Discussion of Successful and Effective Coaches in Australia - Case Study Example

Discussion of successful and effective coaches in Australia Name Institution Date Discussion of successful and effective coaches in Australia Institution Coaching is a challenging career that requires constant renewal of the knowledge learnt in order to learn new tactics in the field. Regardless of which game or teach a coach is coaching, adaptation and dynamism are always the best tactics of fitting in different circumstances. Coaching is versatile and one has to be open to learning throughout his career. There is no end to learning in coaching. A coach has to fully understanding the sport codes and rules of the game in which she or he is specializing. There is a code of behavior that should be observed by all coaches in any game that they coach (Jones, Hanton & Connaughton, 2002). Commitment to a specific code of ethics is a requirement of any coach who wants to be effective and eventually successful. Coaches have to demonstrate a high level of patience. Coaching is an exercise of leadership role that that is demonstrated in training players or participants in order to achieve set targets and goals. Leadership that is effective is dynamic and is grounded on complex series of group member and leader interactions which are directed by situational constraints (Weinberg & Gould, 2003). Positive outcomes are realized if there is correlation or congruence between the group members desired leadership behavior, actual behavior of the leader, and the behavior demanded in regard to the situation. Behavior is not exhibited in a vacuum, and antecedent factors are like member and leader characteristics which are responsible for the group desired leadership behavior and the leader’s actual behavior (Janssen & Dale, 2002). The challenge that football managers experience is demonstrating flexibility in adaptation of their respective dominant leadership style to address certain leadership situations, and having a huge squad of players who are highly paid, keeping everyone satisfied. A coach has to have high level of self-confidence in order to inspire others. Coaching is said to be a helping profession. The first rule to all coaches is to take care of oneself first before taking care of other professionals. Coming up with a philosophy that is useful entails two main tasks. In the first place, one has to develop increased self-awareness in getting to know himself or herself better. The second element is deciding the objective in the coaching career. Having a strong self esteem is one way of building self confidence in ones’ ability to perform as a coach (Richardson & Riley, 2004). Successful coaches will show more persistence in achievement outside the control area as compared to the effective coaches. However, it is not easy to clearly show the differences between the effective coaches and successful coaches. Effective coaching is the attainment of shared goals by all stakeholders which are directed by place and time with the regard to resources and quality of players available. The effectiveness of coaching has to be evaluated using instances of particular performance in coaching. A coach who is effective is one whose ability for coaching effectiveness has been studied over circumstances and time. An effective coach is competent, acquires and displays expertise and will eventually be referred as an expert, and later be successful. Successful coaches can be effective but not all effective coaches are successful. There are incidents where coaches who are not effective are successful simply by the talent bestowed in the players and the passion they have for the game which they are playing (Baker, Horton, Robertson-Wilson & Wall, 2003). There are athletes who have succeeded in their careers as athletes not because their coaches were effective but they only provided moral support and critical information. When such athletes succeed, glory is also directed towards the coach as being successful. The shared success between the athlete and the coach is not as a result of effectiveness of the coach. Successful coaches demonstrate the bench mark group on evaluating the application of specific behaviors. It is used as a measurement criterion. Success has to involve achievement of a certain objective. This can be viewed as effectiveness since it refers to the attainment of a goal that is predefined (Jowett, 2003). This is subjected to the constraint of circumstance and definition. For the second part of attainment, success is determined through attainment of an accomplishment that is publicly recognized. This means that one which is normally contested outside the domain of the concerned individual. In such circumstances, success would mean the same as effectiveness if it is measured through outcome measures that are publicly recognized. Consequently is a sign of prominence through competition success. Nevertheless, this does not translate to persistent winning of competitions (Maddi, 2004). Success in coaching is determined by the correlation with successful performers. An effective coach inspires his players to achieve the best. There is a bond that is formed between the players and the coach during the lifespan of the team. This is owing to the kind of process that the coach takes them through. An effective coach comes up with a training program that enhances teamwork and avoids individualism at all costs. In all categories of sport there have been successful and effective coaches. Some of the coaches have been both effective and successful. The kind of contribution of a coach to the process of coaching cannot be referred to as successful coaching. Contrary, repeated successes can lead to effective practice by any coach especially if persistently in different situations. The Real Madrid Football Club coach Jose Mourinho can be termed as successful after having won the champions league trophy with more than one team. Therefore, successful coaching can be effective but it does not means effective coaching is successful coaching. Provided that the coach is still in an environment that he can control, his practice