The Value of Studying a Sports Coaching Degree

In this post I will discuss the value of going to university and studying a sports coaching degree and what the arguments are of just doing national governing body awards. I will also provide my experiences that I have gained over the degree both positive and negative. 

There are plenty of reasons why you should go to university, one of the main reasons is to develop your skills and knowledge as a sports coach. There are a lot of opportunities to study content that you wouldn't or barely touch such as; promoting positive coaching environments and elements of sports science. Universities promote students to think critically, to ask why it and how it happened? A real positive is that you can adapt your degree to an area of interest, for example; in my degree I was interested in school sport and I had the opportunity to study modules relevant to school sport. Other areas that I could have studied were elite coaching and personal training. Some of the modules I rated highly were the reflection based modules, these modules allowed me to go and do some coaching practice and after doing the practice I had to reflect in various ways to create a portfolio. The portfolio consisted of a journal of every session I delivered, session plans, skills log, action plans and much more. These modules really helped me in my development as a coach, I had to plan, deliver and review these sessions and I learnt a lot about myself as a coach. 

The tutors play a massive role in the course in terms or directing you to reading material and they provide excellent advice in terms of progression and career. Their knowledge is up to date and the tutors specialize in many different areas and also provide experience from past jobs or other sports. The other coaches you meet play a massive part in your development as a coach because you meet coaches that are more experienced than you and also from different sports which allows a lot of peer learning to take place. You do learn a lot over the 3 year course but you only really appreciate the knowledge and experience after you finish. I felt that when I finished the course I understood more of what the tutors were teaching and I could apply what I learnt in a coaching context outside university. I believe that this was down to the fact that when I started the course I was young and inexperienced because my role at the time was assisting coaches by putting cones out etc. As I took on more responsibility and gained more qualifications I could apply the knowledge and theory from coaching methods into my coaching. 

There is an argument against doing a degree in sports coaching because you technically you don't need one to coach. Also with the cost of going to university to study a degree being so high it can put people off and question the worth of going. Looking at the average price of national governing body awards I can see why people would rather do these than go to university. The average level 1 costs between £60-£100 and the average level 2 costs between £150-£300. National governing bodies are starting to provide extra qualifications that are a lot more advanced and they say are equivalent to degree level. The qualification will be undertaken over 1 or 2 years and will consist of observations and different types of assessments such as; exams and practical assessments. Going down this route is beneficial if you just want to specialize in one particular sport and the people on the course will all be interested in the same sport. 

The only negative I found from doing the course is the practical coaching side. There were students who were very academic but they really struggled to coach. They understood the theory side of things and could complete the assignments to a high standard however, they couldn't deliver a coaching session that was fun, effective and engaging. This student would be presented with a degree in sports coaching and employers will expecting them to be excellent at delivering because of the title, however I found that this was not the case. I felt that there should be more assessments that tested the students ability to deliver a session. 

To conclude, if any coach wants to make a career out of coaching I believe that university is crucial in making that happen. You have to make yourself employable by having qualifications that are well respected and that seperate you out from the rest. At the end of the day coaches who coach for a hobby can gain qualifications such as NGB's awards over a weekend. A degree will allow you to think critically about issues in sport and also your own coaching. University allows you to learn off other students and their experiences in other sports, furthermore tutors provide excellent advice that can help develop your career and aid your coaching journey. I understand that university can cost an absolute bomb but there is financial support available in terms of loans. National governing bodies are offering higher qualifications that claim to be a similar level to degree, but the problem with this is that the people on the course will be from the same sporting background and will miss out on learning from other sports.

@dannymaynard92

Experiencing Competition As a Coach

I have coached the under 11 sports hall athletics group for the past 4 years and I have never attended any of their competitions. This has been mainly down to my work commitments at the weekends and traveling to the competitions can be tough as a student. My view on competitions at the under 11's age group is that they shouldn't really be competing however, lots of athletes and clubs compete at local and regional competitions. I believe that competition is for more experienced and older athletes who have trained for at least a year and are emotionally ready for competition. 

My club was invited by a private primary school to take part in a sports hall athletics competition on a Wednesday night which allowed me to attend because it replaced a training night. The event required another coach and myself to pick a team of 8 girls and 8 boys to take part in a range of field and running activities. Then the event would be completed with 2 relays which would include the majority of both the boys and girls team. The competition itself was well run by the teacher of the school and it was really exciting as a coach seeing the athletes execute what they have been coached over numerous sessions. 

