Professional Water Polo DVDs | Water Polo Directory | Water Polo Players | Coaching Process - The coaching process divides into three main ar... | Athletes, Training, Their, Understand, Them

Home

Articles

Sports Medicine

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: providing instruction and explanation, demonstrating, observing, analysing and providing feedback.

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 then let them practice the skill.

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 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.
* Counsellor - 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 a be 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 'Counsellor' come in here to.