Onto the main of the session. Adaptability and compassion work closely together, we have to adapt to be compassionate. This all links into feedback, how can we give feedback and what are some of the top tips.
Starting questions, What is adaptability? What is compassion? How is adaptability and compassion used when coaching? To link back to organisation and the STEP process - how does adaptability fit in? As coaches we should be hoping for the best, but be ready for the worst. A huge learning curve of the weekend [relating to compassion] is knowing your performers, how they learn and how are they motivated. From this we, as coaches, can be compassionate when giving feedback and using a method to gain the maximum success. So taking a player to the side to help, praising, relating to them, knowing what annoys them. Not just knowing them but maybe their personal life to understand why things might go wrong or they performer may under perform? Relating back to earlier, we aren't just coaches, and we aren't just here to develop ability. Thinking back to the philosophy session and using adaptability and compassion the Young Coaches were asked, 1. How will you coach? [equality] 2. How will you ensure that everyone can understand instructions? 3. How will you be inclusive in your demonstrations?
When coaching we should remember that no matter what level our performers are currently at, there is always room to improve, challenge those who struggle and give them the opportunity to test themselves against better performers to see how big the gap is and then a route to improvement, As the recyling advert used to say 'The possibilities are endless!'
Moving onto feedback and questioning, performers have a mind of their own, their opinions are invaluable - without first hand feedback how can we create the next session? How do we know how activities feel if we aren't involved within them? We don't. As a coach we can't feel the game or activity - sure we're all filled with passion but we don't have a clue how our performers feel or what is best for them when competing. If your performer wants to try something new, let them - let them feel freedom and take a chance which they feel will benefit. Some of the top tips for feedback and questioning were to be honest, be constructive, remember how we are communicating, throwing our arms around is feedback - but not what anyone wants to see.
On the opposite side, tips for questioning, ask open, closed and probing questions. Don't settle for yes and no answers because they won't help anybody. Choose the right words, and be prepared to further question answers which might come up. Questioning isn't just at the end of sessions, but to check for understanding and knowledge right the way through of sessions, challenging performers mentally as well as physically.
The final part of this session looked at the 3 stages of learning, the Mental Stage - beginning of learning where we learn something new, get it into our heads and start to practice. The Practice Stage - where you begin to focus on the quality of the skill and not just the initial learning. And part 3, The Automatic Stage - where the technique becomes more and more automatic, so you can perform a skill with little thinking time.
We used a simple thumb and finger exercise to show this, Amber explained a great analogy to express how these stages work, I've split it up into 5 stages..
1. Imagine walking though a field, you may be walking slowly, there is no current route out so you have got to force one. It may leave a small imprint in the grass, but unless it's revisited then the mark with disappear.
2.The more the route is used a muddy sort of path might appear, more tracks have been made, and skill is recognisable and easier to remember and follow - but it's not wide or safe enough to speed through.
3. A path is then created, with paving slabs, no you can run, cycle or still walk down the path. More opportunities are becoming available as you are progressing with learning the skill. The foundations have clearly been laid.
4. The path becomes a road, more force can be put into hitting the quality of the skill. The road is used a lot so the skill can be progressed and performed quickly, but still to the point where it must be thought about even though there is an increase in pace.
5. Finally, the road becomes a motor-way. It is used all of the time, and there isn't really much of a thought process other than when to get on and off. You can perform other tasks at the same time, the skill becomes automatic.
Onto the last generic session of the day, Honesty and Ethics. Probably one the most important sessions, exploring skills which can be difficult to perform. Everyone knows what honesty is, but it's hard to do. Is honesty really the best policy? Are there routes to feedback that are built on honesty but aren't so patronising and de-moralising? Yes, of course, constructive criticism is huge, giving negative feedback - but a route to improvement. One of the ideas to come up was giving out a burger, 2 positives sandwiching a negative. Lance Pepper, from Endicott [USA] made a valid point not to give a positive and then say 'but' before the negative. That one word can be a turn off straight away.
Also within the session we looked at ethics, team and personal. What is your team ethos, is this followed through by yourself and your performers? Similar to philosophy, what do you think is right? And how is this put into practice? How important are codes of conduct, team rules and what comes first?
The penultimate session for the day, the start of The Big Team Challenge! The challenge, come up with and perform a presentation of what you have learnt over during the academy, you don't have to perform everything and it should last for 10 minutes. Along with this there must be a code of conduct and a feedback sheet.
