When I first I qualified as a coach, back in 2009, I was told “get your coaching badge, then go and do some coaching.”
It felt odd, having just completed a “taught” course, but it seemed almost a recognition of the failure of coach education to actually teach the new coach what they should do.
It’s as if the coaching qualification was just a license to practice, rather than a preparation for (coaching) life.
But what is wrong with coach education? How do coaches learn?
(more…)When did you last have a serious coaching conversation with a fellow coach?
Not about who gets to use the bowling machine first, or about an individual player, or the opposition for next week’s game. But actually about the art and craft of coaching?
Just before Christmas, I stumbled into what could evolve into a local Community of Practice (CoP). It started (indeed, still largely functions) as a WhatsApp group for a group of coaches to arrange social events and to vent about employment issues.
One of the team posted a video of a young bowler with a question about his action, and got back a range of replies, all with a slightly different perspective, all with the same objective of helping that bowler to develop a more repeatable, more robust bowling action.
A hopeful beginning.
But where are the open discussion boards, the CoPs, the communities of like-minded individuals striving to provide the best possible experience to their charges?
(more…)I have helped out with a round of squad selection trials over the autumn. An interesting exercise, and I hope to work with the squads in the New Year.
As someone who, in a previous working life, was a certified 30 wpm typist, I have been helping to type up the hand-written coaching notes after a round of trials.
As much (more) for those not selected as those invited to join the “performance” or “development” squads, so they have feedback to take away from the extended trial process (up to four two-hour sessions), to think about and work on with their coaches.
Oh, but the written feedback is so varied, sometimes cryptic, often unspecific.
Which set me thinking about the words we use to describe players, and how we could do better.
(more…)
The Teesra 