BBC Sport [Online]
Available from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/skills/4229090.stm
[Accessed 07/03/15]
Independent Coach Education (2014) [Online]
Available from:
http://www.independentcoacheducation.co.uk/blog/022470-constraint-led_approach_to_coaching_cricket
[Accessed throughout]
Liam Hendley (2016) [Photos]
[Accessed throughout]
Sam Snow (2011) [Online]
Available from:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/Coaching-Youth-Soccer-5th-Edition
[Accessed 15/02/16]
Sports Session Planner [Online]
Available from:
http://www.sportsessionplanner.com/s/BojP/Risca-United-Academy-(U16s)-29-09-2014.html
[Accessed 01/05/16]
Monday, 11 April 2016
Football (Possession): Coaching Reflection UPDATED
Football (Possession): Coaching Reflection UPDATED
Warm Up
The warm up was a steady warm up, with not too much
intensity, but with a few activities as to make it fun and not boring. The warm
up went well, and the participants were highly active within the warm up, which
lead well into the first drill.
The warm up was based on special awareness, ensuring the
participants had space within the square, and when reacting to a whistle task
they were able to complete with enough space and to a sufficient level. All of
the participants took part and were all active throughout and understood the
tasks clearly and there was no confusion involved.
Planning
In terms of the planning, levels of organisation were a lot
higher when planning the possession based session. This is because I had learnt
from the previous session and came to the decision that my organisation and
planning levels needed to exceed those from before. This decision ensured that
my plan was successful and that the entire organisation needed before, during
and after the session was completed. A huge advantage I had going into this
session was the fact I had delivered a similar session previously and this was
to be an improved version, so I knew what I had done wrong previously and what I
needed to improve on.
By ensuring that the plan was fail-proof it allowed me to be
a lot more comfortable with the session overall, knowing I had a solid plan behind
me and I know that every drill lead smoothly into the one that was to follow.
This in turn made the quality of the drills, the session and my delivery a lot more
professional in comparison to the first attempt.
Although there were many positives to take from the planning
of the session there is one improvement I believe could be made. The session
ran smoothly, but it was very close to being too little numbers to work, if
this was the case then the session would not have run at all as well as it did.
Making adjustments for the sizing of the group and maybe having back up drills
is something to look at in the near future.
Communication and Demonstration
As discussed above, the plan I had made myself prior to this
session was excellent. This then needed to be followed up by confident and
decisive coaching. Because we were working on a possession based theme in
football, this meant that everybody was involved majority of the time which
meant I was always directing to the group and giving coaching points to the
group and not focussing on individuals, which could also be a disadvantage that
one to one coaching wasn’t implemented.
My communication levels were good, the participants were
highly active within every drill I had delivered and seemed to understand the
tasks and constraints they were asked to be a part of. One major advantaged I
think I had which wasn’t present during the first session was my whistle. This
meant I was able to stop play and communicate with people straight away and
they would give me their attention and listen to the coaching I was delivering.
The use of the whistle also came in big use during my warm up, using the
whistle instead of shouting I believe was a huge positive, as I believe it
reduced confusion and instruction.
Throughout the coaching session I was also keen to give demonstration,
enabling the participants to see a demonstration of a task they need to perform
I believe is always an advantage for them. This meant that during the session I
was able to use verbal communication, visual communication as well as whistle communication.
I feel because of the delivery, planning and communication were
all successful that the group felt part of a well organised session that
provided clear demonstration and direction. Because they reacted well to the
drills it created a positive vibe around the group which enabled them to be
creative and really try in the session to succeed, no matter what the task in
hand.
Delivery
My delivery throughout the session I believe was very good.
The session went as planned, and it followed the planning as well I could have
hoped for. I believe the drills ran smoothly into one another and the
constraints brought about the behaviours I expected from the participants.
Coaching points to my thoughts were implemented well, and
the participants had a clear understand of the coaching points through verbal
direction, as well as visual demonstration. Both of these are important; as
some participants learn better through being told, whereas some learn better
through visual explanation.
