The benefits of boundary setting
- Provides clarity about the coach's role
- Establishes predictability in coach-athlete relationships
- Builds a safe and healthy learning environment
Setting physical boundaries
It is important to discuss and negotiate physical boundaries, such as:
- The coach will only be allowed to touch athletes where appropriate for teaching new skills or in spotting.
- The coach will not be allowed into the locker rooms or showers when athletes are changing or showering.
- The coach will not use excessive exercise (extra laps etc.) or withholding fluids as a form of punishment.
Setting social boundaries
Examples of social boundaries could include the following:
- The coach will attend sport-related social events and awards banquets.
- The coach will avoid parties with athletes outside of sport-related situations.
- The coach will not accept personal gifts from, or give personal gifts to, athletes.
- The coach will not date his/her athletes.
- The coach will not purchase alcohol for his or her athletes.
Setting sexual boundaries
Examples of sexual boundaries that might be set include the following:
- After the
coach-athlete relationship has ended, he or she and the coach may
choose to enter into a sexual relationship, but only after an
appropriate period of time has passed. Sports psychologist Don Sabo,
chair of the Women's Sports Foundation committee on coach-athlete
relationships, suggests five years for a high school coach and two
years for a college coach.
- The
coach will not have sexual relationships with current athletes. There
is no such thing as a consensual relationship between coach and athlete
because of the power that the coach has over the athlete, says Sabo.
- The coach will not sleep in the same room with his/her athletes in order to save money while attending competitions.
Many organizations go further.
For example, the United States Olympic Committee Coaching Ethics Code
provides that coaches should not engage in sexual intimacies with a
former athlete for at least two years after cessation of the
professional relationship, and, then, only in the most unusual
circumstances and where the coach can demonstrate that there has been
no exploitation, in light of all the relevant factors, including:
- The amount of time that has passed since the coach-athlete relationship terminated
- The circumstances of termination
- The athlete's personal history
- The athlete's current mental status
- The likelihood of adverse impact on the athlete and others, and
- Any
statements made by or actions of the coach during the course of the
athlete-coach relationship suggesting or inviting the possibility of a
post-termination sexual or romantic relationship with the athlete or
coach.
Updated November 21, 2016
Teaser title:
Setting Boundaries Preventing Abuse And Harassment: At A Pre-Season Meeting
Teaser text:
The benefits of setting boundaries - physical, social, and sexual - at the pre-season meeting are numerous, say experts.