Lets take a look back...

So the the end of the year draws ever closer, but what have I learnt a long the way?

I have learnt more about how kids feed off positive energy and high levels of enthusiasm! I realised its important to always demonstrate this as a coach with younger children as I have talked about numerous times on how Lai (2011), describes in her work about intrinsic motivation being animated through personal enjoyment! If as coaches we can demonstrate this enthusiasm and enegery levels, players seen to respond more positive and will substantially learn more through enjoyment of the session/activity.

Another thing I have learnt about is my reflection. As in integral part of the coaching process is to reflect. I had a habit of reflecting after my coaching sessions, I now find myself reflecting during sessions not just after. I think with deeper reflection we can learn more about ourselves as coaches but people too!

I have learnt to take extra considerations when planning sessions! Rather than stating the session quite technical sometimes it's best to break it down to the very basics of the skill/technique, allowing players to progress and develop themselves as players at their own pace!

Not just how we plan the sessions, but how we begin them! Instead of having the traditional approach of a warm up, drill, progression drills, game, we looked at approaching it from a whole-part-whole perspective. This means we put the how before the why in coaching, and can have a significant increase in personal enjoyment.

As a coach I've never really used a blogging tool to really reflect on any sessions. It seems a little different, considering I'm a young person who is familiar with social networking sites, which in a way blogging is just another one. I have found it a little difficult to get used to, but I know I can keep this tool for future reference, and keep updating/blogging about my coaching in the future and use it as brilliant tool to keep track of how I develop as coach, not just from my university years, but continuos coaching once I leave!

With opportunities coming up to work in Zambia using sport and recreational activities to raise awareness of issues effecting 3rd world countries is something I am looking forward to, and looking forward to sharing my experiences with other coaches! My next stop is the states.. That's right I'll be in the USA living the American dream.. Well my dream at least! I've always wanted to do something in sport abroad, preferably in America an now I'm 2 months off achieving it. Hopefully I can do a good job and land myself a job out there, coaching on a permanent basis! But what will be will be, so we'll have to see how it goes. For now, that's all folks!

St George's Park Trip

We were privileged today to be taken around the FA’s elite training centre for football. I don’t want to talk much on this, but something’s I read made me think as a coach.

 

The first quote I read was by Sir Clive Woodward, which read “How do you want to be remembered?” He gave this question to his players the night before a final, and I took it upon myself to use it with the club I do analysis for. The club is currently top of the league with 10 games to go, and looking at promotion as the main goal. I asked the lads after the game Saturday the question I read, and I gave them two answers. Did they want to be remembered as the team that “almost” did it, that “almost” changed the face of the club and history or did they want to be remembered as the team that accomplished what no Padiham FC team ever has? The answer was obvious, but it was just some food for thought for the lads!

 

The second was more for me, as a coach! I can’t remember who it was by, but it read “A good coach will make sure their players see what they can be, not what they are!” To me the message in this is that we should always be looking forward, and striving to be better at everything we do every day, regardless of what it is.

Trial and Error Coaching

In today's session I was again put to the test. Cliff split the class into groups of 4, in that four we took in turns to coach, with 2 participants and one observer. The observers job was to look at how the coach approaches the session, the way he introduces coaching points, what intervention methods does he/she use?

 

I was the third person in our group to coach and I picked the coach "Spinning a basketball on a finger". The best part of the session was that we didn't have to envision the participants as kids, we just had to coach the two participants. Baring in mind I don't the technical requirements to play basketball did limit my ability to coach two people to spin a basketball on one finger. So at this point I let them do a trial and error, allowing them to experiment ways to spin it and see which way they can spin it the longest.

 

I felt by letting them experiment is better than me coaching an incorrect technique. I did give them a few pointers at first, but then allowed them to get on with it. Again going back to a post last semester on coaching interventions, it's a very good way to allow for more guided discovery/ problem solving!

 

Once the 2 of them had attempted to spin the basketball on their fingers, it was time to add a little competition to the session. It was only to see who could spin it on their fingers the longest, but it added a little bit of fun to the session which is important.

 

The next part of the session was to participate in Martins session. He had picked a lay-up in basketball, and like myself, knew very little about coaching that particular sport. However he failed to pick up on the fact I was the task easier than Ash and didn’t look to use me as an example for ash or to help guide him. However as a coach I picked up on this, and took upon myself to help ash rather than let him struggle. Looking at it from a coaches perspective I was a little disappointed Martin didn’t see this, but I suppose we’re always learning and that’s what it’s about.

Football (Close control) / Blindfolded Obstacle Course

Today's session we got to split into two groups. In our groups we were told we could devise a session on whatever we wanted, and was to deliver it to the other group. Our group chose to focus on close control in football. We had two distinct but different sessions on how to develop close control.

 

Myself, Ash and Jarred took one session whilst the other coaches ran the other session. Our session was 4 mini squares in one big square. The aim was that we had two teams in one square with a square between the two teams (see image below).