Although my delivery was good and the coaching was solid,
there is always going to be negatives at this level. As well as I feel I
delivered the session on a whole, I believe that I could have intervened more
throughout the session. For example; during the switching play drill, I was
happy to let the play run and for them to keep going through the drill
themselves. Whereas in that drill I could have halted the drill and reinforced
coaching points, or even brought about tactics and strategies that could have
helped either the attackers or the defender. If I can incorporate the coaching
points and strategies midway through a drill and have participants implement
them this will be a huge advantage to my coaching.
Below are two videos of the final drill being implemented by the
participants, I believe these videos show that they were highly involved in the
drill and they understood the task and the constraints fully.
Creativity and Game Realistic
The session I delivered I believe throughout was very game realistic.
Within football a lot of different passes are being made, with short and long
being used. Within my drills we worked on short passes, short passes under
pressure, quick passes, pressured passes and long passes. I believe that all
passes within football were covered within this session which would make the
session game realistic. The most game-like drill would have to be drill three.
With defenders closing you down, you having to make 5 quick passes in a small
space and then switch play I believe is included heavily within a match scenario
within football. This then moved into a game like scenario where defenders,
midfielders and attackers were all separate looking for overloads, which is a
huge thing within the game.
The drills could have been seen as basic, however they were
solid and they extracted the correct behaviours from the participants which
then allowed them to be creative themselves. So in turn, the drills being
delivered as basic, but having the constraints to allow the participants to be
creative was an advantage and it gave them the freedom to try new skills,
whilst prioritising the task at hand. I feel this was a huge bonus to my
session.
The final drill and the game scenario I feel were very
creative, as they both linked into an overload feature that I had not developed
first time around. This meant that defenders were outnumbered and attackers
could also develop strategies and tactics in order to be successful. For this I
think the foundations and instructions were laid out, it then just needed
participants to be creative and use their initiative in order to be successful;
which towards the end we began to see some high level results because of that.
Within coaching there is always going to be room for
improvement. The only thing we can do as coaches, is focus on the positives we
do have, continue to implement them into our sessions, whilst also striving to
remove as many negatives as we can whilst we develop and progress.
Football (Possession): Session Plan UPDATED.
Football (Possession) Session Plan UPDATED
The following post is an updated and improved session plan
for possession within football. The aim and objectives of this session are as
follows:
·
Introduce passing within possession
·
Interchange short/long passing
·
Introduce awareness to passing
·
Introduce transitions of play which result in
overloads
·
Incorporate all the above within a game like
scenario.
Warm Up
Within a square, the participants are keeping on the move,
nothing to strenuous. Lightly jogging around the marked out area; the
participants are given the following instructions.
On the whistle, they will perform the following tasks in
tandem with the correct number of whistles. For example, ONE whistle, each
participant sprints round a cone on the outside and comes back in. The following
are the tasks on the whistle
1.
Run around cone and come back
2.
Left hand down
3.
Right hand down
Including these, keeps the warm
up fresh and enables the participants to keep warm and not stand about.
Following the warm up, static and
dynamic stretches are introduced in order to prevent injury; with participants dictating
stretches used.
Drill One: Passing
In threes, each group are given a
ball. Standing in a triangle they are to produce passes between one another. The
passes have no constraints as it gives the participants a chance to get a feel
for the ball before the possession starts. This is a simple yet effective drill
that is to give confidence to the participants about their passing skills.
Drill Two: El Rondo
In a circle, with one defender; the
task is for the outside players to maintain possession away from the defender.
Starting with unlimited touches and introducing constraints as they develop.
Aims – Introduce quick
passing/passing under pressure, awareness and quick thinking.
Possible Constraints – Two touch,
one touch, two defenders one defender, head height.
Drill three: Switching play, Possession & Overload
Within this drill the indoor pitch
will be split into three sections. Either end will be known as the possession
areas, and the middle section will be for the defenders. Below is a diagram of
how the pitch will be separated.
