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.