Open Authority

Open Authority* is authority based on transparent relations between involved parties. It stands opposed to closed authority, which is authority based on position, station, tradition, or some other claim the justification for which is opaque and/or unreasonable.

In the context of training, coaches should aim to establish conditions of open authority through honest and explicit communication about the training process, thus ensuring that the athlete is in a position to freely consider, analyze, and accept or reject the coaches decisions and reasoning.

*Much credit for my use of this concept is due to Dr.Nathan Jun, for his explication and discussion in his book “Anarchism and Political Modernity.”