3Dimensional Coaching: Fact or Fiction

Abstract

“Sport is a great vehicle by which life skills can be taught,” Dr. Jeff Duke. This very sentence is the reason that the 3Dimensional Coaching model is starting to become more and more relevant in today’s world. This method wants coaches to look past the physical skill and game fundamentals that many of today’s coaches only worry about. 3Dimensional Coaching involves the body, mind, and spirit. The specific characteristics are everything from those game specific skills to the player’s motivations for being on the team and to go even further it wants coaches to begin looking into individual’s values and motivations. The purpose of this study was to try and find some evidence that supports 3Dimensional Coaching that it does not only help make these kids into better people but still allows them to perform at a higher level. Literature review was done to try and find other sports that used a similar model. I looked first more in depth at what exactly 3Dimensional Coaching is through their website and through an interview with Dr. Jeff Duke from the University of Central Florida. The second source I looked at was information from the United States Tennis Association. They have identified several psychological skills that are necessary for heightened levels of performance. These skills correlate strongly with 3D Coaching and the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory. Finally, I looked at the culture created at the University of California Los Angeles by quite possibly the greatest coach in the history of sports, John Wooden. His pyramid of success has been adopted by countless coaches, including the staff I work for at Superior High School, and is another great example of what 3D Coaching is promoting. This study involves six participants that all filled out the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory prior to the 2014 Wisconsin High School football season. These same participants were then evaluated at three different points throughout the season by their position coaches on the basis of alignment, assignment, and technique used. Seasonal statistics were also collected to show performance. The results from this can be found at the end of the report. Future implication for this study can also be found at the end of the report.