HOW EFFECTIVE ARE YOUR TRAINING SESSIONS?
Following are the findings of a recent study into Junior Community Sport training sessions.
Cheryl Barnier
President
N.S.W.J.B.L.
Key areas for improvement
Coaches
- Increase deliberate play or games at training – for young children it is recommended this make up 80% of their sporting participation each week
- Utilise more small group work (pairs, small sided games etc.), as opposed to whole group work. This maximises skill repetition and allows coaches to cater better when there are smaller than expected numbers at training
- Reduce time spent organising players
- Reduce time spent on instructions given prior to activity commencing
- Aim for clear and concise instructions
- Try not to over-coach by continually correcting players.
Clubs and sporting bodies
- Review coach education
- Incorporate more information on discipline issues, group management and age appropriate communication skills
- Improve the coach-parent relationship
- Provide greater support to junior coaches on dealing with parents
- Provide parents with regular information on club philosophies and goals (eg. respect, wining isn’t everything, equal participation)
- Encourage mentoring and sharing
- Allow coaches to observe other junior sessions
- Establish a pool of mentors, face-to-face and e-mentoring
- Create coaching communities, where coaches meet to discuss issues and learn from each other
- Develop a coaching blog
- Encourage more training session planning
- Provide online resources for coaches
- Help coaches deal with small group situations
- Coaches need suggestions and support when player numbers are low at training sessions.
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