Principles of Coaching - Literature review Example

Principles of Coaching Name Institution Course Tutor Date Log Book Design Date of Session: 12th December 2013 Time of Session: 10.00am Age group: 11-15 years Number of participants: 12 Previous Experience: Yes Equipment required: Soccer Balls Coaching Session Plan Name of Participants: N/A Date Produced: Aim: To improve soccer playing skills Time 40Mints Information on Players Number of Players: 12 Age: 11-15 Ability Level High Medical Information: N/A Particular Needs: N/A Facilities and Resources Location: Football pitch Session Date: 12/12/2013 Facility Needs: Good playing pith, goal posts, changing facilities, Showers Equipment Needs: 3 Soccer balls, Cones, Phone box and First Aid Health & Safety Issues: Players equipments tested for health hazard Session Plan Session plan General playing to improve skills for participants Timing Warm Up actions: Participants did slow jogging and stretching 15mints Cool-down actions Static stretching and mobility exercises. 10 mints Main activities Key technical aspects Emotional Communication with team members. Position of approaching the ball and opponent. Position to support players to possess the ball. Closing down opponents faster to stop progression. Defender to predict when to intercept or challenge. 15 Minutes Evaluation of the coaching session According to Special Olympics (2003) being a coach is both a privilege and honor. The coach decides where the athletes meet to do exercise so as to improve on their skills. At the same time, a coach can be the definer and architect of an athlete’s experience in sports (Special Olympics, 2003). I was really motivated by these ideas when I interacted with the participants in this session. In deed, I came to realize that to be a successful coach I had to be ready to provide exciting, enriching, positive, meaningful and encouraging experiences to athletes (Moen, 2010). First, I must appreciate that session plan was successful in this sports event as it occurred as expected. All the athletes who participated in the session met the selection and assessment criteria. I was interested in athletes with prior experience in soccer and this gave me a humble time to coach the group as they had the idea of what was going to take place. Although I used my verbal and non-verbal communication skills well, I need to improve on them so as to perfect my coaching practices. Coaching Session for Basketball Design Date of Session: 17th December 2013 Time of Session: 9.00am Age group: 14-18 years Number of participants: 6 Previous Experience: Yes Equipment required: Basket Balls Coaching Session Plan Name of Participants: N/A Date Produced: Aim: To teach new basketball tactics to the participants Time 30Mints Information on Players Number of Players: 6 Age: 14-18 Ability Level High Medical Information: N/A Particular Needs: N/A Facilities and Resources Location: Basketball pitch Session Date: 17/12/2013 Facility Needs: Good playing pith, changing facilities, Showers Equipment Needs: 2 Basket balls and First Aid kit Health & Safety Issues: Players equipments tested for health hazard Session Plan Session plan Participants to learn new basketball tactics Timing Warm Up actions: Participants did slow jogging and stretching 10 mints Cool-down actions mobility exercises and static stretching 5 mints Main activities Key technical aspects How to dodge an opponent without causing a foul. Being able to make productive moves. Affective Communication with team members. Quick defensive techniques. 15 Minutes Evaluation of the coaching session During the introduction time and through this coaching session, I realized that all the participants were ready to win in the forthcoming competitions. This really motivated me as a couch in keeping winning in perspective. The process of winning brings out the best in athletes in terms of performance, attitude as well as approach to their professional life (Nelson and Cushion, 2006). However, despites keeping winning as a key to coaching I ensured the safety of athletes’ well-being by providing room for fun as well (Lyle, 2002). One of the participants commented on my approach to coaching as being accommodating. However, I noted some level of relaxation, especially among team members. After observing keenly, I realized that some athletes were experiencing frustrations, anxiety and even anger. To improve athletes’ morale, I conveyed my sensitivity to them because I understood their feelings, thoughts and emotions through as I interacted closely with them (Special Olympics, 2003). This helped improve the performance of the participants in the basketball team. Coaching Session for Tennis Design Date of Session: 23th December 2013 Time of Session: 4.00pm Age group: 15-20 years Number of participants: 4 Previous Experience: No Equipment required: Rackets, Tennis balls Coaching Session Plan Name of Participants: N/A Date Produced: Aim: To teach participants on how to play tennis. Time 35Mints Information on Players Number of Players: 4 Age: 15-20 Ability Level Low Medical Information: N/A Particular Needs: N/A Facilities and Resources Location: Sports Hall Session Date: 23/12/2013 Facility Needs: Playing ground, changing facilities, Showers Equipment Needs: 4 Tennis balls, 4 rackets and First Aid kit Health & Safety Issues: Players equipments tested for health hazard Session Plan Session plan Collaborative playing to teach participants how to play the game Timing Warm Up actions: Participants did slow jogging and stretching 15 mints Cool-down actions mobility exercises and static stretching 10 mints Main activities Key technical aspects Learning the rules of the game. Positioning rackets to hit the ball. Scoring and defending methods. Positioning on the ground while playing an opponent. 