The coach will pass the ball to
either side of the possession areas, once they have taken their first touch;
ONE of the defenders from the middle section will then proceed into the
possession area and will attempt to win back possession. The possession area
must then make five passes. If successful they then pass the ball to the other
possession area, when upon their first touch another defender from the defender
section will close them down. If the defender is able to gain possession or
knocks the ball out of the rea, then the defending section swaps with the
losers of possession. Play this out for a while, is this is the biggest part of
the session.
Constraint One – this is where
the amount of passes made by the possession areas can be increased to 10.
Once this constraint is made,
this will increase the amount of passes being made by the possession areas.
However it also gives the defender longer to intercept the ball.
Constraint two - Increase the
amount of defenders from one to two. This makes the passing a lot harder for
the possession area, move passes back down to 5 also.
This will ensure that the possession
areas are careful with their passes, are aware of the defending two and think
about their passes prior to receiving the ball.
Game Scenario
This time, keeping the same 3
sections the participants will be divided into two teams. Each team will have
players within each section, defenders, midfielders and attackers. Each will
rotate so it doesn’t matter what position they begin with.
The game will be played as
normal, however if for example a defender passes to a midfield player, he can
then move forward and join in with the midfield to overload that area, and
visa-versa with midfielders to attackers. Once the move has broken down the
players must return to their positions and only one player can move forward and
attack at one time.
Constraints: Within the game
scenario, the constraints are the sections that the participants are restricted
to unless they play the ball forward and create an overload. Another constraint
you can add is a two touch rule which limits the time that players have on the
ball in each section. Altering the positions in this game scenario is key to
involve all players in each section enabling them to develop skills in
overloading, defending and attacking whilst also passing throughout.
Football (Possession): Coaching Reflection
Reflection of Coaching
First of all, I believe that the session lacked creativity and didn't have enough variety for a successful coaching session. The ideas were simple and basic and lacked any initiative from myself really. An advantage from the session would be that the participants will have engaged in the basics of possession within football, however without too much direction. There was no end goal within the possession and nothing to aspire towards with progression.
The passing itself worked well, the participants were responsive to the tasks at hand and produce some good results within the passing field. Participants seemed to engage in the El Rondo drill the most, which from the outside can be seen as the more fun component of the session and it also gives players the freedom, to be creative, whereas the other components can be seen as dull and boring.
The constraints I feel worked, but they were again very simple. The constraints changed the behaviour of the participants somewhat, however because the drills were simple and the constraints were limited it had little effect. Simply swapping feet or enabling one or two touch doesn't challenge the skill of the possession, it challenges the skills of the participant themselves which steers away from the possession aim of the session.
In terms of coaching, I feel communication was of a good level. Including demonstrations helped hinder confusion; and I believe the participants had a high level of understanding with the tasks and constraints that were used.
At the first attempt of the possession session I feel there is a lot to learn. I feel if I work on the creativity of the drills and expand the levels of constraints that it has the foundation for an excellent drill. Expanding the constraints and the tasks will allow the participants to introduce new skills and I can show them different strategies and tactics to cope with those constraints.
Football (Possession): Session Plan
Football Possession: Session Plan
This session plan is from the first delivery of the
possession football session. This session was delivered in Chesterfield Tennis
Centre. The aims of the session were to focus the participants on keeping
possession of the ball as well as working on their passing and pressing of the
ball.
Drill One
Begin passing the ball from cone to cone in pairs,
progressing the distance as the session goes on. Alternate feet used, as well
as one and two touch limits. This allows the participants to get a feel for the
ball, whilst also introducing small constraints.
Coaching points – Standing foot next to the ball, knee over
the ball (striking leg), effective communication.
Drill Two
This time the participants are separated into groups of
three. In the groups they form a triangle and begin passing between one another
keeping their positions. Rotate directions, feet used and touch count once
again.
Coaching points – Same as Drill One, Be on your toes.
Drill three
El Rondo. This is where the participants from a circle with
one defender in the middle. The aim of the game is to maintain possession of
the ball whilst the defender pursues the ball looking for an interception. If
the defender intercepts then they swap with the player who gives possession
away.
