1.8 Using exercise as punishment

Show description|Hide description

Four athletes are depicted as tired and exhausted after running. Bending over. Laying on the running track. There are bottles of water on a table in the background.

Another aspect of an unhealthy culture is the use of physical exercise and training techniques to impose control or to punish. Physical fitness, strength, and stamina play a significant part in every athlete’s development. However, this is often used to justify using additional exercises as a physical punishment or a form of control. This is inappropriate and potentially damaging.

Pushing younger athletes beyond the limits of their developing bodies (known as age-inappropriate training), training to exhaustion, or forcing athletes to train when injured is extremely poor coaching practice. It may constitute a form of physical abuse or criminal behaviour.

It is important to be aware of the issues that can be common in sport, so you can help address them and build a safer culture. One way you can help do this in your organisation is by giving everyone a say or a ‘voice’. This helps reduce power differences and encourages everyone to speak up. This practice is sometimes called ‘stakeholder engagement’ and is explained more in the next section.