What’s the point of reflection?

So what exactly is reflection? Reflection has been described as a process that helps turn experience into knowledge (Gilbert & Trudel, 2001) and involves thought and exploration of a concept or event (Gray, 2007). It is a form of problem solving that is used to resolve coaching issues, and involves the careful consideration of a coaches practice, based on their knowledge and beliefs (Hatton & Smith, 1995).

Depending on the way you look at it, reflection can have many different meanings. Some of the meanings above mention, experience, knowledge, problem solving, practice and beliefs. All of these fit in well, if someone was to mention what reflection is and you were to describe to the person, these meanings will be a good description.

 

Different reflective practices

This video is evidence on everything I am about to write next on the types of different reflective practices.

So this video explains three types of reflective practices;

1. Reflection FOR action
2. Reflection IN action
3. Reflection ON action

Reflection for action is something that a coach reflects from a past event, match or experience with what is about to come up. For example if a coach is about to prepare his/her team in an event/match the coach may say things that, “remember what we did well last time”, “why we did it well” and lastly “remember what we need to change from last time”.

Reflection in action is for coaches to “think of their feet” or in other words to think very quickly. So this will happen when coaches are doing practical with the athletes, furthermore role play will come under another way of reflecting as the coaches are showing them to the athletes faces on what they want them to do. Hence why this will most definitely benefit the players/athletes more. Also it will benefit the athletes more because the coaches are thinking, looking, listening and responding to what they are saying/doing. Reflection in action also requires the coaches to obverse, question and communicate with the athletes, this can be during role play but also just on a daily basis. Jeff Mitchell in an recent article writes about reflection in sport. Here they will bring aspects of their work to a conscious level, to reflect on the issue as it happens, and will try things out on the spot (Furlong & Maynard, 1995).

Reflection on action often occurs after the event, where the coach will reflect on skills or a situation, with a view to future improvement (Hatton & Smith, 1995). There wasn’t much information on this as it’s more simple than the other two.

Descriptive v Critical Reflection

Descriptive reflective – There is basically description of events, but shows some
evidence of deeper consideration in relatively descriptive language. There is no real
evidence of the notion of alternative viewpoints in use, (Watton, Collings & Moon, 2001).

Critical reflection – This form of reflection, in addition, shows evidence that the learner
is aware that actions and events may be ‘located within and explicable by multiple
perspectives, but are located in and influenced by multiple and socio– political contexts’ (Watton, Collings & Moon, 2001).

References

•  Mitchell, J. (2013). Reflection as a Coach Development Tool. [online] Coach Growth. Available at: https://coachgrowth.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/reflection-as-a-coach-development-tool/ [Accessed 3 Nov. 2017].
• Watton, P. Collings, J. Moon, J. (2001). Reflective Writing. [online] Guidance notes for students. Available at: https://portal.uclan.ac.uk/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_2501589_1&course_id=_78950_1
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDQP-5oh6IM

 

 

 

 

So, What next year?

Throughout this module I have really enjoyed reflecting on myself. Reflecting has made me a better person and a much better coach. It is very important to reflect so you can know where to improve and how to improve. If you want to be successful in whatever you want to do in life, not just sport then you need to be able to reflect on your own practices.

I believe I have done much better this year than I did last year. Last year I wasn’t really engaged in my modules and didn’t take much interest, also went out a lot (clubbing). Whereas this year, I believe I have engaged in my modules despite it being very difficult at times and not gone out as much. Hopefully in my last year of university I will be able to put my head down fully so I can get the best grades as possible and leave university with a good grade for myself and a better shot at having a successful coaching career.

In my last year of university, I have chosen to do an SRP (single research project). I decided to do this instead of doing a dissertation because I think it will be better for me, as I will be more engaged in doing an SRP and I do better doing secondary research. I decided to do ‘young athletes and prevention’. There is a lot of information on this topic so believe I should be able to work the best I am capable of.

Next year, I have also chosen to do ‘elite coaching’ module. I have heard a lot of good things about elite coaching so I am looking forward to doing this. I will also be doing blogs again next year for the first term. I enjoy doing blogs and see it as one of my strengths because I can just write about what I have done, so this is why I chose to do this again.

Throughout the summer, my aim is to coach as much as possible. I hope to be coaching in either Manchester or Blackpool community trust so I can get the coaching experience needed for this course. I also want to be looking to work on getting my UEFA B, as I already have my FA level 1 and 2 as previously shown in my last 2 blogs.

Overall, I am looking forward to my final year of university, I will look to gain more knowledge from my tutors throughout Uclan and my peers. Furthermore I will continue using more academic literature next year and take that extra step needed to be a successful coach.