Coaching points – pick your next pass, awareness, keep your
head up
Drill Four
Split the group into two teams. In a square the two teams
must try and keep possession from the other. Constraints such as one touch, two
touch, and also adding a floating player who can play for either team.
Coaching points – Think of your next pass before the ball
arrives, keep your head up, movement, special awareness.
Coaching with Constraints: Tennis 1 v 1
Coaching Constraints: Tennis 1 v 1
Following the constraints process within coaching, allows
coaches to develop their coaching styles whilst also developing the athletes
they are coaching.
One model/method of coaching constraints is the behavioural changing
model. This model consists of constraining the task, human and environment in
order to change the athlete’s behaviour.
 |
To put into practice, I have designed a coaching session
based on tennis that will constrain in turn of these aspects, which will then
in turn alter the athlete’s behaviour.
1 v 1 constrained tennis session plan
The following session plan was created using a constraints
method of coaching within a tennis environment. The aim of the session was to
constrain the environment, task and behaviour of the participants within the
drills and games provided. Following the constraints process whilst coaching;
allows coaches to develop their coaching styles whilst also developing the
participant’s skill levels.
Drill One
The first drill was a simple tennis drill with no
constraints introduced. The drill was a simple 1 v 1 altercation within a full
tennis court with a tennis ball. The aim was to introduce the participants into
the game of tennis and allow them to have creativity and freedom with the shots
they played and the tactics they followed.
Drill Two (Constraint)
The second drill was to introduce a sponge ball instead of
an actual tennis ball. This would make participants think about their power and
placement; whilst also slowing down reaction times in order for players to be
able to pick any shot they felt right. This would also begin the changes in
behaviour and tasks due to the constraints.
Drill Three (Constraint)
The third drill was similar to the first two, instead this
time keeping the same ball the participants were only allowed in a service box
each. This meant the length of play was a lot shorter and this time players had
to focus on their shot choices. This is where passing shots came into play
which lead onto the next constraint in drill four.
Drill Four (Constraint)
The final drill was still within the service boxes; however
this time, to earn a point you had to produce a passing shot past your opponent
within the cones provided. Once the participants got to grips with these constraints; they were able to introduce doubles, tennis balls and play their passing shots after building in a rally. Below is a video that shows examples of hitting the corners of the court from different distances and showing it changes behaviour at different lengths.
Basketball Lay-Up: Coaching Reflection
Basketball Lay-Up: Coaching Reflection
The aim of this particular session was for the participants
to gain a basic understanding and learn the skill of a lay-up within basketball.
The skill was broken down into three separate phases which would all be integrated
later on during the session.
As mentioned, I had broken the skill down into three phases,
which were all to be performed individually before including them all as one.
Having the three phases I believe helped the participants work on the different
techniques within the skill one after the other which reduced confusion. They were
able to focus on one aspect of the drill before moving onto the other. This was
an advantage, however I feel that because it was in a group environment, many
people become bored and restless with the activities. Some found the tasks
simple and some ha to work on the aspects of the lay-up, but for the sake of
the drill I had to keep them all on the same levels.
Communication was a strong point, similar to the tennis
serve; because the phases were pre planned and they weren't going to change
they were easy to coach and explain to the participants. The progression was
already there as they progressed from phase to phase before resulting in the
completion of a full lay-up.
Again I feel as if because it was a group drill that
participants were seen to be standing around and some getting restless. This
could be helped by maybe splitting the groups into smaller numbers and using multiple
nets; or maybe using this drill on a one to one basis.
Overall I think my communication and delivery of the session
was good, with the participants understand the phases and developing the skills
throughout to produce some good results. Maybe just the sizing of the groups and
the way in which the groups worked could be worked on.
Basketball Lay-Up Session Planning
Basketball Lay-Up Session Plan: Traditional Approach
Venue – Chesterfield tennis centre
Sport – Basketball
Skill – Lay-up
Phase 1.
During this phase, get the participants to practice walking
to the basket at an angle and shooting the ball within the black square.
Ensuring the participant can successfully complete 5 in a row, move on to phase
2.
