{"id":84757,"date":"2025-10-14T17:52:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T21:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=84757"},"modified":"2025-10-14T17:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T21:52:11","slug":"power-positive-coaching","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2025\/power-positive-coaching\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Positive Coaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin news-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-center has-text-position-y-bottom has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"6663\" height=\"4442\" src=\"\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics.jpg 6663w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-1984x1323.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/10\/Amy-Thompson_Athletics-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 6663px) 100vw, 6663px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Assistant BU Women\u2019s Soccer coach Amy Thompson (CAS\u201922, Wheelock\u201925) during pregame warmups before the September 11, 2025 match-up against Harvard. Photography by Eliza Nuestro<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner has-opacity-50\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Applied Human Development<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Power of Positive Coaching\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">By motivating and mentoring, coaches can make a lasting difference for student-athletes<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar news-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">October 14, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-comments\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#comments\" class=\"wp-prepress-component-comment-counter label has-no-comments\"><span class=\"wp-prepress-component-comment-counter-zero\"><span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/authors\/sofia-romero\/\">Sofia Romero<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">While all coaches face the pressure to win games, good coaches know the importance of taking the time to build trust, develop character, and support student-athlete success. So how does a coach learn best practices for creating a safe, professional environment where they lead with purpose and positively impact student-athletes, both on and off the field? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">For this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/conversations-with-the-dean\/\">Conversations with the Dean<\/a>, Dean Penny Bishop is joined by BU Wheelock&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/john-mccarthy\/\">John McCarthy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/rebecca-shangraw\/\">Rebecca Shangraw<\/a>. They are faculty members in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/degree-program\/applied-human-development\/\">Applied Human Development program<\/a> who focus on positive youth development and sport coaching. McCarthy is also the director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/research-impact\/centers-labs-institutes\/the-institute-for-athletic-coach-education\/\">Institute for Athletic Coach Education<\/a>. Together, they discuss importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment for student-athletes and how positive coaching can create lasting change for athletes, teams, and communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-dark-color has-text-color\">Watch the webinar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Positive Coaching, Lasting Impact\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T9Gz-aW95m8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Watch Positive Coaching, Lasting Impact, featuring Dean Penny Bishop, John McCarthy, and Rebecca Shangraw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-dark-color has-text-color\">Highlights from the Conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>The power of athlete-centered coaching<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The central idea of an athlete-centered approach would be a coach that&#8217;s more of an educator or a facilitator of learning and growth, and that&#8217;s both individual and for the group. And really good coaches are masterful at figuring out what the young person is capable of doing and contributing to the group\u2014and making it a better group.<\/p><cite>John McCarthy<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3>What makes a great coach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>The best coaches know that when you take care of your athlete in a holistic sense, not only the physical but the psychological, too, they&#8217;re going to get more out of the athlete. And the inverse is very rarely true.<\/p><cite>Rebecca Shangraw<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3>Helping athletes reach their potential<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>There was a wrestling coach here at Boston University . . . and he says, I want my athlete to go out on to the mat and not look back, because they trust themselves. They know what to do. They feel prepared. They believe in themselves. And I think that&#8217;s really the essence of what a good coaching is really about\u2014getting the person to reach their potential, whatever that is. Some kids are not going to go far in sport. Some kids could go very far. But for me, it&#8217;s sad when we don&#8217;t help them at least reach their potential.<\/p><cite>John McCarthy<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\"><em>Conversations with the Dean are a series of webinars hosted by Dean Bishop that explore some of the most pressing topics in education and human development. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/conversations-with-the-dean\/\"><strong>Conversations with the Dean<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two news-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"4897\" height=\"3266\" src=\"\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720.jpg 4897w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-992x662.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1920x1281.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1984x1323.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-1499x1000.jpg 1499w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/06\/Wheelock-Forum-2025-2720-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4897px) 100vw, 4897px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Research<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2025\/why-continued-federal-research-matters\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Why Continued Federal Research Matters<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">July 8, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"6912\" height=\"3456\" src=\"\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A teacher stands at the front of a classroom of older students who are seated at desks\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity.jpg 6912w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-900x450.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1500x750.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-2048x1024.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1200x600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-500x250.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-992x496.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1920x960.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1000x500.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1984x992.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2025\/04\/classroom-diversity-1628x814.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 6912px) 100vw, 6912px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Conversations with the Dean<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2025\/tackling-tough-conversations\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Tackling Tough Conversations in the Classroom<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 30, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While all coaches face the pressure to win games, good coaches know the importance of taking the time to build trust, develop character, and support student-athlete success. So how does a coach learn best practices for creating a safe, professional environment where they lead with purpose and positively impact student-athletes, both on and off the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18489,"featured_media":84820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Applied Human Development","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[7197,7099,6799,5276,7200,4074,7162,7201],"bu-publication":[6614],"magazine-article-category":[],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[6744,6661,6664,6646],"news-topic":[6725,6936,7124],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/84757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84757"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/84757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84821,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/84757\/revisions\/84821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=84757"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=84757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}