FA level 2 – Football

Following on from my previous post about FA level 1. The difference between FA level 1 and 2 was there to tell. The standard in the coaching side and the standard in the playing side. With the FA level 1, you could probably get away with not coaching at your highest level, probably why back in 2014 everyone in my class was able to pass the FA level 1. With FA level 2, you had to absolutely coach at your best if you was to pass, probably why only 4/15 in my class were able to pass, and one being me.

With the FA level 2, I learned what you had to do whilst planning a session. I learned the first part of the session is ‘technique’. The technique is unopposed, allowing the players to develop their techniques and confidence in performing these techniques successfully without pressure from opposition players. Then I learned after that was the ‘skill’. A skill is a progression from the technique. The skill session introduces opposition players to create pressure, not only on the players’ technique, but on their decision making now that they are under pressure from opposition players. Then after technique and skill it was the ‘game’. So for example, the FA level 2 drill I did was ‘finishing from crosses’ and the aim of this drill was for the players to simply try and score from a cross.

So the technique I had to do for that was, I would have 2 people crossing the ball and the attackers will try and create space for the crosses to cross the ball into them and for them to try and score. 

Then following on from that was the skill. So for the skill I simply  just added a defender. So now that I have added a defender, it is much harder for the attackers. So the players out wide whom are unmarked will try and attempt a cross with the right height and speed for the attackers to try and space in the area away from the defender. It was the defenders job to make sure the attackers don’t score.

So, then lastly for the game. I just had to do a 4 v 4 game with 2 floating wide players. It will be a normal game but the only way you could score was from a cross. So the players would have to play it wide and try and score from that. This all links in perfectly all together. From the technique to the skill then lastly the game at the end.

What’s the outcomes you gain from the FA level 2?

• Develop an understanding of yourself as a coach, your players and the game itself
• Develop game-like practices which incorporate decision-making while remaining enjoyable
• Plan, deliver and evaluate a series of progressive football coaching sessions independently
• Consider the age, ability, maturity and experience of players in your care

(Lancashire FA, ND)

Who is it for?

The certificate is aimed to support coaches with developing their knowledge of how to effectively plan, conduct and evaluate football coaching sessions. It will introduce coaches to an appreciation of the principles of the game, both attacking and defending, and how to utilise this knowledge for invasion games.

(The FA, ND)

Now finally, I was able to pass my FA level 2 at the second time of asking. The first time I did it I failed. The coach told me to come back in 2 weeks and re-try passing my FA level 2. So I had reflect on my session, to see what I did wrong and what needed to improve so that I can pass at the second time of asking. After I did this, I went back after 2 weeks and managed to pass with flying colours. The coach said I was 10x better than my first go. I believe this was just down to lack of confidence and lack of knowledge from the session I was doing first time.

References

https://www.lancashirefa.com/coaches/development-and-courses/fa-level-2-in-coaching-football. (n.d.). FA level 2 in coaching football. [online] Available at: https://www.lancashirefa.com/coaches/development-and-courses/fa-level-2-in-coaching-football.

Association, T. (n.d.). The website for the English football association, the Emirates FA Cup and the England football team. [online] http://www.thefa.com. Available at: http://www.thefa.com/get-involved/coach/courses/all-courses/the-fa-level-2-certificate-in-coaching-football.

 

 

FA level 1 – Football

Hi Guys!

My next two posts will be a recap from my college days where I completed my FA level 1 and FA level 2 football coaching badge.

So back in 2014, I completed my FA level 1 football coaching badge. The college I attended was Ashton sixth form, who were also sponsored by Bolton Wanderers. So I was being coached by professional coaches on how to coach properly and to complete my FA level 1 and 2. For my FA level 1, I had to do lots of coursework in a classroom as well as having to coach a session at the end before being able to pass my FA level 2. My FA level 1 started from September 2013 – May 2014.

The things I learned from my time whilst doing the FA level 1:

• 4 corner model
• The England DNA
• The FA Plan, Do, Review Model, helping you construct appropriate practices and sessions
• A series of practical coaching ideas, giving me the ability to recognise the various ingredients that make up safe and engaging practices

4 Corner Model

The four corner model contains, technical, psychological, physical and social. I had to make sure I understood the meaning of all four before passing the FA level 1 course. “The FA four corner model encompasses four key attributes that are vital for any developing young footballer: Physical, Technical, Psychological and Social elements, helping children to develop more than just their football skills – ‘We’ll help them to gain confidence, build self-esteem, learn to work as a  team and improve their decision making’ (FA Tesco skills, 2014). The four corner model will benefit athletes in not only football but life in general in all aspects. It will make them more sociable and help them to make life long friends as well as being physically active, learning key aspects to the game and fundamental movements which can be used in any sport. Technical aspects to the game will develop a good ability within football but the use of balance and ball control can be carried into other sports, the psychological aspects of space is an important benefit to a young athlete as it can be hard for it to be addressed to some young people making the 4 corner model a valuable coaching tool.

