The Coaches' Toolkit

A big part of coaching is creating an environment where children can learn and develop. There are 5 key coaching tools that will help you do just that. Take a look at these below:

Explanations

Explanations are an important part of the coaching process. There are some key factors to consider when using explanations with children. Here are our top tips:

1. Kneel down to eye level to draw the  players in.

2. Make sure  that your language is clear.

3. Focus on a  small number of specific points and  make it short.

4. Use vivid language and images that children can remember easily.

5. Concentrate  on what they need to do, not what they need to ‘not do’.

6. Regularly  check for understanding.

Demonstrations

Demonstrations give participants a model of the skill we want them to learn. They are particularly useful when introducing something new. They can be done by the coach, or even by one of the participants. Our top tips for demonstrating are:

1. Make sure everyone  can see.

2. Know what angle you want  them to see  it from.

3. Decide if they need to see the full skill or only  a specific segment.

4. Use cues, anchor words or images for the key elements to help focus their attention  and increase  retention.

Setting Up and Standing Back

Setting Up and Standing Back is about asking the participants to do an activity and just letting them get on with it while we observe carefully. What's important here is that the activity is well-designed and that we are very clear about what we expect from it. Some top tips to be able to set up and stand back are:

1. Make sure that you are clear about what you expect from an activity.

2. Think through  the design of your activity carefully. Detail is key.

3. Be patient. The children might not get it straight away, but if the activity is well designed, they will get plenty of opportunity to practice and get better at it.

4. Ask yourself the question: Do I REALLY need to step in here? If  the answer is no, then don’t.

Questioning and Listening

Asking questions is a useful way to get the children thinking. It is also a great way for a coach to understand their participants better. Simply asking questions is not enough; a coach must also pay attention to what the child has to say. To do this, our top tips are:

1. Know what questions you are likely to ask.

2. Ask ‘what’ and ‘when’ questions. Even better, ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ ones to encourage deeper thinking.

3. Stay away  from YES and NO questions.

4. Encourage a variety of answers and make sure  they know that no answer is silly or stupid.

5. Give the kids  time to come up with the answers. Be comfortable with silence until someone comes forward.