Coach Tracking Study(PDF) - sports coach UK

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COACH TRACKING STUDY 4 Supplementing Coaching Knowledge There is no doubt that coaches believe there is a benefit to learning and development. Ninety-five per cent (95%) believed it was important to improve or widen coaching knowledge and practice. Three themes that emerged from coaches as to why learning is important to them revolved around: the need to avoid stagnating; a link between coach development and player improvement; and providing better coaching sessions. Coaches often mentioned that you cannot stand still, as sport is always changing, and that you never stop learning: • To continue to improve my coaching, I must have access to coach development, new/fresh ideas and opportunities to learn. • Without continuing improvement personally, any coaching skills and abilities would stagnate and, with it, a loss of enjoyment in my chosen lifestyle and impact on clientele. • It doesn’t matter how experienced a coach is, they can never stop learning or improving how to improve their knowledge. They also see a link between the coach developing and improvement in the player: • To be able to get the gymnasts in my care to achieve their full potential. • To help improve the performance of the athletes. There has to be a strong knowledge base to supplement effective questioning/discovery methods. • Sports coaching is always developing/changing. I need to keep abreast of important changes so that I can pass on any relevant knowledge/skills to my students to improve their knowledge/skills. Thirdly, coaches felt that improving their skills led to better sessions: • To make my sessions/lessons relevant, specific to their needs and up to date. • I want to improve the way I deliver my thoughts and ideas to players, to simplify as much as possible and facilitate their development. • This will keep me fresh so that, when I deliver, my sessions are new and fresh. Information sought by coaches When coaches were asked what types of knowledge and information they sought, technical/tactical knowledge emerged as the most important. This and knowledge of other coaching skills, such as providing feedback, planning, motivation, observation and analysis, were sought by around two thirds of coaches. However, these more experienced coaches also accessed information associated with learning from their own practice. Skills such as listening, self-reflection and evaluation were also in the top 10 knowledge/information sources sought. 6
COACH TRACKING STUDY Table 2: Knowledge/information sources sought by coaches (Year Four) Knowledge/Information Sought Number % Technical/tactical knowledge 308 77 Providing feedback 280 70 Planning sessions: structure, format, content 272 68 Listening 268 67 Motivating athletes 264 66 Observation and analysis 262 66 Self-reflection and critical thinking 257 64 Evaluating sessions/programmes 254 64 Knowledge of a wide range of coaching methods 249 62 Providing instruction 245 61 Understanding/evaluating athlete/player development 243 61 Questioning 241 60 Planning programmes (over a season, year, cycle) 228 57 Responsiveness/adaptability to situation/person 228 57 Organisation of sessions (eg facilities, equipment, health and safety) 218 55 Decision making 196 49 Managing the coaching environment 196 49 Facilitating 188 47 As they gain experience, it appears coaches look to supplement their existing coaching knowledge with new types of information. Figure 1 shows how usage of these different sources of knowledge (ie those outside the top 10 in Table 2) has increased since Year Two while more traditional knowledge, such as planning and organising sessions, has been sought out less. 7
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Coach Tracking Study(PDF) - sports coach UK

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