Coaching

During the course, I had to coach 8-10 people. As it was an FA level 1, I had the chance to coach between,

1. Traffic Lights – Simple dribbling drill involving plenty of touches of the ball, turns & spacial awareness
2. Robin Hood – Fun running with the ball session, plenty of turning, dribbling and competition
3. Through the gate – Passing & receiving drill a competitive game situation

I decided to do through the gate, as I enjoyed doing passing drills. The overall drill lasted about 10 – 15 minutes before it concluded. I managed to pass my FA level 1 straight away, as the coach who was watching me coach was impressed by me and told me I did well. I then moved on onto my FA level 2.

References 

Secure.tesco.com. (2014). The FA Tesco Skills Programme. [online] Available at: https://secure.tesco.com/todayattesco/community/archive/0709_the_fa_tesco_skills_programme.shtml

 

Social Media in Sport

Social media has a very big impact in sport. Whether this is positive or negative. So why is this the case?

Safko and Brake (2009, s.6) define social media as “activities, practices and behaviours among communities of people who gather online to share information, knowledge, and opinions using conversational media.

What are the positives effects social media has in sport?

Certainly for the younger generation who use social media a lot, there are plenty of benefits for them whilst using social media, which brings postie effects on sport. For example,

1. Report scores

Through social media high schools can report scores, teams’ news, and victories as soon as they occur. Until recently, high school news was relegated to snippets in the local paper or updated weekly on their website. These updates are too slow and don’t reach the potential target audience social platforms offer. With Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, high school news can be shared by the local community and create a positive, open relationship between student-athletes and people.

2. Share pictures

Boosting interest and enthusiasm for the teams by sharing pictures of events is another positive use of social media. Frequently posting pictures and videos of events help the student-athletes feel important and supported.

3. Show benefits and core values of programs

Using social media to present benefits and core values of programs can help alleviate any concerns as well as gain athletes support and opportunities.

4. Promote sporting events

Using social media to promote big events you want people to attend. You will be able to spread it across the world if done properly. then if this is done properly the event will be successful because of the promoting you have done.

5. Social media marketing is more affordable

Social media platforms offer a free marketing option that actually performs better than most paid options. The concept of sharing stories and information freely offers an infinite reach that is bolstered through the personal touch it requires.

For the normal person, The social media such as Twitter have expanded the boundary of mediated relationships that a user can experience. Users can now interact quickly with geographically dispersed people through the social media, which is an emerging topic in social presence research, (Schroeder, 2002).

What about the negatives of social in sport?

Let’s take Paul Pogba, professional football player for Manchester United is widely criticised for using social media a lot. Ex Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand said “we are in a different era” when talking about Paul Pogba. Pogba normally comes under a lot of scrutiny because he is always on social media, mainly Instagram and twitter, and because Pogbas performances for Manchester United are not always top standard he gets a lot of criticism for this. Pogba is advised to stay away from social media from ex footballer Robbie Savage. Robbie Savage said, “Before I climb down off my high horse, can you imagine Roy Keane posting a video on Instagram of a few dance moves with Paul Scholes 24 hours before a game?

Although receiving criticism, another ex football player Roy Keane defended Paul Pogba. “Off the field, he has a big personality – social media, his haircuts, the cars he drives. He needs to bring that on the pitch”.

So what is right and wrong about social media in sport? For me it bends that to personality and who can handle the pressure social media brings. Some athletes can handle it, like Paul Pogba, although he receives a lot of criticism he counties to be on social media because that is who he is. In addition, other athletes who may not be able to handle social media will not use it quite as often and that is a fact. Not all athletes will be able to handle social media like Pogba so they will not use it as often, simple.

I will leave you with a short video on how has social media changed sport.

 

 

 

References 

Onlinemasters.ohio.edu. (n.d.). 7 Benefits of Social Media for Student-Athletes and Coaches | Ohio University. [online] Available at: https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/7-positive-uses-of-social-media-for-student-athletes-and-coaches/.

Lovett, S. (2017). ‘We are in a different era’ – Rio Ferdinand revises social media criticism of Paul Pogba. [online] The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/manchester-united-rio-ferdinand-criticism-paul-pogba-social-media-emoji-a7575851.html#commentsDiv.

