COACHING

   

   The United Kingdom Coaching Strategy describes the role of the coach as one which "enables the
   athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left
   to his/her own endeavours". Dyson speaking to the 19th session of the International Olympic
   Academy, Greece 1979, widened the horizon when he said that "the wise coach develops not only
   the fullest physical potential in his charges, but also those capacities and habits of mind
   and body which will enrich and ennoble their later years".

   

   Coaching Skills

   As a coach you will find that you need to develop many skills. These include:

     o understand the various coaching styles
     o understand the capabilities of growing children
     o advise athletes on safety  
     o understand the causes and recognise the symptoms of over-training
     o know how to communicate effectively with your athletes
     o understand how to reduce the risk of injury to your athletes
     o prepare training programmes to meet the needs of each athlete
     o understand and implement appropriate teaching methods
     o assist athletes to develop new skills
     o use evaluation tests to monitor training progress and predicting performance
     o advise athletes on their nutritional needs
     o understand and know how to develop the athlete's energy system
     o advise athletes on relaxation and mental imagery skills
     o advise athletes on the use of legal supplements
     o understand the learning process and training principles
     o evaluate the athlete's competition performance

   

   TASK

   Out of the skills presented above, choose three that you consider the most important.

   Which of them have you already acquired?

   Coaching Roles

   What is meant by the following coaching roles?

   ·         Advisor  

   ·         Assessor

   ·         Counsellor

   ·         Demonstrator

   ·         Friend

   ·         Fact finder

   ·         Instructor

   ·         Motivator

   ·         Organiser

   

   Is Coaching an Art or 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 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

   Experts believe that the following characteristics form part of a successful athlete:
   Aggression, Ambition, Coachability, Conscientiousness, Determination, Emotional Control,
   Mental Toughness, Self Confidence and Trust.

   Others emphasise these (4 C´s):

   Concentration, Confidence, Control (emotional) and Commitment.

   

   TASK: Make adjectives from the nouns above.

   

   

   http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/coaching.htm

   OVERTRAINING

   Athletes must put their bodies under a certain amount of stress to increase physical
   capabilities. Where the stress loads are appropriate then the athlete's performance will
   improve but if the stress loads are inappropriate then a state of over-training/burnout could
   come about for the athlete.

   Assessment

    Profile of Mood States (POMS) was developed in 1971 for people undergoing counselling or
   psychotherapy. The questionnaire gained popularity by sportsmen and women and was introduced
   into the sports world in 1975. POMS, which contains 65 questions, has subsequently
   demonstrated that it can be used successfully to assess performance status in athletes.

   Owen Anderson (PP 163) uses a shorter questionnaire to monitor the performance status of the
   athletes he coaches. Each morning the athletes assess themselves against the following six
   questions:

     o I slept well last night
     o I am looking forward to today's workout
     o I am optimistic about my future performance
     o I feel vigorous and energetic
     o My appetite is great
     o I have little muscle soreness

   They rate each statement on the following scale:

     o 1 - Strongly disagree
     o 2 - Disagree
     o 3 - Neutral
     o 4 - Agree
     o 5 - Strongly agree

   If their score is 20 or above then they have probably recovered enough to continue with the
   training program. If their score is below 20 then they consider rest or an easy workout until
   their score rises again.

   

   http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/overtrn.htm