Coaching has the ability to significantly develop both young children's sports skills and abilities, as well as improve the development of the next up and coming sports stars. It's an extremely rewarding and fast-paced job with skill foundations in communication and adjusting to others around you.
Becoming a good sports coach is more than just training plans and teaching athletes skills! You have to be able to reflect on yourself/your practices, listen to the athlete and their needs, and adapt very quickly to changes in environment, participant numbers, abilities, etc.
There is no one right way to coach – here at Manchester Metropolitan University we will give you the tools to be able to start developing your own personal coaching style, knowledge and understanding beyond the skills of the sport so that you can be the best you can be.
Topics include: analysis of athlete performance, coaching delivery, planning effective coaching sessions, working with athletes and using performance related feedback; some of which are covered in the video below.
Watch: Coaching Methods
Sport Coach UK
Watch the video on the right to explore the variety of methods that coaches employ.
Coaching Snapshot
See what some of our Community Football Coaches get up to. Manchester Met and City in the Community Foundation put together the One City Secondary Disability Event for Secondary School pupils with a disability.
Watch: Coaching Children with Disability
MCFC City in the Community
Watch the video on the left to see coaching in action through MCFC’s Coaching in the Community programme.
Apply Your Thinking:
What makes a good coach an excellent coach is their ability to reflect on their own practices, and their desire to improve. <a href=”https://www.ukcoaching.org/about”>UK Coaching</a> collaborate with organisations and pool their resources to make lasting improvements to coaching in the UK – from grass-roots through to elite performance levels. They inform Government on policy that supports coaches to have a positive impact on society, as well as developing learning that helps coaches support the needs and dreams of the people they coach.
Try the tasks below:
- Task 1: As future sports coaches yourself, you should all be a member of UK Coaching: Join for free (standard membership) to access lots of very useful materials that will support you on your journey through your degree.
- Task 2: Complete the Duty of Care Toolkit and Digital Badge to assess your skills and knowledge in the core disciplines of the coaching care ethos: Safeguarding, Inclusion, Diversity, Well-being and Mental Health. Download a copy of your digital badge and suggestions to support you in your personal development.
- Task 3: Look at the courses on offer and start to engage with these in order to support your personal coach development. UK Coaching currently has a FREE e-learning course on Sudden Cardiac Arrest – get yourself skilled up!
