Sports Coaching Major Assignment PDF

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Major Assignment looking at coaching styles and techniques in a chosen sport....

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Richard Duff- 827649

Sports Coaching- Major Assignment Option 1- Individual Athlete I am coaching a 17-year-old state swimmer, Megan Bartils who is in the preparation phase of training for her upcoming swimming competition season. Megan has been swimming since she was 4 years old and has been swimming competitively since she turned 8. Meeting the qualifying time to swim in the Victorian state championships from her 11th birthday, Megan has been working hard to develop her technical skills and anaerobic fitness to allow her to qualify for the National swimming championships. Upon reviewing her performance at the end of the last season we have been able to determine that whilst Megan has finely developed technical skills in her preferred strokes of freestyle and butterfly, she is let down by her anaerobic abilities that is undermining her sprinting ability. Additionally, we found that her power transfer and reaction times from off starts and walls during turns wasn’t quite mastered, which further hindered her performance. As such we developed the following goals to assist in Megan’s natural athlete progression: Physical development: To see an overall increase in Megan’s anaerobic capacity, identified by at least a 4% time deduction in her 50 metre main stroke sprints of freestyle and butterfly. Technical development: To successfully improve power and acceleration off starts and turns indicated by reaction times below 0.4 seconds off starts and dive/turn distances of at least 3.8 metres. Tactical development: To be able to perform a well-executed race as defined by achieving the following criteria in 90% of races: • • •

Powerful finish, hard into the wall Well timed breaths that don’t break stroke technique Fast acceleration, throughout the sprint with no noticeable drop in speed throughout the second half of the race.

Psychological development: To be able to develop a pre-competition mindset whereby Megan can focus on her race, with a 0% rate of false starts amongst the pressure of other competitors, coaches and loud spectators. Coaching Philosophy My coaching style is predominantly focused on creating an environment whereby athletes feel comfortable, motivated and supported in their learning. Jones and Potrac (2008, pg. 32) contend that coaching should be a holistic practice “that develops the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain of athletes” to thereby ensure coaches treat “athletes as knowledgeable and creative beings who are able to think for themselves”. Utilising this framework, I

Richard Duff- 827649 aim to ensure that the athletes under my care are given not only the tactical and physical frameworks to improve, but the psychological and life skills to ensure the benefits of sport are transferred across to outside the competition. Galipeau and Trudel (2006) touch on the idea of the importance of a more holistic approach to coaching stating that athlete input is essential through the learning process. Based on my experience as an athlete, I have found that being able to provide input within the learning process has greatly improved my learning. Hoping to capitalise on this, I will try to offer this in the same way to my athletes through opportunities for engagement, feedback and shared decision making. In allowing for input from athletes in the learning process, we also provide the environment for these athletes to make their own decisions in competitions, whilst also learning from their mistakes (Sheridan, 2009). I hope to foster this sense of ownership and responsibility amongst my athletes through providing opportunities for self-directed learning, self-evaluation and peer-to-peer feedback. My desire to coach is centred not around seeing my team or athlete win, rather I wish to see improvements and development within my athletes. As Morgan and Hassan (2014) examine “by focusing on improvement and progress a coach is far more likely to facilitate a mastery climate”. It is this mastery climate of continued improvement that I wish to facilitate, not a culture of ‘winning at all costs’. Whilst I understand that for some, winning may be an important part of coaching, I believe that by creating an environment for improvement and performance, ‘winning’ will naturally follow. Coaching style & approach My approach to Megan’s development as an athlete will adopt a range of styles, based off my overriding coaching philosophy and personal experience as a swimmer at state and national level. Given Megan has state level experience within the sport and has been in training since the age of 4, there would be a tendency to assume that she would have a well-developed understanding of the specifications of the sport. It would be remiss of me then, to not allow Megan to have an input into her own learning throughout the training process. Specifically, I hope to foster a sense of ‘intrinsic feedback’ within the development of the required skills. As Wrisber (2007) examines by encouraging athletes to detect and correct their own errors, they are encouraged to selfexamine their performance. Within a sport like swimming this is very important, as it will allow Megan to make the necessary performance adjustments during her own competition, when I as a coach won’t be physically there to correct her. However, I recognise especially with the nature of anaerobic training that a more authoritarian style approach to coaching will be required during times of intense training, to ensure enough preparation training occurs. By adopting a more autocratic style, during certain aspects of my coaching, I will be able to have greater control of the session, ensuring more training is completed, at a higher intensity to achieve anaerobic development (Gist, Fedewa, Dishman, Cureton, 2013). Although, this approach to coaching tends to lack a certain level of fun resulting in low motivation and high drop-out rates (Burton and Raedeke, 2008). As such, I will use this approach to coaching sparingly to ensure that Megan is still engaged and motivated in her improvement. Utilising the whole-part-whole approach to skill development as my basis I have developed the following program for Megan. This involves evaluating her current starting, turning and acceleration skills before breaking this down across the 6-week program to facilitate the re-design of this trouble spot for

