their opinions on how to
handle the matter with their Athletic Director or people involved with running the conference
championships. Other coaches in the department can also share their opinions on cheating or
other situations that come up in their sport. They can reflect with Coach L on how important
winning is and how to look after the well-being of his players and to respect the integrity of the
sport. They could also turn their back and condone him for trying to manipulate the game and
causing a bad reputation for the university.
Other Athletic Directors in the region and conference need to have a plan in place for
how to handle this type of situation if it happens at their university or if it happens within their
conference. They can also condone Coach L’s AD for how he handled the situation. Another
route would be to consult with Coach L and or his AD to come up with a plan and a protocol to
avoid this in the future or a procedure for how to handle it next time something like this may
occur.
Alumni and donors may choose to stop sending money or support to this program
because they are considered cheaters and ruined the chances of a conference championship.
Athlete’s parents and community members can take on a similar role, or they can become more
involved with the program. They can schedule a meeting with Coach L and confront him about
his decision-making. They can help him to understand why what he did was unethical and how
he should handle the situation next time. They can create a system that ensures fair lineups
through communication and tracking player progress. Prospective players on the team can

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choose to sign else ware because the coach doesn’t show high ethical standards. They could also
choose to sign with the team because the coach will do almost anything to win.
Social, Emotional, Physical, Academic and Spiritual Considerations
This dilemma may be analyzed with respect to five considerations: social, emotional,
physical, academic and spiritual. In this circumstance, the actions of the coach affected numerous
individuals and changed the outcome of the playing season. Coach L’s decisions directly
impacted, not only his entire team, but everyone his team competed against. Other coaches at his
university, his Athletic Director, boosters and alumni, prospective student athletes, and the
conference chair in charge of collegiate tennis were also affected. This impact tested each of
these individuals both ethically and morally as this dilemma unfolded.
The social considerations impact those directly involved, as well as those close to the
situation. One pressing concern in this scenario is the reputation of Coach L, his actions could
severally damage his standing both within his own athletic department, as well as with other
coaches he will compete against. This can result in teams outside of the conference being
unwilling to play them, as well as reduced support from his Athletic Director, or other personnel
within his athletic department.
Coach L’s decisions could also damage the relationships between him and his players. If
a coach is changing his line up just to try to win a match, it sends mixed messages to his players.
They may feel that they don’t have individual value and that he doesn’t care for each of them.
This will likely affect team chemistry. The players might grow to resent each other as a result of
competing for a spot they haven’t earned. They may also resent the coach for making unjustified
changes to the lineup this could lead to a lack of trust within the entire program.

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Coach L’s impaired reputation could also have a social affect on booster and alumni as
well as prospective student athletes. Boosters and Alumni may have supported Coach L’s
decision to try to put forth the best line up to win, they may chose to continue to support Coach L
as he tries to find any way to win. On the other hand, they may also resent his decision making
and view his actions as unfair and unethical. In this case they may pull their support or distance
themselves from Coach L and his program. Prospective student athletes also must determine how
they feel about Coach L’s actions. They may want to play for a coach who would go to such
extremes to win a match. They could see it as an opportunity to play in a spot they haven’t
earned, or they may resent his decision making. Athletes may chose to attend a different
university as a result of this controversy, which would affect them, Coach L’s team, and the
other school they chose to attend.
The emotional factors in this situation extend from Coach L and his athletic department
to his players and the teams he competed against. Coach L may have been frustrated with how
his team was performing so stacking his team was his solution. He could have also felt guilty for
ruining the teams’ chances at winning the playoffs, all because he was trying to ensure them a
victory. In this case the frustration likely continued when he didn’t get the results he wanted and
had to face negative repercussions of his decisions. This frustration likely extended to the
Athletic Director as well as the other teams. The AD would be aggravated when Coach L
continued to change his lineup after they discussed the need for a consistency. Other coaches and
players may feel like they are being cheated when playing against an unfair line up. They may
feel that it is unfair that they have to play against a stacked team, rather than competing
genuinely to see who the better team is. Finally the players on the team could be emotionally
impacted by Coach L’s decisions. In this circumstance it would be very easy for the players to

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lose trust in their coach. A coach who only cares about winning may damage the self-esteem of
his players. They could become confused about their place on the team and begin to doubt their
self worth. This situation would likely be very frustrating for the people involved but it could
have lasting effects on the emotional state of each individual.
This emotional stress on the players could easily impact their academic success by adding
anxiety and pressure to their studies. Players who are concerned or frustrated with how their
coach is determining their spot on the team may be distracted from their studies. This type of
distraction could undermine the academic performance of any athletes involved. Physical
implications may occur on Coach L’s team if he places one of his players against a stronger or
better player. The opposite could be true if Coach L put one of his best players against a weaker
player on the other team.
The spiritual implications in this case involve principles of sports ethics and fair play.
Coach L decided that he would try stacking his line up to try to win more matches. While the
NCAA rules clearly state that this is a violation, he did so anyway resulting in an unfair
advantage. Coach L tried to take the easy route to try to ensure a win for his team. This is both
unfair and unethical and it sends the wrong message to his athletes. Good character must be
taught through example:
You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing,
do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?
You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by
breaking the law. For as it is written, The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you. (1 Romans 2:21-24, New International Version)

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Coach L may want his athletes to have good character but he does not show this himself and
therefore cannot expect his athletes to be fair and ethical.
Precedents for the Future
Actions taken and choices made in this dilemma will set precedents for the future. The
fact that Coach L was able to continue to change his line up all the way until the conference
championship opens a door for other coaches to try to same tactics to ensure wins. Opposing
coaches may try to change their line up to match up better with Coach L’s or they may try to
stack their line up to favor them in future matches. Should this type of behavior occur again in
the future, a procedure should be enacted to prevent the situation from escalading. Coaches and
Athletic Directors should understand the consequences for manipulating a line up to try to gain
an advantage. There should be a clear procedure for disputes in a line up and a warning system
for when this occurs. After Coach L’s team was disqualified, other coaches may be reluctant to
try the same tactics for a fear of being disqualified. This event may send a message to other
tennis coaches not to tamper with line-ups because the results would be devastating to the
players and the program. Either situation would result in fewer disputes over line-ups, which
would be a positive change in the college tennis system.
Ethical Considerations
In order to make good choices and decisions an ethical standard is needed. “Shortcuts
never pay off in the long run. It may be possible to fool people for a season but in the long run
their deeds will catch up with them because the trust does come out” (Maxwell, 2003, p. 11-12).
In this example Coach L tries to take a short cut to ensure his team a win however this ethical
standard does not follow a successful path. What is fair or true will come forth in the long run.
That is what happened to Coach L and his team. A good coach should think about what would be

