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