Richard Duff- 827649 Megan through the preparation season. Martens (2014, pg. 16) identifies how this is a beneficial way to coach developed athletes as “the technique may be so complex that athletes may not be able to form a mental plan” and by breaking down the skill then, you are able to focus on the weak areas of performance. I also recognise that ensuring the psychological performance of Megan is important for her development at such a senior level. Thatcher, Day and Rahman (2011) delve into the factors that affect performance and an athlete’s self-confidence. They establish that an individual’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours have a direct link on an athlete’s self-confidence and thus their psychological wellbeing. As such, my training program will also develop Megan’s development within these three areas to ensure that she is able to develop an appropriate ‘race mindset’ to combat performance anxiety. Word Count: 967 words

Richard Duff- 827649

Meso Plan Meso Cycle 1- The Basics

2Developing technique

Goals

Week

Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

- Re-evaluate Megan’s turning and starting positions. - Conduct time trial to evaluate Megan’s sprinting ability. - Identify external factors that can affect Megan’s performance. - Develop a streamlined kick on top of the water.

1

Sprinting 50m sets Starting/Turning Evaluative tests

Pressure moments during racing Starting drills

Transition from sprint into tumble-turn Kicking drills

2

Lactate build-up exercise Timing exercise- performing under pressure The second half of the race: Powering home

Developing a kick Exertion based drills

Development of speed off walls The importance of power underwater off walls

- Well developed tumble turns with speed developed through the turn. - Be able to maintain a streamlined position off starts and then walls in an isolated movement. - Introduce stress coping strategies to calm the body effectively. - Planning a race to ensure maximum speed.

3

Breathing drill-: When to fight off the urge to breathe Held (Delayed) racing starts

Hypoxic training exerciseUnderwater kick Sprinting at exhaustion

Mediation and Visualisation session Owning the race- Developing a pace exercise

SESSION PLAN

4

Lactate build-up exercise (with half recovery phase) Breathing drill to relax under pressure

Dryland session: Box jumps and leg press 4 points of alignment in swimming and working the ‘power zone’.

On land sprints to in-water sprints Dive starts utilising added weights.

Richard Duff- 827649 3- Putting the parts together

- Be able to start in a race-like setting with 0% false starts. - Be able to sprint into the wall from a starting position and follow through with an underwater streamline off the wall. - Be able to acknowledge when stress factors may occur and how to successfully tackle this state of mind. - Be able to complete a full 50m sprint of both Butterfly and freestyle with at least a 3% deduction in time from the beginning of the program.