Savage, R. (2017). Robbie Savage replies to your tweets and comments on Pogba and Lingards antics. [online] mirror. Available at: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/robbie-savage-paul-pogba-instagram-9785188.

Schroeder, R., (2002). Copresence and interaction in virtual environments: An overview of the range of issues. In Paper presented at the presence 2002: The fifth international workshop, Porto, Portugal

Tella, A. (2014). Social media strategies for dynamic library service development. IGI Global, 2014, pp.126-128.

 

 

 

Performance Analysis

In this next blog, I will talk about what performance analysis is, why performance analysis is so important and lastly why you need performance analysis.

So what exactly is performance analysis?

“Performance analysis is an area of sport and exercise science concerned with actual sports performance rather than self-reports by athletes or laboratory experiments” (P. O’Donoghue, 2010)

Why is performance analysis important?

P.O’Donoghue, (2010) says the main reason for doing performance analysis is to develop an understanding of spots that can inform decision making by those seeking to enhance sports performance. Therefore, the importance of performance analysis is that you would have a better understanding of what it is you need to improve your athlete because you will have a better understanding of the sports. There is benefits for both the coach and the athlete for performance analysis:

Benefits for coaches

• Assists in understanding of athletes strengths and weaknesses
• Enhances their own development and coaching practice
• Enables in-depth review of performance

Benefits for Athletes

• Improved technical and tactical knowledge
• Improved decision making
• Improved confidence

(S.Ian, 2009)

Something very important is which comes under performance analysis is video analysis. “Memory and observational difficulties result in the accuracy of coaching feedback being very limited. Video (and now DVD) analysis has been shown to benefit advanced athletes, but care must be taken when providing this form of feedback to any other level of athlete” (Mike Hughes, Ian M. Franks, 2004). It is saying here that video analysis has many benefits because with video analysis, the coach and athlete can look back at what went well and what did not go well. This makes it easier for the coach, because if the coach is telling the athlete something the athlete did wrong and the athlete tried to argue back saying he/she didn’t do that or he/she can’t remember then the coach can show the athlete through video footage and show the athlete what he means. Also then, the athlete can go on and improve on this whilst also having video footage, so the athlete will be able to look back whenever he/she likes.

Why is performance analysis needed?

Performance analysis is very important for an athlete, because it shows progress on where the athlete is now and what is needed for the athlete to progress even more. This could be from video analysis, notational analysis or any other effective performance analysis. Peter O’Donoghue (2010) says, “The reasons for using performance analysis can be explored in more depth when examining the purposes of performance analysis”. Different authors have identified different set of purposes of notational analysis and biomechanics. Hughes (1986) identified the four purposes of notational analysis as technical evaluation, tactical evaluation, analysis of movement and statistical compilation.

References 

O’Donoghue, P. (2010). Research methods for sports performance analysis. London: Routledge.

Ian, S. (2009). Performance Analysis – Sport NI. [Online] Sportni.net. Available at: http://www.sportni.net/performance/sports-institute-northern-ireland/performance-science/performance-analysis/

Hughes, M. and Franks, I. (2010). Notational analysis of sport. Abingdon [England]: Routledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coaching Styles

Everyone has a coaching style which suits them the best or they feel suits the type of team/players the best. The three main coaching styles whilst at university I have learnt are autocratic, democratic and laissez faire.

Autocratic – “This is where the coach makes all the decisions and the performers merely do what they are told. This coach will be a strong disciplinarian and likes to be in control. Implicit in this style is that the coach has all the information and the knowledge.” (Camilla Chapman,2015)

Democratic – “This involves shared decision- making. This coach will guide performers towards selecting and achieving their goals. Implicit in this style is that the coach provides leadership in the form of positive guidance.” (Camilla Chapman,2015)

Laissez-Faire – “This is where very the coach makes few decisions. There are little organised attempts to influence or teach. Implicit in this style is that the players take ownership and make the decisions.” ( Camilla Chapman,2015)

Which coaching style is the best? That’s hard to say, because depending on your athletes sometimes reflects on what type of coaching style you will adopt. If you have quality athletes then the coaching style you are most likely to adopt will be either democratic or laissez-faire. Why? because if you already have quality athletes then as a coach you can sit back a little (Laissez-faire) and let the athletes do what they want as they are quality athletes or as a coach you can have shared decisions with your athletes (democratic) because you already have all the faith in their abilities to perform to a high standard whilst at the same time keeping them on their toes with you guiding the athletes towards their goal.