At this point we were now with the footballers, and during this my role was to ask questions and help where needed with any problems/the brainstorming of ideas. The 3 groups came up with ideas pretty quickly, but the delivery of the presentations had to wait until Sunday morning!
Last session of the day was 'An evening with...' The National Young Coaches Academy joined up with the National Talent Orientation Camp for the evening where 3 Olympians and 3 coaches were questioned. The athletes were, Richard Hounslow [Kayaking], Ashleigh Ball [Hockey] and Ben Pipes [Volleyball]. In terms of coaches we heard from, Paul Hall [Coach of gymnast Louis Smith], Olivia Murphy [England Netball U'21s coach] and Stuart McLaren [Head coach of Loughborough University's Men's side].
Each guest spoke of their experiences and how they have had to adapt and develop as a coach to get to where they are and to continuously develop their athletes. A lot of messages came out from the session surrounding how athletes prefer their coach to act, and how as coaches we should behave and look to communicate and be compassionate all of the time.
Each of the 3 presentations were different, we had a silent coaching session, The Jeremy Kyle Show and a presentation where each member gave their opinion. It was great to see what the coaches had learnt over the weekend and remembered to perform. A very fulfilling moment for myself to see that everything had pulled together despite early doubts. A key part of the final performance 'Coaching isn't about sport, or winning, it's about life.'
2 key questions were put to the groups, what are you trying to portray? What are your key messages?
Onto the National Governing Body sessions, the topic, Developing the coach-mentor relationship. Some good questions were asked to get the coaches thinking, why is it good to have a mentor? What qualities and skills should they have? What do you want from your mentor?
Myself and Amber shared a few experiences of our own from having mentors and fit them into the a diagram with shows 10 areas which are looked at when meeting your mentor and then starting to set up a rapport, goals and then looking to reach them. Everyone will experience different things, but this gave a sort of flavour of what might be in store.
The next step was putting together an action plan, setting 3 goals and some sort of route to getting there. Using the SMART acronym [Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistc, Time] these goals could be made to then be reached over a period of time.
The last activity of the day. Reflection. What have you learnt from the NYCA? What was your proudest moment? What has challenged you and taken you out of your comfort zone? Some big questions which were followed by huge answers which under-pinned the learning of the coaches and also us as mentors. A big thing from me is that just because 'Coaching' was in the title, doesn't mean that that is the only topic and learning point. So much was to be gained and it was pleasing to hear of experiences and challenges which the coaches have had and over-come.
The very final exercise, What is you dream? Where do you want to go? I drew mine with a little help, and have started to piece together a route there - using the mountain analogy, I have a base where I am now, and mountains to climb before I get to where I want to be. It will take time, but if I miss things out by running too quickly, I will be the one effected in the long run.
Onto the closing ceremony. We were spoken to by rugby players and now coaches ,Andy Farrell and Graham Roundtree. Both of them spoke of their experiences, and their passion for rugby to play and to coach. Leading the ceremony was Sue Campbell an inspiration to anyone who , following the awards ceremony, she left us with this task.. Close your eyes, remove any of those people who doubt you and have told you, you won't make it. Picture your goal/dream - you've made it there, fill up with the feeling.. Open your eyes. Honestly the feeling that I got hasn't gone away yet, Sue said all of our eyes were glaring full of excitement.. glaring with something to be told, we now have to go and write the story.
So an inspirational weekend at the NYCA, something which will live long in the memory. That's been a bit of a whistle stop tour of what went on, but I want to just put across my feelings and thoughts. This weekend I've really woken up to the journey which I am on, how far I have already come on and the strengths which I have. I need to stop worrying about my weaknesses and just run with them, they will only become strengths if I allow them to flourish. This weekend has been as much about the people around me as the task in hand. I think that Sunday was one of the best days of my life so far, just knowing that I am doing things right and I need to wake up and realise why I was chosen to be a YCM. I've now decided upon my dream, I've got to create a route to get there - at the minute it's just a grass field which I need to find a path through - is that to find one? Or create one?
So thank you to The FA and The Youth Sport Trust for granting me this opportunity to return to the academy. To John Heathcote and Stuart Brown for your support over the weekend. Nat Fitzgerald for handing over such responsibility and allowing us to shape the weekend. Lance Pepper for being a top friend and also for your input, I won't be using 'but' so often any more. Amber Wildgust for putting up with me, being a top co-mentor and opening my eyes to how far I have come. And all of the Young Coaches who have shaped the weekend, worked incredibly hard to develop as people as well as coaches.
'Life's a climb, but the view is great'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs
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