Los Angeles Sports Foundation A 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization

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Los Angeles Sports FoundationA 501 (c)(3)
Non-Profit Organization
The Los Angeles Sports Foundation (LASF) believes
that all children should be treated with respect
while participating in youth sports regardless of
their skills and abilities as athletes
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LASF Mission

• LASF is dedicated to setting a new standard in
  youth coaching by providing innovative
  educational programs that teach effective
  coaching methods grounded in mutual respect.

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Coaching as Teaching Certification Courses

• In these hands-on classes, coaches learn
  effective communication skills and
  developmentally appropriate basketball skills and
  drills.
• Coaches also make connections between classroom
  teaching and coaching by doing activities such as
  the Favorite Teacher Exercise.

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The Favorite Teacher Exercise

• Take a moment to make a list of the specific
  things your favorite teacher did that made him or
  her stand out.

The coaches in the Coaching as Teaching
League used their responses to this exercise as a
guide to how they wanted to coach their players.
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Favorite Teacher Exercise
These are some of our coaches responses to the
Favorite Teacher Exercise

• FAVORITE TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS
• Encouraging Everyone is Talented
• Was FUN!
• Open to students views and feelings
• Treated the class with respect
• Told us to be or try to be the best we could be
  at whatever we did
• Took time to listen and answer questions
• Made learning fun/played educational games
• Very energetic and encouraging
• Adapted lesson plans and focused on preparing
  students for the future
• Challenged students
• Showed passion and enthusiasm

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Collaborative Team Meetings
In their practices, our coaches use Collaborative
Team Meetings to work with players to set daily
personal and team goals.
The coaches also ask their players what
basketball skills and drills they would like to
practice that day. They then use the players
responses to create a practice plan that
incorporates the activities that the players
asked for.
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Reflective Homework Journals
All players are given a notebook journal that
they use to do reflective homework assignments.
Players assess their personal and team
performance in practice and games based on their
own specific goals.
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LASF Original Research
In the summer of 2007, LASF conducted its
Coaching as Teaching pilot study, and set up an
eight-team youth basketball league. Prior to the
league, half the coaches participated in our
twenty-four hour coaching program and the other
half did not. All games were videotaped and all
players were interviewed about their experience
in the league.
Sponsored by the
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LASF Research Results
Study results indicated that using
student-centered instructional methods can not
only result in more wins, but players learn more
and feel greater responsibility toward their
teammates!
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2008 Coaching as Teaching BASKETBALL League
Based on the success of the project and the need
in the community, LASF offered another league in
2008. This time all the coaches participated in
our Coaching as Teaching certification program.
Sponsored by the
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Boyle Heights
In our first two years, we have served over 150
Latino boys and girls ages 7 to 12 in the Boyle
Heights area near East Los Angeles.
Our league is held at the Costello Recreation
Center, located directly between the housing
projects of Wyvernwood Gardens and Estrada
Courts-- the homes of two rival gangs.
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LAUSD Graduation Rate
The dismal prospects for children in the area are
reflected in a March 2005 article in the L.A.
Times the L.A. Unified School District s
graduation rate for Latino students is only 39.
There are huge social costs associated with high
dropout rates, including lower wages, higher
unemployment, poorer health, lower tax revenues,
increased crime. If we are going to make a dent
in these problems, we need to start with kids
when they are little. -UCSB Education
professor, Russell Rumberger
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Community Role Models
Four of our certified coaches are
student-athletes at nearby Roosevelt High School.
These young women are role models for the
children in our league and exemplify leadership
through their community service, commitment to
academics, and excellence on the basketball court.
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Parent Support Classes
Our 2008 league includes Parent Support Classes
that the parents of participating players attend
each week while their children are in practice.
These interactive classes, adapted from the
internationally acclaimed Quality Parenting
model, help parents develop their communication
skills and understanding of child development in
a communal and supportive setting.
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Please Help Us
In order to continue to offer these innovative
programs, we need your help. Please consider one
of these four things

• 1. A donation of any amount helps
  (really!)
• 2. Forward this presentation to a person or
  business you think might also be willing to help
• 3. Tell your local basketball league about our
  Coaching workshops
• 4. Come get certified in our coaching program!

Visit us at LASportsFoundation.org