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good for the future of his team. They should focus on developing his players to be able to win at
the position they should play rather than placing them where they don’t belong.
Implications for the Coach and Discussion
The role of a coach is to provide his players with opportunities to be successful within
their sport as well as outside of it. In this scenario the coaches’ role was simply to try to win as
many matches as he could. He did not focus on the well-being of his players, but rather fixated
only on how his team could get a win. A coach cannot simply preach good character, it must be
taught through example. When the players see Coach L trying to take the easy route to win, they
will believe that they can do the same. They will not want to work hard, but rather they will think
there is an easier way to get something done. Coach L should be setting a different example, one
of strong moral character and teach the value of hard work, rather than undermining it.
Although Coach L’s actions ultimately resulted in the disqualification of his team, it
should never have gotten to that point. Once the Athletic director was made aware of the
situation he should have had a more serious discussion with Coach L. They should have gone
over why his actions were wrong and why he shouldn’t try to win at all costs. There should have
been clear consequences for continuing to essentially cheat and an emphasis should have been
placed on the effect the coaches actions were having on his players and on the other teams. A
good coach needs to understand the impact they have on their players and take it very seriously.
Coach L should not have tried to change his line up, but he also shouldn’t have had the
opportunity to continue without consequences as long as he did.
Code of Ethics
The standard for ethical decisions in athletics and competition are often found in a code
of ethics.

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Engaging in sporting practices inevitably require us to be pre-occupied with
central principles such as fairness (and therefore justice), our encounters with
notions of 'fair play' and of a 'level playing field' provide practical examples of
where sport and the moral inherently coexist. The coach plays a central role in
influencing the moral terrain within contemporary sports practices. The coaching
session, the training field, the changing room, the game, are all environments
where children (and older athletes), alongside the presence of the. coach, develop
and test the moral dimensions of their evolving characters. (Hardman, 2010, p.
345)
A code of ethics determines what morals and behaviors will represent the team as a
whole. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s code of ethics highlights values like respecting
colleagues, adhering to the governing rules, and putting the welfare of student athletes first while
encouraging them to exhibit good sportsmanship. These ideals must begin with a coach. The role
of the coach is to set the tone and the standard of behavior for everyone involved in the program.
The coach does this anytime they are representing their team, even if it is unintentional. Coaches
must “Be a model of the behavior you are asking (the team) to exemplify. If they respect you as a
coach, the players will be more likely to take on your characteristics” (Brown, 2003, p. 26).

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Chapter V
Legal Aspects and Considerations
A coach holds a great deal of responsibility when dealing with young athletes. Coaches
have inherent duties to provide a standard of care to the players they train. This is important
both morally and legally to a coach’s career. A coach is entrusted with the health and safety of
their players. Many coaches will place their player’s safety and wellbeing as a top priority.
Coaches need to ensure that they are adhering to legal aspects of their sport, and providing a high
standard of care to the athletes they work with.
There are fourteen duties that sports coaches or administrators should fulfill in order to
ensure the safety of athletes, coaches, and spectators. These Fourteen Legal Duties are outlined
and described in Appendix F. The broadest duty that a coach must fulfill is the duty to plan. This
is extensive and covers almost every aspect of a coach’s job. A coach of a major college program
has to consistently be planning for the future, from the upcoming matches, to preparing the
players, to making sure the players best interests are being met. A lot goes into planning a tennis
season at Metro State University of Denver. Coaches have a big impact on the lives of their
players and they need to be sure that efficient planning is put into every situation to ensure that
each player is consistently in a safe environment.
This planning starts before the players even commit to the team. Before a player can try
out for the team, they are required to submit a physical showing that they are fit to play, and sign
a tryout waiver. Once the athlete is on the team, specific insurance is required that covers injuries
sustained during the course of the season. Coaches verify that players have proper insurance,
medical screening, and proper injury prevention methods and injury care are provided.

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Another important aspect of planning for a college team is putting together a competition
schedule and all of the travel requirements for the season. Coaches must ensure that they players
have safe transportation to and from away matches. They must make sure that players have a
safe place to stay, that they receive meals and other forms of care when traveling for
competition.
Coaches must also plan practices, they must make sure that athletes are competing in the
safest possible environment and that they are properly prepared to compete. If injury occurs
because practices aren’t planned properly, the coach will be liable.
In his scholarly article on the required Fourteen Legal Duties of Care, Janis K. Doleschal
comments on the importance of planning and instructing properly, “During the planning process,
coaches should be researching successful lead-up techniques that can be used for their sport and
adapting them, if necessary, to meet the needs of individual athletes” (Doleschal, 2006, p. 313).
A second duty that is required for a college coach is the duty to instruct properly. Doleschal
(2006) has argued that “The duty to instruct properly includes the elements of progression,
complexity, athlete readiness, and safety” (Doleschal, 2006, p. 312). Coaches have to do what is
best for their players. In order to do this they need to understand the needs, wants, abilities, limits
of their players. Over the course of a season, a coach should develop his or her players to give
them a competitive advantage. This should start with developing fundamental skills and
consistency and progress into tactical and more complex skills. A coach should ensure that a
player had good technique that will not break down, or cause injury over the course of the
season.
At Metro State there is a sequence and training regime to ensure that athletes are
instructed properly. This can be subtly changed or altered to each individual player, but generally

