Scenario
You are a coach, exercise, or health practitioner looking to build a program that will change lives. You could be a small business owner, a personal trainer, a little league coach, or coach in the professional ranks. Regardless, you are looking to build something unique that will make people’s lives better.
Your Role
In your role at the organization of your choice, you have been charged with understanding why so many athletes are burning out and disengaged within their sport. You may also see that certain team and organizational cultures do not have a winning attitude, or that there is little connection to those on the team. It could also be that you see low adherence to exercise in general, and you are looking to make a difference. You must develop a culture, a protocol, a resource, or training that will lead to a genuine change in how individuals feel about their athletic careers and their longterm success as people and exercisers.
Remember, there are many variations of how people define success, but for this exercise, we are looking to build something that will make better individuals, teams, and ultimately, a better society.
Requirements
Use information from the material presented in this class, the Foothill College library, any additional credible resources like journal articles, university studies, non-profit organizations, and government resources to create an analysis and program design that includes the following:
Set the stage for your project at the societal level. Explain the macro or broader perspective of where your journey starts and what the issues are within the community you serve. In other words, what is the background of your population as it relates to this objective? Where is your group today versus generations prior regarding these principles? What is the setting for people today, and what are individuals up against at the societal level? What has been the emotional and personal cost been of this dynamic? How might society benefit from a program that addresses these concerns within the community you serve? Is it merely that certain costs would be avoided, or would this unleash new potentials for life and society?
For example, we have a major obesity pandemic in the United States. There are many reasons for this and it is taken a toll on some demographics and income levels more than others. Why is this and why/how would a program that you are creating change people’s lives?
Another example: Football leaves a lot of young men left with great memories, a strong work ethic, and ability to be disciplined, etc., but also with a lot of injuries, unhealthy eating habits, and a lack of direction after their time in the sport is over (hint: I had all three of these). How might a coaches program be designed to not only win games, but also set up the next generation of coaches, business people, and parents to make their lives and those around them even better?
Bring your topic to the individual level. Explain the micro or personal perspective of your topic. How does this impact the individual? What are some ways that society can help or hurt the individual concerning your topic? How do individuals today perceive themselves with these objectives? What are the potential struggles and limitations of individuals managing this process? What are the potential benefits to the individual if this objective was achieved? What is the long-term outlook for the individual concerning should a program like this work?
Detail the art and science behind what you would build? What are its sports psychology roots, and how does it impact an individual’s mind, psychology, and personality? What are some of the main physiological limiters? What does science suggest regarding achieving these goals for the individual?
Detail the proven techniques from the literature?
Find a program that has implemented these findings or other strategies to impact people’s lives, attitudes, and behaviors. What have the challenges been for this program or group? What have the unforeseen impacts been of a program like this? No program is perfect, so what have the failures been? What further research needs to be done within these areas for your program to be maximized?
Explain the program you wish to develop, and how would it be unique to the population you hope to serve? For example, maybe there is a great program to model yours after for that has been developed in Texas, where there are different cultural and financial supports to something you would build in California. How might those challenges be dealt with?