20 Minutes Evaluation of the coaching session According to Gilbert and Trudel (2001) assessing athletes is an important exercise for a coach to undertake as it helps to determine the individual and team’s level of skills for not only training, but also for competition elected sports. Unfortunately, the participants in this session did not have previuos experience in playing cricket. This was a chalenge to me as a coach since I had to start from scratch. There are some issues which I believe did not measure up well. For instance, there was monotony in activities the participants were expected to perform. Warming up and jogging are good exercises as they increase cardiac activities in the body making athletes fit to participate in selected sports (Special Olympics, 2003). However, my concern is that other forms of exercises could as well be used to help the participants get ready for the main activity. As a couch, I was expected to be creative in handling the coaching process and not just limiting them to a single approach to doing exercise. Coaching Session for Cricket Design Date of Session: 3rd January 2014 Time of Session: 10.00am Age group: 16-21 years Number of participants: 10 Previous Experience: Yes Equipment required: Cricket ball, Cricket bats, cricket kits, pads, caps, helmets, guards, shoes and gloves Coaching Session Plan Name of Participants: N/A Date Produced: Aim: To improve the skills and performance of the participants. Time 45Mints Information on Players Number of Players: 10 Age: 16-21 Ability Level Moderate Medical Information: N/A Particular Needs: N/A Facilities and Resources Location: Cricket play ground Session Date: 3/01/2014 Facility Needs: Playing ground, changing facilities, Showers Equipment Needs: Cricket ball, Cricket bats, cricket kits, pads, caps, helmets, guards, shoes and gloves Health & Safety Issues: Players equipments tested for health hazard Session Plan Session plan Collaborative playing to improve participants’ skills and knowledge in playing cricket. Timing Warm Up actions: Participants did slow jogging and stretching 20 mints Cool-down actions mobility exercises and static stretching 10 mints Main activities Key technical aspects Reminding the rules of the game. Holding bats in a position that kicks the ball accurately. How to dodge the opponent. Timing of the ball. Coordination among team members without loosing focus on each other. 25 Minutes Evaluation of the coaching session This was one of the most interesting coaching sessions as the participants appeared to be highly motivated. However, sometimes I became authoritative when directing the participants and some of them did not receive it positively (Brounstein, 2014). Although being authoritative helped to motivate participants in the other coaching sessions, it did not work out the same in this session. According to Special Olympics (2003) currently coaches are expected to ask “why”. Asking this question gives athletes the opportunity to be co-creators in their own athletic experience. This is an area that I have to improve on in future coaching sessions. In future, I should be able to improve my coaching style. This will help determine how best to discipline athletes, how to organize my practice and competition methods, how to decide to impact skills and strategies, and what role to give the participants in making decisions (Special Olympics, 2003). Self-reflection on instructional and communicative skills Verbal and non-verbal communication Coaching is communication and every activity of coaching needs a coach to communicate (Moen and Garland, 2012). As a couch, I have learnt to communicate effectively in all situations. Successful coaches are considered to be good sport psychologist; skillful motivators and communicators (Lloyd, 2008). Although, I may not consider myself being at that level, but at least I am able to use both verbal and non-verbal communication skills to pass on message to the participants and understand what motivates them to become competitive athletes. In many occasions I have taught athletes how to perform certain skills and run plays, and talked to officials about issues affecting athletes. The outcome has always been positive due to effective communication skills. Coaches are supposed to be skillful in receiving messages the same way they give clear understanding messages (Special Olympics2003). In many coaching sessions I have taken part, the participants have always recognized my ability to listen to their views and suggestions. I think this is my strongest point in coaching and has encouraged me to be sharp, active in listening to be able to understand my athletes. It is approximated that more than 70% of communication in coaching is non-verbal (Special Olympics2003). However, most of my communication while coaching consists of verbal communication. In addition, I have not discovered whether overuse of this form of communication offends the participants and probably I need to inquire from them. As a coach, I am aware that participants constantly observe and model our actions. Therefore, I am