 

The aims of the session were to complete 10 passes in each square then move in to the next one. There was a slightly competitive edge to this drill as the second aim was to catch the other team or to avoid being caught.

 

At first one team was struggling and one seemed to be doing okay. So at this point we froze the session for some Question and Answers. We asked the teams what they could do differently to make it easier, and the answers given were;

 

- Communicate more

- Create better angles

- Take a little weight off the pass

 

After taking them answers into consideration, it was time to set the ball rolling again. By using the coaching points discussed, it seemed that it had worked and both teams were keeping the ball better. After another few minutes, we brought the session to an end before they swapped over. Our small debrief allowed us to ask what the participants thought of the session, what they thought it was looking to develop and whether they achieved that. The players found it clear we was looking at close control and felt that the coaching points we made were effective in order for them achieve that!

 

When we swapped over to take part in the other group’s session, it was a little... different. They had chosen to do an obstacle course for there's. The obstacle course started off and I hope I am right in thinking the aim of the session was to develop and encourage team work as we were blindfolded for it and had to have people guide us through it. As a way to develop team work (if that's what it was) then it was a good way to do so, however if this was aimed at younger children, who aren't as physically and fundamentally devolved as we are as students, then I could see that being a little bit of risk, as children could get confused with too many people giving them directions.

 

However they allowed us to change the other team’s obstacle course to make it harder for them. I thought this was quite clever, as it can develop a participant’s creative side in thinking of challenging tasks to develop themselves.

Blocked v Variable v Random practice

Blocked practice - All the trails of a given task must be completed before moving on to the next task. This can make for acquisition performances, but hinder long term development.

 

Variable practice – This is very much similar to blocked practice with a few additions of the coach’s choice. In our session we decided to use kicking the ball with the weaker foot for our variation. Once the players were comfortable, we then game the freedom of choice to kick with either foot!

 

Random practice - Practice in random order can lead to better learning (two possible mechanisms). Athletes have to use more elaborate processing strategies to keep the task distinct. There may be some forgetting of the “solution” to the task. Thus athlete must go through more solution generations with random practice.

 

For our session we chose to look at developing passing in football. The aim of the session was to develop passing, by using all 3 types of practice, in any order we preferred. The order would depend on a number of things; skill or technique being developed, age, level/ability of participants. For example, we wouldn't use blocked practice with elite footballers, however we would with young children (e.g. age 5-8). The same reason we would start with variable/blocked practice with younger children.

 

Our blocked practice was passing the ball into a marked zone against a wall. We gave coaching points which are vital when starting so basic. The coaching points were;

 

•  Non-kicking foot position (plated and pointing in the desired direction to pass -standing foot)

•  Part of foot used to pass the ball (Inside of the foot - kicking foot)

•  Which part of the ball is kicked (centre - to avoid scuffing or chipping the pass)

•  Weight of the pass (Not too little - Not too much)

For the variable practice we looked paired up the participants and put them over a distance of 10 yards. The objectives was to simply pass the ball between them. We also made the introduction if using the weaker foot. Again we enforced coaching points, with it being very much similar to the blocked practice except this time your passing to a player, the coaching points very much the same with a few additions which were;

 

•  Control of the ball (Using the should of the foot "trap" the ball or the inside of the foot to "coushin" the ball)

 

The final part was the random practice, for this we introduced a defender into the equation. The defender wasn't to tackle the player or intercept the pass but the defender was there to apply a little bit of pressure and make the player making the pass think about it a little more. They had to think how to get the ball to his team mate with a defender in the way. This meant that the way in which they passed would changed significantly.

 

The key coaching point for this was where they passed and they way they passed it. Again looking at another coaching point from the first practice, "weight of pass", was going to be vital here. Even though the defender couldn't intercept, in a game situation, a pass with not enough weight will be intercept, the same goes for an overhit pass will be harder to control, so it was important in this practice they focused on that coaching point more than anything.

 

The reason for using Varied/Random practices as opposed to repetitive Blocked practice, is that it allows players to challenge themselves by throwing little challenges/obstacles into the session. You could even get a players input, asking them ways they think it could be harder and more challenging, and then introducing those ideas in the session.

 

When is it appropriate to use them? This is a question I thought about when the session was over. As I have said earlier in the post we wouldn’t use a random practice with young children, the same way we wouldn’t use blocked practice to start coaching with Elite performers. I think it depends a lot on the skill you are using and the age group and ability of the group you are coaching

Lets reflect on our reflection!

Semester 1 review

Over the first semester, I have learnt quite a lot about not myself as a coach, but as a person. This has been the first time I have ever kept a logged diary of my coaching sessions, and the first time I have really looked to reflect on myself and my sessions in greater depth.  As coaches we should always strive to reflect on everything we do, but sometimes it could be a reflection on an idea, a discussion with another coach, anything! I think my weak points over the first semester have been my failure to constantly update my blog. Having had several issues with the password, and getting used to the whole concept of "blogging" has made for a slow start but I am hoping to keep on top of it more in the second semester.

