P1/P2
Roles of a sports
coach
Leader- One role of a
sports coach is being able to lead groups. The key characteristics of being a
leader include being organised and knowledgeable. If the sports coach possesses
these two characteristics then should be able to set up high quality coaching
sessions. As a leader the sports coach must have good communication skills.
This allows them to successfully transfer their ideas over to the performers
and deliver their high quality sessions. Another part of being a leader would be
a role model to the performers. This ensures that the performers show the
sports coach respect and engage fully in their sessions.
Motivator- A large part of
being a sports coach is being able to motivate the group of performers you are
coaching. To be a motivator the coach must first be passionate himself about
coaching individuals. Two characteristics of being a motivator are being
supportive and encouraging. These two characteristics will motivate the
performers to develop and participate in the coaching sessions. As a motivator
the coach should be able to inspire his performers. This will increase their
intrinsic motivation and they will try harder to develop their skills.
Teacher- Being a coach also
means you need to teach new skills and techniques. This means the coach must be
knowledgeable to know and understand complex skills and techniques. The coach
while teaching must be authoritative. Meaning they can control their group and
ensure everyone is paying attention and benefiting from the session. The coach
must be organised and ensure they have a detailed coaching sessions ready to
teach the performers. Also they must be qualified; this allows them to teach
their sessions in a variety of situations to different levels of groups.
Manager- The coach must also
be able to manage his group and individual performers. Being a manager means
you must be able to communicate with the group/team you are managing. The
manager must be a role model to the group so they show respect to the coach.
Important part of being a manager is being able to control a full group and
also be able to communicate with individuals. Another characteristic of being a
manager is being organised. The team/group is dependant on you so the coach has
to deliver.
Responsibilities of
a coach
Updating knowledge-
As
a coach it is a responsibility to provide the performers with the best possible
coaching. A coach should never stop learning and keeping up to date with the
latest and most effective coaching techniques will only benefit his performers
and make him/her more successful as a coach. Knowledge can be gathered from all
different areas. Learning from the best and most successful coaches is one
place valuable knowledge can be gathered from.
Management and
Planning-
It is a responsibility of a coach to deliver high quality, beneficial sessions
to their performers. Sessions of such quality can’t be made up instantly on the
spot. The coach must give up their own time to plan in detail their coaching
sessions. The more detailed the planning is the likelihood that the coaching
session will be better.
Skill Development- As the coach
gains experience they must also develop within themselves. Improving all of the
skills associated with being a coach and being able to improve different types
of performer. This can come from learning from the top coaches and developing
from there.
Safety and Security-
The
highest priority for a coach is to ensure the coaching session is safe for the
performer. Especially when working with large groups of young children. The
coach must have sufficient knowledge and how to make a session safe for all
participants. If a session is unsafe then the coach must be able to adapt the
rules of the games or do what is necessary to ensure that the session is safe
for the performers.
Skills of a coach
Communication- This is a vital
skill for a coach. The coach must be able to firstly control the behaviour of
the group using communication. This can be difficult with larger groups or
younger children. Secondly communication is important so the coach can transfer
his knowledge to the performers through verbal communication, aiding the
development of the performer.
Organisation- The more organised
and prepared a coach is the higher quality their coaching sessions will be. A
lot of planning goes into coaching and when delivering a session the coach must
have the correct equipment to carry out what he intends to. An organised coach
will also keep records of his coaching sessions; this can be used to develop
coaching drills that didn’t work as effectively as planned. Also this allows
the coach to see which drills are effective and continue to use them.
Adaptability- Being adaptable is
very important as a coach. Not every session that the coach plans will run
accordingly. This can be for a variety of reasons including lack of performers
or lack of equipment. The best coaches can remain calm in these difficult
situations and adapt their coaching drills so they performer benefits from the
session.
