Canada counts more than one million coaches, according to the Sport Information Resource Centre and the Coaching Association of Canada. Good coaching and physical education at every level optimize the benefits of exercise, maximize skill development and foster growth and self-esteem in children and youth especially. Good coaching reinforces behaviour through positive feedback that emphasizes strengths, not weaknesses.
The Sport Information Resource Centre, based in Ottawa with a collection of eight million pages of scholarship, opened the vaults this fall to explore coaching philosophy and ethics. A recent issue of Perspective, the Coaches B.C. quarterly, also addressed the questions of developing a coaching philosophy, how to define success for young athletes and when parents should coach their own kids.
An abundance of resources is available for coaches, from academic literature to smartphone apps and the pragmatic to the for dummies model. And the U.S. Lacrosse Coaching Education Program went back to basics recently with a tip sheet for new coachesa rundown survival guide that benefits all coaches, rookie and experienced:
- Use a whistle. As much to save your voice as to grab attention, whistles establish authority. Bring a back up.
- Look the part. Some sport psychologists suggest athletes develop a routine before gamessame pasta dish, same laces on the right shoe tied first, same unwashed bandana at hand, etc. This pattern can be reinforced by the appearance of a coaching staff in uniform, the same style of boardroom or track suit for each game.
- Have a practice plan. Before game day, coaching consists of two parts: showing up and planning. Daily training and drills are designed to develop specific technique and build team cohesion. For new coaches especially, planning practice helps you maintain control and focus.
- Be smart with language. Consider this: Youre fast and next time you can strengthen your shot by planting your foot. Instead of and, the word but signals negative feedback that can draw a downbeat emotional response from a young player instead of the desire to use the constructive feedback to improve.
Up next: Why you might want to develop a coaching strategy.
Twitter: @MHStewart