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the instruction and player development follows a structured path. This plan is developed before
the season begins, it is established through knowledge of what has worked in years past, and
what is best for the current players. It can be difficult to know for certain what the best course for
the team will be but it is learned through experience and trial and error.
By being aware of these duties and taking measures to fulfill them, coaches are protecting
their players from unnecessary risk and themselves from legal liabilities. It is very important for
coaches to be aware of each of these duties to best serve their players and their program.
Coaches must also be prepared for foreseeable risk. Foreseeable risk is a danger which a
reasonable person should anticipate as the result from his/her actions. Coaches need to carefully
think through risks associated with their sport, and have a plan to address foreseeable events that
can occur. “The key to fore-see-ability is foresight and the reasonable, prudent professional must
be able to anticipate or foresee dangers or risks faced by the participant” (Cotton, Wolohan,
2013, p. 242). A risk management plan for a college tennis team is included in Appendix E.

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Chapter VI
Program Development
Athletics are altogether about the people involved. A successful athletic program is about
providing opportunities for accomplishment in different aspects of a student athlete’s life. A
successful team will not just find triumph in competition, but also in academics, and within the
community as well as through personal character development. Through these facets the young
athletes involved will discover how to be successful on and off the court, translating to valuable
life skills.
The goal of any coach should be to develop a program that allows for athletes to become
well-rounded individuals and be held accountable to high standards of academic performance,
integrity and self-efficacy. An atmosphere must be developed in which education, competition,
personal improvement, and team successes are combined in a positive, constructive, and
disciplined manner. In order to create this type of team culture and atmosphere a coach needs to
be thoughtful and organized when planning, and communicating with others. He also need to put
together efficient and productive team practices, have clear and thought out coaching behaviors
and styles and develop a good working relationship with their coaching staff. Coaches also need
to consider the growth and well being of their athletes, and strive for character development.
Finally they need to ensure they are utilizing fundraising events and boosters while developing
good relationships with those surrounding the program and use ethical recruiting practices.
Organization
Within a college program it is critical that a coach has strong organizational skills. A big
part of the job is done in the office and covers a range of responsibilities such as recruiting,

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fundraising, budgeting, scheduling, and trip planning to name a few. When coaches are
organized, they can expect their players to do the same. It is critical for players to understand the
expectations of the coach and be on the same page. One way a coach can exhume their
expectations is to hold a team meeting and distribute a player handbook. A lot can be
accomplished within the first team meeting; it will set a tone for the season and allow the players
and coaches to start on the same page. During this meeting the team handbook should be
distributed, reviewed, and signed by the players stating that they agree to the rules, and
expectations stated. An example of a team handbook can be found in Appendix G.
Developing and distribution a handbook is the first step in having good communication
with student athletes. The first thing a coach needs to communicate with the players is the goals,
rules, and expectations on the team. This is the first step a coach will take to achieve buy in from
their players; this aspect is critical for the success of the team. Players need to understand the
goals of the program and ensure that all of their actions are moving toward achieving the goals of
the program. It is also important for players to set their own goals, both for their personal
ambitions, and also for team accomplishments. This goal setting program is based on Eva V.
Monsma’s findings that she published in an article for the association of Applied Sports
Psychology. At the beginning of each semester every player will write down three individual
goals, and three team goals. This allows the coaching staff to understand what the players aspire
to and also to hold them accountable throughout the season (Monsma, 2007).
Before the season a coach should also clearly communicate the rules they have for the
team. This ensures that each of the players understands the behavioral expectation placed on
them. It is important for the athletes to understand that he or she is held to a higher standard and
they must follow the rules put in place from many different departments. First they need to

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follow NCAA rules, as well as institution rules, athletic department rules, and finally team rules.
A coach should also convey clear expectation for the team. This can include broad themes, such
as discipline, preparation, focus, and timeliness but there should be a clear discussion about what
the expectations are and examples of each.
It is also important for players to understand the support they have surrounding them
within the athletic department. Players should know their administrators, the trainers, and the
strength and conditioning coaches. Within a college athletic department there are often several
administrators dedicated to helping student athletes to be successful in different areas. For
example there is often an administrator dedicated to student services meaning they assist them
with classroom issues, class registration, and academic advising specifically for student athletes.
There is also a compliance director in every athletic department who works with coaches and
athletes to ensure that the players remain eligible for practices and competition. Another example
of support for student athletes is a sports information director who manages websites, student
athletic pages, biographies, and often social media pages. There are countless other support
systems for student athletes within an athletic department, such as assistant athletic directors,
marketing directors, business managers, and of course the athletic director, in addition to athletic
trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches. It is important for student athletes to get to know
these people who can help them have a successful athletic experience during college. Players
should make a point of introducing themselves to these people when they see them in the offices,
and out at athletic events.
Players have an easier time getting to know the athletic trainers and strength and
conditioning coaches since they often work directly with them on a day-to-day basis. It is
important for coaches and players to have a good relationship with these departments. Players

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and coaches need to have excellent communication with the athletic trainers so they can help the
players and teams to the best of their ability. Trainers need to know each player and what issues
or injuries they have. It is critical to have good communication between the trainers and the
coaches so that everyone remains on the same page.
It is also important for coaches and strength and conditioning coaches to have open
communication. Coaches should have input on how the athletes are training off the court. It is
vital for the strength and conditioning coaches and the head coach to have the same end goal and
ensure that the players are working to achieve improved on-court performance, as well as injury
prevention and rehabilitation exercises if needed. Coaches and athletic trainers should also use
the same terminology.
Team Practice
Practices will always have a theme or general goal. These will change depending on what
part of the season it is. Throughout one calendar year there will be four phases of practice. The
first phase is in the fall when school begins and the players can begin training. During this
period, practices times are generally limited by the NCAA however this time is about training
with live ball drills, and doing a lot of point play. From the beginning of the fall season to the
first match there is little time to establish the line up and doubles pairings so there is also a lot of
doubles play, and singles sets to establish the line up and prepare to compete. The fall is the non-
championship season for tennis, meaning teams compete in tournaments and matches but do not
play a full season or compete in a championship as the main championship season takes place in
the spring. The fall season lasts about two months with four weeks of match play.
After the fall season, practices focus on individual training. Often players will train one
or two at a time and focus on technical and tactical development. During this training phase