Take Pep Guardiola as a example. Guardiola is an ex Barcelona, Bayern Munich manager and now current Manchester city manager. Guardiola has always had quality athletes with the teams he has managed.

His coaching style I would say is democratic. He is a coach who likes to be in control with the way his teams play. Guardiola has a reputation for playing “sexy football”. He has had that reputation since his time at Barcelona. Guardiola demands his team to play a certain way and he is very much in control of the way his teams plays but at the same time he gives the players freedom to “express” themselves on the pitch and isn’t full controlling and why I don’t think he fits in into the ‘autocratic’ coaching style category.

“It was considered important that the athletes and coaches were able to talk to each other and for the coaches to allow the athletes the opportunity to suggest alternative approaches during training and competition”. (Uk coaching)

Elsewhere, if you don’t have the quality of athletes then your coaching style is most likely to be autocratic. Where as a coach you believe, because the quality of athletes you have isn’t as good as others, you have to be in full control so the team have a better chance in competing overall.

Let’s take Sam Allardyce as a example. Allardyce is an ex Bolton, Newcastle, Sunderland, West ham and now current Everton manager. Allardyce is known for saving teams from being relegated and guiding them towards safety into mid-table, with his coaching methods. With the quality of athletes available to Allardyce he isn’t able to play the way Guardiola does because he simply doesn’t have the players to do so. Although what Allardyce does to help his teams compete, is that he makes them very disciplined and in control of situations. He makes his teams very difficult to beat and has a reputation for doing so.

“Most of all though, a Coach’s style can be changed or adapted if they are aware of their style preference and what style will give them the results they need” (B. Hanson, N,D).

 

References 

• Chapman, C. (2018). What are Coaching Styles?. [online] http://www.sportplan.net. Available at: https://www.sportplan.net/drills/blog/what-are-coaching-styles-2015-05-08.jsp
• Ukcoaching.org. (2012). Identifying Excellent Coaching Practice along the Sporting Pathway. [online] Available at: https://www.ukcoaching.org/sites/default/files/Excellent-Coaching-Practice-Adult-Participation-Coaching-Environment.pdf [Accessed 27 Mar. 2018].
• Hanson, B. (2018). Sport Coaching Styles based on CoachDISC. [online] Athlete Assessments. Available at: http://athleteassessments.com/four-sport-coaching-styles.

 

Coaching Philosophy’s

People have different personalities which may lead to people having different coaching philosophies.

So what is a coaching philosophy?

My definition of a coaches philosophy is a system that a coach believes in no matter if it fails or if no one else believes in it, as long as you believe in your own system then that’s all that matters.

Comparing to others, for Karpel, (2006) , the coach’s philosophy reflects the foundation that ultimately guides and directs coaching practice. Similarly, Reynolds, stated that a coaching philosophy clarifies many aspects of the coach’s delivery and presents their core values and coaching methods.

There are loads of different opinions on coaching philosophy, that is because there all also loads of coaches who have different coaching philosophies. I will look at comparing two different coaching philosophies. The two I will be comparing will be Jurgen Kloop and Tony Pulis. One is known for playing an attractive brand of football and the other is known for play boring, defensive football.

Jurgen Kloop is known for his attractive brand of football. He first got his name known at Borussia Dortmund where he side played an attractive, attacking football there. Kloop won 5 trophies at Dortmund in seven years, including winning the league title twice ahead of a world class side Bayern Munich. He also came runner up in the champions league considering his side we’re outsiders on even reaching the quarter-finals of the champions league. Kloop was well known for his ‘gegenpressing’ tactics.

Kloop gegenpressing

Kloop tactics were intended to once his side will lose the ball, they will immediately try to win the ball back and attack the opposition. His side will do this throughout the game, which will mean his players fitness will have to be very good! Also meaning his team will cover a lot of distance.

This image shows that his present team Liverpool F.C. currently top the average distance covered per game chart, proving that his teams work hard and also backing my point up about his ‘gegenpressing’ philosophy.

Compare this to Tony Pulis who is known for his boring, defensive football.

Pulis famously said “I had a call this week from a young manager saying it was his first job, he wanted to do this and that and needed to get his philosophy across.  “So I stopped him and told him, “Forget about philosophies – you’ve got to win a few games, mate’. “To do that you must find out the team’s strengths and play to them. You need to cut out all the other nonsense, go back to basics and win games. It is clear here that Pulis isn’t a big fan of ‘philosophy’. Which could indicate why he plays the way he does and also the fact he doesn’t care what people say about him.