of coaching cannot be termed as successful. He could be effective, but not successful. Moreover, an effective coach can be successful. The terminology ‘effective’ takes into account the contributory circumstances (Horn, 2002). Consequently, effective coaching is a measurement of coaching process within specified environments. The resources that are given to the coach and the performer may not permit the achievement of relative success, but this cannot be used as an indication of the coaching process being unsuccessful. Success evaluation are founded on outcome of performance and do not take into consideration constraints. Effective coaching performance happens in a set of constraints that is acknowledged and within a specified time, organizational setting and place (Pain & Harwood, 2004). The terms competent and effective are used interchangeably in the sporting realm. Achievement in the coaching process can be termed as effective. Experiences in the basket coaching I had an experience of being trained in basket ball for period of three years during my days in a tertiary college. My interest in the game was aroused since when I watched American basketball, and I was fascinated by the swiftness of the players and the intensity of concentration needed throughout the game. When I joined college in Australia, I was eager to learn how to play basket ball. I had watched the game severally and hence, I was familiar with some of the rules of the game. The basket ball coach engaged players in vigorous training which was intense. Running around the football pitch track every morning was the order of the day before commencing any basketball. The coach had been hired from outside, and he was not one of the member of staff in college. From the definition and understanding between successful coaches and effective coaches, our coach was effective. He understood to the finer details the rules of basketball and basic training that gave someone resilience in basketball. Basket ball was a game that involved maximum concentration, speed, and precision. A team had to reserve its energy throughout the game unless it wanted the opponent to beat them when the least expected. I thoroughly understood the rubrics of basketball and desired to be among the best basketball players in Australia. There one no enough resource for the coach to inspire as to great heights. One of the impediments to the coach was the fact that his players were selected among the admitted students, and that he could not choose any player from outside whom he saw was necessary to the team. Events in the college allocated little resources to games, and consequently we had to do with old equipments. Support from the college administration was little and some of the students who had a passion for games left the college and joined other colleges where games were given the desired attention. Whether our coach would have been successful, it cannot be known because he was never given the chance to perfect his career. He was competent and effective. Some of the local teams which came for friendly matches in the college can attest that we had a formidable team. Every player was training in shooting once he is fouled and given a shot. Common rules of the game were easy to remember as one was reminded over and over throughout your term as a basketball player. I was trained from scratch, but I became one of the dependable players in the college basketball team. The coach took beginners through the rules of the game and the fundamental things that one had to grasp if he had the desired of becoming a refined basketball player. Handling the ball and knowing how to dribble were some the basic things that a beginner was taught. Dodging and passing the ball to fellow players was among the critical areas that the coach dwelled on. Anticipation and concentration were emphasized throughout the game. The coach was a good listener who gave everyone an opportunity to talk despite his experience after a training session or a friendly match. He was intuitively connected to the team members and highly empathetic. He learned of any discontentment in the team without even being informed. He challenges us to aim for the best and he was happy when one improved his skills in basketball. He maintained high integrity. He never failed to turn up for training unless he had informed us in advance. He was truthful and honest. The players believed in him and followed carefully the instructions that he gave us. One obstacle that led to his success not be determined was lack of participation was lack of participation in competitions due to lack of funding. There as a number of times that players contributed their own money register in a certain competition. The effectiveness of the coach was demonstrated in his in-depth understanding of basketball beginning from the basic skills to advanced strategy and tactics (Crust & Clough, 2005). The practice sessions were packed with activities that never stopped to amaze me. The coach had many ways of building resilience among the players. The coach continued to introduce new activities and skills that we had not previously learnt. He gathered more information by attending coaching clinics and associating with other experienced coaches in Australia. He brought us news on basketball in the world and made us understand the level of commitment that was required in basketball. Many a times we watched videos of basketball matches and he would pose and explain to us the mistake of the foul that a certain player in the match had committed. The coach was a motivator who had a positive attitude and was enthusiastic about basketball and out team. He encouraged us to pursue what we loved and to be committed to a particular goal in life. His inspirational words created an emotional bond among the players. The coach was available to anyone who wanted to inquire almost everything concerning basketball and coaching as a career. Many people who thought that they could not play basketball were inspired by the coach, and they turned out to be accomplished players in the end. The coach had authority and moreover, he was a good communicator. In