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Coaching - Art Or Science
Coaching Process
The coaching process divides into three main areas: Planning, conducting and evaluating.
Coaching Skills
As a coach you will find that you need to develop many skills. These include:
- know how to communicate effectively with your athletes
- understand the learning process and training principles
- understand and implement appropriate teaching methods
- understand the various coaching styles
- understand the capabilities of growing children
- advise athletes on track safety
- understand the causes and recognise the symptoms of over-training
- understand how to reduce the risk of injury to your athletes
- prepare training programs to meet the needs of each athlete
- assist athletes to develop new skills
- use evaluation tests to monitor training progress and predicting performance
- advise athletes on their nutritional needs
- understand and know how to develop the athlete's energy systems
- advise athletes on relaxation and mental imagery skills
- advise athletes on the use of legal supplements
- evaluate the athlete's competition performance
- evaluate athlete/training and athlete/coach performance
Primary coaching skills
In a coaching role you will initially need to develop the skills of: organising, safety, building rapprt, providing instruction and explanation, demonstrating, observing, analysing and providing feedback.
In organising the training session you need to plan in advance how you will manage the athletes, equipment and area - group athletes accordingly to numbers, ability and the activity - continually check the plan is safe during the session.
In providing a safe environment for the athletes you must assess the risk of: the area, equipment and athletes - continue to assess risk throughout the session - keep athletes on the set task and follow correct practice and progressions.
In building rapport with the athletes learn and use their names, smile and make eye contact, coach the athlete rather than the sport, show interest in and respect for the athletes.
In providing Instruction and Explanation you should think about and plan what you are going to say, gain the athlete's attention, keep it simple and to the point and check they understand.
In providing demonstration make sure you are in a position where the athletes can clearly see you, focus on only 1 or 2 key points, repeat the demonstration 2 or 3 times (side, back and front view), ask if they have any questions and check they understand.
In observing and analysing break the action down into phases, focus on one phase at a time, observe the action several times from various angles, compare the action with your technical model and if appropriate determine what corrective action is required.
In providing feedback encourage the athlete to self analyse by asking appropriate questions, provide specific and simple advice, limit the advice to 1 or 2 points, check they understand what they will do next and make the whole process a positive experience for the athlete.
Coaching Roles
- Advisor - Advising athletes on the training to be conducted and suitable kit and equipment.
- Assessor - Assessing athletes performance in training and in competition
- Chauffeur - Transporting them to sporting events if parents or family are unavailable to take them.
- Counselor - Resolving emotional problems on the basis that sharing anxieties can be both relieving and reassuring.
- Demonstrator - Demonstrate to the athletes the skill you require them to perform. To achieve this it is important that you also keep fit.
- Friend - Over the years of working with an athlete a personal relationship is built up where as well as providing coaching advice you also become someone, a friend, who they can discuss their problems or share their success with. It is important to keep personal information confidential because if you do not then all respect the athlete had for you as a friend and coach will be lost.
- Facilitator - Identify suitable competitions for them to compete in to help them achieve their overall objectives for the year.
- Fact finder - Gathering data of national and international results and to keep abreast of current training techniques.
- Fountain of knowledge - This may be part of the advisor role in that you will often be asked questions on any sporting event, events that were on the television, diet, sports injuries and topics unrelated to their sport.
- Instructor - Instructing athletes in the skills of their sport.
- Mentor - When athletes attend training sessions you are responsible, to their parents and family, for ensuring that they are safe and secure. You have to monitor their health and safety whilst training and support them should they have any problems or sustain any injuries.
- Motivator - Maintain the motivation of all the athletes the whole year round.
- Organiser and planner - Preparation of training plans for each athlete and organise attendance at meetings and coaching clinics.
- Supporter - Competition can be a very nerve racking experience for some athletes and often they like you to be around to help support them through the pressures. Role of a 'Friend' and perhaps 'Counselor' come in here to.
UK Coaching Certification (UKCC)
"Coaches are crucial for sport at all levels - on the school pitch, in the local club or for a major international team. They are the people who motivate, encourage and inspire. This certificate will recognise coaching as it should - a profession with a proper accredited qualification and career development structure." Richard Caborn MP, UK Minister for Sport
In July 2002, in response to the UK's Government "Plan for Sport", the Coaching Task Force published their report on coach education and qualification schemes in the UK and identified the need for a coaching structure suitable for all sports and the implementation of a UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC).
