I don't often do this on my blog but I thought this article was relevant and I wanted to share it with you.
http://www.mandurahmail.com.au/story/4943707/this-is-not-the-olympics-the-cut-throat-nature-of-modern-kids-sport/?cs=7
I believe as a Sports Coach I have a responsibility to up hold the Spirit of Sport and show the values of -
Honesty
Integrity
Passion
Professionalism
Equality & Diversity
Compassion
An also as sense of fair play and morality.
This article hear highlight for me a worrying trend I am seeing in junior sports today and a worrying trend I am seeing with Junior sports coaches where they are forgetting that there role as Junior sports coaches is to be about at the heart of it development, winning is secondary. We as sports coaches should be empowering our players both on and off the sporting field, we should be up lifting them and showing and allowing them to have fun. We shouldn't be doing things like what is referred to in this article because that is just driving young people away from sport.
I welcome thoughts and comments.
Saturday 23 September 2017
Coaching in a Grand Final & Major Tournament Finals
In Australia its September, which is that time of year which brings about finals, and in particular Grand Final or what we often refer to as that One Day in September or the Big Dance.
Leigh Mathews (Brisbane & Collingwood Australia Rules Football Coach) put it the best way, "You play throughout the season to qualify for the finals, because that is where its at."
As a Coach, I have had the opportunity to coach in grand finals and major tournament finals now on a total of 8 occasions, and its not an easy thing for a Coach because once you have done everything in the case of a Grand Final during the week with training etc, and you have made your final address to the team before they go out there, there is not really anything else you can do, the outcome is out of your hands and in the hands of the players on the ground. In some ways over the years I have actually been more nervous in minor finals that my teams have played in in order to qualify for the big dance, why you ask, because it's actually harder to qualify for a Grand Final or major tournament final that it is to play in them.
Anyway I thought I would share with you all, my approach as a Coach to a Grand Final and the week leading into it.
Well how I believe as a coach you need to approach the week leading in both for yourself and your team is to keep things as normal as possible, and allow yourself and your team to soak everything up and enjoy the moment, because they don't come along all that often. Generally I keep training as light and low key as possible mainly focussing on set plays and we will do some game simulation practice at training. After training I traditional remind my players to not do anything silly over the remaining days before the big day such as sky diving or bungee jumping, I call this my don't put yourselves in harms way talk.
After the training session, the next thing for me is I like to go out for dinner either by myself or generally with my Assistant Coaches or some friends the night before the big day, then its home to watch some sport or something on T.V before having and early night. Then we move to the day, I will generally start with a light breakfast, I tend to not eat a great deal normally some cereal or may be a bit of toast, but nothing heavier than that. Then the rest of the day really depends on what time the game is.
Now in terms of how I approach the actually Grand Final itself, well I generally like to get to the venue about 30 minutes before the players, and have a brief chat to my support team, and work through any last minute thoughts. Once the players start arriving I keep it relaxed as possible I will just let the players go about what they want to do. Once everyone settles into the rooms and we are all ready to go, then I will lead a very brief team talk, where its pretty much just going over the key points and saying, ok you know what to do, then the Captain and leadership group will speak then we head out for the warm-up.
From this point it's really over to the players to be honest, there is not much much more as a Coach I can do, the next task for myself as coach is to remain as calm as possible on the bench, I believe that this is the most crucial aspect, if you are calm then that will keep your players calm and in control no matter what the game throws at you. In a Grand Final the biggest thing to remember is to enjoy it as they don't come along that often, and that its a 50/50 chance, form throughout the season and position on the ladder counts for naught in a Grand Final.
At half time the focus again is on being calm and just going over the key points and reminder everyone to play there role, control the things that we can control and play it out right to the end.
Post game is also crucial, if you win as a Coach you want to let you hair down and celebrate with your players and share in this moment, but there is one thing I always do at the end no matter what, and that is seek out the opposition coach and shake there hand and share a few words, then I find the umpires and thank them. Once thats done its over to my players and the first person I go to is my Captain to share the moment with them, and moment that can if you win it never be taken away from you.
So in summing up I say to all Coaches keep it simple and straight forward leading into a Grand Final or major tournament final and also keep it calm and simple on the day as well, its to late to go changing things, if it wasn't working then you wouldn't have got here in the first place, so there is no need to change.
The biggest thing I say to all Coaches remember to enjoy the day and enjoy the opportunity.
Leigh Mathews (Brisbane & Collingwood Australia Rules Football Coach) put it the best way, "You play throughout the season to qualify for the finals, because that is where its at."
As a Coach, I have had the opportunity to coach in grand finals and major tournament finals now on a total of 8 occasions, and its not an easy thing for a Coach because once you have done everything in the case of a Grand Final during the week with training etc, and you have made your final address to the team before they go out there, there is not really anything else you can do, the outcome is out of your hands and in the hands of the players on the ground. In some ways over the years I have actually been more nervous in minor finals that my teams have played in in order to qualify for the big dance, why you ask, because it's actually harder to qualify for a Grand Final or major tournament final that it is to play in them.