everything he led by example and demonstrated commitment to his career as a coach. His interaction with players was down-to-earth, and many of the players admired his low profile despite his vast experience. A good and effective coach has to be a good mentor. Our coach was a superb mentor. A coach is much concerned with personal development in the players of the team. The coach made sure that every individual who had the desire to play was making progress in the training sessions. He never discouraged anyone. He did all that was right as far as coaching basketball was concerned. The coach was supportive and encouraged members of his team to be good to one another even in other matter not related to basketball. The coach was effective in getting the player to do what he wanted to see in them, but he was not successful in participating and winning trophies in many areas where tournaments were organized. Development of a trustworthy, honest, open, and respectful relationship is important to any effective coach (Buckingham, 2005). The basketball team coach was effective. For him to be successful he needed more support from the college administration. May be we could have participated in the national league for basketball or even taken part in important tournaments in the country. Funds available for our team could not sustain such kind of activities. The coach was not involved in spotting the best talent in the neighborhood so that they can be admitted in the college. The coach had to work with what it was available. He mentored people, developed talents, and encouraged professionalism within basketball. He inspired players to aim higher and pursue their careers in sport of whichever field with a passion. One in a while, he could be termed as successful. He trained his team with indescribable dedication that encouraged every player to do his best. In some occasions our team beat up respected local teams that came for friendly matches. He developed a community spirit in the players and emphasized the importance of collective responsibility in a team. Ric Charlesworth Hockey team in Australia between 1994 and 2000 Ric Charlesworth is recognized as one of the most successful coach of Hockey in the history of Australia. Ric can be referred to as a successful coach who used effective means to attain defined goals of interested stakeholders. Ric who is also a former player of hockey is recognized for his accomplishments while he was in charge of the hockey team. Charlesworth guided the hockey team to win gold medals at the Olympics and World Cup. In the year 2001, he wrote a book ‘The coach-Managing for Success ‘demonstrates the processes that the hockey team used in their passion in becoming one among the greatest teams that Australia has ever had (Loehr, 2005). Ric success was not easy and his book he outlines what the team had to grow before emerging to be successful. Taking the team to both the World Cup hockey finals and Olympics and scooping the top prize was not an easy task for Charlesworth to achieve. This can be termed as being successful. He did the greatest job of attaining the best prize for his team at both tournaments. The road to success began with an effective program that ensured that all players were versed in their skills, and experience of tackling the aggressiveness of their opponents. Ric talked about the secret of consistency through development of excellent habits and paying attention to every minor detail. The excellent habits that Ric talks about are created through dedication and dire determination. Charlesworth explained that the habits do not come easy and it entails care, hard work, and superb diligence in order to attain diligence (Charlesworth, 2001). He refers to athletes as being dedicated at perfection of their skills and they do not complain in regard to the amount of time they spent perfecting their art. This is the kind of dedication that Ric inspired in players. He was a successful coach and he had a successful team. He refers to athletes at being great trainers who embrace complexity and physicality of sessions of training. This is what Ric cultivated in his players (Baker, Horton, Robertson-Wilson & Wall, 2003). Nothing comes on a silver platter; there is a lot of sacrifice that is involved before someone achieves the desired goals in life. The end results have to inspire hard work and dedication in a team during training. Ric did not just take over a team that had been prepared by someone else. He prepared the team himself over the years, and he desired to achieve a lot with the team. Effectiveness of the training methods that Charlesworth used enabled his team to develop consistency and resiliency throughout the tournaments. Taking the World Cup gold medal and the Olympic for the team did not come overnight. The team preparation over the years through consistent programs and effective communication made it to reach the finals in both tournaments. Charlesworth emphasized of performance consistency. Losing concentration in the course of the game could lead to destruction moments where the opponents can capitalize on mistakes. Charlesworth wrote a bout that gives tips to other coaches if they want to achieve greatness in what they are doing. Charlesworth explains that the quest to achieve quality in everything that a team and a coach undertakes, coupled with the basic value of individual humility in regard to past achievements, propel a sense of honesty and susceptibility concerning performance. All these in turn necessitate quality training and work ethics development, fueled with the desire to learn continuously and attain excellence (Charlesworth, 2001). Everything is crucial for the coach and the team. Every team has to understand that there is vulnerability that is exposed to due to participation of other teams who could be potential winners. Whether a team fails to impress at a tournament there will be a winner in that tournament. These are some of the principles that guided Charlesworth in his career as a hockey coach in Australia. Charlesworth used effective means to inspire greatness in the hockey team. In his objectives, Charlesworth