This year I was asked to return to the academy and represent The FA as one of their Young Coach Mentors, my partner in crime being Amber Wildgust. Our purpose was to support the young coaches to maximise the opportunity and to achieve their personal best; it sounded so simple but that was not to be.
So, Thursday 3rd January 2013, 10am, Loughborough Stadium held the last training day prior to the NYCA. 18 Young Coach Mentors (2 YCMs for each sport, no YCMs provided for hockey) arrived wondering what to expect, clearly it would be more than just wandering around helping to answer questions. Straight into work, we were split into a colour groups and introduced to our National Faculty member. Team Green was the place to be. Before going into the plans for the weekend we as YCMs were asked 3 questions.
1. From last years’ experience, what have you learnt about
you?
2.What did you learn about coaching? [COACHE acronym]
3.What do you need to be ready for?
Huge amounts of paper were put in front of us with our
NatFac [National Faculty] taking us through it. Showing us the exact plan for
the weekend. It seemed crazy the amount of responsibility handed over to us as
YCMs to help deliver and support huge parts of the weekend, genuinely, I didn't
think we would be granted a chance to take charge of sessions and shape the
weekend.
As YCMs we had to remember that as coaches we are developing
personalities not just ability.. Personalities last a lifetime, ability only
for a career. Coaches aren't just about whistles and clipboards, we are serving
people, not the sport.
Final part of the training day, National Governing Body
work. Finding out what was in store for the finals day of the academy. A lot to
read through and remember for what was an unbelievable weekend.
•
Friday morning soon came, time to set up the registration
room, tables and kits and for our final briefing. Last minute doubts started
creeping as the start of the academy was so close! However boring the checking
in process was, it seemed to go quite quickly meaning the first session came
around swiftly.
Session 1, An opening to the weekend, ideal coaches, hopes
and fears and the main part of the session.. Coaching Philosophy.
Some of the key points from the opening of the session were,
what did the young coaches want to get out of the academy? And what were their
hopes and fears, some of the answers we got were; they were hoping to meet new
people and share ideas between different sports. The main fear was not knowing
anybody and not knowing what to expect.
Onto philosophy, what is it? What morals and beliefs do you
have when coaching and maybe in life? Who we are is how we coach, but who are
we? where are we going? Key words to come from the young coaches were respect,
responsiblity and fun. Does this relate to what we want as a coach or how we
coach? Our philosophies help when making decisions, do you stick to your
morals? Or would you change them to fit around the situation? Already, very
early into the camp, huge questions were asked of the coaches, getting them to
think and look outside of their comfort zones to find answers.
The key process for developing our philosophy runs in a continuous
wheel; You hold certain beliefs and principles, Events occur- an athlete shows
disrespect, You respond based on your beliefs, Experience conquers your
actions, You change or adjust to strengthen your beliefs. These 5 steps work in
a continuous loop, so we were always adjusting to our athlete, situations and
our surroundings.
As I've mentioned, coaching isn't just about ability and our
performers, it's about coaches finding who they are and then helping athletes
know who they are. This is huge, a coach can be either a positive or negative
role model, not just a coach but a friend, mentor, motivator.
Last task in the session, mark yourselves on the 3 selves.
The real self, the public self and the ideal self. A very simple task, but it
looks at where are we now, how are we looked at and how should we look.
The final event of the opening day, was the opening
ceremony, with 2 key speakers, John Steele the Chief Executive of the Youth
Sport Trust and Bonita Norris, at the time she was the youngest person to climb
Mount. Everest. The key questions and point were inspiring and questions that
need to be answered honestly.
John asked, 'Do I understand what it takes to be the best
coach?' and 'Am I honestly prepared to make those choices to follow that
pathway?'
Bonita's key points were, 'It's not reaching the summit, it
was the journey, the struggle that meant the most to me.' She had a moment of
inspiration which hit her in the strangest of places, she had a lot of critics
saying she couldn't climb Everest, but by setting realistic goals, step by step
her dream could be reached. Her climb to reaching her goal was very much an
individual mental battle, having confidence and self-belief was vital to her
success.
The evening ended, literally on a high. Inspiration was
filling the room, and it was an unforgettable talk which will live long in the
memory to fill us when dreams seem to fade - but having that belief is the
route to success. No-one else can reach your dreams for you, no-one else can
believe in you from the 1st to the last minute. A last point for the night,
Bonita said that the hardest work was put in when no-one was looking, the times
when no-one would help, but she still believed and had confidence. Sure there
were bad days when giving up sounded good, but giving up shouldn't be an
option, anything is possible if you can win over yourself - after all you're
your biggest critic.
•
Day 2 of the Camp [Day 3 for the YCMs] started early, out of
the hotel for 6.45am and into our first session for the day at 8.15am. A mini
keynote session with Ian Wynne, a former sprint canoer and now coach. Based on
organisation and communication Ian spoke about his experience and how he now
works with other performers.
The big messages were about how to communicate with others,
how people learn differently and that you need to understand how you are communicating
and the messages you are portraying. Ian's example was with a visual learner -
whilst driving in a speed boat nearby he was trying to tell a performer that
his right arm was incorrectly positioned, but he was using his left arm to
demonstrate. The performer couldn't understand the message as Ian was telling
him to correct his right arm but showing them with his left. This also relates to knowing
your performers.
Remember, you have 2 eyes and 2 ears but only 1 mouth,
listen and observe twice as much as you speak. Listen whilst you are communicating.
Another situation Ian dealt with was a performer who felt
nervous before a race. Instead of racing to an answer, Ian thought about his
answer. Instead of throwing out confidence boosting lines, he turned the
negative into a positive. He told his athlete that the nerves were the body's
way of preparing for the race. Adrenalin was building creating the
'butterflies' but is preparation not nerves. This moment Ian took before giving
any advice allowed him to collect his thoughts and give and constructive
answers. The athlete went on to win the race.
'In order to fulfil your potential the single greatest asset
is the development of your mind.' Ian Wynne.
Session 2 of the day, Communication and Organisation, how do
we use it? and how can it be effective? There are a number of ways to
communicate, but in terms of a conversation there are some key points; what you
are saying is key - but it's not just what you say but how you say it. Eye
contact, to be trusted and look like you want to be in the conversation keep
eye contact and body language, you can give out messages without saying a word.
One thing I've learnt is even when talking and giving eye contact, I still talk
with my hands.
There are 3 different types of learners, visual, auditory
and kinaesthetic. So when coaching we could look at communicating with each
type of learner to get the point across. Maybe using whiteboards, marking out
positions using bibs in a small space, demonstrate and show case someone
performing correctly. Communication is needed all of the time especially between coach and athlete. A bond must be built, a kind of honesty and trust. Talking about goals, performance, personal life, and anything which might affect the athlete. As a coach we should be looking at the messages which we are sending and receiving. Are our messages getting across how we intend, what are we receiving? Not always straight away in a verbal sense, maybe in a body language or even how the performer reacts physically.
In terms of organisation, there is a basic guide to follow
when putting together a session and its adaptations. STEP, Space, Task,
Equipment and People. So when putting together a session think about the space,
size of your facility and size of your drill. The task, what do you want your
performers to do and what are the aims. What equipment do you have? Can you
make use of it? People, who will be in your session and what is their ability
level? How do they learn? In terms of adapting sessions, can the space be made
bigger or smaller? Have you got easier and harder progressions? Can use change
the equipment, introduce and take away objects to aid the performers? and the
people, what if you are low on numbers or even have more people than expected?
Have you planned for it?
... continued in part 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment