The aim of my final post for my SCP 2012 assignment is to sum up all the valuable information, resources and experiences I have gained from the unit.
I've learnt:
* That it is not only technical intelligence that will make you a good coach, that emotional intelligence is also essential in conveying your information onto your athlete and in some cases their parents.
* That coaching styles should be different for each athlete and accommodate for varies forms of environment, from competition to away from home training.
* That the role of the coach is different. My understanding from this unit has broadened my definition of the word coach, and I hope to only further my understanding through the rest of my studies.
* The importance of a mentor program in the learning and acquisition of coaching skills and practices.
* Through my presentation, I identified a very large gap in the literature regarding the use of flippers in a swimming training program. Coming to the conclusion that it is beneficial to include flippers in a training program however, in moderate use to prevent reliance.
* The importance of sharing your information to gain further insight and understanding.
* The importance in having a structured training program, no matter what level of coaching you partake in.
* The wide range of role's that come under the title 'coach'.
I hope you have all enjoyed my journey through this unit as much as I have.
Tuesday 8 May 2012
Thursday 26 April 2012
The Coach's Role
Previously I have discussed my personal definition of a coach. Today I would like to expand on this and explore the actual role of a coach. What duties are they expected to carry out and were should they end?
To be a coach should be:
* A role model to their athletes. Personally this is one of the most important aspects of coaching to me. If my athletes see me continually turn up late to training, practicing poor health habits such as smoking and eating a poor diet. I should not expect anything more from my athletes.
* A researcher. Athletes are not degree qualified, they are often young and only just beginning to understand how the body functions. No matter the subject, menstruation cycles, eating disorders to training technique, the coach should be the one to find this information to help the situation or if unable find someone better equipped who can.
* A Motivator. If the coach is not motivated to give 100% to the athlete's, he or she should not expect the same in return. Motivation is key in achieving goals.
* An Events Manager. From simple meetings such as training sessions to international meets, it is the coaches role to ensure that all team members are aware of where they have to be and by what time, this role should not be left to the parents.
* A Supporter. No one understands what the athlete has done to get where they are today better than the coach. The has the best insight into the athlete and their responses to varies competition situations, therefore it is vital that the coach is the athlete's number one fan.
* A Friend. In a swimming situation, the coach will spend about 5 hours per day with his or her athletes. During this time a personal relationship is build, and apart of that should be friendship helping the athlete to feel comfortable and able to approach their coach with any issues or concerns knowing that the information will be kept confidential.
*An Assessor. It is the coach's role to continually valuate their athlete's performance and not to solely rely on competition results for their feedback.
*A Safety Advisor. It is the coach's responsibility, not only to the athlete, but also to their family and friends that their safety is top priority at all times.
* A Counsellor. Personal issue's and team issue's should be sorted asap, preventing major issues within the squad or an athletes life.
* A Coach. See above!
To be a coach should be:
* A role model to their athletes. Personally this is one of the most important aspects of coaching to me. If my athletes see me continually turn up late to training, practicing poor health habits such as smoking and eating a poor diet. I should not expect anything more from my athletes.
* A researcher. Athletes are not degree qualified, they are often young and only just beginning to understand how the body functions. No matter the subject, menstruation cycles, eating disorders to training technique, the coach should be the one to find this information to help the situation or if unable find someone better equipped who can.
* A Motivator. If the coach is not motivated to give 100% to the athlete's, he or she should not expect the same in return. Motivation is key in achieving goals.
* An Events Manager. From simple meetings such as training sessions to international meets, it is the coaches role to ensure that all team members are aware of where they have to be and by what time, this role should not be left to the parents.
* A Supporter. No one understands what the athlete has done to get where they are today better than the coach. The has the best insight into the athlete and their responses to varies competition situations, therefore it is vital that the coach is the athlete's number one fan.
* A Friend. In a swimming situation, the coach will spend about 5 hours per day with his or her athletes. During this time a personal relationship is build, and apart of that should be friendship helping the athlete to feel comfortable and able to approach their coach with any issues or concerns knowing that the information will be kept confidential.
*An Assessor. It is the coach's role to continually valuate their athlete's performance and not to solely rely on competition results for their feedback.
*A Safety Advisor. It is the coach's responsibility, not only to the athlete, but also to their family and friends that their safety is top priority at all times.
* A Counsellor. Personal issue's and team issue's should be sorted asap, preventing major issues within the squad or an athletes life.
* A Coach. See above!
