Coaching Children (5 12)

Transcription

1 Quick Guide Coaching Children (5 12) Positive development in and through sport Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12) a1

2 What do coaches do? Coaching has traditionally been seen as an activity whose only objective was to improve someone s athletic prowess. From this perspective then, a coach simply gets a participant to run like Bolt, bend it like Beckham, jump like Ennis or smash it like Murray. As a result of this long-established interpretation of coaching, we, as coaches, have mostly been concerned with developing four key areas in our participants, players and athletes, namely the physical, technical, tactical and mental, with a very high percentage of our time spent on the physical and technical. The table below gives simple examples of some of the capabilities we look to develop in the children we coach in these four areas. Table 1: Examples of children s physical, technical, tactical and mental capabilities Physical Technical Tactical Mental Balance, Coordination, Agility Broad skills that serve as a base to build sport-specific skills Ability to perform in modified games (ie small-sided games) Showing confidence in their ability Using speed, start/stop, slow to fast and fast to slow Starting to introduce appropriate competition where those techniques can be applied in a realistic environment Understanding of spacing and timing Demonstrating a commitment to, and an understanding of, what it takes to improve Movement in different directions and different ways Refining specific skills Ability to react to other people s movement, changes in the environment and the movement of an implement (ball, shuttle etc) Setting simple goals and using positive self-talk Initial development and use of strength and power Choosing the right technique to match a tactical challenge and solve game situations Scanning the game and making simple decisions Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12)

3 We have also assumed over the years that children and young people develop personal and social skills through their participation in sport, but we haven t really paid much attention to how this happens. We have tended to see this not as a direct responsibility of the coach, but more as a consequence of good coaching (Figure 1). Physical Technical Personal and Social Mental Tactical Figure 1: Holistic model of children s capabilities Sport is always good, isn t it? We know, however, that as well as the potential to do a lot of good things for people, sport is one of those activities that unfortunately is also known to have negative effects if the conditions are not right (eg low motivation, put off sport for life, low self-esteem, eating disorders, use of performance-enhancing drugs). Coaches play a big part in creating the necessary conditions to ensure that sports participation impacts positively on children s personal and social development. You may think that this is not coaching s responsibility, but that view sells sport way too short. It is like saying that children go to school only to learn biology and maths, and not to become better people and, over time, full contributors to society. The good news is that taking care of this through our coaching doesn t take anything away from the development of the traditional outcomes of the physical, technical, tactical and mental. We can do it as we go along, as long as we plan for it. Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12) 1

4 The C system for positive development in and through sport sports coach UK has developed a framework to support coaches in achieving holistic development of the physical, technical, tactical and mental together with the personal and social aspects that make up a well-adjusted young person. This framework, coaching the whole child: the C system for positive development in and through sport, is firmly grounded in the current psychology trend of positive youth development (PYD). One of PYD s main guiding principles is looking at children and young people as resources to be developed, not problems to be managed (Roth and Brooks-Gunn, 2003; Lerner, 2005). In a nutshell, every child and young person has the potential to thrive and become a successful adult. In sport, the C system for coaching are: competence; confidence; connection; character and caring; and creativity. Table 2: The C system for coaching Competence: It s about developing a positive view of one s actions with matching appropriate capability (being able to do things). In sport, this is achieved through the provision of carefully planned, developmentally appropriate activities. It includes physical, technical, tactical, mental, and personal and social competence. Confidence: It hinges on having an internal sense of overall self-worth ( I am OK ) and self-efficacy ( I can do things ). This is promoted in sport through exposure to success (internally referenced) and individual and/or group challenges that are realistic, and build resilience, coping with failure and learning strategies. All this should be in an environment that stresses personal improvement and values effort and persistence over outcomes and results. Connection: It s related to the ability to build positive bonds with people and institutions (ie clubs, school), resulting in effective and mutually beneficial relationships between the individual, others and the environment. In sport, this is achieved through the chance to work with and help others, be part of a group and the understanding of the intrinsic benefits of sport participation. Character and caring: It s based on exercising respect for societal and cultural rules, possessing standards for correct behaviours, a sense of right and wrong, and a sense of sympathy and empathy for others. Sport participation supports these developments when it takes place in an environment that respects participants, coaches, officials, parents and the rules of the sport. Creativity: It s about being able to find one s own solutions to problems. Sport is ideally placed to promote this outcome by putting children in situations where they have to think for themselves and understand things in order to learn, rather than copying and repeating. 2 Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12)

