Session 5: Why reflecting as a coach is important and how it can be used to help me develop (15/11/12)

Session 5: Why reflecting as a coach is important and how it can be used to help me develop (15/11/12)

This post is all about why reflection is important and how I can use to help improve as a coach. Cassidy et al (2009) defines reflection as a behaviour of which is a consideration of beliefs that can focus on future action and has a wide scope. Cassidy et al (2009) refers to Dewey (1916) that reflective practice requires looking at three key attributes. These are open mindedness, wholeheartedness and responsibility.

Open mindedness is important in reflection because to help me improve I need to be willing to take on opinions from others on how I can improve my drills, the way I coach and how I structure a session. If I have a closed mind then I will get myself stuck into a particular way of coaching and it might not be the correct way to coach a certain group of people. For example, being autocratic with younger athletes is beneficial to them as they are not as experienced in the skills and techniques you are looking to work on whereas older athletes will already have a bit of experience and would probably respond a lot better to a democratic approach, meaning the athletes and coach have a better working relationship. With an open mind, I will find I will improve a lot more and my development as a coach will not be hindered as I will be trying different things and will know what works best for me and what works best for the participants I work with.

Wholeheartedness is an attribute which is important to a coach, and is something I consider as a weakness of mine because I feel that it is easier for me to sit back and watch a drill rather than constantly staying alert and trying to help my participants the whole time. Wholeheartedness is linked with commitment to what it is I am doing. If I put in 100% effort into what I want to teach whether it be short pass in football or the front foot defensive shot in cricket. If I am committed to making sure that all aspects of the technique are looked at correctly during every session then I know I am doing all I can for my participants and I will feel I am giving them the best chance to develop as an athlete and the best chance for me to learn and develop as a coach.

Finally, responsibility is the final attribute that I will be looking at and focusing on during my reflection from January onwards as this is something that I consider to be very important as taking responsibility for my actions whether they were positive or negative will only allow me to keep developing as a coach. Reflection is not about what goes wrong but about taking into account everything you do in a session and knowing what was good and what was bad. Looking at the positives for me is just as important as looking at the negative because knowing what to do again is essential as is knowing now what to do again. Taking responsibility for my actions within my coaching will help me because if I am not willing to accept that something did or did not work then how did the drill happen? Knowing that it was me who came up with drill, implicated the progressions and asked the questions throughout the session shows that it was my actions which made sure the skill was taught correctly in the manner I wanted and it was my actions that ensured the participants understood what they were doing and how it helped them.

Using these three attributes in my future sessions and ensuring I do all these things when I reflect back on coaching sessions I will be able to know if I did what I could to make my sessions go as well as they could. If I feel that I did not do one of these three attributes as well as I could have done then I will know that I could have made more of an effort in the session I lead.

Reflection will help me a lot in becoming a better coach and by reflecting I will be able to help the people I coach become better at what I teach them, and come the summer when I coach Chelford Cricket Club's under 14s, I will reflect on each session so I can see what went well and what didn't, and I will learn from all this to make me a better coach.

References

Cassidy, T., P. Potrac and R. Jones. (2009). Understanding Sports Coaching, The Social, Cultural and Pedagogical Foundations of Coaching Practice. Routledge, Oxon.

Session 4 - Games Based Approach too Coaching (08/11/12)

Games Based Approach too Coaching (08/11/12)

Launder (2001) defines a games based approach to coaching as a way to introduce a sport to beginners with the use of a modified game that allows gradual progression. With this is in mind, when applying this to football (sport I know more about) I would look to focus on developing one particular skill i.e. short pass or shooting.

If I look at the short pass, the games based approach to coaching is similar to a traditional method of coaching except there is a challenge and questions from the coach included. For example for a short pass session I would employ a keep ball style game with different handicaps on the participants such as only allowed two touches, have to pass with weaker foot or have to make five consecutive passes to score a point. Having these sort of handicaps on them, the participants have something to work towards and maintain and this can help them focus on the task at hand and motivate them to perform the skill that little bit better. After the first drill is complete, as a coach I would then step in and ask the participants questions as to how they think the drill went and to whether or not they found it was harder to achieve their goal with the handicaps or if it helped them to concentrate and perform better. The game is then played again, this time with a progression and then a cool down. That is how a games based approach to coaching session is structured compared to traditional coaching methods.