Monday 23 April 2012
Planning a Program
For my first two years working as a learn to swim teacher (16-18 years old) my program plan was based on getting through the six 30 minute intervals I had to work each afternoon. My class members ranged from 5 years to 10 years with skill levels varying from being too scared to put their face in the water, to being able to confidently swim lengths of the pool. Despite briefly learning the concept of periodisation for sports programs in the PD/H/PE elective of year 11 and 12, I was never fully aware over how significantly these concepts could impact not only on the development of the children I was teaching, but also my personal development as a swimming instructor and soon to be coach.
Today, for the children I teach in learn to swim, my lessons on no longer based on how much progression I can see in a single lesson, or how many laps I can get the class to do. It is based on how many children I can move to the next level of swimming, by planning each term (14 weeks) with an adapted version of a periodisation plan and taking key concepts from the training principles. Each lesson group is evaluated on their performance rather than presuming that because they are in level 3 they should be able to streamline kick both on their back and stomach for at least 10m without sinking, and that every day each child in the class will be attentive as the last. I have learn that while I can develop a base lesson plan for all these classes, I will need to adapt intensity and volume during the lesson and perhaps also encourage parents to add volume if a particular skill (such as kicking) is preventing all future skills. In saying this, I do support the new research emerging suggesting alternative approaches to implementing. Each sport, coach, environment and athlete is unique and should be taken into consideration.
The take home message I received from this weeks involvement in Sports Coaching Pedagogy was that no matter what your circumstance, sport, environment or ability, you NEED to have a plan in order to move towards both your and your athletes goals.
Today, for the children I teach in learn to swim, my lessons on no longer based on how much progression I can see in a single lesson, or how many laps I can get the class to do. It is based on how many children I can move to the next level of swimming, by planning each term (14 weeks) with an adapted version of a periodisation plan and taking key concepts from the training principles. Each lesson group is evaluated on their performance rather than presuming that because they are in level 3 they should be able to streamline kick both on their back and stomach for at least 10m without sinking, and that every day each child in the class will be attentive as the last. I have learn that while I can develop a base lesson plan for all these classes, I will need to adapt intensity and volume during the lesson and perhaps also encourage parents to add volume if a particular skill (such as kicking) is preventing all future skills. In saying this, I do support the new research emerging suggesting alternative approaches to implementing. Each sport, coach, environment and athlete is unique and should be taken into consideration.
The take home message I received from this weeks involvement in Sports Coaching Pedagogy was that no matter what your circumstance, sport, environment or ability, you NEED to have a plan in order to move towards both your and your athletes goals.
Thursday 12 April 2012
Sharing
This week Keith introduced the idea "Produsing", yes with a 's' instead of 'c'. The idea comes from the notion that we 'producing' and 'using' resource's for teaching and coaching.
Before this course the idea of sharing my work and ideas was extremely daunting, however over the past 10 weeks of this course I have been taught the benefits and positives gains that are achievable when we not only access someone else's work but also share our own.
I now no longer see people viewing my work as 'copying', I see it as a way of communicating my experiences and enriching the knowledge of others for the benefit of my chosen sport. I'm not trying to say I am Australia's next head coach, but for those just beginning their journey into the world of swimming, my resources may provide them with the kick start that they need. I see that making my work publicly viewable is contributing, even though only minutely, to the world of swimming, something that I have become passionate about after learning Swimming Australia was in debt after their major sponsor Telstra pulled the pin, leaving Thorpe's return to the pool Swimming's only hope of getting back into the black.
The Sports Coaching Pedagogy unit has also developed my appreciation for social media networks and online sharing mediums such as Blogger, Facebook, Slideshare and the list goes on. Before the unit, I saw social network websites as purely a recreational application to communicate with my friends. But now exploring the concept of communicating further, I now see that I can join groups such as "Swimming Memes" where people from the swimming community post funny captions on pictures and "Swimming Australia" where again people from the swimming community share experiences and ideas related to their sport, ideally giving them the chance to produce and use resources. Again, before the unit, sites such as Slideshare and Blogger to be were places that old people went to rant on about useless boring things. SCP has taught me that this is a place we can go to share, develop and create ideas to expand our knowledge as a coach of teach.
SCP has opened my eyes to the fact that coaching and teaching is not a solo profession. I can not expand to achieve my full potential by keeping my thoughts and ideas to myself and not asking others for theirs. I need to step out of my shell and explore all the wonderful resources that are available to me. Produsing.
