As PCA Founder Jim Thompson (@JimThompson18) writes in his book “The Power of Double-Goal Coaching*, “Many people talk a good game regarding sportsmanship, but the test is how one acts when it feels like something important is at stake.” At Positive Coaching Alliance, we teach sportsmanship through Honoring The Game, an approach that communicates how everyone involved in sports should respect ROOTS (Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates and Self).

The book excerpt below provides a toolkit for coaches to learn how to personally Honor the Game, while also sharing these principles with players and their parents. The first step is for coaches to recognize the role they play in modeling behavior. Coaches are on display, so if they disagree with an official's call, it’s up to them to keep cool and react respectfully, setting an example for players and spectators. You may want to develop a self-control routine to ensure you act appropriately.

The next steps are to prepare players and parents to act the same in the face of a pressured situation. Encourage them to form their own self-control routines, and positively reinforce athletes who keep cool when it’s difficult.

Download the PDF below for four tools to help athletes Honor The Game and five tools to help parents.

This PDF was excerpted from Jim Thompson’s book The Power of Double-Goal Coaching. To purchase the entire book, and to learn more about other PCA books, click here.

These books are used in PCA’s live workshops. To learn more about our interactive coach workshops, click here.