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| Malaysian soccer legend, Hassan Sani |
Is Coaching an Art or a Science?
Science
To support the coach there is a wealth of scientific
information based on research conducted with athletes.
Information is available
to support the coach and athlete in all areas of training and development
including nutrition, biomechanics, psychology,
physiology & medicine. There
are a number of scientific methods to measure and analyse the athlete's
performance e.g. computer aided analysis of VO2 max, lactate levels,
running technique etc.
Art
The art of coaching comes when the coach has to
analyse the scientific data and convert it into coaching and training programs
to help develop the athlete. This analysis process relies heavily on the
coach's experience and knowledge of the event/sport and the athlete concerned.
By understanding the science, which is the foundation
of training, a well designed training program can be developed that will help
an athlete reach their full potential.
So is coaching the art of understanding the science and
then applying it?
Coaching Process
The coaching process comprises of three elements:
- Planning - developing short and long term training programs to help your athlete achieve their goals
- Conducting - delivery of training programs
- Evaluating - evaluation of the programs, athlete development and your coaching. This element may result in adjustment of your athlete's training program and your coaching.
To support this process you will need to develop your
knowledge and practical coaching skills. These include, but not limited to:
- your coaching philosophy
- coaching styles
- teaching methods
- the learning process and training principles
- the code of ethics and conduct for sports coaches
- the sports coach's legal responsibilities
- how to apply an athlete centred approach to your coaching
- prepare training programs to meet the needs of each athlete
- Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)
- capabilities of growing children
- the rules for your sport/event
- how to assess your coaching performance
- how to communicate effectively with your athletes
- advise athletes on issues of safety applicable to their sport/event
- the causes and symptoms of over-training
- how to reduce the risk of injury to your athletes
- assist athletes to develop new skills
- the biomechanical principles that underpin efficient action
- use evaluation tests to monitor training progress and predict performance
- advise athletes on their nutritional needs
- advise athletes on legal supplements
- how to develop the athlete's energy systems
- how to develop the components of fitness as appropriate for your athlete and event
- advise athletes on relaxation, visualisation and mental imagery skills
- advise athletes how to prepare for competition
- evaluate an athlete's competition performance
- evaluate athlete/training and athlete/coach performance
- provide clear and effective instructions, explanations and demonstrations
- conduct effective observation and analysis
- provide clear and effective feedback
- use effective questioning to determine what an athlete knows or can do, their understanding and to develop their self awareness
he Coach's Non-technical Tool Box
The following information was first published in Issue 28 of
the FHS magazine
Remember:
- Being a good coach is not just about having excellent sports-specific and technical knowledge
- The skill of effective coaching lies in asking the right questions
- It is important to ask yourself: Have I planned for perfection and covered all eventualities?
Coaches as leaders:
- Require excellence; do not expect perfection
- Understand your athletes before you can influence them
- Create trust and command respect
- Motivate and inspire
Communicating with your athletes:
- Keep the message concise and precise
- Work out whether your athletes receive the same message as the one you think you are communicating
- Remember your tone of voice and body language - only 10% of what we recall comes from the words spoken
- Find out what your athletes' preferred styles of thinking are - visual, auditory or kinaesthetic?
- Try to use a story to help get what you want to say across
Understanding how your athletes tick:
- Think about how your athletes like to be coached
- Look at how well you know your athletes:
- What are their goals?
- What is stopping them from achieving this?
- What can you do to help?
- Think about how often you ask for feedback from your athletes about your coaching
Understanding how your athletes like to learn:
- Understand what your athletes' preferred learning styles are
- Look at how your preferred coaching style is likely to be received by those with different learning styles
- Build the needs of those with different learning styles into how you present information
- If you feel you are not getting through to your athlete, remember that it might be the medium and not the message that is wrong
Making use of the media:
- Remember that journalists are looking for a story that will sell
- Know what you want to get across and make it into a story
- Recognise the needs of different branches of the media and tailor your message accordingly
- Think before you use the media to try to psych out your opponents