 

One of my strongest points has been my innovative thinking I have done throughout the first semester. Not just my thinking when coaching, but when away from the coaching setting, I am always thinking of things, or being involved in discussions with other coaches on certain aspects of coaching. I think one thing to add to my innovative thinking now is to do a little more academic reading around the coaching field, reading more about the the things I am thinking/talking about.

 

One of the best things to come out of semester one was being tested with my biggest fear, coaching a sport I am unfamiliar with (1), and being put on the spot to coach (2). These two are my biggest fears and both came at the same time when asked to coach a "set" in Netball. As coaches we all have our own sport which are familiar with, and when coaching in that sport we call it our "comfort zone", I think sometimes as coaches it's important we test ourselves by going out of our comfort zone to coach. This Is what I am looking forward to more of in semester 2, being tested, being taken out of my comfort zone to coach. I mean how else are we supposed to learn and develop as coaches if we don't test ourselves?

 

I am looking forward to getting semester 2, I have two brilliant opportunities to go out and do coaching in America, and also going out to Zambia, using sport and recreational activities to raise awareness to some serious subjects.

 

BRING IT ON!

The Critical Discussion!

TL2133 The Reflective Coach - Assessment 1 Critical discussion (40% of module mark)		Mark Awarded			72
Student Name	Connor McGowan
Demonstrates achievement of relevant learning outcomes		1st	2.1	2.2		3rd	F
•       Demonstrate coaching knowledge and evaluative skills to assess your own and other’s coaching practice.		X
(Participation in Discussion)		1st	2.1	2.2		3	F
Did you approach the discussion in a logical and coherent manner i.e. turn taking?		X
Did you exhibit listening skills and an ability to take on board other participants’ views?		X
Did you support other participants by probing and asking questions?			X
Did you actively manage the discussion to enable achievement of learning outcomes for all participants?		X
Were themes discussed in a confident and professional style?			X
COMMENTS: To added to and built upon the points others made well. It seemed you also took more of a lead at times.
(Content)		1st	2.1	2.2		3rd	F
Did the session plan submitted prior to your practical session provide a structured overview of the session?				X
Did you provide evidence of careful planning with reasons for intended activities demonstrating understanding of content?			X
Did you analyse and discuss the material/evidence supplied in your annotated bibliography?			X
Did you demonstrate critical use of theoretical models/concepts and draw insightful conclusions from them?			X
COMMENTS: Good use of literature to back up some of the points you make. Good comparison with JOLF coaches approach and what you delivered. You also use analogies well to back up the points you make e.g. the ‘tig’ example.
(Reflection)		1st	2.1	2.2		3rd	F
Did you reflect on how your session went identifying and discussing positives and areas for improvement?		X
Did you identify things you may have done differently and explore any improvement that could have been made?		X
Were the processes you used to reflect both in and on the session clear, and links with theory/literature made?				X
COMMENTS: Some discussion of use of video but more needed on the process of HOW you reflected.
GENERAL GROUP FEEDBACK Your discussion was rooted in your practical delivery and you explored a number of areas of your coaching delivery. As it progressed you drew upon some academic theory to inform the discussion and this helped to clarify your understanding. Your discussion around differentiation, especially around age and children, was very good and you underpinned this with some theory. However, this might have been an area for further investigation underpinned by theory. It might also have been worth exploring the issues around how motivation helps support the development of performance. Overall your discussion reflected a very good level of understanding and critical awareness that you were able to apply to your practical session.

 

I won’t make this a long post, but something to just reflect on briefly what we did and what was said in the discussion. It wasn’t what I expected at first, I turned up expecting Cliff and John to be the ones asking the questions, where it was the complete opposite. The discussion was started by us and only us, with no input from the tutors.

 

At this point it was time for someone to take lead and get the ball rolling, which I was happy to do. At first the discussion was quite slow and took a while before we started to really look more in depth at our session, but once we got going the conversation flowed.

 

We did use some good academic literature to support what we were saying, but I felt maybe we could have all done a little bit more, particularly myself to get a higher grade than 72, but don’t get me wrong I’m pleased to have got such a high score.

 

As you can see, John said in the feedback, our academic literature helped to clarify our understanding. Touching on some particular subjects like differentiation, around age and children.

 

Like John says, maybe looking at ways to look at Motivation and how that can play a significant difference and helps support the development of performance. Just like I said in a post a while back how Lai (2011) talks about how intrinsic motivation is animated through personal enjoyment. So maybe next time if we look to make the activity a little more fun, then hopefully they will be more motivated, and performances will follow accordingly.

 

Lai, E., R., (2011) Motivation: A literature Review. Research Report.