The five coaching levels of the UKCC are:
- The coach will be qualified to assist more qualified coaches, delivering aspects of coaching sessions, normally under direct supervision
- The coach will be qualified to prepare for, deliver and review coaching sessions
- The coach will be qualified to plan, implement, analyse and revise annual coaching programs
- The coach will be qualified to design, implement and evaluate the process and outcome of long term/specialist coaching programs
- The coach will be qualified to generate, direct and manage the implementation of cutting edge coaching solutions and programs
The five levels provide coaches with a progressive development pathway from being a beginner coach (Level 1) through to being a highly evolved expert coach. The levels are reflective of the coaching skills attained and not the level of performer being coached.
Coach/Athlete Training Roles
The roles of the coach and athlete in determining training requirements will change over the time an athlete is with a coach.
- When an athlete first starts in a sport/event the coach's role is to direct the athlete in all aspects of training (autocratic role).
- As the athlete develops and demonstrates a sound technical understanding of the sport/event then gradually the coach's role changes to one where the coach and athlete discuss and agree appropriate training requirements (democratic role).
- As the athlete matures and demonstrates a sound understanding of training principals then the athlete will determine the training requirements. The coach's role becomes one of a mentor providing advice and support as and when required.
Is Coaching an Art or a Science?
Science
To support the coach there is a wealth of scientific information based on research conducted with athletes. Information is available to support the coach and athlete in all areas of training and development including nutrition, biomechanics, psychology, physiology & medicine. There are a number of scientific methods to measure and analyse the athlete's performance e.g. computer aided analysis of VO2 max, lactate levels, running technique etc.
Art
The art of coaching comes when the coach has to analyse the scientific data and convert it into coaching and training programs to help develop the athlete. This analysis process relies heavily on the coach's experience and knowledge of the event/sport and the athlete concerned.
By understanding the science, which is the foundation of training, a well designed training program can be developed that will help an athlete reach their full potential. The art is understanding the science and then applying it.
Successful Athletes
Thomas Tutko and Bruce Ogilvie believe that the following characteristics form part of a successful athlete: Aggression, Coachability, Conscientiousness, Determination, Drive, Emotional Control, Guilt Proneness, Leadership, Mental Toughness, Self Confidence and Trust.
I look for the 4C's: Concentration, Confidence, Control (emotional) and Commitment.
Ethical and Legal Responsibilities
A coach is required to comply with their National Governing Body's code of ethics and conduct and as coaches we also have legal responsibilities.
- Code of ethics for Coaches - IAAF
- Code of Ethics for Coaches - uk:athletics
- Code of ethics and conduct for Sports Coaches
- Legal responsibilities
The Coach's Non-technical Tool Box
The following checklist was first published in Issue 28 of the FHS magazine
Remember:
- Being a good coach is not just about having excellent sports-specific and technical knowledge
- The skill of effective coaching lies in asking the right questions
- It is important to ask yourself: Have I planned for perfection and covered all eventualities?
Coaches as leaders:
- Require excellence; do not expect perfection
- Understand your athletes before you can influence them
- Create trust and command respect
- Motivate and inspire
Communicating with your athletes:
- Keep the message concise and precise
- Work out whether your athletes receive the same message as the one you think you are communicating
- Remember your tone of voice and body language - only 10% of what we recall comes from the words spoken
- Find out what your athletes' preferred styles of thinking are - visual, auditory or kinaesthetic?
- Try to use a story to help get what you want to say across
Understanding how your athletes tick:
- Think about how your athletes like to be coached
- Look at how well you know your athletes:
- What are their goals?
- What is stopping them from achieving this?
- What can you do to help?
- Think about how often you ask for feedback from your athletes about your coaching
Understanding how your athletes like to learn:
- Understand what your athletes' preferred learning styles are
- Look at how your preferred coaching style is likely to be received by those with different learning styles
- Build the needs of those with different learning styles into how you present information
- If you feel you are not getting through to your athlete, remember that it might be the medium and not the message that is wrong
Making use of the media:
- Remember that journalists are looking for a story that will sell
- Know what you want to get across and make it into a story
- Recognise the needs of different branches of the media and tailor your message accordingly
- Think before you use the media to try to psych out your opponents
