DURING the 2017 International Conference on Physical Education, Recreation Fitness and Sports Science held in Davao City from October 26 to 28, Dr. Thomas Rosandich of the United States Sports Academy pointed out the importance of sports education as the key to sports development.
Rosandich further reiterated there is a need for professionalism in sports, preventing informal appointment in positions like what is happening in many organizations where athletes automatically turns into coaches and coaches are tapped as administrators without proper training or education. The need to be educated for the certain position and learning its ways is an essential part needed to take on the position of a coach and or administrator due to its different skill set standard.
One solution presented is certification to set the proper standard for specific competency education.
Certification leads to professionalism, according to Dr. Rosandich. Being an athlete gives you the advantage with the rigors of the sport, but it doesn’t mean you qualify to be a coach. Managerial skills are different from athletic ability. Only a few are gifted with knowing and executing both but as an athlete, it gives you the upper hand to learn better than the others who do not have the hands on experience, depending of course on your psychological prowess.
The main reason why studies to professionalize coaching and administrative positions are being pushed is to come up with a structured system to come up with credible sports coaches and administrators which could take on the job with the needed skills and know how.
In doing so, athletes would not be stock in a trial and error management which affects the honing of their potentials and not fall victim to unreliable coaches who are just put into position because of their experience but lacks the knowhow of transferring it to their athletes.
Education is the key even in sports.