The Sports Coach as an Educator: Re-conceptualising Sports Coaching
The Sports Coach as Educator edited by Robyn S. Jones
The central tenet of this collection of academic writings is that sports coaches need to see themselves more like teachers and educators. It provides academic examples of the pedagogy behind sports coaching. If you are happy to stick with the academic tone of the book, then there is no question that it will provide you with plenty of ideas to think again about your coaching and also teaching practice.
The book covers several areas, the first being the educational concepts in coaching. Central to this is the idea that the best teachers and coaches share many of the same qualities: reflection, focus on relationships and learning. Indeed the book suggests that the differences between teaching and coaching are not clear.
Among the qualities of coaching/teaching that are covered is the educational value of sport, to prepare athletes “physically, psychologically and socially” for life. They propose that the key to this is the creation of a good team culture, one that enables“mutual trust among athletes….and a coach” This is one of the key tenets of the ‘Athlete Centred Approach’ developed by Lynn Kidman that places the athlete at the heart of everything that coaches do. This approach is being used at all levels of performance and Wayne Smith (ex All Black coach) is quoted as saying “I believe coaching is all about trying to develop better people, not just better players”
Athlete learning is also covered in detail and the point is made that very often the athlete is blamed for failure to learn, rather than the coach’s failure to teach. The book argues that if athletes are going to develop beyond their predicted level then coaches need to be adopting “guided discovery, problem solving and ‘Game Sense’ approaches in practice” The focus of these approaches is to allow the athlete more freedom in practice and competition. To illustrate the point the analogy of holding a bird is used as a comparison with coaching athletes “Hold it too tight and it would be crushed, while too loose a grip would see it fly away. The only certainty was that….it was still sure to shit over you”
The book also highlights the benefits of coaching communities sharing best practice as a means to advance the practice of individuals. One of the key factors seen as holding this back is the rivalry between different coaches and the fear of giving others a competitive advantage. It also makes the point that not enough coaches pay enough attention to their professional development, especially when compared to the time spent obtaining other professional qualifications.
Reflection is also noted as being a critical factor in the process of improving as a coach noting that “ten years of coaching without reflection is simply one year repeated ten times” As such the book suggests that formalized mentoring programmes for coaches would be worthwhile within any organisation.
The final part of the book looks at the development of expert coaches and the qualities of these coaches. These experts set their sights on “on helping athletes learn, develop and grow” and also take great responsibility for the success or failure of the athlete. They are also seen to always be striving for more, regardless of how successful they might have previously been.
Overall the book is going to ask a lot of questions of you and the programme that you are in and whether you are maximising your own abilities as a coach, as well as helping those around you. Well worth having a look at.