always careful to consider the substance of my message as well as emotions and feelings when communicating to athletes. According to Moen and Garland (2012) the relationship between coaches and participants is very important and invaluable. In addition, it contributes to athletes’ growth and development in any sport setting. Through effective communication in coaching, I have been able to establish athlete-coach relationships that are underlined by knowledge of, belief in, trust, and contribution to everyone’s goals, needs and wants. In order to have this level of reciprocity and trust, and the drive to help one another, communication played a major role. Therefore, I am proud that coaching education has helped me develop appropriate communication skills that I always and will continue applying in coaching. Some of the communication skills I use in coaching athletes include listening, observing, questioning, intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, analysing, and evaluating (Hargrove, 2003). Sometimes, communication flow in coaching is smooth and sometimes not. This often depends of the clarity of the message as well as the participants’ understanding the message. Such issues have always been sorted out by communicating in simple and clear messages to the participants. Lastly, I have developed credibility in communicating to my athletes. According to Hargie (2006) credibility is an important element in effective communication with athletes. This is reflected in the trust participants place in me as a coach. Although, participants give me initial credibility because I am their coach, I have been able to maintain and build upon this trust through communication process. I develop credibility when I communicate by being balanced and positive in all conversations. I am also a coach who is willing to learn more and being honest about what I don’t know. Through openness, my colleagues consider me being reliable, consistent and fair when dealing with athletes. Therefore, I strongly believe that applying communication skills in the right way throughout my coaching is a motivation to my athletes. Personal coaching methods As indicated earlier, coaching method determines how to deal with athletes in a manner that creates good athlete-coach relationship. Every coach must ask what kind of coach they want to be. This defines the type of coaching style an individual adopts as a coach (Special Olympics, 2003). Unlike in the past where coaches were highly accepted as and expected to be authoritarian, today it has changed and coaches have become closer to athletes (Moen, 2010). In respect to this, my coaching style is highly cooperative. My philosophy is athlete centered and always aims at having a close social relationship with athletes with focus on achieving objectives of coaching. In this method of coaching, I share my decisions with athletes to encourage participation for all. I also insist on telling, asking and listening to ideas developed by athletes. This has really worked out well for me since the athletes I coach follow the instructions I give them and have always competed favourable in various sports. However, this does not mean that I completely rely on cooperation in all situations. I sometimes expose athletes to pressure in order to find balance in the styles of coaching. Therefore, I always encourage my athletes to cope with pressure, adapt to difference situations, win and lose in perspective, have discipline and sustain concentration so as to perform well. According to Knowles, Borrie and Telfer (2005) finding balance within different coaching styles places trust in athletes which helps improve their motivation and self-esteem. I have experienced the same in my coaching experiences. I also realized that athletes are motivated by the desire for personal fulfillment and not by fear. Thus, I ensure that I control not only the athletes, but also myself in order to avoid coaching with emotions. Teaching style The teaching style I use in coaching depends upon my personality and ability. It also depends upon the sports activity and the skills I am teaching, athletes’ motivation and learning environment. I apply the Mosston and Ashworth Spectrum of styles, but I mainly focusing on styles A and B (Teach Physical Education, 2013). In this approach, I make most of the decisions and instruct the athletes to do the same thing. However, sometimes I use democratic style of teaching by involving athletes in decision making and negotiation. I believe in allowing athletes to feel part in the decision process so that they do not feel coerced into participating in the coaching. I also offer guidance to athletes in the process of giving information about various skills. The forms of guidance I use are visual, manual or verbal depending upon a skill I am teaching. Visual guidance often involves use of demonstration like photos and video to assist the athletes to establish a mental picture and redo the movement (Teach Physical Education, 2013). I use verbal guidance together with visual guidance. However, I am always careful by making sure that all the athletes understands what I tell them and remember the words so as they can translate them into action. Manual guidance is also a common aspect in my teaching style. I use manual guidance to help athletes, especially those in cricket to develop confidence and have a sense of the teaching process. I often combine all the forms of