Using this approach to coaching, I believe that I will find it a lot easier to coach someone and help them improve because by giving them something to work towards each session such as scoring more points than the opposing team in a keep ball short passing drill. Games based approach to coaching is a more entertaining method for the participants as well as its not just drill, progress and progress then a game employing what is learnt at the end. The benefit of games based approach is that the entire coaching session is based on active drills but still incorporates progression into them allowing the participants to develop the skill during the session.

I will be looking to employ this coaching method in the summer when I go back home and coach my local under 14's cricket team as I believe the friendly competition within the drills I use will keep them interested and excited about what they are learning by giving them a target to work towards. Having something to work towards not only gives them something to work for but also allows me as a coach to see how the players are progressing each week. For example if we do a fielding drill working on catching a high ball and I give each kid ten attempts. If one week a kid catches four, I then show them the varied ways of catching a ball (above the head or under the chin) and what sort of way to position themselves underneath the ball and come back to the ten attempts and they then score five I can see they are learning and improving.

References:

Launder, A. (2001). Play Practice, The Games Approach to Teaching and Coaching Sports. Human Kinetics, Leeds.

Session 3: Coaching Process and Reflection (18/10/12)

Coaching Process and Reflection (18/10/12)

In this session we had a look at the coaching process and the various types of ways that reflection can be used. This was one of our first theory sessions for the year so the way I am reflecting on this will be what I gained from the session in terms of how my class mates and I interacted during the session and from the notes I took from the Power Point/what John said throughout.

The coaching process is made up of three stages: Plan, Do and Review. The process is a cycle aimed to help you improve from session to session. Once you review a session, you then take into account what you learned from it and plan the next session accordingly.

Things to consider when planning, doing and reviewing a session:

Planning - 

• Safety and security of the area the session is being done.
• The role of the coach
• Strategy/Method
• Plan ahead for any possible differences such as weather, not enough/too many participants
• Facilities and equipment (know in advance what you have, condition they are in)

Doing - 

• I need to ensure I create a learning environment
• Always motivate performers throughout the session
• Provide feedback to performers so they know what they are doing well and what they need to work on for the next session, or even things they can change during the current session
• Manage any differences such as the weather changing, participants having to leave the session due to other commitments/injuries or a change in the equipment (balls might get lost)
• Make sure the needs of the performers are addressed
• Have clear and concise objectives which are to be achieved over the course of the session

Reviewing - 

• Outcome of the session (what did the performers get out of it, was it successful etc.)
• Were the performers challenged during the session. If no, what can be done differently to ensure they are next time.
• Give appropriate feedback throughout the session and at the end.
• Technical/Tactical support
• Review the coaching method used and assess whether it was the right one for that particular session
• Motivation

Using the points above, I should be able to plan and do suitable sessions and by then reviewing every session I do whether it be immediately after with peers or on my own, or via the use of this blog I can always look to improve the things that may not have worked so well but also build on the positives as reviewing is not all about getting better, its ensuring you stick to what works well.

Reflection is a large part of reviewing a session. There are three types of reflection -

• Reflection in action - reviewing in the moment
• Reflection on practice - pre/post activity
• Retrospective reflection on practice - outside the activity

All these serve a different purpose when it comes to reflection and it is important for me to understand all three as all will come in use over the course of the year as I start to do more and more sessions. With the three types comes the three levels of reflection devised by Van Manen (1977) and these are Technical, Practical and Critical. 

Technical includes the objectives of the session and the application of knowledge. Critical is the moral and ethical implication of the coaching and Practical is the analysis of the session in relation to those who were coached.