5 As seen in Figure 2, the C system now offers coaches a tangible set of outcomes that account for the personal and social development of a person in and through sport. Physical Technical Competence Confidence Connection Character and Caring Creativity Mental Tactical Figure 2: Holistic model of children s capabilities including the C system This model is underpinned by two key messages: 1 Children and young people who score higher in the areas of competence, confidence, connection, character and caring, and creativity thrive in comparison to their peers and make a more successful transition from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood on their way to becoming fully contributing members of society. They also show less incidence of problem behaviours (eg antisocial traits, depression). 2 The level of development of the C system has an impact on how children approach sport and what they take from it, but most importantly, sport can play a major role in harnessing the growth of these positive traits and therefore in the overall positive development of the child in the wider world. What does it mean for coaches and coaching? We have a challenge on our hands. The challenge is not to change what we do, but to start looking at it from a different angle. Can we make the personal and social development of the people we coach an explicit objective of our sessions and programmes? If so, how? Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12) 3

6 Table 3 shows the basic interaction of the physical, tactical, technical and mental elements with the C system. We can easily see how it all fits together now. So for example, a way in which you as a coach can foster creativity through physical development is to run physical challenges where participants have to solve problems as they go along (yellow box). Table 3: What coaches can do to bring the C system to life in their coaching Competence Confidence Connection Character and Caring Creativity Physical Developmentally appropriate content for the sessions Show how participants are developing physically Allow participants to work with others Ensure participants learn why and how to respect their own bodies Run physical challenges in a problem-solving environment Technical Coaching skills appropriate to the development stage of the child Provide good explanations and high percentage of success Promote participants giving feedback to each other Develop participants to be able to practise for extended periods, understanding why they need to do this Allow room for individual approaches to technical skill development Tactical Develop tactical awareness alongside technical skill Ensure tactical demands are understood and that the necessary skill level is established Support participant understanding of their own roles and the importance of others Help participants appreciate how different positions/ activities contribute to the overall outcome, and accept their role Support young people to create their own tactical solutions to problems Mental Promote a strong focus on the task at hand Provide good evaluative feedback and an understanding of failure and learning Work with an appropriate format and numbers for participants ability and social capacity Allow participants to explain and accept codes and rules Use appropriate open tasks that support cognitive development And the bonus ball! As if supporting the development of well-adjusted children and young people were not exciting enough for you to try this approach, research shows that those who score highly develop in other ways one of which we call contribution. Contribution is all about putting something back into the environment and community we live in. It s about becoming a fully participating member of society. What more can we ask for than well-rounded individuals who have a two-way relationship with their surroundings, giving and taking in equal parts? 4 Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12)

