Coach Code of Conduct
ENJOYMENT
Remember that participants play for fun and enjoyment and that winning is only part of their motivation. Always ensure that participants are made to feel welcome whenever they attend a session.
Ensure that activities are carefully planned, well structured and varied to provide opportunities for individual and group development. Be willing to depart from the plan to take advantage of an unexpectedly high interest in a particular activity.
Never ridicule participants for making mistakes or losing a competition. See errors or losses as an opportunity to learn in a constructive way. Comment in a way that is positive and designed to create interest, involvement and development.
EXPECTATIONS
Be reasonable in your demands on participants’ time, energy and enthusiasm, taking into account their age, level of play and other commitments, such as school and employment.
Young children are likely to have more time but short attention spans. They may have plenty of energy but are likely to need more guidance on how best to look after their bodies. The differences in physical and mental maturity can be quite marked in younger children of the same age group. All these factors need to be considered in coaching young children.
Older children have greater demands from their studies, with some of them also needing to work to assist their schooling. They also have many social demands. Try to assist them in achieving a good balance between the various demands placed on their time.
Adults (anyone over 18) should, in most cases, be capable of making their own decisions on priority between basketball and other demands, such as work, family and social engagements. Respect these decisions.
RESPECT THE RULES
Teach your participants to understand and play by the rules and values we hold important within Helping Hoops, and that these rules exist for the safety, proper order and engagement of all people involved. The lessons to be learned in respect to basketball are lessons that can and should be carried over into all aspects of their lives. Do not encourage participants to ignore or deliberately break rules.
Where possible, relate rules and aspects of basketball to participants’ real world experiences.
RESPECT OTHERS
Part of participation in Helping Hoops and sport in general is respect for all participants in the program. Encourage your participants to accept that others are entitled to proper courtesy and should be afforded the opportunity to participate in Helping Hoops in an encouraging and inclusive manner.
APPROPRIATE LEVEL
Unevenness can lead to a loss of enthusiasm. Coaches should always try and group participants of reasonably equal ability. In coaching children, it is important to remember the different maturity rates for children of the same age. Often age and height are not the best indicators of ability. Likewise, children with special needs each come with a different level of functionality that may not necessarily be consistent with their age. This should be taken into account and activities pitched at the appropriate level for individuals and groups as a whole.
SAFETY
In our increasingly litigious and accountable society, all those involved in sport have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and well being of participants. Coaches are in a unique position to control many of the factors impacting on this welfare. Coaches should be aware of dangerous factors such as heat and dehydration, wet floors and other hazards environmental situations can cause. A coach has a responsibility to avoid putting participants into dangerous conditions.
Show concern and take appropriate action for participants who are injured whilst under your care. If a participant is injured on court, make sure that there is no danger of further aggravation of the injury by prompt removal of the participant if this is appropriate. Qualify yourself to administer first aid so that you can recognise the seriousness of an injury or illness and act accordingly.
ACCEPTING LOSING
Everyone wins and loses at some time. Be a fair winner and a good loser. Disappointment at losing is natural, but it should not be obvious to the point of being unpleasant for others. Just as unpleasant can be the boastful winner. Recognise that even in defeat, the loser has achieved something just by playing. Not everything in life can be a winning situation. Losing can be an important learning experience for your wider life goals. Guide your participants to accept a loss in this spirit.
POSITIVE ROLE MODELS
Be aware of the role of the coach as an educator. Particularly with young people, the way they perform in their lives is influenced by many factors. An important influence is the person they see as a role model. Coaches often take on the part of role model for many young people. It is therefore important to ensure that the influence from coaches is seen in a positive light rather than adversely. What you say and how you act can be most important in modelling the behaviour of participants.
UPDATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Seek to keep informed of changes in basketball and the social sector. Ensure that the information used is current, appropriate to the needs of participants and takes into account the principles of growth and development of children. Participants cannot learn from you if your skills and knowledge are not up to date with current practice.
RELATIONSHIP TO PARTICIPANTS
Physical contact between a coach and a participant, except that which would be considered usual social contact, such as the shaking of a hand or a high-five, should be avoided. Gestures, which can be well meaning, or even considered by some to be acceptable, may be unacceptable to others. This is especially important when considering the multicultural nature of Helping Hoops. Particular care needs to be taken in coaching children. Ensure that if there is physical contact with a participant that it is appropriate to the situation and necessary for the participant’s development.
Personal relationships with players can often be misinterpreted. Friendship with participants is essential to building trust, however the power imbalance in a coaching situation can make it unwise for a relationship to develop beyond friendship. Particular care must be taken when coaching children.
Ensure that you are never in a situation where you are alone with a child without another adult present. Should a child make allegations against a coach, a witness will ensure the situation does not escalate.
EQUALITY
Regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background, religion or other factor irrelevant to the game, all persons connected with basketball are entitled to equal treatment and respect. Avoid any remarks that could be construed as offensive or discriminatory. Sometimes even a joke may give offence. Even if a person refers to himself or herself with a particular label, it should not be taken as an invitation for you to do so. Using discretion is imperative and it is better to err on the side of caution.
RESPECT FACILITIES & THE PROGRAM ENVIRONMENT
Facilities and equipment cost money and will only function properly if kept in good order. Ensure that you and your participants do not abuse anything provided for use. Discourage players from hanging off hoops or slam-dunking. Quite properly, these practices are banned in most venues. Not only can equipment be damaged, but also serious injury can occur.
Encourage participants to take ownerships of the program environment by keeping it clean and safe. Including participants in preparing the environment for a program, such as sweeping the floor, picking up rubbish or setting up equipment, can aid this buy-in and ensure they feel a degree of ownership and connectedness to the space they use for Helping Hoops.
