Routledge Handbook of Coaching Children in Sport

Martin Toms, PhD is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham, UK. A former professional sports coach with an MPhil and PhD exploring the sociological issues of young people in junior sport, Martin has been heavily involved in juniors sport all of his adult life. He has published widely and presented extensively around the world on youth sport, including working on international projects and for NBGs/Federations and National Governmental organisations. He has gained European and SCUK funding for youth and coaching related projects as well as being involved in international consultancy. He is a co-editor of the European Journal for Sport and Society as well as the current Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Golf Science. Ruth Jeanes, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Australia. Ruth’s research examines inclusion and exclusion within youth sport, particularly examining how sport can be used to achieve broader social policy objectives targeted at young people. Within this, she is particularly interested in the role of coaches in facilitating broader social outcomes for young people. Ruth has published extensively in these areas with over 100 publications across journal articles, book chapters and books. She is widely cited and has been successful in securing extensive funding for her research including two highly competitive Australian Research Council grants.

Section 1: Learning and Skill Development






Coaching Children in Sport: A Focus on Learning



Coaching Pedagogy



Developmental Considerations for Coaching Preschooler Sport



Supporting the Development of Sporting Creativity in Children Through an Enskilment Approach



To Have Fun: What is Means and its Significance in Sport



Creativity-enhancing Approaches in the Coaching of Children in Sport: Present and Future Directions



Coaching Psychological and Life Skills Through Sport: Advancing the Contemporary Coaching Agenda



Exploring Contextual Factors Influencing Positive Development Through Sport



Transitions in Child and Youth Sport



The Role of The Coach in Player Retention and Attrition


Section 2: Protecting Child Athletes




Preparing Children for Sport: The Importance of Athletic Development



Sport Readiness and Injury Prevention in Young Athletes: Current Recommendations on When to Enter, Compete and Specialise in Sport



Nutritional Considerations for Children in Sport



Sports Related Concussions in Children



Disordered Eating in Child and Youth Sport: The Role of the Coach



Parental Involvement in Organised Youth Sport



Making the Cut: Coaches and the Deselection Young Athletes



Mental Health and Coaching Children in Sport



Child’s Play? Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport



Coaching Care-Experienced Children and Young People in Sport
Section 3: Talent Identification and Development




Coaching Elite Junior Athletes



What Makes Champions? Childhood Multi-Sport Practice Facilitates Long-Term Development



The Impact of Growth and Maturation Upon Children’s Participation in Sport and Physical Activity



Digging for Diamonds? The Abstract and Questionable Nature of Talent Identification in Children’s Sport



The Child and Adolescent Sport Dropout Problem: Could Modifying the Coaching Micro-System Climate Help?



Psycho-Social Maturation and the Implications for Coaching Children



Integrating Specificity and Generality of Practice to Enrich Children’s Learning in Sport



Sampling and Specialising in Children’s Sport: Implications for Research and Coaching Practice



Group Based Strategies in Children’s Organised Sport: Looking Beyond Fixed Chronological Age
Section 4: Diversity and Inclusion




Children’s Rights and Sports Coaching



Coaching Disabled Children: A Brief Look Around and Forward



"I treat every Player equally": Coaching Culturally Diverse Children in Sport



Addressing the Needs of Indigenous Children?: Coach Education Programs in Canada, Aotearoa New Zeeland and Australia



Coaching Children and Youth with Refugee Backgrounds



Towards a Critical Inclusion of LGB Youth in Coaching Contexts



Exploring the Implications of Ability in Children’s Sport



Social Justice Organisations, Community Sport and Coaching Children
Section 5: Cultures and Context




Coaching Children and Youth Sport Policy



Volunteering in Children’s Sport: From Motivation to Child Protection



Retaining Volunteer Coaches in Child and Youth Sport



The Digital Sideline: What Coaches Need to Know about Children’s Engagement with Social Media



A Space to Play: The Geographies of Children’s Sport and Physical Activities



The Learning Cultures of Informal Self-Organised Action Sports: Implications for Child and Youth Coaching



Scaling Children’s Sport to Augment Motor Skill Acquisition



Learning to Coach Children in Sport