With the highs of seeing the athletes succeed there were some low points in terms of picking the team, I found that I was going against my philosophy and beliefs by picking a team. I believe that every athlete should have the same opportunities to progress and gain experience which will develop them as an athlete and as a person. I found it difficult picking an athlete over another however, this had to be done. Looking back the process wasn't easy and seeing athletes asking the other coaches if they had been picked and then being told no was also distressing. Another issue arose when a talented athlete was picked to compete who would challenge the strongest runners in the county and they refused to run, this was down to nerves, he got himself worked up and started crying because of the pressures and nerves that competition brought on him. Again, I found this really distressing and felt responsible and guilty that this happened. There were another 2 athletes that expressed they were experiencing a lot of nerves and resulted in tears once again. 

A lot of questions arose from the competition and these questions challenged my beliefs as a coach. One of the questions were 'Would I pick a team for a competition again and put the athletes through the pressures of competition?' The answer is simple, No! I have 80 athletes on the registers and I could only pick 20% to compete and I felt that more athletes would have benefited from the experience and really I would argue that 50-60% were good enough to compete however, I had my hands tied in terms of how many athletes I could take and use for the chosen events. 

Seeing the emotions of the athletes before, during and after competition I am torn whether I promote competitoms in the same way that I would have before the competition in midweek. Competition has many benefits to the young athlete; they learn how to lose graciously with pride and sportsmanship, they also  learn some valuable experience of dealing with pressure and expectation. Over the course of the next 10 years the athlete will come across many pressures from exams, parents, sports and relationships, competitons at an early age can prepare them for life's challenges and pressures.  Competition can still be a hinderence for young athletes in terms of nerves and anxiety, the pressure that is put on them can take away the fun element. When the athletes are young it should be all about fun and following the long term athlete development model they shouldn't really be competing until they are a few years older.  

Reflecting on this experience I will still promote competitions however, I will make sure that all the athletes have the opportunity to take part and have a go. The competitions that I want to be involved in are ones that can accommodate all of my athletes not just a handful. I will create a fun, exciting and easy going  atmosphere so that the athletes will feel less pressure which will enable them to enjoy the experience that is competition. 

@dannymaynard92

How to Coach Disabled People

The course that I attended was really interesting in terms of how to coach disabled athletes, the course raises a lot questions in terms of how we as coaches include disabled athletes. The course was an introduction to the likes of Inclusive Coaching: Disability. 

We discussed the importance of observations, as a coach it is crucial to be able to identify when an athlete needs help and support. Some athletes with hidden disabilities and learning difficulties need support in terms of explanations and getting on with the tasks. Athletes with physical disabilities or visual impairments will need support with different equipment or other aids that can help them participate. 

The Inclusive Spectrum consists of 4 areas; one of the areas is Open Activity which is basically a simple activity based on what the entire group can do with little or no modification. For example a warm up activity. Another area is Modified Activity which is when everybody does the same activity with adaptations to challenge the more able and support the inclusion of everyone. For example catching a football in a group but with the less able use a balloon so that the participant has longer to see the object. Parallel Activitiy is another area when participants are grouped according to ability. Each group doing the same activity but at appropriate levels. For example both groups could be doing hurdling but the more able completing more coaching points. The less abled group will still do hurdling but at a more basic level according to their needs and ability. The final area is Seperate Activity which is when an individual or group does a purposefully planned different activity. For example tennis players would go into seperate groups because the disabled players have different rules to suit the players needs. 

We had an interesting discussion about not being afraid to do the seperate activities because you don't want to compromise the training of the able athletes however, you don't want to segregate the less able from the able as you want to promote inclusivity. It's finding the right balance between being inclusive and coaching the different athletes within the different groups. 

Coaching can be adapted by using a method called STEPS; Space you play on for example, the size texture and height of goals. Task is making the game easier by altering the rules for example making it easier to score. Equipment can be adapted with weight, texture, colour, shape and size. Position of the activity such as standing still first before performing it moving and making sure participant can orient themselves. Finally the speed of the activity, for example catching can be difficult for athletes with visual impairments however, by changing the equipment slightly this can alter the speed of the ball for example, using a balloon instead of a football because a balloon will stay in the air longer. 

To conclude, I felt the course was worthwhile because it raised a lot of questions within my own coaching and how the group I coach at is run. I would recommend this course because it doesn't cost a lot if anything if your with a clubmark accredited club. Thanks for reading any comments to feedback is welcomed. 

