United States Sports Academy
America's Sports University^®

Introduction

Leadership and Psychological Skills

Within the same time period, the science of sport and exercise psychology has grown ex-ponentially. Questions about human behavior fueled the development of applied sport psycholo-gy. Psychology is the study of the mind and human behavior. Exercise/sport psychology is en-compassed in exercise and sport science. Exercise and sport science is multidisciplinary. It in-cludes a variety of different sciences: physical, social, and etc. Ultimately, exercise and sports psychology is simply the study of people’s behavior in the context of sport. This study may in-clude examining specific biomechanical patterns to identifying cultural values that impact beha-vior choice. Sport and exercise psychology incorporates theories and approaches of psychology into the context of sport and exercise science (Gill, 2000).

Professional organizations dedicated to specific fields are commonplace in the modern physical education landscape. Professional associations like the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) spend a great deal of time advocating for effective and responsible physical education in schools promoting the lifelong pursuit of wellness. Despite their best efforts schools often continue to implement physical education and sport programs at levels below recommendations needed to achieve the benefits of regular physical education (Wuest & Bucher, 2009). The current state of physical education for youth has led to the increasing privatization of sport and fitness programs (Mechikoff & Estes, 2006). A major component of this privatization is competitive sports programs (Coakley, 2007). With the continued growth of these private programs what is being done or could be done to advocate for the best interest of youthful participants in these organizations?

Abstract

Black people in the US have achieved a lot in athletics since being allowed into main stream sport in the late 1940s. However, the overwhelming obsession with selected sports by the people of color has been raising fundamental sociological as well as academic issues. This paper therefore discusses the triple tragedy that Black Student Athletes unknowingly face when they exclusively pursue their dreams of becoming professional athletes at the expense of a college education. This tragedy is due to the racist ideology of sport that defines and channels blacks into “physical and athletic” endeavors and it is recommended that time is ripe to chart a new course for the black student athlete and the black community as a whole.

Introduction

As a personal trainer and a person who strives to improve health, performance, and appearance, I have been taught to eat five to six meals a day. This eating habit is practiced by bodybuilders, performance athletes, and people wanting to accomplish fat loss. I find it to be a staple in what it is I teach to my clients and practice on a daily basis. Come to find out, there really is not a lot of research on eating six meals a day. The research that is available tends to side with eating less meals instead of more meals. Also, calorie restriction is still in favor, stressing that calories in must be less than calories expended. If you divide the waking hours of a person who has an eighteen-hour day, eating six meals a day would average out to about one meal every three hours. This is definitely a step away from the common acceptance of three square meals a day! Although this concept is widely accepted in the fitness and sports performance world, it is still somewhat unknown to the average person. In fact, it seems to be a rather difficult task to have a well controlled research study that involves many participants willing to eat five to six meals a day. Inaccuracies such as dishonesty in daily food journals and insufficient measurement indicators plague current research of this topic. Also, there are crucial aspects that are often left out of studies done on meal frequency, such as physical activity prior to the research, sex, content of the meals and other areas that could influence the research outcome. This review aims to explore some of the available research and provide insight on an eating technique that can lead to successful weight loss for anyone.

Introduction

Another major golf tournament has come and gone, one in which Tiger Woods, did not win. In 13 years of competitive golf on the PGA tour, Tiger has won 14 majors, which is impressive. But my question is not with the golfer, but with the golfing coverage. The broadcasting networks (ABC, CBS, ESPN) live and die with tiger. If I were a PGA golfer I would be offended by the amount of coverage given to one man. Case in point, Steve Stricker.

Introduction

As I have studied leadership in this course and compared and contrasted self-efficacy and self-confidence for an assignment in an earlier course, it seems obvious to me that leaders can impact follower levels of motivation, performance, and team effectiveness by building individual and group self-efficacy. Not wanting to place an overemphasis in regards to building self-efficacy, I am on a quest to learn more about this issue and discover research-based answers. In an attempt to recognize the essence of an increased self-efficacy, I will begin by searching for what self-efficacy really means. The focus will then turn to essential factors for increasing self-efficacy and attempt to identify ways to build a stronger sense of self-efficacy. It will then be determined if communication and feedback can improve follower self-efficacy and conclude by looking at authority dynamics to see if there is a certain style that works best to improve overall self-efficacy levels.

Introduction

Purpose

As many young soldiers from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom have returned with one or more missing limbs, the amputee population has become a younger, more active community. This has lead to an increase in physical activity among the entire amputee population, military and civilian. The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues of liability and litigation within prosthetics focusing on the increased need for protection due to the trend of increasing physical activity among amputees. Through reading journals, magazines, and newspapers, and through the author’s personal observations, the research was gathered.

Brick by brick, the physical structures of colleges and universities are built; however, these bricks can also be used to symbolize the intangible beliefs and values of a school. Bricks of integrity, respect, and responsibility should form a foundation strong in pride and reputation, and the mortar that holds them together should function as the school’s mission statement. Unfortunately, a growing trend exists where certain bricks are overriding the value of others, and the necessary equilibrium needed to uphold institutional integrity is no longer being achieved. As the bricks representing collegiate athletics place mounting pressure upon universities, the mission statement mortar can no longer effectively support them, and it is only a matter of time before cracks in the foundation begin to form.

Ancient documents and archaeological evidence convince us that aromatherapy was developed over 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Its utilization was first recorded by Herodotus around 425 BC. The Greek historian described the use of distillation to extract essential oils from plant-based materials. Later, during the Middle Ages, the pharmaceutical properties of certain aromatic plants were exploited against infectious diseases such as the plague. In the First World War, René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist, used aromatic plants to treat soldiers’ wounds. Since then, aromatherapy has been utilized to ease aches and pains, heal injuries, manage stress and anxiety as well as depression, and restore well-being through relaxation, sedation, and stimulation (Cook & Ernst, 2000; Leach, 2004; Motomura, Sakurai, & Yotsuya, 2001).

Tae kwon do is a full-contact, free-sparring sport in which points are awarded for head contact. Tae kwon do competition consists of three 3-min rounds with a 1-min break between rounds. Most points accumulated determines the winner. There are appropriate methods of training for peak performance in tae kwon do that equip the athlete with the physical endurance needed for continued training and competition—and success.

Chiefly, the tae kwon do athlete’s cardiorespiratory function, energy expenditure, and blood lactate system must be well controlled if peak performance is to be reliably achieved. Peaking, or the ability of an athlete to perform at his or peak capacity when competitions occur, is dependent upon proper physical training of several physiological factors (Hiroyuki et al., 1999). For optimum peaking, tae kwon do athletes should train, specifically, their aerobic and anaerobic capacities, their muscle strength, their neuromuscular coordination, their speed, and their recovery. It is well known that physical conditioning—aerobic capacity in particular—depends on four elements: maximal oxygen consumption, anaerobic threshold, work economy, and recovery (Howley, Bassett, & Welch, 1995).