Barn- och ungdomshockey utifrån ett tränarperspektiv : En kvalitativ studie om tränarnas uppfattningar om barn- och ungdomshockey

Abstract ________________________________________________________________ Författare/Author Richard Tähtinen Titel/Title Youth hockey from a coach perspective. A qualitative study about coaches´ appreciations concerning youth hockey The aim with this study is to strengthen the knowledge about coaches´ appreciations concerning youth hockey. This study contains interviews with three leaders that operate on the strategic level within youth hockey and three coaches working with youth players in the ages of 11 and 12. I have divided my main results into 4 categories, based on an earlier study from Karin Redelius (2002). These categories include the following themes: 1) Competition on the good and the bad 2) The importance of winning 3) Shake-out versus sports on children\u92s terms 4) Instruction, play and learning The main conclusions in this study show that leaders on the strategic level appreciate youth hockey in a very similar way. Coaches´ appreciations vary on a much higher level both from each other and from the appreciations expressed by the leaders. One of the coaches recon that winning is very important and gives the coach assurance of a job well done. The leaders note that one of the biggest mistakes a coach in youth hockey can make is to concentrate on the result and therefore estimate his/hers coaching capabilities depending on the amount of wins. Thus will this result fixation lead to unwanted behavior by the coaches´. Some of the coaches´ believe that shake-out of youth players within ice hockey is the result of the sport interests carried by the parents. Some believe that it is the lack of resources that lead to drop-out from youth hockey. The coaches in this study believe that the athletic environment within youth ice hockey doesn\u92t differ from other team sports. They do point out that youth hockey players spend more time in the locker-room than players in other team sports