36. 36
players can work on deficiencies within their game and make large-scale improvements either to
their strokes or to their style of play. Each player gets a lot of hands on coaching from the
coaching staff.
When the fall season ends the players enter their offseason until mid January. In January
the spring season begins and the players can train more often during the week. This begins the
indoor practice phase. Coaches book practice times indoors in January and February so players
can train when the weather is too cold to be outside. During this time the number of courts
available determines the type of training done. The focus is back on tactile training and trying to
get ready to compete. Players will do a lot of doubles drills and fed drills that push the players to
execute the shots they trained in the fall. In March the team is competing almost every weekend
and sometimes during the week. During this time coaches are assessing the match performances
and addressing the needs of the team and work on specific situations that are occurring during
the matches. This phase of training is almost all live ball and no feeding drills.
The fourth phase of training is after the spring season ends and school is completed.
During the summer there is volunteer based training twice a day. This is where players can make
the biggest developmental strides in their games. The coaches will be available each morning for
drills and each afternoon for supervised match play. During the summer, players will also be
given a strength and conditioning program that they should do to keep their physical fitness up
for the next season.
The expectation on the team is for the players to arrive 15 minutes early to each team
function. This time is used for the warm up. Practice begins at the designated start time and
players are expected to be fully ready to play at that time. The warm up is a dynamic progression
that prepares the players for practice by establishing functional flexibility, balance, coordination,

37. 37
and blood flow. The warm up begins with a four lap jog around two courts, during this jog the
players warm up their legs by doing different movements. The first is a complete jog, the second
lap, the team will do high knees and butt kicks along the long edge of the court. The third lap,
they will do high skips and carioca. The final lap, they shuffle along either side of the court. Next
they move into dynamic stretches. They do a move down a full court and then run through the
next court. They do walking lunges, walking toe touches, hip hurdles, and knee to chest, and
walking quad stretches. The final part of the warm up is quick line jumps, followed by a sprint.
They do this four times. Once all this is done they start rallying from the service line, they will
then back up to the baseline and go through hitting all their shots to complete the warm up.
After the warm up the team will gather and the coaches will discuss the theme or goal of
the days’ practice. They will explain the first drill and the players will begin practice. This
should not take more than five minutes. Depending on the purpose of the drill there will not be
much technical instruction.
There are three types of drills that may be used during a team practice, a cooperative drill,
a fed drill, or a competitive drill. Examples of cooperative drills include making 20 balls deep
and cross-court during a rally. The players will rally a ball cross court and keep track of how
many they make in the space they are aiming for. During this drill no one is trying to win the
point but rather they just keep the ball in play to one another. Another cooperative drill is done
where one player is hitting to one space on the court and the other player is hitting from side to
side. This is done so one player can practice playing offense and running their opponent while
the other player had to play defense and control the ball. For this drill the players must make 15
balls to their target in less than one minute.
A fed ball drill is when a coach feeds a ball into the court and the player is trying to

38. 38
execute a specific shot. Examples of this include feeding an approach shot, followed by a volley,
followed by an overhead. The player has to hit their shots from corner to corner to corner to
practice moving their opponents around. Another fed ball drill is feeding the players very hard
side to side so they are on the run to every ball and they have to get ten balls back in a row cross
court with topspin. Another fed drill is having the players hit a ball to one side of the court, then
to the other side and then running in and taking a volley into the open court.
Finally competitive drills are used to simulate match play. These can be done with the
players starting the point with a groundstroke or with a serve. Sometimes players will play points
with no additional rules; however, most of the time coaches will add a rule to work on a specific
tactic. For example, players may only be able to hit down the line if they are in front of the
baseline and cross-court if they are behind the baseline. Sometimes a player can only hit a
backhand if it is on the outer third of the court but otherwise they have to hit a forehand. Coaches
can also set up a box in the middle of the court that players cannot hit. This encourages players to
hit the ball with depth and outside of the middle of the court. An example of a practice plan is
included in Appendix G.
Generally, practice will end with a meeting in the locker room. This is a chance to recap
practice, to go over any tactic or strategy, and also to make announcements regarding the team.
For example, this time can be used to draw out a doubles play or tactic that we might try to use.
Coaches can go over positioning or singles strategy points using the white board. Another
example would be making announcements that the team needs to hear regarding classes,
registration, travel plans or other things that come up during a season. This is a good time to get
everyone in a room together and be sure that everyone is on the same page, even if it is only for a
few minutes each week.

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Players will have separate strength and conditioning practices. During the season these
will take place in the mornings four days a week with conditioning on Monday and Wednesday
and strength training on Tuesday and Thursday. Training will differ depending upon what part of
the season it is. Different conditions will require different training. During the preseason the
objective is to bring athletes to peak conditioning and strength. This will be accomplished
through high intensity workouts and conditioning twice a week. During the season the goal is to
maintain or improve gains made in the preseason. The goal is to do this through high intensity on
court training and less intense conditioning sessions that focus more on balance and agility. After
the season the objective is to recover and maintain fitness in preparation for preseason.
During the off-season players need to become stronger and more importantly keep their
conditioning level up. This is a chance to make gains and keep or improve the speed and agility
acquired during the season. Players will strength train 4 days a week, with a different focus each
day. They will have three rest days from strength training each week. Players will do speed or
agility 4 days a week. This is to ensure peak condition, speed, and footwork for the season. The
drills will reflect tennis movements. Players will have two rest days per week.
This preseason plan is based on the NCAA rules for preseason training. Programs are
allowed 2 hours of on court training and 8 hours of strength or conditioning training or meetings.
Players must also have two days off per week. Players will either do strength or speed and agility
work during the week and have weekends off.
During the season players will continue to do strength training on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. They will focus on explosive movements with the legs, core work, and shoulder
strengthening exercises to prevent injury. Players will do speed and agility training on
Wednesday and Friday mornings. They will not do this on Fridays if we have matches over the