This lecture has given me a very good insight into how I can go about reflecting my practical sessions throughout the year and how I can utilise different types of reflection to give myself the best chance in not only improving my ability to coach but my ability to think on the spot if something unexpected was too happen. If I was to only reflect after each session I would not get the benefits of reflecting during when I have others around me who may have noticed something I did not or have advice for me that I would not have thought up myself. Taking advantage of other people around me when reflecting on my sessions and on myself will help me the best, as well taking the time to self-reflect after each session and assessing what I achieved, what I could work on and how well I understood and accomplished the session objectives. 

Session 2: Creating A Group Based Target Game (11/10/12)

Session 2: Creating a group target game that wasn't sport specific (11/10/12)

The aim of the session today was to plan and deliver a target game that was not based on a sport. For example the game we came up with was keep ball with a handball with the aim of the game to take the bails of the stumps resulting in a point. It would of been a lot easier for us to play basketball with the target being the hoop but that didn't show any creativity.

In our plan we outlined the following:-

• Equipment - cricket stumps, two handballs, cones,  bibs and a tennis ball.
• Skills focused on - co-ordination, spacial awareness, balance, communication, team work and agility.
• Progressions - ball under head height, could not step in passes, made the ball smaller.

The game itself was a good success and everyone that participated enjoyed it as it was active and fun but at the same time competitive like an invasion based game should be. The game started off simple as we just had the two teams play keep ball without any objective or ways to score points just so they got active, warmed up and got use to the size of the ball and playing area they were in. We then added the stumps (goal) which the teams had to attack to score a point and this changed the speed of the game, and the way the teams played it so we introduced more handicaps such as ball couldn't go overhead and we made the ball smaller.

We concluded the session after about 10-15 minutes, got the group in and asked them a couple of questions such as "was it enjoyable?" and "what do you think the game was aiming to look at?" in which the answers were very positive and were what we were hoping for.

On a personal note, I believe that the planning, execution and conclusion of the session was very successful. For me the planning of the session showed me what I need to consider when coming up with a session and where I should start in my plan. For example, it is easier to plan out a session when you know what you want the session to do for the participants, rather than thinking up a drill and then trying to work out what it does. As for the game and the feedback, I thought it all worked really well and everyone was getting involved both during and post activity so it was great to hear positive things from the group.

The session on the whole helped me learn how to plan a session properly within a group, but seeing how different people think and plan can only help me develop the best way to plan a session on my own. Using other peoples ideas is a part of developing yourself as a coach and a session like this was perfect in seeing how people thought things through and how they tried to link aspects of the game to the aspects they wanted the game to target. This session was definitely an encouraging one for my weaknesses I outlined in the first blog post and I hope these sessions will continue to allow me to get an insight into coaching and help me develop a way that suits me.

Session 1: 4th October 2012

Session 1:
Creativity in creating games/drills with limited equipment

In the session done today we were put into groups of 5 and rotated around pre-made stations. There was a limited amount of equipment at each station and we had a card which specified a set of skills our activity had to include and look at, as well as being a way of improving said skills.

Below is a description of what equipment we had at each station and what skills we had to consider when making our small games/drills.

Game 1 - 

• Equipment - hurdles, bench and cones.
• Skills - agility, Balance and Co-ordination

With the equipment given to us at station 1, as a group we decided to devise a small obstacle course. With the cones we made an agility section in which the participants would run to the first cone, back to the start, to the second cone, back to the start then to the same again with the third. After doing that they would move on to the small hurdles which would test their balance and co-ordination to ensure they did not fall or touch the hurdles. They would then walk across the bench and do the course again but back the other way.

Game 2 - 

• Equipment - plastic tennis rackets, soft sponge balls and cones.
• Skills - co-ordination, movement, spacial awareness, balance.