Before this course the idea of sharing my work and ideas was extremely daunting, however over the past 10 weeks of this course I have been taught the benefits and positives gains that are achievable when we not only access someone else's work but also share our own.
I now no longer see people viewing my work as 'copying', I see it as a way of communicating my experiences and enriching the knowledge of others for the benefit of my chosen sport. I'm not trying to say I am Australia's next head coach, but for those just beginning their journey into the world of swimming, my resources may provide them with the kick start that they need. I see that making my work publicly viewable is contributing, even though only minutely, to the world of swimming, something that I have become passionate about after learning Swimming Australia was in debt after their major sponsor Telstra pulled the pin, leaving Thorpe's return to the pool Swimming's only hope of getting back into the black.
The Sports Coaching Pedagogy unit has also developed my appreciation for social media networks and online sharing mediums such as Blogger, Facebook, Slideshare and the list goes on. Before the unit, I saw social network websites as purely a recreational application to communicate with my friends. But now exploring the concept of communicating further, I now see that I can join groups such as "Swimming Memes" where people from the swimming community post funny captions on pictures and "Swimming Australia" where again people from the swimming community share experiences and ideas related to their sport, ideally giving them the chance to produce and use resources. Again, before the unit, sites such as Slideshare and Blogger to be were places that old people went to rant on about useless boring things. SCP has taught me that this is a place we can go to share, develop and create ideas to expand our knowledge as a coach of teach.
SCP has opened my eyes to the fact that coaching and teaching is not a solo profession. I can not expand to achieve my full potential by keeping my thoughts and ideas to myself and not asking others for theirs. I need to step out of my shell and explore all the wonderful resources that are available to me. Produsing.
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Flippers!
This week I finished my presentation assessment for this unit (SCP12), it is called "Should coaches include flippers in their swimming training program?".
Here is the link:
http://www.slideshare.net/biancajean/flippers
Here is the link:
http://www.slideshare.net/biancajean/flippers
Take a look and tell me what you think!
Thursday 15 March 2012
Building a Mentoring System
Today in the Keith asked if any of us had a mentor. All of us sat dumbfounded and didn't say a word. I was thinking to myself, who would even be a mentor?
As the lecture progressed, I built a basic description:
During the lecture Keith provided us with us some resources where we could further to explore this idea. On the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) website I found this document "Building a Mentoring System for Coaches and Officials" developed to help coaches and athletes implement mentoring programs. I liked the idea of this resource because 1. Before today's lecture the term 'Mentor' had little meaning to me and 2. After establishing a definition, I still had no idea how I would be able to implement such a program.
The article states:
Resources like these are essential for the sporting community to develop and in particular coaches of every level. I find it encouraging that ASC resources like these easily assessable to all coaches (even the general population) and believe that in providing these opportunities for future development, Australia's sporting community will only continue to improve.
As the lecture progressed, I built a basic description:
- Some who is available to provide advice e.g A coach with 30+ experience providing a new coach with ideas on developing a training plan
- A person that is easily assessable whether that be through communication devices or in person
- Somebody with more experience then the Mentoree
During the lecture Keith provided us with us some resources where we could further to explore this idea. On the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) website I found this document "Building a Mentoring System for Coaches and Officials" developed to help coaches and athletes implement mentoring programs. I liked the idea of this resource because 1. Before today's lecture the term 'Mentor' had little meaning to me and 2. After establishing a definition, I still had no idea how I would be able to implement such a program.
The article states:
"Most successful programs have evolved through experience. Initially, many have little structure and even less documentation and reporting. Some, however, grow to become a national program, co-ordinated by a central contract person, with training programs and learning materials for mentors and the coaches/officials they mentor."I think this is a perfect first statement. As many people assessing this resource will most likely be new to the notion of such a program it provides encouragement within the first paragraph that the program WILL take time, failures and most importantly experience. Not only has the audience been exposed to encouragement in the first paragraph, there is already a sense of achievement in recognising the potential for the program to reach national level.
Resources like these are essential for the sporting community to develop and in particular coaches of every level. I find it encouraging that ASC resources like these easily assessable to all coaches (even the general population) and believe that in providing these opportunities for future development, Australia's sporting community will only continue to improve.
Tuesday 13 March 2012
50 Things all Swimming Coaches would love to see
Today I have been looking for articles for my Presentation for this unit when I came across this amusing article '50 Things all Swimming Coaches would love to see', so I thought I might pop it up here to share.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)