guidance in order to have a successful teaching process. Management style As a coach, I approach my roles as a manager. Thus, I focus on managing athletes in a manner that I can achieve the best results by developing and optimizing the talents and abilities of athletes to their fullest (Brounstein, 2014). My aspiration as a manager is to lead and develop athletes to top performance and nothing short of this. I approach my job with the intention to manage not only sports issues, but also people issues. According to me, these two issues are connected, thus I see managing athletes as part of managing sports they engage in. There are various managerial functions I undertake in the coaching process. First, I plan what should be done in coaching. It takes me some time to accomplish the planning task and often involve athletes in shaping the plans. I seek athletes’ input in the planning because they are part to the coaching process. Also, I work closely with athletes to develop goals for the team and the plans to achieve these goals. Giving feedback on athletes’ performance is very important to a coach (Brounstein, 2014). In this respect, I conduct this on an ongoing basis. The feedback I provide is tied to athletes’ performance. My athletes are highly motivated when I inform them about how they are performing in sports. Further, I give both positive and negative feedback to all athletes so that they can know where they fall in terms of performance. Thus, I criticize positively to encourage growth and development among my athletes. My approach to dealing with performance issues has received praise from the athletes. I handle performance issues in a timely manner and normally based on solutions-oriented approach. Still I involve athletes in mapping out plans for performance improvement and it has always worked out well for me. As a manager and coach I ensure that I mentor and develop my athletes. A part from training, I also encourage opportunities to expand athletes’ capabilities in sports. Importance of listening to participants Statistics reveal that people who are not trained in listening skills hear not more than twenty percent of a conversation (Special Olympics, 2003). Unfortunately, most individuals fall within this category. In most cases, when participants fail in getting a coach to listen to them, they may simply stop engage in a conversation with you. A coach who is a poor in listening to his or her athletes often experience more discipline issues. Athletes will stop listening to their coach if he or she stops listening to them. Consequently, athletes are likely to be tempted to make a drastic attempt to get their coach to listen to them by acting out or misbehaving. A coach’s response to participants’ views as well as thoughts are very important as he or she begins training and teaching them in selected sports. According to Moen and Garland (2012) when a sender questions or raises an issue, the receiver is invited into a mental exercise that involves establishing awareness, considering, reflecting, evaluating and arriving at decisions that relates to the topic under discussion. Therefore, so that both the athletes and coach to develop a deep understanding of one another, it is important that both parties actively involves in active listening. It is important for coaches to improve their listening skills in order to understand the requirements of participants. This can be achieved by realizing the need to listen, avoid interrupting participants when they are talking to you and looking for the meaning behind what participants communicate to you. A coach can also concentrate on listening by being attentive to what participants are communicating and having respect to the rights of participants to share their views with you. Always listen to participants’ joys, fears, problems as well as accomplishments. References Brounstein, M 2014 “Management Styles” Are you a Coach or a Doer?”. Accessed on January 28, 2014 from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/managing-styles-are-you-a-coach-or-a-doer.html Gilbert, W.D & Trudel, P 2001 “Learning to coach through experience: Reflection in model youth sport coaches”. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, (21), pp.16-34. Hargie, O.D 2006 “The handbook of communication skills”. Routledge. Hargrove, R 2003 “Masterful coaching”. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Knowles, Z Borrie, A & Telfer, H 2005 “Towards the reflective sports coach: Issues of context, education and application”. Ergonomics, 48(11-14), pp.1711-1720. Lloyd, S 2008 “Undertake a self analysis and identify where you are in terms of your skills knowledge characteristics and perspective/philosophy". Lyle, J 2002 “Sports coaching concepts: a framework for coaches’ behaviour”. London: Routledge. Moen, F 2010 “Coaching and Performance Psychology”. Department of Education, Nor-wegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Doctoral dissertation. Moen, F & Garland, K 2012 “Subjective Beliefs Among Sport Coaches About Communication During Practice”. Nelson, L. J & Cushion, C. J 2006 “Reflection in coach education: the case of the national governing body coaching certificate”. Sport Psychologist, 20(2), p.174. Special Olympics 2003 “Principles of Coaching”. Coaching guide. Teach Physical Education 2013 “Teaching Styles”. Accessed on January 28, 2014 from http://www.teachpe.com/sports_psychology/styles_teaching.php Read More