Key Red=Physical Orange = Psychological Green=Technical Blue =Tactical

5

6

Developing the 4 points of alignment whilst controlling breathing Moving from the Start position into developing a sprint

Sprinting with lactate build-up Race talk through with pressure points and solutions addressed

Talking through the race and fighting negative emotions Developing a stroke whilst maintaining race pace

Breathing and sprintingcontrolling the urge to over breathe 100m sprints with large rest periods

Controlling acceleration through the stroke in bursts. Controlled sprinting with coach dictated pace

SESSION PLAN

Entering the ‘Zone’ (with external forces of crowd, competitors, coaches) 50m sprint test under race conditions

Richard Duff- 827649 Date/Time: Tuesday 17th April 2018 5pm-7:30pm

Team Name:

STAFF: Richard Duff (RD)

Venue: Aqualink Nunawading

Learning/Instructional Objectives:

For Megan to be able to improve her anaerobic skills with a sustained increase in her acceleration through the given sets. • For the participant to be able to maintain a sprint, even in a simulated sense of exhaustion. • For Megan to be able to control her breathing, to eventually be able to complete 25m underwater without breathing. ULTIMATE SESSION OBJECTIVE: To be able to focus on Megan’s breathing and sprinting abilities to see overall visual improvements in her acceleration, anaerobic capacity and streamlining technique. •

Component

APOLOGIES:

Duration: 90 minutes

Nunawading Swimming Club

Activity

Attendance:

Equipment:

Players •

1 Athlete- Megan Bartils

• • • • •

Stopwatch Whiteboard Whiteboard marker Pool Pace clock

Staff • •

Richard Duff Pool Lifeguard

Duratio n

Staff Responsible

Coaching Points/Focuses

Richard Duff- 827649 Administration & Outline of session

-

-

Safety brief and short identification of risks. Ensure that all participants are wearing appropriate swim-wear, goggles and have a water bottle readily available. Identification of session focus and goals.

5mins

RD

-

-

Warm Up

4 x 200m Main Stroke on 4minute cycles

29mins

RD

-

5 x 100m Main stroke on 1min 45sec cycles

6 x 50m Main stroke on 45sec cycles

Sprinting Exercise #1

5 x 25m Sprint Main stroke ‘Race pace’ on 60seconds

6mins

RD

Communicate the importance of listening to instructions. Ensure that Megan doesn’t have any pre-existing medical conditions that may prevent her from engaging in the activity. Ensure that Megan knows to let me know if she need some water or are feeling unwell. Ensure that Megan is aware that the focus of this session will be primarily on lowering reliance on breath and anaerobic fitness. Given that this session focuses on breathing, it is important that Megan knows that she should not ignore the intense pressure to breathe. Developing stroke through the warm up using full arm and leg movements. Pushing hard off the wall and starts and developing underwaters. Increasing the speed, through the set, trying to aim for acceleration that is sustained throughout the 200m/100m/50m. Ensuring the body is adequately warmed up and ready to engage in sprinting exercises- (Long warm-up should allow for this) -

----------------1-minute rest --------------------

-

Focus on sprinting as fast as possible for each lap, activating fast twitch muscle fibres. Concentrating on ensuring consistent speed throughout the set, with no noticeable decrease in speed from wall-to-wall. Concentration also focused on ensuring acceleration and power is developed off the wall with a streamline kick generated from each wall.

Richard Duff- 827649 Sprinting Exercise #2

Sprinting Exercise #3

Hypoxic training drill

Swim 100m Freestyle at race pace. Rest for 30 seconds. 10 x 25m freestyle sprints with 10 seconds rest. 8x 50m Main stroke on 1m30sec * First 12.5m 25% Sprint pace, * Second 12.5m 50% Sprint pace * Third 12.5m 75% Sprint pace * Fourth 12.5m 100% Sprint pace

7mins

RD

-

12mins

RD

-

6 mins

RD

-

Repeat 4 Times on 30 secs: 12.5m underwater streamline kick

-

Repeat 4 times on 1 min:

Focus on applying maximum effort into each sprint. Avoid the tendency to suffer under lactate and slow down- keep pushing through the race. Concentrate on long strokes and minimal breathing through the set to develop pace. Focus on developing speed through the set. Noticeable difference of speed should be shown at each 12.5m mark, with acceleration bursts used at each of these distances

Focus on managing the instantaneous thought to want to breathe Work on developing a full kick starting from the hips and following through the whole body. If a breath needs to be taken, ensure that it is short and sharp, like breathing that occurs during normal stroke execution.

