This article by Bruce E. Brown of Proactive Coaching, from the Life Lessons collection, explains how coaches can teach sportsmanship using the same principles they use to teach a physical skill: Define, Model, Practice, Shape and Reinforce. It walks through each step, from developing an exact blueprint of expected behaviors to reinforcing correct actions with specific, named praise.
Introduction
Define, Model, Shape and Reinforce
I encourage coaches to follow the same principles to teach character and sportsmanship that they use to teach a physical skill. Define, Model, Practice, Shape and Reinforce.
Define Sportsmanship
It is not a passive activity of acceptance, but rather a positive statement that an individual athlete or team is disciplined enough to maintain perspective and poise, and is willing to do what is best for his teammates.
Identify all the potential problem areas involved in your particular sport (e.g., line calls, striking out, language, referee's calls or non calls, rough play, winning, losing, being substituted for, taunting by your opponents, etc.). For example, if you are a baseball coach, how do you want your players to act when they strike out with the bases loaded in the last inning? How do you want them to respond when they hit a home run in the same situation?