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Introduction
The CSP and LSP are self-reporting, paper-and-pencil inventories designed to identify an athlete's personal preferences and tendencies, in order to better understand how individuals uniquely experience competition and learning. The instruments are oriented toward enabling athletes, coaches and sports scientists to identify relevant competitive and learning styles, better utilize the individual athlete's identified strengths and to find potential solutions in areas consensually validated as needing improvement. The inventories were constructed to ask the questions that would yield accurate feedback and the most valuable insights. The CSP (Appendix
A) contains 100 items and measures 24 separate categories related to athletic
performance in competition (Motivation, Ability to Focus, Will to Win),
that group into five factors (Determination, Concentration, Orientation,
Poise and Mental Toughness). The LSP (Appendix C) contains 80 items and
measures 20 categories of individual learning characteristics (Visual,
Kinesthetic and Trial and Experience Learning, Efforting Level, Feedback
Preference) that group into four factors (TriModal Learning, Learning
Preferences, Teachability and Optimal Learning). Both instruments use
the same Likert scale response set, from 1 (Untrue for Me) to 5 (Very
True for Me). The answer sheets are presented in Appendix B and Appendix
D, and the descriptions of the factors and categories are presented in
Chapter 5 and Chapter 6. The underlying thesis of this presentation is that our capacity to enlighten others in perfecting their skills can rarely be achieved without an awareness and appreciation of personal uniqueness. Our ability to modify, change and contribute to enhanced performance is dependent on the level of awareness our individual athletes attain. A most significant aspect of this process is that it is rarely possible to introduce necessary changes in behavior without elevating personal levels of awareness. Our goal has been to utilize the Competitive and Learning Styles Profiles to identify behavioral tendencies and characteristics that may contribute to or in some cases impede goal attainment. One axiom we hold dear is that "change is rarely accomplished in the absence of insight". What follows is an exploration of the performance and learning attributes that underlie individual excellence. Case histories will be presented to clarify how these characteristics are identified and utilized. The cases chosen for review are representative of the range of profiles found both within individual and team sports. As will be apparent, the specific sport seems not to be a factor with regard to application of the profile findings. The attributes are those that have significance across all sports. Whether a team or individual sport, the individual's unique attributes in his/her sport will become the focus of attention. We will first discuss the meaning of the individual factors and categories, and then look at how the individual dimensions may interact with others. The intent will be to continually reinforce the reality that the identification of differences with regard to a single attribute is rarely sufficient. It is necessary to examine and consider how the various characteristics interact to produce a particular style, with its inherent subtleties and nuances. The approach supported by these authors is founded upon an absolute requirement. Every inference as to individual differences must be put to the critical test through the process of consensual validation. This implies that the client athlete will be appraised of the meaning and implications of any and all profile findings. At such time, each must be given the total freedom to analyze, test, explore, and feel secure that any inference rests upon personally valid assumptions. This also infers that the client-athlete is free to reinterpret, or expand upon, any finding. The preferred application of the profiles is that of generating an increased level of awareness on the part of athletes. This awareness may be that of finding strengths about which they were unaware and also areas that are less well developed. A few thousand consultations offer strong evidence that athletes want to know how to use their own strengths and find practical solutions to their performance and learning problems. It has been our experience that applying insights from the CSP and LSP can greatly enhance the process. As you may discern, this has been an active, demanding seven years of instrument design and data collection. We will continue to conduct further research, as we present our current findings. As you study the recommendations for interpretation and application, you will be able to come to your own professional conclusions. We welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions. We hope we have been able to anticipate a number of your enquiries should you choose to include the CSP and LSP in your work with athletes. CONTENTS
| INTRODUCTION |
CHAPTERS:
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hile
many coaching and sports psychology texts make reference to the importance
of recognizing individual differences in the athlete, there is little
attention devoted to accurately identifying and understanding such attributes.
We have developed and refined two instruments that identify critical performance
and learning characteristics in professional, elite and recreational athletes.
This manual is about the research and development of the Competitive
Styles Profile (CSP) and Learning
Styles Profile (LSP), the statistical properties of
these instruments and the interpretation of the test results.
