Coaching Articles - General

The Coaching articles and associated literature reviews are grouped under the following headings. To view the available material select the appropriate link.

Coaching - General

• Developing a Coaching Philosophy

  How to develop your own coaching philosophy

• The secrets of success with high-level athletes

  What successful coaches of high-level athletes are doing right and how this can be replicated in other environments

• To motivate and develop your athletes you need these skills

  The skills required by coaches to motivate and develop their athletes

• Talk the athlete's language if you wish to communicate effectively

  Communication from the coach to athlete will initiate appropriate actions. This however, requires the athlete to not only receive the information from the coach but also to understand and accept it.

• Feedback - an important element in the development of a new skill

  For the movement to progress successfully the athlete requires feedback which then allows them to evaluate the effectiveness of the movement performed.

• How not to make your athletes anxious

  A bit of nervousness may enhance performance but sustained anxiety can have negative effects, slowing down reaction times and reducing responsiveness to cues. How can coaches help their athletes to keep nerves in check?

• Coaching Methods

  As a coach you will be required to facilitate the learning of new technical skills by your athletes. To achieve this you will need to develop your knowledge of the learning process and the various coaching methods

• The Amazing Art of Coaching

  The importance of interpersonal skills when working with young athletes.

• Coaching Styles & Methods

  Successful coaches will be the ones who can teach and relay information to young athletes well, more so than the coach who merely reads and digests the scientific information offered via clinical research.

• Pedal your way to success

  The demands of cycling and how to plan a cycle training program.

• Deep Coaching - how to communicate more effectively with your athletes

  A look at how the influence sensory perceptions can have on how we interact with and gather information from our athletes

• Understanding the Importance of Teamwork

  You can have a group of superstars, but if they do not work well as one unit, chances are they are not going to be as successful as you would think.

• A lesson learned from Little League

  The act of sportsmanship witnessed at a little league meeting and its message for all coaches

• The Path of a Champion

  I challenge you to answer the questions following the description of each quality to see if you or your athletes are on the road to athletic success.

• Helping athletes define goals

  A look at the importance of setting goals and an approach to use with your athletes

• Whose sport is it?

  Is your coaching philosophy 'coach centred' or 'athlete centred'?

• Developing a formal coaching Philosophy

  Why a formal coaching philosophy statement is essential for all coaches

• Preparing yourself for competitive play

  Match preparation is a crucial element of any sport; Squash is no different. Whatever your level of play, adequate preparation is important.

• Getting the most from your team captains

  The responsibilities of a team captain and how the coach can go about selecting the team's captain

• The Challenge ahead

  For the first time in my coaching career, my team has suffered from a crisis in character. Most teams identify with a leader. Unfortunately the leader that our players identified with was leading us in the wrong direction.

• Do you push, pull or actually lead when you coach?

  Why you should coach athletes the Black Belt Way

• A loss in interest could be a natural progression

  How the coach should respond when an athlete loses interest

• Motivation and Feedback in Coaching

  Why motivation is seen to be a key aspect for most athletes in enabling them to achieve their goals

• Strength or size - which is the significant component for rugby players?

  A look at the merits of strength and size for rugby players

• How to recognise improvement

  While on the surface it may appear obvious that someone who scores their highest innings, runs their quickest time or lifts their greatest weight has performed to their best it may not necessarily be the case

• How to build your dream team

  Why a group of like-minded people working together towards a common goal are more apt to be successful than the individual's effort

• I plan the training session and then a heavy rainstorm means I have to abort the planned session - what do I do?

  If you have somewhere dry with a bit of space then this is a possible solution. The added benefit is that in one session you can develop the athlete's strength and endurance.

• What is the best thing for my athletes to do between work intervals?

  Active rest leads to better-quality work intervals, which ultimately produce higher fitness levels and improved competitive performances

• Without a plan, you will be mediocre at best

  The benefits for young athletes of short and long term planning

• Eliminate nagging with tagging

  The feedback is positive and students do not have to interpret verbal instructions or corrections while trying to interpret their own intrinsic feedback.

• Teaching Technique - Laying the foundation for sporting excellence

  What coaches need to consider when they are helping an athlete develop a sport-specific skill

• Running through history

  Not a history of running, but a brief overview of some of the important developments that lead to changes in training methods

• Periodisation: Myth and Reality

  The fundamentals of periodisation for the large training cycles

• Teaching and Coaching - is there a difference?

  The differences between teaching and coaching as applied to adults and swimming

• Designing an effective speed-training program - Part I

  Why it is important to understand the needs of your sport or event before you start planning your training

• Designing an effective speed-training program - Part 2

  The seven steps to building a speed training programme

• Designing an effective speed-training program - Part 3

  An overview of the components of fitness that contribute to speed development

• The Amazing Art of Coaching

  The variety of coaching styles that you may need to apply to help your athletes achieve their goals

• Becoming a successful coach

  How to create a positive environment for the good of your athlete and for the sport

• The Pygmalion Effect

  An overview of the Pygmalion based coaching strategies for you to use with your young athletes

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

• Article Index
• Coaching Articles
• Training Articles
• Sports Articles
• Literature Reviews

• Training Books
• Training Products