Included in this leaflet: Four roles of a coach

Four Responsibilities of a coach

Skills of a successful coach

You can no longer identify an effective sports coach as someone who can just take a good coaching session. Along wit coaching comes many roles and responsibilities that enable them to ensure that every thing possible concerned with their team is of the highest standard that is available to them. In the majority of cases the coach will become responsible for nearly all aspects associated with their team. Roles of a Sports Coach Disciplinarian An effective sports coach will know how important it is to have discipline in the team under their control as it will be easier to work with the team in all situations, and will make training more enjoyable and understandable as everybody is willing to listen and are aware of what is expected of them.. Good team discipline will also make sure that players behave in a respectable manner whilst attending official club functions and when representing the club, which will portray a positive image of the club to the media, fans and general public. This positive behaviour is also likely to transfer onto the field of play, resulting in a well organised and disciplined team, which in turn could lead to positive performances and better communication with officials. It is important to reinforce the discipline needed between the coach's team and officials as lack of discipline on the pitch could lead to dismissal which could lead to loss of games. Importantly, being a good disciplinarian will ensure everybody knows who is in charge. Some problems may come up if a manager does not discipline appropriately and is unable to complete this role effectively. Certain players may feel that the coach is being too harsh and may feel the need to rebel, which could split the team and lead others astray. In another situation, players may feel a coach is too lax, so may choose to ignore instructions as the coach has no authority. This could lead to athletes messing around in training and not performing to the best of their ability. An example of a coach who is an effective disciplinarian is Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United FC. Ferguson likes to keep his players feet on the ground, and is a firm believer that no individual is bigger than the team, regardless of ability. His commitment to this belief has been demonstrated on a number of occasions in relation to high-profile players speaking out against either the manager or the team. Jaap Stam was sold after revelations about the manager in his autobiography, both Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham were sold to Real Madrid after public bust ups with the manager, and club captain Roy Keane was sold to Celtic after criticising the team in front of the public..

Role Model

Motivator Educator

Responsibilities of a Sports Coach

Health and Safety

Welfare of Players Ethically Sound Inclusive

Skills of a Sports Coach Communication Communication is a must have skill in terms of coaching as it is what enables the coach to put over his ideas and tactics to his team, therefore it is important that players can understand their coach. Communication is possible in a variety of ways, although these methods are either classed as either verbal or non-verbal. It is important for a coach to be able to use both types of communication, as at certain times it may not be possible to use one or the other. Verbal communication is where the coach will hear his voice. The coach must be able to vary the tone, pace and volume of his talks in order to maximise the interest of his players. For instance if a coach speaks at a very slow pace with a dull expression to his voice it is highly likely that his team will lose interest in what he has to say and could miss an important instruction or tactic. Non-verbal communication is where all the coach will give instructions to players without using his voice. The common saying actions speak louder than words is very relevant here. One such method is through the use of hand signals. These are often football coaches at the side used by of the pitch to indicate things such as positioning, formation and tactics. For example, in a competitive environment such as a football stadium, it may be difficult for players to hear instructions, so the coach must find a different way to get his information across. Organisation The organisational skills of the coach must also be of a high standard, so that in turn the team will be organised. The coach must ensure that they thoroughly plan each aspect of their session and can refer to a detailed session plan. The session plan should include information on the number of participants, the aims and objectives of the lesson, the resources required, the exercise at each stage of the session, including time scales and the resources required. An alternative activity should also be included in the coachs session plan for if the session cannot be delivered for any reason. If the coach does not make up a training plan in advance then they would have to make up activities on the spot which may not come off. This can lead to the training being disappointing for the players involved which can also lead to a team that does not have motivation. Also, the time for each activity will be listed so will prevent the coach from running out of time or not being able to get all of his points across which is an important thing to do as if you cannot get your point across the players may not understand how to do the drills. This can also leave to de-motivation.

Sports Specific A sports leader should have an awareness of the different types of skills within sport. The two types of motor skills are fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills produce intricate movements by utilising small muscle groups. On the other hand, gross motor skills are produced through the use of large groups of muscles. There are also two varying skills that relate to environment and opposition, which are open skills and closed skills. Open skills need to constantly be adapted to the situation, which may be affected by changes in the environment or opponents. Skills that are not affected by the environment are known as closed skills. (Caplan and Smith, 2005) A coach should have knowledge of how to deliver a certain skill, and be able to teach the basics of the skill if required. In the event of a skill being taught that is completely new to the participants of the session, then a coach should understand how to deliver the skill in different stages.