@dannymaynard92

Positive Behavior Management in Sport

Recently, I attended another Sports Coach UK course which was called Positive Behavior Management in Sport. I was interested in the course because over the years I have had to deal with disruptive and unwanted behavior as a coach. I wanted to know what I could do to prevent this and deal with the behavior as it has become an important aspect which I would like to improve on, this is because at the moment we have one or two athletes who misbehave. This is due to behavioral problems such as ADHD but one of the options of dealing with this was asking the athlete to leave the group. I firmly believe that this is not an option! I feel that if this happened I would be letting the athlete down as a coach and be going against everything I believe in, this is in terms of developing and improving the athlete as a performer and a person. 

The course was very insightful and made you think about your coaching environment. They explained that at times what you do as a coach can allow opportunities for unwanted behavior to arise. For example transitions between activities and activities that are too easy or challenging can lead to athletes losing their focus. Another interesting aspect was looking into why might a child misbehave, the course taught me about the social element. Children learn a lot from their parents and friends, this is a massive factor in what kind of things they say or do when they misbehave. The tutor explained that you have to take into consideration the area the athletes live in and this could perhaps influence what they say or do etc. These stereotypes are controversial and can present some useful information to coaches which should be appreciated however, it's important not to judge or hold against the child before you really get to know them. 

The way you talk to the athlete, who has demonstrated unwanted behavior, is crucial because if the coach shows negative language and body language the athlete may feel threatened and this can be classed as bullying; for example, looking down at them and shouting. If you challenge the behavior in a negative manner you could get a clash and a confrontation. This is not helpful for you as the coach, the athlete and the other athletes. Children copy behavior so it's important that you demonstrate positive behavior, this can be sitting them down rather standing or crouching, speaking calmly etc. 

To conclude, as a coach you can prevent unwanted behavior from arising by going in to more depth with planning. Planning the transitions and making sure that the session has progressions and regressions so that the athletes don't find the activities too hard or too easy. Finally, children copy behaviors they see and it is important to set a positive example for the children to follow. 

@dannymaynard92

Mentoring Other Sports Coaches

Just recently I attended a course which was all about how to mentor other sports coaches. I was really interested in seeing how I could help other coaches develop their coaching practice. I learnt that it's not really about sport specific content in some degree because that role is for the national governing bodies course tutors to provide sport specific knowledge. The role of the mentor is to develop the coach's coaching skills and principles. The tutor explained that a top skiing coach from Wales was a mentor for Beth Tweddle's coach, who if you didn't know Beth competes for GB in gymnastics. So that was interesting in itself with totally different sports which are delivered in different seasons and environments. This highlights that the coaching principles that you pick up on national governing body and university coaching courses are universal to some degree.

A theme that ran through the course was reflection, I think reflection is crucial in coaching because you can explore into what happened and why things happened. You can learn a lot about yourself and your coaching by dissecting what you coached and how you coached it. The tutor added, to get the best out of the mentee it is important that you don't spoon feed them, you allow them time and the opportunity to ask questions about their own practice. Other ways that the mentor can help the sports coach is observing their practice, the mentor would agree with the coach when the observation is going to take place. The mentor would arrange a meeting to provide feedback, the tutor explained that it is important how you feedback to the coach. He suggested the sandwich method, (praise, possible improvement, praise) all coaches use this when working with athletes but sometimes you don't give the method any thought when working with adults. 

I found the course really helpful and interesting because I want to help other coaches develop and share my passion for coaching. The other attendees were a bit curious why I was on the course, this was in terms of my age but they were impressed with my experience and my knowledge that I have gained over a 4 year period. This led to a discussion on mentors being younger than the mentee, how it's nothing to do with age but experience. Age can be an advantage in terms of life experience however, it comes down to coaching experiences and the ability to guide and allow the coach to use their intrinsic feedback to reflect on their sessions. Finally, the course looked into looking how the coach learns and this looked at the VARK method, The acronym VARK stands for Visual, Audio, Read/write, and Kinaesthetic. As a mentor the coach's learning style should be considered as this can have a massive impact on their ability to learn. 

In conclusion, the course was really intriguing and has given me some pointers and guidance on how I can be an effective mentor. I strongly recommend the course to people who are interested in mentoring other sports coaches. The course is well run and is great value, in some cases it's free for club mark accredited clubs. For more information look on the Sports Coach UK website. 

@dannymaynard92

Would appreciate your comments and views

Are Children Becoming Less Active?

In this post I will explore my sporting experiences as a child and compare them to what I see young children doing at present times in terms of sport. I will highlight current issues and current attitudes of children and parents. 