Anyway I thought I would share with you all, my approach as a Coach to a Grand Final and the week leading into it.
Well how I believe as a coach you need to approach the week leading in both for yourself and your team is to keep things as normal as possible, and allow yourself and your team to soak everything up and enjoy the moment, because they don't come along all that often. Generally I keep training as light and low key as possible mainly focussing on set plays and we will do some game simulation practice at training. After training I traditional remind my players to not do anything silly over the remaining days before the big day such as sky diving or bungee jumping, I call this my don't put yourselves in harms way talk.
After the training session, the next thing for me is I like to go out for dinner either by myself or generally with my Assistant Coaches or some friends the night before the big day, then its home to watch some sport or something on T.V before having and early night. Then we move to the day, I will generally start with a light breakfast, I tend to not eat a great deal normally some cereal or may be a bit of toast, but nothing heavier than that. Then the rest of the day really depends on what time the game is.
Now in terms of how I approach the actually Grand Final itself, well I generally like to get to the venue about 30 minutes before the players, and have a brief chat to my support team, and work through any last minute thoughts. Once the players start arriving I keep it relaxed as possible I will just let the players go about what they want to do. Once everyone settles into the rooms and we are all ready to go, then I will lead a very brief team talk, where its pretty much just going over the key points and saying, ok you know what to do, then the Captain and leadership group will speak then we head out for the warm-up.
From this point it's really over to the players to be honest, there is not much much more as a Coach I can do, the next task for myself as coach is to remain as calm as possible on the bench, I believe that this is the most crucial aspect, if you are calm then that will keep your players calm and in control no matter what the game throws at you. In a Grand Final the biggest thing to remember is to enjoy it as they don't come along that often, and that its a 50/50 chance, form throughout the season and position on the ladder counts for naught in a Grand Final.
At half time the focus again is on being calm and just going over the key points and reminder everyone to play there role, control the things that we can control and play it out right to the end.
Post game is also crucial, if you win as a Coach you want to let you hair down and celebrate with your players and share in this moment, but there is one thing I always do at the end no matter what, and that is seek out the opposition coach and shake there hand and share a few words, then I find the umpires and thank them. Once thats done its over to my players and the first person I go to is my Captain to share the moment with them, and moment that can if you win it never be taken away from you.
So in summing up I say to all Coaches keep it simple and straight forward leading into a Grand Final or major tournament final and also keep it calm and simple on the day as well, its to late to go changing things, if it wasn't working then you wouldn't have got here in the first place, so there is no need to change.
The biggest thing I say to all Coaches remember to enjoy the day and enjoy the opportunity.
Friday 22 September 2017
Developing a Selection Guideline
One of the questions I am often asked when I travel around talking to Sports Coaches is, "What do you feel are the most important things to look for in a player when picking a team?" Well that is not and easy question to answer, because it largely depends on the team you are picking and what that team will be doing. So what I have now done is develop a set of guidelines or pointers that I look for then adjust them according to the team and the level I am selecting.
This is what I look at in general terms-
1. Are the a thinking player, do they have a sports brain if you will can the read the game, can the read the play and how far ahead of the game are they. I believe that this is the most critical requirement for any player if they don't this then the rest doesn't really matter.
2. How do the relate to the potential team-mates, coaches, and even how they relate to others such as there parents etc. Do they show respect, do they listen, do they contribute and above all else will they fit in with the team.
3. Whats there work ethic like, how hard are they prepared to work in order to succeed, are they seeking perfection and pay attention to details or are they lazy and cut corners.
4. What are their basic and key game skills like, w.ill they hold up under pressure or will they crumble
5. Do they have any special skills, can they for example in my sport of hockey drag-flick. These special skills are they valuable will the team need them or not
So as you can see I place a big focus on how a player thinks and also how a player relates to others around them, before I look at their skills, and once I turn to there skills again, I am looking at their basic skills first and foremost before I look at anything else, because I believe that substance in a player is more important than flash, and this is where allot of novice coaches and novice selectors get it wrong, they mistake flash for substance.
At the end of the day this is not a comprehensive list, its designed to be a basis from which you can form a more comprehensive selection criteria to determine a squad depending on the team you are choosing.
Thursday 14 September 2017
Using Quotes as a Sport's Coach
As a Sports Coach, I am always on the look out for great quotes that can help lift and inspire the players and the teams I coach. Now this is not something new, Sports Coaches since the dawn of time have been doing this, whether it actually has any tangible motivation or effect on the players or the team is debatable, but that is perhaps for other to judge. I thought in this piece I would share some of my all time favourite quotes that I used and also some that I have created myself.
