Abstract
The purpose of this presentation is to examine the commonly implemented practice of physical conditioning. Needless to say, physical conditioning and pushing one's body physically is not only an inherent part of sport training but is a requirement for skill acquisition and performance enhancement. Moreover, it is the coach's role, in part, to implement physical conditioning programmes and to encourage athletes to push themselves out of their "comfort zone" physically and psychologically in order to become more fit or skilled. Apart from legitimate uses of physical conditioning for athlete development however, there are also examples of the use of physical conditioning for the purposes of punishment. Directing a team to engage in exhausting conditioning as punishment for poor performance or undesirable behaviors such as arriving late for practice or missing curfew are some examples. In such cases, physical conditioning is used for the sole purpose of punishment and is unrelated to the enhancement of an athlete's physical condition. It is the supposition of this presentation that under certain conditions the use of physical conditioning represents a form of physical and perhaps emotional harm. In this presentation, we will explore the conditions under which the coach's implementation of physical conditioning represents a form of abuse versus a legitimate method for performance enhancement and athlete development.