25m underwater streamline kick

Cool down

400m Individual Medley easy pace

5mins

RD

-

Close/Announc ements

Follow up with Megan to determine how she found the session.

5mins

RD

-

Focus on long, slow strokes to help clear any lactate left over. Concentrate on pushing off the walls and minimising breathing to ensure good technique to close off the session. Cover any points or techniques that Megan found particularly challenging. Evaluate her state of mind and how she was feeling/whether she had any anxiety or concern surrounding her performance. Discuss what needs to be improved for future training sessions and what went well.

Richard Duff- 827649 Post Session

Staff Review

15mins

RD

-

Team Name:

Date/Time: Tuesday 1st May 2018 5pm-7:30pm

Personal reflection on the session and what may need to be improved from a coaching perspective. Record any note-worthy events/happenings in Coaching journal.

STAFF: Richard Duff (RD)

Venue: Aqualink Nunawading

Learning/Instructional Objectives:

To be able to facilitate a ‘race style’ environment, whilst being able to sprint through lactate build-up. • To be able to power off starts with dives over 4m in length • Be able to recognise and action on ‘race pressure points’ to ensure a focused state of mind. • For Megan to be able to take control of her race pace, whilst holding stroke performance and minimising breathing ULTIMATE SESSION OBJECTIVE: To be able to witness a meticulous combination of stroke technique, acceleration and underwater streamline throughout the sprints in session. •

Component

APOLOGIES:

Duration: 90 minutes

Nunawading Swimming Club

Activity

Attendance:

Equipment:

Players •

1 Athlete- Megan Bartils

Staff • •

• • • • • • •

Stopwatch Whiteboard Whiteboard marker Pool Pace clock Club room PowerPoint

Richard Duff Pool Lifeguard

Duratio n

Staff Responsible

Coaching Points/Focuses

Richard Duff- 827649 Administration & Outline of session

Warm up

-

Safety brief and short identification of risks. - Ensure that all participants are wearing appropriate swim-wear, goggles and have a water bottle readily available. - Identification of session focus and goals. 1km Progressive swim Main strokemade up of:

5mins

RD

-

-

20mins

RD

-

• • • • •

200m 20% race pace 200m 30% race pace 200m 40% race pace 200m 50% race pace 200m 60% race pace

Communicate the importance of listening to instructions. Ensure that Megan doesn’t have any pre-existing medical conditions that may prevent her from engaging in the activity. Ensure that Megan knows to let me know if she need some water or are feeling unwell.

-

Development and control of anaerobic ability to ‘switch on’ muscle fibres. Concentration on long underwaters and transition into stroke off walls. Development of race mindset, concentrating on the water and body as you swim and shutting off other distractions.

Richard Duff- 827649 Lactate build up Sprint

10 x 25m Alternating Freestyle and Butterfly run/walk backs on 2min 30sec cycle → Upon getting back to starting position, lying down on the pool deck without moving to ensure lactate build up before starting the next 25m sprint

40mins

RD

-

5 x 50m Alternating freestyle and butterfly on 3minute cycle → Climb out at end of each 50m and lie on pool deck to build up lactate.

Focus on starts out of wall with fast reaction times and big dives. Ensure that sprints are at 95%-100% race pace Focus on trying to minimise breathing across both 25m and 50m. Take note and concentrate on developing streamline position out of walls and off starts. Focus on relaxing the body and entering a race mindset when lying on pool floor. Focus on not moving the body at all when lying on pool deck, to facilitate lactate build up and encourage anaerobic development.

Richard Duff- 827649 Cool down

100m RSPD (Run, Swim, Polo-Dive) 100m any stroke easy swim

5mins

RD

-

Improving the racing mindframe

Close/Announc ements

-

Move into the Swimming Club rooms . - Journey through Megan’s 50m race will be walked through identifying common pressure points. - PowerPoint presentation on managing stressful emotions and skills to tackle this Follow up with Megan to determine how she found the session.

10mi...