SEMINAR 11 COACHING SKILLS AND ROLES "I learn teaching from teachers. I learn golf from golfers. I learn winning from coaches." -- Harvey Penick "Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you." -- John Wooden What is 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". What Coaching Skills will you need? As a coach you will initially need to develop the skills of: organising, safety, building rapport, providing instruction and explanation, demonstrating, observing, analysing, questioning and providing feedback. Organising 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. Safety 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. Building Rapport 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. Instruction and explanation 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 by asking open questions. Demonstration 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 by asking open questions. There are times when it might be more appropriate to use someone else to provide the demonstration. Observation and Analysis 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. Feedback In providing feedback encourage the athlete to self analyse by asking appropriate open 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. In addition to the above mentioned you will also need to Understand the various coaching styles (autocratic style, democratic style etc.) Understand the capabilities of growing children Understand the causes and recognise the symptoms of over-training Understand how to reduce the risk of injury to your athletes Understand and know how to develop the athlete's energy system Understand the learning process and training principles Assist athletes to develop new skills Advise athletes on their nutritional needs Advise athletes on relaxation and mental imagery skills Advise athletes on the use of legal supplements Task 1 Out of the skills presented above, choose three that you consider the most important. Which of them have you already acquired? Coaching Roles and their importance What is meant by the following coaching roles? Match the following roles with their definitions. Friend Motivator Counsellor Assessor Organiser Fact finder Demonstrator Instructor 1. ...................... Assessing athletes performance in training and in competition 2. ...................... Resolving emotional problems on the basis that sharing anxieties can be both relieving and reassuring. 3. ...................... Demonstrate to the athletes the skill you require them to perform. 4. ...................... 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. 5. ...................... Gathering data of national and international results and to keep abreast of current training techniques. 6. ...................... Instructing athletes in the skills of their sport. 7. ...................... Maintain the motivation of all the athletes the whole year round. 8. ...................... Preparation of training plans for each athlete and organise attendance at meetings and coaching clinics. 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. What makes a successful athlete? Experts believe that the following characteristics form part of a successful athlete: Aggression Ambition Coachability Conscientiousness Determination Emotional Control Mental Toughness Self Confidence Trust Others emphasise developing the 4C’s to sports success: Concentration - ability to maintain focus Confidence - believe in one's abilities Control - ability to maintain emotional control regardless of distraction Commitment - ability to continue working to agreed goals Task 2 Make adjectives from the below nouns. aggression .........aggressive................ ambition ............................................ conscientiousness............................................ determination ............................................ emotional control............................................ self confidence ............................................ trust ............................................ concentration ............................................ confidence ............................................ control ............................................ commitment ............................................ Adapted from http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/coaching.htm SEMINAR 11 PHRASAL VERBS 1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb. Example: I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. run + into = meet He ran away when he was 15. run + away = leave home 2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object. Example: He suddenly showed up. "show up" cannot take an object 3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object. Example: I made up the story. "story" is the object of "make up" 4. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition. Example: I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car. She looked the phone number up. 5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the preposition. Example: I ran into an old friend yesterday. They are looking into the problem. Task 3 Choose the correct alternative to complete each sentence: I must go on a diet. I .....................................................a lot of weight while I was on holiday. A held up B put on C settled down D weighed up I try to be friendly but it´s hard to .....................................................some of my colleagues. A come up with B get by C get on with D speak out One of them was injured so the team had to .....................................................the competition. A back away from B drop out of C get back at D get behind with The plane should have .....................................................at eleven but it was delayed. A set up B taken off C let on D opened out Maggie has been ...................................................... her game and you can see a definite improvement. A working on B sitting for C checking in D trying on Task 4 Complete each pair of sentences by using one verb and one noun or adjective from the list below making all the necessary changes. pass by / passer-by bring up / upbringing [DEL: break down / breakdown :DEL] work out / work-out stand out / outstanding drop out / dropout put off / off-putting 1. Because of all the stress Silvia …broke down… and had to go into hospital. Because of all the stress Silvia had a nervous …breakdown…. and went into hospital. 2. Those who ....................................................... of university were looked down on by the others. Any university ...................................................... were looked down on by the other students. 3. A nurse was .....................................................the scene of the accident, and she gave first aid. One of the .....................................................was a nurse, and she gave first aid. 4. I keep fit by .....................................................in the gym every day. To keep fit I have a .....................................................in the gym every day. 5. I fell down so many times on my skiing holiday that it .............................me ................... ever going on one again. After such an .....................................................experience, I´ll never go on a skiing holiday again! 6. Her parents ...................................her ................................. to be able to cope with difficult situation. Her .....................................................had given her the skills to cope with difficult situations. 7. Dee´s one of the best. She ....................................................as one of the greatest nuclear physicists. Dee´s fantastic – one of the ...................................................... nuclear physicist of this country. Task 5 Complete the sentences by using one of the following verbs. take go is keep look turn 1. I´m sure this milk………………………................off. Here, you smell it. 2. They like to ………………………........................up with the latest news. 3. Why did that alarm………………………..............off? 4. We usually………………………...........................on extra staff in summer. 5. They normally ……………………….....................down any applicants who are under thirty. 6. Remember to ………………………........................up any words you don´t know in the dictionary. 7. Well done! ………………………............................up the good work. 8. Don´t stop. Please ……………………….................on working. 9. He didn't ………………………...............................up although he´d promised to come. 10. OK. Time ………………………..............................up. Can I have your answer, please? 11. With that red hair they ………………………..........after their mother. 12. They are snobs. They……………………….............down on students from my school. (Adapted from Flower, J. Phrasal Verb Organiser, Language Teaching Publications 1993.)