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weekend so once the competition starts we will only be conditioning once per week. Players will
have Monday off from off court training to ensure recovery from weekend matches.
Players are each given the following hydration and nutrition plan, based on the studies of
Professor Ron Maughan and Professor Louise Burke while working for the Nutrition Working
Group of the International Olympic Committee. In their work titled Nutrition for Athletes they
break down the science of nutrition for athletic performance. The guidelines included are derived
from the Olympic committee’s recommendations.
General Hydration
Fluid balance is essential for on court performance. Hydration affects cardiovascular
function, body temperature regulation, injury prevention, and recovery. An athlete who loses two
percent of their weight in water will see decrease in performance and symptoms like increased
heart rate, fatigue, and decease in sustained attention (Maughan, Burke, 2012)
General Guidelines
 Players should drink 20 ounces of fluid 1 hour before practice.
 Players should drink 14 to 40 ounces of fluid during practice.
 After practice players should drink 24 ounces of fluid for each pound lost during exercise
During practice and matches players also lose electrolytes they should be replacing.
Players should drink Gatorade or Pedialyte to replace lost electrolytes and avoid cramps.
General Eating Guidelines
It is extremely important for athletes to understand the importance of proper nutrition as
diet can play a huge part in determining the level of an athlete’s performance. Intensive exercise
burns off a large number of calories and the body must be constantly refueled to enable it to
continue working effectively and efficiently. Eating a range of foods from different food groups

41. 41
will ensure an athlete gets all the essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins they need to maintain
a good level of general health as well contributing to producing an effective performance.
Ideally, meals should contain a mixture of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fruits and vegetables
(Maughan, Burke, 2012).
Carbohydrates
Most athletes eat a carbohydrate-rich diet as this helps to keep them fueled; complex
carbohydrates release energy slowly, which enables the body to keep working for longer periods
of time. Examples of foods with a high content of complex carbohydrates include pasta, rice,
bread and cereals (Maughan, Burke, 2012).
Proteins
Proteins are essential for muscle growth and repair and are therefore an important part of
an athlete’s diet. Examples of protein-rich foods include meat, fish and eggs.
Fats
Fats are an essential element of a balanced diet and are needed to transport and absorb
vitamins and minerals. The intake of fats should be moderated, especially saturated fats, which
can build up in the arteries and contribute to serious health issues including heart disease. Foods
that are high in ‘good’ fats include avocadoes, nuts and oily fish (Maughan, Burke, 2012).
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain a huge range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, which are
essential for the successful completion of several daily activities as well as increasing the
efficacy of the immune system which increases resistance to illness and infection. It is important
to try and eat a range of fruits and vegetables as this will ensure all the necessary vitamins and
minerals are consumed. A suggest shopping list is included in Appendix G.

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Eating Around Competition
Eating before Competition
What an athlete puts into his or her body before a match is just as important as everything
else done to prepare for competition. One of the most important reasons for eating well before an
event is to prevent low blood sugar and its’ symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, fatigue, muscle
weakness, and blurred vision. Proper nutrition also prepares your muscles for the physical
exertion ahead. One important thing to remember in designing a pre-match meal is to stick with
foods that your body is familiar with. Suggestions for pre-match meals are included in Appendix
G.
Eating after Competition
After the match or practice, nutrition becomes crucial for recovering from energy
depletion. Glycogen stores can take 24-48 hours to refill; therefore, it is important to start
replenishing carbohydrates immediately following exercise to accelerate the recovery process.
Within the first 30 minutes after the match: eat a large snack or medium portion dinner with
2 parts carbohydrates, 1 part protein, and sports drink. A carbohydrate/protein energy bar or
pasta/rice, lean meat, and a vegetable would be appropriate at this time (Maughan, Burke, 2012).
Within 2-3 hours after the match: eat a well balanced meal including a variety of
carbohydrate sources, a protein portion, and plenty of fluids. A pasta/rice based meal with lean
meat and vegetables with several glasses of fluid make an ideal post-match meal.
Supplementation Response
Coaches and athletic trainers must approve any supplements taken by athletes. Athletes
are responsible for ensuring they are not taking anything that is banned by the NCAA.

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If athletes wish to add extra protein or calories to their diet supplements can be very
useful however athletes should focus on getting most of their nutrition from their diet.
Coaching Behaviors
A coach must first ensure that the practices are going the way they envision for their team
as this is the foundation for athletic development and the culture on the team. They need to be
able to communicate the practice expectations with the players at the beginning of each practice.
They must also be able to effectively communicate with the team both in close proximity, and
from across the courts. This ensures that practices will be efficient and the players will
understand what is expected of them. This will translate to efficient and productive practices and
result in improved match performances.
Coaches need to take steps to make sure that the players are motivated and focused
during each practice session. This requires that players are challenged, doing drills that are
realistic for their skill set, and that are appropriate for their development.
Clear communication is essential to having a good practice session. This begins with
motivating the players and covers everything from explaining drills, explaining goals, concepts,
and purpose for the drills. Before practice begins the coach should bring everyone together and
discuss the practice. They may only explain the first drill or they may cover the entire practice in
that initial team huddle. On a tennis team there are fewer number of players so it is fairly easy to
get everybody together and have discussion. After the initial team gathering the players will go
and execute the drill they are working on. If a coach needs to communicate with a player at this
time, they can walk up and talk to them one on one briefly. If a coach needs to communicate
with the entire team at this point they have three options. They can yell out to all the courts while
the players are doing the drill. They can have everyone stop what they are doing, yell out to the

