COACHING COMPETNCIES : Lesson Planning

Rational Planning

Rational planning would require the coach to consider 4 basic questions:

1. Goals –What do I want players to know, do, or experience during the session?
2. Activity – What should my players and myself do, so that the goals are achieved?
3. Organization – How should the activity be organized?
4. Evaluation – How do I know that players have learnt or achieved what they want to achieve?

Importance  Consideration for Rational Planning

Answers to the questions would also be influenced by a number of importance factors. These factors are to be considered when a coach makes his or her planning. The factors are:

1. Safety - Planning must take safety of players into consideration. Remember to analyze venue, equipment, buildings, etc. from the point of injury to players.
2.  Players - Players’ levels of skill, attitude, motivation and fitness t important factors to be considered when doing a planning. The reasons for players to come for the training should also be taken into consideration. Your planning should be players’ oriented.
3.  Availability of Equipment - Equipment and facilities are important to successful training. Make sure that your planning suit to the equipment and facilities available.
4.  Allocation of Time - Most coaches fail in their coaching because of the time factor. They have so much to train and yet so little time is available. Calculate and plan the time that you have and be sure that you give priority to something more important to achieve goal and objective of the session.
5.  The Syllabus or Season’s Plan - Whatever you plan for the session should tally with your season’s planning. Your planning session should be part of the whole training program.

Time Management

Effective time management means that a major portion of the coaching session is given to achieving goal and objectives of the lesion, i.e. player’s learning, practicing and playing the sport. Poor time management means that too much time is give to:

1. Waiting for something to happen
2. Giving information about organization and other areas not related to the goals of the lesion.
3. Organization problems.
4. Choosing equipments and other such apparatus.

However, developing and using appropriate signals, for example, in stopping or changing activity, and ensuring that players know these signals, is a strategy that should be used to save and allocate time wisely.

Objective

Objective should be clear, precise and achievable. Consider carefully the needs and goals of players.

Content Activity

Activity planned earlier should consider the relationship of content and objective, time availability, needs of players and many more.

Visual Aids

In teaching skill, the coach should remember, that visual aids are just as effective in learning as words. The coach should select appropriate teaching aids and use these when necessary.

Evaluation

Evaluation is a process of determining the extent to which the objectives have been achieved.

A good coach is keen to determine the progress players are making after each session and after number of sessions. Before making judgments about player progress in terms of the goals established, the coach has to collect suitable data or information. Sometimes skill or field test are necessary. At all times systematic observations are important.