Tony Pulis is well known for being a relegation saviour manager. Meaning that when a team is in the relegation place or fighting for relegation, he will be the one to save them from getting relegated. He has first done this at Stoke City then Crystal Palace and lastly West Bromwich Albion. Pulis has never been relegated in his career. Managers have different expectations, Jurgen Kloop expectations were to always win the league, whereas Tony Pulis expectations were to save the team from relegation. So that could be why Pulis chooses to ignore the ‘philosophy’ approach and choose to play to the teams strength to save them from relegation in the football league.

According to Parkin, (2003),  coaches should develop a system for conducting their coaching based on personal truths, principles, attitudes and values. Further to this, Parkin, (2003),  states that a coach’s system or philosophy can and should change over time yet provides clear guidelines for consistency, trust, cooperation, understanding and expectation, as it relates to discipline, teamwork and communication between all parties.

References

  Karpel, M. P., An Inquiry Into the Philosophies and Coaching Processes of Successful Division I Head
Baseball Coaches, PhD Thesis, Brigham Young University, 2006.

Reynolds, F., Coaching Philosophy, retrieved march 20, 2018 from
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/coachphil.htm, (n.d.).

Parkin, D., Coaching Philosophy, retrieved March 20, 2018 from
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/4753/default.aspx, 2003.

Martiperarnau.com. (2015). [online] Available at: https://www.martiperarnau.com/differences-between-sacchis-klopps-and-guardiolas-counterpressing-concepts/ [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].

Sky Sports. (2015). West Brom head coach Tony Pulis says philosophies don’t help in football. [online] Available at: http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10098785/west-brom-head-coach-tony-pulis-says-philosophies-dont-help-in-football [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].

Going to Blackpool!

Recently for my placement, I had to go to Blackpool for a week, 10am – 5pm and help out coach out there. I was working with Blackpool community trust. Blackpool community trust are a vibrant and forward thinking charity, providing a range of opportunities for people in Blackpool and Fylde to increase social inclusion and education; improve physical fitness and health; and lessen involvement in negative activities and anti social behaviour.

I was sent there to coach kids age 5 – 12. I was terrified and didn’t know what to expect but in the end I enjoyed it very much!

Going to Blackpool was a good experience for me because I learned a lot of stuff whilst I was out there. I learned how annoying kids can be! Also learned a lot about myself and the career I want to head into in the future. I learned how it could be to either be a sports coach or a sports development officer.

So being a sports coach you have responsibility’s, for example

• Children’s health and safety
• Anti bullying
• Equality and diversity
• Leadership
• Decision making
• Knowledge
• Coaching methods
• Development
• Children have fun

(UK coaching, 2009)

Of course they will be more responsibility’s but I feel these 9 are the main ones. Being a sports coach is more practical, you’re interacting with the children more and aiming to have fun with them which I learned very quickly. Whilst you are doing this you are putting your knowledge and leadership into developing this child as well as looking out for the child’s health and safety . The key skills for a sports coach are the following:

• Planning and orgainsing
• Communication
• Analysis and evaluation
• Keeping an open mind
• Creating a safe environment

(UK coaching)

Moving on being a sports development officer is more boring than being a sports coach. why is this? well being a sports development officer is more office based. You don’t go out to coach regularly as much and way more work to do. Some people will prefer this if they are more of a officer based person but others would prefer to be a sports coach as they want to be more practical. Another difference between the two is that being a sports development officer is more likely to pay better depending on the level you are coaching at. So when I spent one day at the office, I didn’t really enjoy it but it’s something that you can get used too if the case.

“Sports development officers are responsible for generating interest and increasing participation in sports through effective promotion and marketing campaigns”

(Targetjobs.co.uk)

The responsibility’s for a sports development officer are the following:

• organising, developing and delivering a varied range of sporting activities or programmes
• managing budgets
• producing promotional material and displays
• keeping statistical and financial records
• planning
• undertaking administrative tasks
• writing reports and press releases
• liaising and working with relevant organisations or agencies including youth services, schools, clubs, sports coaches and sports councils
• organising and undertaking market research
• monitoring and assessing progress

Typical sports development officers will go around schools, colleges, universities, sports councils, local health authorities or sports governing bodies.

The skills needed to be a sports developing officer are:

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Organisational skills
• Time management skills
• Good teamworking skills
• Adaptability
• Enthusiasm
• Energy
• Confidence

Of course you can be a sports coach and sports development officer but your focus wouldn’t be right and it would just be best for you to pick one and do it for a while and then change over instead of doing both at the same time and stressing yourself out.

Fire Safety

Furthermore whilst at Blackpool, there was a fire drill. It was my first time experiencing a fire drill whilst being a coach of about 50 kids. So the experience was very useful and helpful. During the fire drill, I had to execute some of the kids outside and form them into a line for the head coach to read the register and make sure everyone was there. This situation was very useful because now for next time I know what I will have to do.