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courts and then the players can resume. Or finally they can have all of the players come in and
have another discussion with the entire team. A coach must determine the appropriate form of
communication depending on the situation. If they have a quick instruction they can shout it,
however if the players are missing an important concept the coach should bring them all together
to discuss the drill or to motivate the team. A coach should avoid stopping the practice too often
so the players can get into a rhythm and aren’t constantly stopping and starting a drill.
When coaching at the college level, each player has a similar skill sets and ability,
however coaches must address each player individually. In tennis, it quickly becomes clear who
the strongest players are and who are the weakest. The players are constantly competing with
each other for a spot in the lineup and each match in this line up is put on display for everyone to
see. Coaches must be sensitive to each player’s position and ensure that each player understands
their importance and value on the team. Coaches should be inclusive of all players and ensure
that they are not treat players who are lower in the line up like they are not important. They can
do this by having each player doing the same drills and mixing up who is playing together.
Coaches need to see what skills need to be addressed and adjust accordingly. If the
players begin a drill that is not going well, the coach should change or adjust the drill to improve
it. In practice, a drill can become too slow or low energy; this is when a coach can change the
drill to increase the energy and excitement at practice. This can be a good tactic to keep the focus
and productivity at practice high. A coach should not be stubborn in continuing a drill that is not
productive for the team.
Growth and Well-Being of Athletes
A coach’s first priority should be on the wellbeing of their athletes, they must always
prioritize this above all else including winning and any other impacts on the team. They must

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show this in their actions; they must make it clear to the players and everyone who is involved in
the program and athletic department. It is important that a coach has open communication with
the team so they know what is going on with the players. If a coach needs to step in and help a
player they should do so. Coaches should have an awareness of each player’s mental, emotional,
physical, psychological, and social state. This connection will allow the coach to know what a
player needs and provide support to encourage the well being of each athlete.
A coach can hold their players to a high standard but they must have clear expectations.
The team goals can be the cornerstone to the expectations on the team. For example there should
be a goal regarding academic performance, community engagement, and athletic achievement.
These goals should translate to expectations such as preparedness, discipline, determination,
focus, and engagement. Players need to understand that they are expected to be prepared each
day for practice, and each day in the classroom. They are expected to do their homework
assignments on time and study for tests and quizzes.
Student athletes also need to show discipline in their decision making on and off the
court. On court, students are expected to play high percentage, thoughtful tennis. Off court, they
need to be making smart decisions about what they are doing in their free time. These decisions
include whom they are surrounding themselves with, and what they are involved in. Athletes are
expected to make decisions that reflect well on the program, and avoiding things that would get
them into trouble like drinking or drugs or other poor decisions.
A coach should instill the expectation of determination and focus in each on court
performance and training. This should translate to other aspects of the athlete’s lives and prove
as valuable life skills. Finally general engagement should be expected at all times. People should
be fully engaged at the task they are doing. While at practice that should be the only thing the

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players are thinking about. They should not be distracted by school or social life. While in class
they need to be engaged in what they are studying. They should participate, and avoid
distractions. This also translates to community involvement, when players are giving back to the
community they need to be engaged and involved in doing the best they can to improve the lives
of others in some way.
A coach must do what they can to avoid athletic injuries, ensuring a safe environment
during all practices, training sessions, and match play. Coaches must train players with correct
techniques to avoid injury or danger. They must be aware of things like weather, and other
environmental factors, as well as doing safe drills, and ensuring that players aren’t training with
an excess of balls on the courts near their feet. It can be dangerous if players steps on a tennis
ball.
Coaches should also make it a priority to educate their athletes on important issues like
substance abuse, body image, nutrition, and bullying. These are important topics that contribute
to the growth and well being of athletes.
Coaching Staff
The entire coaching staff is responsible for setting the tone of the team from the culture to
the energy to the positivity to the professionalism and focus. First and foremost coaches need to
be on the same page. They should be in agreement about the goals and expectations on the team
and the direction that the team is going and how to get there. They should never disagree in front
of the players and they should have good communication with each other. If there is a
disagreement, it is important that it be discussed at an appropriate time.
As often as possible coaches should meet briefly before practice to discuss what the
practice plan is and how practice will be run. They should constantly be discussing drills and

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ways to improve players’ performance or team performance. They should have an in-depth
meeting before and after each playing season to discuss direction, goals, and execution.
On game day, coaches should arrive early to prep the courts and to prepare in other ways
for the match. During the matches coaches will communicate with each other about strategies
within matches and which players need more coaching. They might sit on a player’s court or just
watch them play from a far. They may be coaching many players at once, or focusing on one
player. During the match, coach should be communicating about their coaching strategy and how
to best serve the team. After the matches players will help to clean up the courts and the coaches
will meet with the players to discuss the match.
Coaches should generally use positive reinforcement to motivate players. A general
coaching theme will be that players should try to perform the correct way, and avoid playing the
wrong way. This means that players are coaches will focus on executing the shots and not about
what can go wrong in the moment. This philosophy is achieved by coaches using positive
reinforcement to motivate players. Coaches should focus on what is best for the players and
communicate this well with the team. Players should always know how and why the drill is
helping them. They should understand the reason for everything they do.
Character Development
An important question every player and coach should ask is why he or she is involved
with the sport they play. If players have a good reason for playing they will be more apt to thrive
in character development. Coaches should constantly be focused on modeling professional
behavior, good character, and ethical decision making to set a good example for their players.
Coaches should base their actions on one question, “What message does this send?” This is a
good test to determine what actions to take and how to act around their players.

