Anthony Troshak's Portfolio
Coaching and Leadership Showcase
The concentration I pursued in the Master of Arts in Education program at Michigan State University was Coaching and Athletic Leadership. Below you will find examples of work I completed in the MAED program. Click on the title of each piece of work for a PDF version.
It is important for a coach to have standards, goals and values. In this document I outline my coaching philosophy on many topics. These topics included: the role of sports and coaches, the function of sports, defining success and the role of winning, racial and gender equality, along with personal ethics and sportsmanship.
As a coach, athletic director and sports administrator it is vital to have a game plan. This is a risk management plan that broken down into months. Each month has a detailed explanation of preventative measurements taken to reduce athlete and spectator risk. The plan covers topics from equipment maintenance to coaches meetings.
With all the legal aspects involved with coaching and athletic administration, it is extremely beneficial to be well-versed in legalities concerning hazing, sexual harassment, negligence and much more. This example explains the four tenets of negligence (duty, breach of duty, causes, and damage or injury). It also covers the popular topic of hazing and possible preventive measurements.
Learning from other coaches can be helpful, especially when those other coaches have experience and success. In this example I observed a colleague, our school's head volleyball coach. I specifically took data on his forms of reinforcement. The way you give instructions to a player is crucial. In the discussion portion of this example I explain the impact of specific instruction vs. general instruction along with positive reinforcement vs. negative reinforcement.
This is a basketball program I created to foster leadership. The goal of this program is to promote positive youth development. The program combines a traditional basketball camp with leadership development in order to prepare high school students to be team leaders and captains. The program was designed to give participants real life leadership situations that they would encounter during a regular season.
A quality coach must be an outstanding communicator. This tryout flyer communicates to potential players the requirements for tryouts along with information on a pre-season meeting. It is visually appealing and covers safety issues involved in trying out for the school’s basketball team.
John Wooden said it best when he said, "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." Coaches must constantly be looking for ways to improve. This example explores coaching programs that can be beneficial to the development of a coach. These programs include: the Positive Coaching Alliance, American Sport Education Program, National Federation of State High School Associations, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association. For each program, there is an explanation of its strengths and limitations.
Knowing how to teach and coach children at different ages is a key skill an effective teacher and coach must have in their repertoire. In this example I discuss the ratio of support to challenging feedback. The example explains that at a young age children need more support than challenges. It is important to support children at a young age because they are just learning the sport/activity and you want them to have fun in order to continue the activity later in life. As they grow older, it can be helpful to challenge children in order to maximize their potential.
Images from:
leagueathletics.com