References

 Gair, A., Maw, G. and Mcquaid, S. (2009). [online] Ukcoaching.org. Available at: https://www.ukcoaching.org/sites/default/files/Dev%20of%20Sports%20Coaches%20Role%20of%20Coach%20Manager.pdf [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].

Ukcoaching.org. (2009). Cite a Website – Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: https://www.ukcoaching.org/sites/default/files/top-tips-skills-and-qualities.pdf [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].

TARGETjobs. (2017). Sports development officer: job description. [online] Available at: https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/279091-sports-development-officer-job-description [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].

 

Is there still gender Inequality In sport now? Really?!

Is there still gender inequality in sport? well let’s see!

Famous tennis player Andy Murray recently spoke out about gender inequality in sport.

“Working with Amelie was, for me, because she was the right person for the job, and not a question of her sex at all. However, it became clear to me that she wasn’t always treated the same as men in similar jobs, and so I felt I had to speak out about that”.

Andy Murray was coached by a female coach for two years before they decided to split up and Murray thought she wasn’t being treated the same as male coach, when it comes to coaching. This could be about respect or just the way people looked at her because she was a female coach, coaching one of the best tennis players in the world. Murray then went on to say the following

“People often underestimate the amount of work that it takes to become a top tennis player. And that work ethic is the same whether you are a man or a woman”.

“There are hours spent in the gym, on court, in physio, travelling, analysing matches and opponents, talking with your team, managing your body, and of course, making plenty of sacrifices”.

“Anyone who has spent any time with any of the top women will know that they make those same sacrifices and are as determined and committed to winning as any of the top men on the tour”.

Clearly by these statements Murray isn’t happy with the way women are treated in not just tennis but sport overall. Murray mentions that women go through the same process of developing into a top athlete as men and should be treated fairly because of this.

As a sports coaching and development student I found a lack of women in sport, especially looking towards the coaching side of the game. The difference between men and women in coaching in this day and age is still very alarming. One stand out statistic is that “Currently, women represent 42.6% of the head coaches in women’s sports while men represent 57.4% of the head coaches in women’s sports. In contrast, women represent less than 3% of the head coaches in men’s sports. This creates a double standard in which men are afforded greater coaching opportunities in both men’s and women’s sports. Conversely, coaching opportunities for women are limited in women’s sports and are mostly absent in men’s sports” (A. Walker & T.Bopp, 2011).

Another statistic I found out was that “Since 1972, the percentage of women coaching women’s teams has dropped from 90% to 43% (Acosta & Carpenter, 2010). The percentage of women coaching men’s sports has stayed relatively stable since 1972, hovering around 2–3%” (Acosta & Carpenter, 2010).

With these statistics along with others I found, I wanted to understand why gender inequality is still existent. Some of the reasons why it still exists may be because female coaches face many challenges in the workplace. Job availability, home-work life balance and support are some issues (Kamphoff, Amerntrout, & Driska, 2010).

Previous research also shows the decrease in the percentage of females coaching female athletes to be vast. Acosta & Carpenter (2012) found that only 20% of all collegiate teams (men’s and women’s) are coached by women and in 1972, 9 out of 10 coaches for women’s teams were females compared to 4 out 10 coaches for women’s teams are females in 2014. Research surrounding this decrease is important. It can help figure out how to recruit and retain female coaches, offer changes to help support female coaches, and determine why female coaches are leaving the profession (LaVoi, 2012).

So as well as women not being treated fairly in sport, there are also women coaches not being given the chance to coach at a higher level or the opposite sex sport, e.g (football) because of their sex. Although in the last 2-4 of years there has been an improvement to what we had 10 years ago, e.g (tennis), there is so much more we can do to make women fairly treated in sport, gain the same opportunities as men and give them the platform to believe they can go as high in sport as they can without having to worry about just because they are a ‘women’ they can’t make it to be a top athlete/coach.

References

• BBC News. (2017). Murray: Tennis women make same sacrifices as men. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-41082938 [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].
• Walker, N. and Bopp, T. (2011). THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE MALE-DOMINATED SPORT WORKPLACE: PERSPECTIVES OF FEMALE COACHES. p.47.​
• Amon, M. (2015). WHERE ARE ALL THE WOMEN? THE DECLINE OF FEMALE COACHES POST TITLE IX. pp.6-9.​
• Lavoi, N. (2012). THE SPORT BEHAVIOR OF YOUTH, PARENTS, AND COACHES: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:.​
• Acosta, R. and Carpenter, L. (2004). Women in Intercollegiate Sport. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 13(1), pp.62-89.​

 

Blocked Practice? Random Practice? Variable Practice?