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A few critical character expectations are respectfulness, responsibility, kindness, honesty,
fairness, and citizenship. Respect comes down to treating others as you wish to be treated by
them. Respect applies to oneself as well as to others. Respectful athletes and coaches speak to
one another in a calm and productive manner at all times. They also show deference towards
opponents, officials, and others involved in matches or around the program at all times.
Examples of respectful behavior in sport include using considerate language and nonverbal body
language even when angry or disappointed, speaking respectfully to yourself, your opponents,
and coaches, accepting victory and defeat without disparaging your opponents, and accepting
officials’ decisions without argument.
Being caring involves compassion, gratitude, and empathy. Athletes and coaches who are
caring are gracious in both victory and defeat, and they readily acknowledge the contributions of
others to their success. Caring athletes play for their team rather than just for themselves. Caring
also involves promoting the health and safety of everyone involved in sport, particularly athletes.
Examples of caring behavior in sport involve complimenting your opponent’s efforts, win or
lose; thanking your teammates, coaches, and supporters after a game, encouraging teammates.
Honesty involves being truthful, forthright, and acting with integrity and loyalty. Athletes
and coaches show their honesty by speaking and acting consistently and by doing the right thing.
The motives and actions of honest coaches and athletes are rarely questioned because their
actions are backed up by a personal sense of integrity. Honest behaviors in sport include being a
team player, dealing honestly and openly with other athletes and coaches, and playing fairly
within the spirit and rules of the game.
Playing by the rules and the spirit of the game whether winning or losing is one of the
key elements of sportsmanship and character. Athletes and coaches who play fairly will always

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play by the rules, regardless of how doing so affects the outcome of the game. Athletes and
coaches display a sense of fairness by not taking unfair advantage by bending or circumventing
the rules.
Good citizenship involves contributing positively to community, whether local, regional,
or national. Athletes and coaches, who are good citizens, volunteer their time and effort to
worthwhile causes, follow the law, and act as positive role models.
In general good character is associated with behavior that is kind, trustworthy, honest,
faithful, and responsible. Sportsmanship is said to represent good character for those involved in
sports. If a coach models and expects these pillars on the team then they will set the foundation
for character development within the program.
A coach needs to use their best judgment when dealing with character or behavior issues
on a team. It is critical that a coach tries to achieve buy in from each of the players however if
they need to correct a behavior they can use different methods to attempt this. The first step will
be communication with the player. If something occurs that a coach and player need to address
the coach should schedule a one on one meeting with the player. The coach should communicate
the concerns and come to an agreement with the player about their future actions. If an issue
persists then a coach will have to take other actions such as kicking a player out of practice or
suspending them for practices or matches.
Fundraising and Boosters
Fundraising can be critical for a college team. Good fundraising can lead to more
scholarship money, more in season funding for travel expenses or better equipment. Individual
programs should make an effort to fundraise rather than leaving it up to the department or just
using the budget allotted to them. Players and coaches need to use their personal and professional

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relationships to generate interest in the team and develop a type of booster club to help to support
the team. Parents can be extremely helpful in doing things to support the program, they will often
donate money to the program but they will also often donate time to do something special for the
players. For example they may cook dinner for the players after a match or bring food and drinks
to a match. These types of boosters are great to have around the program to show support to the
team.
It is also important to get the players involved with fundraising. Each player knows
people who are interested in their success and the success of the program. These friends and
family should be offered an opportunity to donate to the program. A fun way to fundraise is
through a pledge or sponsorship of some kind. The team can do something like clock the speed
of their serve and try to get a pledge for each MPH the hit their serve. This can be a very easy
fundraiser for a program and can yield a lot of donations.
Building Relationships
It is critical that a coach develops healthy relationships with several different groups they
work with. They need to have a great working relationship with the players on the team, with the
coaching staff and with the entire athletic department they work with. A head coach also needs to
forge relationships with members of the community, boosters, and alumni. Community service
should be a priority for a college tennis program. Players should learn the value in volunteering
their time and having an impact in their community. This is also a great way to get more people
involved in the program and develop interest in the program.
Coaches should also strive to have a good relationship with the players’ parents. Often
time college players are leaving home to compete for the coach and the parents want to know
that their kids are in good hands and the coach has their best interest at heart. The coach should

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have open communication with the parents as long as it is appropriate and the player is involved
when necessary. The parent should not be discussing the team line up or other confidential team
factors. Coaches also need to ensure that parents are communicating in an appropriate way. They
can call or email if they wish to discuss something but it must be handled appropriately and
professionally from all involved.
Coaches should make an effort to communicate with the parents when they see them in
person. For example they should stop and talk to them if they come to a match. They can briefly
discuss how the player is doing on the team and express some positive things the player has done
to contribute to the program. This is a chance to reassure the parent and show that their child is in
a good environment and they the coach cares about them.
Recruiting Practices
Recruiting is one of the most important things a college coach does. Therefore it is vital
to have a clear philosophy regarding recruiting practices. A college coach needs to ensure that he
is bringing in the right level of talent and the right kind of personality to fit within the goals of
the program. Coaches need to find a balance between recruiting in state players, out of state
players, and international players. Much of this is impacted by how much scholarship money is
available a fully funded program may not care where they get the players from, and they may
even have only international players which are the most expensive to put on scholarship. If a
program has limited scholarship money they may focus on in- state players who would cost less
to put on scholarship.
In order to get enough high-level recruits, coaches must start the process early. They first
need to determine what level is appropriate for their team and they need to contact recruits that
are at that level. Luckily there are resources that allow coaches to obtain contact information for

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players who want to be recruited. These services also rank players to give coaches a good idea of
the ones who will be good competitors for their team. Players or recruiting agencies can also
contact the coach. They can send an email or a letter that highlights the player’s athletic and
academic performances. They often include a video of the athlete playing.
A coach can begin an aggressive recruiting process by contacting many players that they
are interested in. If they respond with interest the coach can set up a phone call or Skype call
with them. If this call goes well and the coach and player are still interested then the player can
plan a visit to the college. The coach needs to decide if it will be an official visit or an unofficial
visit. If it is official they coach can pay for the player’s meals, hotel, and even sometimes a
flight. On an unofficial visit, players and parents must pay for everything themselves. A coach
cannot pay for anything while on the trip.
During the visit the coach has a chance to show off the facilities, the campus, and the
housing to the prospective student athlete. During the trip the coach will often tell the player if
they can offer them any scholarship money. The coach should have a strategic scholarship plan
before the recruiting process begins. They need to know what the team needs to improve, as well
as how much scholarship money they will have to offer.