I have had excellent sporting experiences within my childhood, I used to regularly go to local astro turfs and play football with my dad. When it was the school holidays and I was sent to my grandma's house for a week, she would take me to play football and cricket at local fields and parks. Due to this I feel that I have been lucky in terms of positive experiences and exposure to sport but I feel that children nowadays will not be taken to parks by their parents or family members. On a sunny day many children would rather stay in and play games rather than going outside on a local park or field to play with friends.

Attitudes have changed over the last 10 years with children and parents being more cautious about playing outside due to potential threats and dangers such as abductions and traffic. When I was a child these were issues but not as serious as they are now, traffic on the roads is a bigger issue with more and more cars on the roads. I think that it should be compulsory for children to join sport clubs, as they can choose any sport they want, they can develop not just skills but also develop character and social awareness, another positive of joining sports clubs is the safety and security of the child there will always be an adult watching. Children are playing out less and less so it would make sense to get them into safe fun organised clubs or activities regularly. 

In my opinion, I think families need to play a bigger part in developing their child's attitude and enthusiasm for sport. This can be done by finding a local field or park and having a kick around or play games outside, I have seen and heard on many occasions young children playing in a tiny back yard blasting a football around while the parents stay inside and watch television. There are two fields close to them, one is 50 yards away and the other one is 300 yards away, why not take the children on the fields and let them run free and play football in a spacious facility under supervision from parents? Issues with this are working commitments, for parents who work they can find making time to go local parks a challenge. I can relate to this with my mum working nights this was rarely an option but I can't stress enough the importance of support from parents, my parents made an huge effort to organise lifts and opportunities for me to join clubs so that I wouldn't miss out on having a sporting childhood. 

To conclude, I have had fantastic opportunities and experiences of sport from a very young age and this has been the catalyst for my passion and love for sport. My family has been instrumental in creating sporting experiences for me, not many people can boast slide tacking their grandma at football and then she slide tackling you back! Making use of local facilities and decent weather can help ignite children to be enthusiastic and passionate about sport. 

Any comments or experience can be posted here or on twitter.

@dannymaynard92

Parental Issues Within Coaching

This post will discuss current issues with parents in a sports coaching and teaching environment and also look into what problems coaches face in terms of parents. 

Parents can be a massive hindrance to the coaching process in terms of interfering with the coaching taking place. Sometimes parents can give advice to their son or daughter but this can go against what the coach is trying to do. On the other hand parents can play a useful role in reinforcing what the coach is trying to do and this can result in positive impact on the coaching process. 

After speaking to another coach, he explains that in grass roots football parents provide many challenges for him as a coach but also for the officials. The coach works with an under 14's football team and has experienced some poor behaviour by the parents. When an official told the opposing team's manager to get off the field because he was actually standing on the pitch, the parents and other coaches started hurling abuse at the referee and this filtered down to the players. The players joined in with the parents and coaches abusing the referee and the coach who i spoke to said that the official handled it really well and stopped the game to ask the coach "Is this the example you set for your players?"

At times parents can be a coaches worst enemy and it is the same with teaching, teachers nowadays are afraid of giving students detentions because of the hassle the teacher will get off parents. When I discussed this with a few coaches, we came to a decision that if we all had a child that was in trouble we would back the teacher or coach. We would be more interested in why the child has been in trouble, because we would have raised the child better than that and they should be able to follow rules. 

In my experience I have found that too many parents wrap their children up in cotton wool. Don't get me wrong I don't want parents too care less about their children, however when they go to coaching sessions and tell their children that 'they don't have to do anything they don't want to do' this makes it difficult for the coach. Attitudes like that can spread around a group very quickly and I found this out the other week; one child in the group didn't want to run around the track for the warm up and because the child objected this resulted in a few of the other children sitting out of the next activity. 

Today's society is making it very difficult for coaches and teachers to control groups of children, this is because if the child gets told off and tells their parents the coach or teacher will have to deal with the aggravated parent. My advice to parents is to support the coaches and teachers, I understand the child will come up with the excuse of "everybody else was doing it" This doesn't excuse the behaviour and if the child has been made an example of then the teacher or coach should be praised for taking control of the situation and not be challenged. 

To conclude, children will copy their parents behaviour so it's important that parents set a good example for their children to follow. Coaches should be supported by parents as they will always consider the welfare of their participants and they wouldn't put their welfare in jeopardy. The parent should be more concerned as to why the child is misbehaving instead of 'having a go' at the teacher or coach for telling their child off.