7 It s all in the planning sports coach UK has developed a session plan template to support coaches wishing to incorporate the C system into their day-to-day practice. The following session plan is intended to illustrate how coaches working with a group of children may integrate the various elements of the model into their delivery. From that perspective, the sections contained within the planner are relevant to the particular context in which this session takes place (a community club), but may not be applicable to other environments. It is for you, the coach, to take the principles portrayed by this example and apply them to your specific situation, where appropriate. Venue: Happy Movers Sports Centre Duration: 45 minutes Age: 3 5 Number of children: Date: Monday 25/01/2011 Time: 4pm Equipment: Flat and high cones, soft balls, hoops, two mats, markers, beanbags and bibs Stage: Active Start the joy of play Learning from previous sessions to be applied in this session: At the last session, the children were very excited when they were moving a lot and became bored whenever long explanations were given or when they had a long wait for their turn to do something. They are becoming competent at avoiding others on the move and target throwing, but they need time to learn to stop on cue and hold their balance. Quick reminder: What should be at the back of my mind while working with this group? Stage name: Active Start the joy of play Keywords: Fun, play, basic movement skills, confidence Personal and Social the C system for Coaching At this stage, children should be: allowed to develop competence in an environment that exposes them to high levels of success and promotes a sense of self-worth learning about the benefits of sport and enjoying playing with others understanding and respecting simple rules encouraged to experiment with their bodies, the environment and to find solutions to basic problems. Goals for the session (What are the main areas we will work on today?): Fun through appropriate competition Developing a variety of movement patterns A feel for speed and change of pace Teamwork Physical Technical Tactical Mental At this stage, children should be: experiencing basic movement activities and playing with objects developing control over their own bodies and external objects gaining basic awareness of rules, space and others becoming self-aware, developing basic decision-making skills and learning to work with others Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12) 5

8 Session Content Working On... Time Review/Comments Content Organisation Time Review Introduction/warm-up: Top Gear game Fun and dynamic start to session Working with others 7 minutes Some children were too young to count properly. Next time, pair them up with older children or use lower numbers. Game/activity 1: Grandma s footsteps Simple decision making 7 minutes If the children are comfortable, introduce carrying an object and some target shooting when they hit the touchline. Game/activity 2: Four-corner team relay Hitting a target Spatial awareness Working with others 7 minutes If children are comfortable rolling, try throwing. Have children travel to corners in different ways or hold different balances when in possession. Game/activity 3: Free play explore the equipment and invent games Creativity Connection Confidence 7 minutes Let the children explain what they were doing and what they were getting better at. Game/activity 4: Rollerball Object control Spatial awareness Working with others Coping with failure 7 minutes Incorporate new rules/balls to make it easier/harder. Could do 2 3 minutes of target rolling and passing if needed. Cool-down: Walking Pacman Avoiding others 7 minutes Wrap it up with a summary of the skills worked on and some feedback by asking the participants. Overall comments: Session worked well but need to be more careful with changeovers (too long). Need to find a way to give children with lower levels of competence a greater chance to experience success. Some parents seem really keen to help. Need to explore this. Participant feedback: Some children didn t understand some of the language. The boys really enjoyed the free play time, while the girls particularly loved the team-oriented games. They didn t like the four-corner relay (too complicated). 6 Quick Guide: Coaching Children (5 12)

9 Next steps: A call to action Does this look doable in your coaching environment? Why not try to use the session planner for your next session? Why not look at your last session plan and try to pick out activities that are already promoting the development of some of the C system? For example: That small-sided game I run is a great tool for tactical creativity! What about setting yourself a goal of targeting one of the C system at your next session? For example: Next session, I m going to promote creativity and connection by letting my players come up with a new drill in groups of four. Want to know more? Go to 1st4sport.com and buy Coaching the Whole Child: Positive Development Through Sport. Book yourself on to the three-hour workshop Coaching Children (5 12) to gain first-hand experience of the application of the C system. Contact the sports coach UK Workshop Booking Centre on or visit sportscoachuk.org for more information. References Author of this Quick Guide: Sergio Lara-Bercial. Images Alan Edwards :4c Designed and produced by Coachwise Limited. Haskins, D. (2010) Coaching the Whole Child: Positive Development Through Sport. Leeds: Coachwise Business Solutions/The National Coaching Foundation. ISBN: Lerner, R.M. (2005) Promoting Positive Youth Development: Theoretical and Empirical Bases. Washington: National Research Council/Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Science. Roth, J.L. and Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003) What exactly is a youth development programme? Answers from research and practice, Applied Developmental Science, (7): Follow sports coach UK