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Chapter VII
Psychology of Coaching
Athletes cannot execute their skills without mental prowess. It is the goal of a coach to
assist the players in developing physical and mental skills to contribute to their own court
success. A coach cannot just coach physical and tactical skills, he must also consider the mental
side of the game. Lee Westwood, a famous golfer said, “You don’t win tournaments by playing
well and thinking poorly.” A coach also needs to teach their players to think the right way.
Having a defined sport psychology program is vital to the success of any athletic
program. At the college level where all players have advanced training, they need to do anything
they can to gain a competitive advantage over their opponent. A sport psychology program
allows a player to unlock their potential and perform at a high level despite the circumstance.
In a sport scientist article featured on the NCAA website, Chris Carr and Jamie
Davidson highlight the importance of a sport psychology program. “The pressures and demands
on 18- to 21-year-old student-athletes are great…student-athletes' time demands are enormous –
daily practices, competitions that may involve travel, a full academic course load, strength and
conditioning programs, and sports medicine/rehab appointments present a demanding
schedule…” (Carr, Davidson, 2014, p. 17).
This type of program helps athletes to control their minds efficiently and consistently as
they execute within their sport. Athletes need to develop skills in concentration and stress
management, as well as self-confidence, and positive thinking. These psychological skills can
help athletes make adjustments to their actions, thoughts, feelings, and physical actions that will
improve their games. These skills, while valuable on court and during competition will translate

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to life skills that will benefit people long after they conclude their competitive career. These
skills include imagery, concentration, and self talk.
Imagery can be extremely beneficial to a tennis player if they employ they right imagery
techniques. The biggest challenge in implementing imagery techniques on the team may be
overcoming the frustration that comes with playing tennis. The team I coach can be hot headed at
times and this may prevent them from getting into the positive mindset required for good
imagery implementation. They tend to lose their focus when things start to go bad in practice
and matches and this is a critical time for the use of imagery. Using imagery to develop a new
game plan and execute it can be very helpful to a tennis player.
In order to develop good imagery skills in my players I will need to establish the
techniques they can use. Having a single focus in tennis is extremely helpful; so, establishing a
verbal or nonverbal cue that will refocus my players is key. A standard tactic that each player can
use is to visualize the entire point being played, from the serve to the return to the next shot until
they visualize the point ending. After doing this the player should be in the right frame of mind
to play the point. The second tactic that will be used in imagery is the use of a cue word. I think
the word will vary from player to player but it can be something like “feel” to queue the feeling
of the ball on the strings and imagining how each shot will feel as you hit it. Another word may
be “carve” this can be used for a player who struggles with serves or volleys to imagine the
motion of the racquet around the ball as it is struck with spin. Other words may be used in
different situations. The team may also use symbolic images. You often see a tennis player go to
their towel in between every point. This is a very symbolic exercise as it may serve to “wipe
away” the previous point and begin a new one.
A successful sport psychology program should also emphasize focus and concentration

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during practice. Tennis is a very precise sport so concentration becomes very important,
especially when executing a shot to win a point. Often times a player will set up a great point but
miss a put away volley or an overhead. To work on this, teams will do closing drills and discuss
concentrating on seeing the ball until the point is over. The biggest hindrance in making
concentration training effective and useful is simulating match or pressure situations. It is
important try to put the players in a pressure situation to practice executing and finishing a play.
Coaches can use visual, verbal, or kinesthetic cues to trigger a player’s concentration.
One thing a coach can encourage an athlete to do is visualize the point using all three of these
cues before playing it. The player will be concentrating on all parts of the point and the execution
will be perfect in their head. This should cause them to concentrate throughout the entire point.
Finally a coach may also encourage the players to draw on previous execution of a play when
they are thinking through a match. Drawing on past success can set them up to execute on the
next shot. It is important that this is a positive thought rather than a negative shot.
In a tennis sport psychology program, concentration will be emphasized at every practice
and match. Each player will have a concentration technique that they will be trying to execute
each day. It can be the same or different day to day but one must always be executed. At the
beginning of the season, athletes will go through the ACT principles to determine which style of
concentration they most need to work on. This will be the foundation of our concentration
program.
Positive self-talk can also benefit a player who is struggling with the mental side of their
game. In general tennis players can be negative in their self-talk saying things like, “You suck”
or, “You are so stupid”. I almost never hear positive exclamations from the players when they do
something well. This leads to the players only remembering the mistakes they made, or the

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matches they lost, rather than focusing on the positive or the big picture. To address this we
added several focuses to practices. The first and most often implemented strategy is the echo.
One player will say, “Let’s go Metro” and every other player will also say it. This started with
the coaches always starting the echo but over the season the players took more ownership over it.
If the focus became too low in practice a player would start the echo, or if a teammate had a
negative outburst, the rest of the team would do the echo to not allow the player to stay negative,
or bring the team down. This has been extremely effective in cancelling the effects of negative
self-talk. The second thing we talked about is the in-between point routine. A tennis player has
20 seconds from when one point ends to when the next should begin. In this time the player
should have a routine that they do each time no matter the outcome of the pervious point. If the
player is doing their part in between point routine well then there isn’t ever negative self talk.
In Tim Gallwey’s (1974) book, The Inner Game of Tennis he describes that tennis players
player their best when they are not actively thinking about their performance. During the book
Gallwey is trying to address the most frequent complaint he received from his students: that they
kept making the same mistakes over and over even though they knew, and had practiced, better
ways to play. “The brain can be our worst enemy,” Gallwey argued. He presents various
approaches such as, concentrate on the ball to distract your brain from screwing up your swing;
think about where your racket is, not what it’s doing right or wrong to help tennis players keep
their mental state from getting in the way of peak physical performance.
Sport Psychology is critical to the success of a program. Athletes cannot execute their
skills without the mental fortitude. A Sport Psychology Program allows a player to unlock their
potential and perform at a high level despite the circumstance. This type of program helps

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athletes to control their minds efficiently and consistently as they execute within their sport. A
complete sport psychology program is included in Appendix G.