At station 2, all we had was some plastic tennis rackets, soft sponge balls and some cones. With these we came up with a keep ball type of game where we played "piggy in the middle". The aim was for the 5 attackers to keep the ball away from the defender and this would cause people to talk and be aware of where there team mates are... promoting two of the skills needed. We also handicapped all the players by saying they could only stand on one leg (bringing in the balance element as well as causing them to focus more on their co-ordination).

Game 3 - 

• Equipment - tennis ball, tennis net.
• Skills - movement, court awareness, Balance, Agility, Co-ordination

Station 3 had nothing but a badminton net and a couple of tennis balls. We kept this one fairly simple and just played tennis using our hands as rackets. As we got more settled into the game though we kept adding a new rule in such as could only use weak hand, ball wasn't allowed to bounce, everyone on your side of the court had to touch the ball. This game helped us improve the skills outlined as we had to think about where our team mates were (spacial awareness), hitting the ball with our hand (co-ordination) and moving around the court (balance, agility and movement).

Game 4 - 

• Equipment - cones.
• Skills - social aspects, movement, communication, spacial awareness, team work.

Using the equipment (or lack of) at station 4 to come up with an invasion style game was quite tasking as all we had was 12-15 cones. We eventually came up with a "capture the flag" style team-based game where both teams would have to steal and return a coloured cone from their opponents side of the game area. Too make this harder each participant had to keep a cone balanced on their head. This game turned out to be a great success, especially in a social aspect, as all we were doing was laughing and joking and communicating a lot (making it a good game for kids) but at the same time whilst trying to get the cone and keeping an eye on opponents the spacial awareness, communication and movement skills were also tested.

Game 5 -

• Equipment - hand balls, cones
• Skills - communication, movement, balance, co-ordination

In this game we referred back to a recent success and played "keep ball" again but the difference here was how points were scored. As all of us in the group are level 1 football coaches we used a drill called "through the gate" where the goals are in the corners but instead of passing through, we had to pass to a team-mate when they were stood in the corner marked out by cones. With their being 4 goals and 3 players a team, movement, communication, and balance were crucial in finding space to score points where co-ordination was tested in the judging of throwing and jumping to make catches.

On the whole this session was very helpful in allowing me too see where I am with my ability to think on my feet and come up with fun but skill related games with a limited amount of equipment. Although I was working with other people and 6 heads are better than 1, I feel I made some good contributions to the group and that what we all came up with as a group really helped us all benefit one and other. 

As far as making improvements go, I do believe that I need to think a little more outside the box as I did suggest similar drills for each station because I knew they worked. Taking risks in coaching within a lecture/practical environment is a lot safer than me than doing it with a bunch of kids who could well be paying to be there and it not working for them.

What I want to achieve from this module

What I want to achieve from this module

As part of my course at UCLan, I am required to keep a blog on how I progress throughout the year during coaching sessions and what I learn from my lectures, workshops and the reading I do during my second year.

Coming into this module I do already possess some coaching experience as the juniors coach at my local cricket club, Chelford CC, as well as running hour long sessions of Football, Kwik Kricket and athletics at my local leisure centre as part of a summer scheme at work. During my time coaching the under 14's I have learnt a lot about myself as a coach and what some of my strengths and weaknesses are.

I believe my strengths as a coach to be my communication and my knowledge of the sports I choose to coach. I believe these to be strengths of mine because they are linked together, my knowledge of the sports come from being interested in these sports and playing them as well as coaching them. With the knowledge comes the confidence in what I am saying to the children I have coached. If I believe what I am saying, then hopefully they will too.

As for my weaknesses, I tend to repeat a lot of drills I have used because I am comfortable using them and the children I coach are comfortable doing them. I think for me to improve as a coach I need to expand and vary the drills I use so I can maximise the time I have and help everyone get the best opportunity to develop their skills as they can.

My aim from this module is to improve as a coach in all aspects whether I consider them a strength or a weakness as I believe I can always improve on something and learn from others as well as my own experiences. This blog will be my base on what I hope will be a successful year in enhancing my coaching skills and knowledge and as the weeks go by I hope to see an improvement in my abilities as a Sports Coach.