Firstly, what is blocked practice, random practice and variable practice? Well, Dr.A. Belger (2013) mentions blocked and random practice as “Blocked practice is when a learner performs a single skill over and over, with repetition being the key.  Variance in training is minimized or nonexistent.  The learner then moves on to practice another discrete skill in the same way.  By contrast, in random practice, motor learners work on a number of different skills in combination with each other, randomly working trials and patterns of one and then the next and the next, with each trial interleaved on the previous one.  The random element means the learner is forced to be on his or her toes, not falling into a repetitive routine”. 

W.Berg (2009) describes variable practice as “Variable practice is a schedule of training in which many variations of a particular type or class of action (for example, Throwing) are performed. The opposite of variable practice is constant practice, which involves only a single variation within a class of action. 

Out of all three, random practice is definitely the favourite and I can say that with confidence. Although I have mentioned all three, blocked practice and random practice are the main practices in today’s sport. 

The reason I say random practice is the most favourite is because random practice is more game related, so therefore people will enjoy it more.

For example ‘rondo’ a popular warm up drill for football is very much game related and fun. The idea behind rondo is for the people on the outside have to retain possession of the football and whoever is in the middle has to try and intercept the pass. That is game related because in football you are trying to keep the ball and the opposite team is trying to get the ball off you. Also the fun aspect of rondo is that not only are you attempting to get the ball but if you was to get ‘megged’ (the ball goes in-between your legs) then the whole team would have a laugh about it and also they could be consequences for your action. So when I was involved in rondo, I got megged and I had to do 10 press ups and carry on playing.

Crag A.(2007) “A considerable amount of research in motor learning indicates that random practice produces superior learning and transfer to the competitive situation than does blocked practice, especially for athletes who must perform a number of different technical skills in their sport. Perhaps more important, athletes who practice under random conditions are better able to perform their skills in competition than athletes who practice in a blocked format”. Random practice makes the coach look bad as because the practice looks more messy than a blocked practice would, it doesn’t reflect good on the coach if someone was to go watch him/her. Although this isn’t really the case as the coach is putting the athlete first instead of themselves, which every coach should do.

R.Schmidt and T.Lee (2014) mention three positives about random practice.

▶ Random practice gives the learner more meaningful and distinguishable memories of the various tasks, increasing memory strength and decreasing confusion among tasks.

▶ Random practice causes the learner to forget the short-term solutions (from working memory) to the movement problem after each task change.

▶ Forgetting the short-term solution forces the learner to generate the solution again on the task’s next trial, which is beneficial to learning.

Blocked practice is more repetitive until you get it prefect or just to make sure you keep the skill you already have intact.

Gareth Bale, professional football player is repeatedly taking free-kicks in the same spot with the same goals each time, to beat the goalkeeper and score.

Craig A.(2007) “Blocked practice works best during the first few minutes of a practice session as part of the general warm-up. It is also useful when athletes are practising something new, such as a play, strategy, technique, or movement variation. However, once they seem to “get it”, athletes should begin incorporating the newly learned behaviour into more of a game-like practice structure”. Unlike random practice, blocked practice makes the players look better during training but leads to less transfer/retention, this is short term thinking for the athlete and blocked practice also makes the coach look good as the drill would be well structured with each knowing what they will be doing and performing it to a good standard.

So why is it that blocked practice makes athletes perform well during training but not in a game? well Dr. A. Belger (2013) says that “explanation for this is that there are lower demands on active problem-solving and engagement during blocked practice than during random practice”.

My own opinion

Personally I would prefer random practice over blocked or variable practice because, random practice focuses on more on the athlete than the other practices. This is important because as a athlete you would strive to become better and improve and random practice is the best practice to achieve that. Lastly random practice is more game related  so therefore this makes the training more enjoyable.

References

 Belger, A. (2013). Blocked Practice vs. Random Practice: Shake Things up in your Training and in your Life. [online] PSYCHOLOGY WOD. Available at: https://psychologywod.com/2013/08/18/blocked-practice-vs-random-practice-shake-things-up-in-your-training-and-in-your-life/ [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018].

Schmidt, R. and Lee, T. (2014). Motor Learning And Performance. p.336.

Wrisberg, C. (2007). Sport skill instruction for coaches. Champaign: Human Kinetics, p.106.

Berg, W. (n.d.). Variable practice: a strategy for the optimization of skill learning in youth athletics. p.46.