Jim Thompson founded the Positive Coaching Alliance to make character education the primary focus of youth sports, organizing his efforts around a program to change the culture of sports away from the entertainment model of professional sports to an educational model. His ambitious goal requires… Read more
Jim Thompson founded the Positive Coaching Alliance to make character education the primary focus of youth sports, organizing his efforts around a program to change the culture of sports away from the entertainment model of professional sports to an educational model. His ambitious goal requires action on three levels. 1) A new model of coaching called the Double-Goal Coach™ who wants to win but who also has the even more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons. Changing the culture of youth sports requires replacing the mental model of win-at-all-cost with the Double-Goal Coach in the minds of coaches. 2) PCA works with youth sports organizations and schools (YSOs) to create a culture in which Honoring the Game is a paramount value. Youth sports leaders are trained to be culture shapers who emphasize the ROOTS of Honoring the Game—respect for the Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates, and Self. 3) On the level of the larger society, PCA is working to create a “social epidemic” (Malcolm Gladwell’s term) of Positive Coaching that will sweep the country.
Jim has enlisted high-profile professional coaches like Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Brown of the New York Knicks to be spokespersons for PCA, lending their name and credibility to its brand and advocating its ideas in public. Their endorsement is powerful; coming from Jim Thompson the notion that coaches should focus more on character than on winning is an interesting idea, and from Phil Jackson—who has led teams to nine NBA championships—is very compelling.
To build a groundswell for character education in youth sports, PCA has developed a distribution network of dynamic trainers who conduct live workshops throughout the United States. Offices have been established in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. Two national awards are given to outstanding coaches and organizations, the Double-Goal Coach Award and the Honoring the Game Award for youth sports organizations. With the long-term goal of training and certifying, Jim’s team of coaches and volunteers fan out across the country to recruit thousands of parents, coaches, and young people into the Positive Coach Alliance. PCA staff members train each new member about the techniques they need to push for inclusion and mutual respect in competition. Once trained, members are equipped with guidebooks, including exercises, lesson plans, and reference materials. They remain connected to the PCA via newsletters, refresher courses and members-only events. They have also begun to certify coaches who complete their courses. Hundreds of coaches gather to honor a select number among them each year with the National Youth Sports Award.
To date, the PCA has trained over 50,000 members in more than 1,000 workshops. Jim has forged partnerships with national youth sports organizations including U.S. Lacrosse, the Ice Skating Institute, American Youth Soccer Organization, U.S Club Soccer, and USA Rugby, along with 300 local youth sports organizations. Most importantly, PCA has influenced of thousands of youth coaches, who, thanks to its work, have more fun, win more games, and make ever bigger contributions to the lives of young athletes.
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