Phase 2.
This phase incorporates the jumping side of the lay-up.
During this phase, the learner will walk to the basket as phase one, but this
time jumping and shooting within the black square. Again on completion of 5,
move to phase 3.
Phase 3.
This phase includes the running to the basket within the
lay-up ensuring the steps are right and the learner leads off with the correct
leg. This should be done without the ball, concentrating solely on the run up.
Once the learner has grasped the run up, move to phase 4.
Phase 4.
This now includes all 3 previous phases, incorporating them
all together for a successful lay-up.
Coaching points.
·
Ensure only two steps are taken prior to the
basket
·
Set off (jump) from one leg, the strongest
·
Aim for the black square on the backboard
·
Ensure the first step is with the correct foot.
Tennis Serve: Reflection on Coaching
Reflection of Coaching
In the tennis centre, I delivered a coaching session one to one with a plan that I had previously put together. The aim of the session was to focus on the element of the tennis serve and break the action down into layers, learning each layer in turn which is known as part-learning. Breaking skills down into their simplest forms and learning them bit by bit is mainly to encourage the perfection of each layer of the skill before putting the skill together.
I found that breaking the skill down into layers and learning them individually helped the learners with the overall learning of the layers. The first layer is probably the most important, which is the original toss of the ball. To begin this the learner practised tossing the ball in the air with the correct technique, doing this over and over enabled the learner to first of all grasp the general technique, before then moving on to perfect the throw.
Then moving the learner on, the learner then began to toss the ball up in the air, but this time landing the ball on the racket on the floor whilst using the same technique as before. Completing the two layers then enabled the learner to gather the technique of the original throw and now combine it with accuracy to enable a throw worthy of serving. Only when the learner was able to land the ball on the racket around 7 times out of 10, would we then move on to the movement of the racket serving arm.
The next layer of the part-learning process of the tennis serve is the arm movement. Incorporating the arm movement into the throw is the main component of the serve. Ensuring the arm movement and the throw are simultaneous and accurate, the serve can’t pretty much go wrong. Ensuring the learner is able to complete the arm movement of the serve correctly is important. Slowing the serve down and learning the layers enables them to concentrate on the arm movement specifically.
In terms of a coaching point of view I feel from a communication stand point it was very easy to communicate with participants in regards to the skills needed and the task at hand. This is because all participants were required to do the same simple tasks in different stages in order to complete the technique fully. The coaching points and task were the same for each participant all at the same time as they all progressed together throughout the session.
All in all I feel the part-learning process is successful in the overall learning of the steps and enables the learner to focus on them individually. However I feel the slow learning process of the steps can also be tedious and if people are already aware of how to serve or aren't interested in the sport of tennis may become bored and not interact properly.
Tennis Serve Planning: Traditional Approach
Tennis Serve Session Plan
The following session plan was used in order to coach
participants the technique of a serve in tennis. The serve itself was learnt in
stages so to not overload the participant with information. Was one stage was
learnt, they moved on to perfect the next stage until all stages were
completed. At this point they could then begin to incorporate all the stages
learnt in one motion to produce a tennis serve
Venue – Chesterfield Tennis Centre
Aims & Objectives – Complete different stages of a
tennis serve; resulting in completing the whole technique as one.
Stage One
The first stage in the tennis serve technique was the
throwing of the ball. This is where the participants stand side on to the base
line with their feet shoulders width apart whilst practising throwing the ball
in their ear with their non-racquet hand. Whilst the participant is throwing
the ball in the air, place a racquet by their side. The aim of stage one is for
the participant to be able to throw the ball in the air above their heads;
which with repetition should lead to accuracy landing on the racquet beside
them.
Coaching Points – Hold tennis ball with the ends of fingers
and thumb in order to ensure the ball goes directly above their head.
Stage Two
The second stage of the tennis serve is the back swing and
contact with the ball. This stage will also include stage one as the participants
look to include both stages together. The participant should continue to throw
the ball in the air, but now as the ball is at its highest point they are to
make contact with the ball with a tennis racquet. The racquet should be used in
a throwing like motion to hit the ball. This stage is recommended to be
conducted against a wall to avoid a follow through for the time being.
