Coaches are arguably one of the strongest yet most under-recognized influences on our culture. They can make or break a community's pride. Some children spend as much time with them as with schoolteachers. Nevertheless, coaches, to a large degree, remain drastically unprepared for the rigors of nurturing athletes. Many become overly obsessed with winning rather than with helping players reach their potential. Others simply don't know how to effectively motivate their charges and teach them to become healthy competitors.
Sport psychologists are trying to raise coaching to a new level of sophistication. They are using their research to develop training programs that help coaches at all levels more effectively inspire their athletes. But their prime focus is on coaches at the local level, who have the potential to foster tomorrow's Olympians.
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