aimed at dominating the opponents. Opponents cannot be dominated without thorough preparation. The team has to be thoroughly prepared to tackle any superior tactics that may be used by the opponents in their quest for success. He also focused on playing at a high tempo and aggressively. The high tempo can only be achieved if there is accurate coordination among the members of the team. High tempo without cohesion in the team will result into confusion and panic. Ric prepared his team thoroughly for the opponent. Charlesworth policy was that an opponent who could beat his team had to be able to match and exceed their quality and persistency (Clough, Earle & Sewell, 2002). He said that a good team had to be proved over time and not just in one occasion. The objective set by the team defined the momentum that would be maintained throughout the training session. Charlesworth emphasized on development of strong work ethics and making every player behave like a leader. Players had to feel some kind of responsibility towards the team and play with a passion. Developing worth ethics does not also come easy and a lot of work has to be done. Commitment and sacrifice for the sake of the team developed a spirit of togetherness in the members of the team. Discipline and leading by example for a coach the best way of demonstrating work ethics among the members of the team (Charlesworth, 2001). The Australian hockey team and its coach can be referred to as a successful team for the feat it received during its heydays. The coach was successful as a player and he came up to be successful as a coach. Charlesworth desired to develop quality throughout his careers as a coach of the Hockey national team. Thorough preparation was inspired by the need to achieve quality. Sound work ethics were fundamental at getting the members of the team to get focus on the ultimate goal of the team, which was success. Quality had to be encouraged through practice. Training was designed such that it was tactically, mentally, and physically quicker and a little bit demanding as compared to the anticipated match. In this way, the team was able to gain the framework through which quality play can be accomplished. The goal was to develop resilience and quality as compared to the opponent team. This kind of training encouraged training ethics and devotion to team ethos to develop and foster. Charlesworth also encouraged flexibility. He emphasized the team of the team to adjust to a given setting or environment. Players had to be trained to play in a variety of positions that allowed change of game. For instance, all players were in a position to pass off the ground at the ruck’s back, or outside or inside backs being in a position to jump and lift to cover in case of split restart options. The team had to adjust to different tactics in order to contain different qualities of opposition (Borrie & Knowles, 2003). The team played in different environments during tournaments and hence players had to be training on the need for quick adjustment that comes with increased flexibility. It can be seen that the tactics which were employed by the hockey team under the training of Ric Charlesworth, gave them an upper hand over their opponent. They could handle any opponent and emerge victorious. Where they were defeated, they went back to the drawing board and redesigned their strategies. Success does not come easy as demonstrated by Charlesworth being a renowned Australian former hockey team coach. Attainment of flexibility by a team is very important. A coach has action plan and address any impossible or possible outcome regardless of the circumstance (Charlesworth, 2001). Charlesworth also talks about growth through adversity. He explains that losses and mistakes should be taken as opportunities of learning. Effective review of losses and mistakes gives an opportunity for the coach to come up with a different winning formula. Without having any loss during the preparation stages can make the team loss important matches in critical tournaments. Looking at only the scores and using them to judge the team can cause depression among the team members. The general performance of the team despite the loss really matters in coming up with future strategies for team. Ric Charlesworth had a competent, effective, and finer way of preparing the hockey team. Looking at his preparation methods it would be agreed that it is not easy to achieve success in any given area. Development of a coaching philosophy mentioned earlier was an important part of Charlesworth coaching career (Maddi, 2004). His effectiveness in coaching made him to realize success where it mattered most and this was during the World Cup and the Olympics. Taking gold medals in the Olympics and the World Cup is not a simple feat. It was a demonstration of greatness. It was a show of success. Charlesworth demonstrated importance of dedication and commitment to a course of action. Paying attention to details became an important habit of that national hockey team in Australia. Individual core skill development was encouraged in Charlesworth pattern of coaching. Charlesworth demonstrated effective coaching that result into a successful career as a coach. Following his word, success is not a day affair, but it matures over time. Creating of a pattern of winning does not come easily and it is groomed over time. Performance indicators have to be developed by the coach to ensure that the team reviews its game plan. Conclusion Effective and successful coaches have some qualities in common. The pattern of coaching and the end results that are attained determines if a particular coach is successful or effective. Effectiveness of a coaching program is the road towards success. Successfulness is not a one day affair and requires dominance and persistence over time. Coaching requires consistency and passion. Development of individual person skills is not an easy task. Coaches need to have endurance. The former Australian hockey team coach, Ric Charlesworth has demonstrated what is required in the attainment of greatness. 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