Download Coaching Presentation - Doncaster Hockey Club, Melbourne

The “Softer Skills”
of Coaching for
Club Coaches
In-Service Presentation for clubs
and their coaches
Contents
Essentials of coaching
1.
2.
3.
A safe environment
Planning
Group management
These are considered to be essential
components for all coaches and are often
referred to as the “Softer Skills”.
What makes a good coach?
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Good communication skills
Confidence
Enthusiasm for your sport and your athletes
Knowledge of your sport and your athletes
Patience
A Safe Environment

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Key responsibility of the coach
Do all athletes have appropriate equipment
(i.e. shinpads & mouthguard)?
If so, are they wearing it?
Is the training surface safe?
Is there an appropriate number of coaches
for the number of athletes (especially with
younger children)?
A Safe Environment

Have you done a risk analysis, including the
following:
Potential environmental risks
 Discovered any potentially important medical
information relating to your athletes e.g. asthma
 Determined the nearest telephone and hospital
in case of an emergency
 Do you have a fully stocked first aid kit with you
at all times while coaching?

Planning
“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
Benefits of planning
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Your athletes are kept actively involved,
resulting in more learning and greater
enjoyment
Teach skills with appropriate skill
progression (maximises learning & safety)
Make the best use of available time, space
and equipment
Minimise discipline problems
Increases your confidence as a coach
Six steps of instructional
planning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify the skills your athletes need
Know your athletes
Analyse your situation
Establish priorities
Select the methods for teaching
Plan training
Step 1: Identify the skills
your athletes need
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Technical skills
Tactical skills
Communication skills
Physical skills
Mental skills
Character
Step 2: Know your athletes
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How old are they – what is their level of
physical, psychological & social maturity?
How much playing experience do they have?
How well do the players know each other?
How well do they accept responsibilities?
Are they accustomed to being told what to
do? Or
Have they been encouraged to problem
solve?
Step 3: Analyse your
situation
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How many training sessions do you have
each week?
How many games are there in the season?
How many athletes will you be coaching?
What facilities and equipment will you have
available?
What instructional resources will you need?
Step 4: Establish Priorities
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Identify the skills the athletes need
Evaluate each skill on two criteria:
1.
2.
The centrality of the skill to playing hockey
Your athletes’ readiness to learn the skill
Step 5: Select the method
for teaching

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Traditional approach
Games Sense approach
Step 6: Plan training
Basic elements of a training plan are:
 Date, time of training & length of training session
 Objective of the training
 Equipment needed
 Warm-up
 Practice of previously taught skills
 Teach and practice new skills
 Cool down
 Coach’s comments
 Evaluation of training
Group Management
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Communication skills
Organisational skills
Communication
Six steps in communicating:
1.
You have thoughts that you wish to convey
2.
You translate these thoughts into a message
3.
You transmit your message (verbal or non-verbal)
4.
The athlete receives your message
5.
The athlete interprets the message’s meaning
6.
The athlete responds internally to his/her
interpretation of the message
Key communication skills
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Developing credibility when you
communicate
Communicating with a positive approach
Sending messages high in information
Communicating with consistency
Learning how to listen
Improving your nonverbal communication
Organisational skills
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Important characteristic of the club coach
Management responsibilities include:
Policy management
 Information management
 Personnel management
 Instructional management
 Logistics management
 Financial management
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Consider these
“softer skills” and you
are well on the way
to becoming a
Successful Coach!