Herb Brooks (1980 US Olympic Ice Hockey Coach)
Herb Brooks I think brought us many classic and great quotes, now some of these are not necessary certain that he actually said it but I think they are great and I have used his quote's quiet a bit of the years-
"Great moment are born from great opportunity"
" You can't be common, because common goes know where you have to be uncommon"
" Let me start with issuing you a challenge be better than you are. Set a goal that seems unattainable and when you reach that one set another even higher"
"Hard-work beats Talent when Talent doesn't work hard"
"You were born to be a player, you are meant to be here, this moment is your"
"Risk something or forever sit with your dreams"
" The legs feed the wolf"
John Wooden (UCLA Head Basketball coach)
John Wooden I think has given many great quotes particularly in the area of leadership, and here are some of his that I think are most memorable-
"Make each day your masterpiece"
"Never mistake activity for achievement"
"Success is never final, failure is never fatal"
"Failure to prepare is preparing to fail"
"The true test of a persons character is what they do when know one is watching"
"The best competition is with myself to become the best I can be"
Ric Charlesworth (Australian Hockeyroo and Kookaburra Head Coach)
Dr Ric Charlesworth the greatest Australian sports coach of all time, perhaps the greatest ever Field Hockey Coach of all time has given us many great quotes and here are some of the most memorable one's. Ric was big on using Shakesphere
"The interesting think about coaching is you have to trouble the comfortable and comfort the troubled"
"The best performer are those that can control their emotions, make good judgements, and be calm in cauldron of competition"
" Our doubt are our traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win be fearing to attempt."
________________________________________________________________________________
There are also many other great quotes out there from Coaches here are some that I have found over the years that I like-
"Winning is not a sometime thing its an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you dont do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time, winning is a habit, so is losing" (Vince Lombardi)
"Most people get excited about games, but I get excited about practice because that's my classroom" (Pat Summit)
"Our emphasis is on execution not winning"
"Will you come to the edge with me, I know it can be scary, but if you come to the edge with me, we can fly together"
"The ox is slow but earth is patient" (Confucius) used by Mick Malthouse Australian Football Coach
" You are either a windshield or a bug" (Mick Malthouse)
Together
Everyone
Achieve's
More
KISS: Keep it simple and straight-forward.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Then I have also come up with some of my own like-
"Follow your dreams and your dream will be reality"
"Reach for the stars, if you miss at least you will hit the moon"
"Remember the triple C, Confidence, Control and Composure"
So what do you think, do inspiration quotes work? What are some of your favourites?
Herb Brooks (1980 US Olympic Ice Hockey Coach)
Herb Brooks I think brought us many classic and great quotes, now some of these are not necessary certain that he actually said it but I think they are great and I have used his quote's quiet a bit of the years-
"Great moment are born from great opportunity"
" You can't be common, because common goes know where you have to be uncommon"
" Let me start with issuing you a challenge be better than you are. Set a goal that seems unattainable and when you reach that one set another even higher"
"Hard-work beats Talent when Talent doesn't work hard"
"You were born to be a player, you are meant to be here, this moment is your"
"Risk something or forever sit with your dreams"
" The legs feed the wolf"
John Wooden (UCLA Head Basketball coach)
John Wooden I think has given many great quotes particularly in the area of leadership, and here are some of his that I think are most memorable-
"Make each day your masterpiece"
"Never mistake activity for achievement"
"Success is never final, failure is never fatal"
"Failure to prepare is preparing to fail"
"The true test of a persons character is what they do when know one is watching"
"The best competition is with myself to become the best I can be"
Ric Charlesworth (Australian Hockeyroo and Kookaburra Head Coach)
Dr Ric Charlesworth the greatest Australian sports coach of all time, perhaps the greatest ever Field Hockey Coach of all time has given us many great quotes and here are some of the most memorable one's. Ric was big on using Shakesphere
"The interesting think about coaching is you have to trouble the comfortable and comfort the troubled"
"The best performer are those that can control their emotions, make good judgements, and be calm in cauldron of competition"
" Our doubt are our traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win be fearing to attempt."
________________________________________________________________________________
There are also many other great quotes out there from Coaches here are some that I have found over the years that I like-
"Winning is not a sometime thing its an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you dont do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time, winning is a habit, so is losing" (Vince Lombardi)
"Most people get excited about games, but I get excited about practice because that's my classroom" (Pat Summit)
"Our emphasis is on execution not winning"
"Will you come to the edge with me, I know it can be scary, but if you come to the edge with me, we can fly together"
"The ox is slow but earth is patient" (Confucius) used by Mick Malthouse Australian Football Coach
" You are either a windshield or a bug" (Mick Malthouse)
Together
Everyone
Achieve's
More
KISS: Keep it simple and straight-forward.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Then I have also come up with some of my own like-
"Follow your dreams and your dream will be reality"
"Reach for the stars, if you miss at least you will hit the moon"
"Remember the triple C, Confidence, Control and Composure"
So what do you think, do inspiration quotes work? What are some of your favourites?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)