Community Junior Sport Coaching final report - 2009

However on all other aspects of coaching there was no significant difference between
experienced (> 5yrs) and inexperienced (< 2 yrs) coaches.
Commendations
Throughout this study, we have gained an immense insight into junior sport. Individual coaches,
clubs and state sporting organisations need to be congratulated on creating an enjoyable and
successful environment for the junior players in their charge.
The main areas worth noting are:
1. Player enjoyment. The majority of players were very enthusiastic about their sport. The two
aspects of training that they enjoyed the most were playing with friends and playing games.
They enjoyed the training sessions as well as competition and did not want to miss out on
participating. It was pleasing that players believed they were improving and also ‘knew what
they were meant to do’. The coaches have done a great job in ensuring players have fun with the
main strategies being: variety in the session; incorporate skills into games and finishing training
with a game.
2. MVPA levels. During an average under 10’s RL or RU training session the players are in MVPA
82% of the time (45 mins) which equals 75% of the minimum daily recommended amount of
exercise.
3. Qualifications. All participating coaches except two had a relevant coaching qualification. Sixtythree
percent of coaches have coached for at least five years.
4. Choice of activities. It seems junior coaches are skilled when selecting the type of drills or
activities to include in their practice session with 89% coaches choosing suitable activities for this
age group.
5. Interaction with players. The results indicate that the junior coaches have a healthy interaction
with their players. The majority of coaches are receptive to player suggestions (62%), are
encouraging (89%) and display consistent behaviour (90%).
6. Goals. All coaches were able to indicate what their goals were for the current training session. At
the conclusion of the session 68.5% of the coaches thought that they did meet their stated goals.
7. Coach enjoyment. Coaches identified aspects directly involving children as the most enjoyable
part of coaching with 57% indicating ‘watching kids have fun or improve’. This was followed by
‘athlete-coach relationships or interactions’ and ‘teaching’.
Additional Findings with Recommendations
Even when coaches are doing things well, there is always room for improvement. This section will
highlight areas that are causing major concern with coaches and players as well as offering possible
solutions.
Junior Community Coaching Report December 2009 66