Coaching points – Create a hinge at the elbow, hit the ball
at its highest point, swing the racquet in a throwing motion, finger and thumb
grip.
Stage Three
The final stage of learning the tennis serve is the follow
through after the contact. Including this final stage completes the technique
of the serve. The participant to begin with should continue on the wall, once
they have a comfortable feeling for the swing and the follow through they can
progress onto the full court to practice. This where they will progress to use
all three stages and complete successful tennis serves on a full court tennis
situation.
Coaching points – Ensure after follow through the racquet
finishes past opposite hip. Also allow the body to follow through with the
shot, stepping into the court after serving.
Sunday, 10 April 2016
Traditional Approach to Sports Coaching
Traditional Approach to Coaching
Traditional approaches to sports coaching focus on the
technique of particular skills within a sporting scenario. This approach
involves direct instructions from the coach when using drills that involve
repetition in order to achieve higher levels of skill.
The major key to the traditional approach to sports coaching
is ensuring the participants gain the basic level of skill, which then eases them
into the sporting scenario with further development and progression to enhance
their skills. In a nut shell, the traditional approach can be started by practising
simple techniques over and over again until the technique is perfect which then
the skill set will be developed and repetition will begin again.
From the coach’s side of thing the traditional approach
hinders their creativity and stamp on the drills and sessions. This is because
the participants will have to act out certain techniques within the specific
sport that can’t be altered if the skill is to be learned. However this then
makes the planning and setting up of those drills easier for the coach, as they
will be following a technique which is available within coaching books or
online. This then makes this particular approach very instruction heavy, as the
participants must follow a set technique or skill set that has been previously
studied by the coach themselves.
This approach however can then also be tedious for the
participants. Because they are repeating the same manoeuvre’s over and over
again, they can be seen as to become bored and restless with the drills. This
is especially seen in people who have previous experience in the specific sport
being coached during that session. As well this means that the instructions
hinder the participants freedom, which disables them from trying new skills or
adapting philosophies or styles of their own within that particular sport.
Games Approach to Sports Coaching
Games Approach to Coaching
The games approach to sports coaching is one that uses the
method of teaching the technical and skilful aspects of the sports through
different phases; such focusing on different parts of play to enhancing the
play to increase skill usage. This type of approach is where the coaches can
use their initiative to be a lot more creative with their sessions and ideas.
This particular approach requires less instruction from the coaches, with fewer
boundaries for the athletes in order for them to introduce their own methods
and tactics.
From an athletes perspective the games approach coaching
method is considered to be more enjoyable. This is because the athletes have
freedom in order to play the game and gain their own knowledge and develop
skills they feel they need to work on; as well as trying new skills out for the
first time. This then enables the athletes to work on their decision making
skills during a game scenario; whereas with the traditional approach, the
athletes focus on set techniques and sequences of play that have been planned for
them prior to the session.
Sam Snow (2011) identifies that ‘The games approach is
taught using a four-step process.’ The four steps he refers to are shown below:
1.
Play a modified game
2.
Help the players discover what they need to do
in order to play the game successfully
3.
Teach the skills of the game
4.
Practice the skills in another game
These steps indicate that the games approach is seen as a
laid back approach to coaching. By all means, discipline and normal coaching
procedures will be followed, but in terms of the game itself, the athletes will
have a lot more freedom.
As a coach I enjoy this approach a lot, as it gives you the
chance to be creative with some of the games you try to work on the skills.
Because the athletes are given the freedom to try new skills or develop
existing ones, designing fun games in order to give them that satisfaction I believe
is rewarding.
Title Page
Liam hendley - 308144 Tutor - Arron White
Practical Sports Coaching Assignment Two
Coaching Blog & Practical Coaching Assessment
LO4 - Apply the Principles of teaching to coaching situations.
LO5 - Demonstrate the ability to adapt a session to ensure an inclusive coaching environment.
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