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A1: The role of a sports coach
Within this assignment, I shall be talking about the factors which underpin long term athletic
development to meet the demands of competitive situations and also how the coach is then
able to effectively prepare and deliver session sin order to cater for each individual needs for
their development.
(Trainer Gorres, 2016) has his own opinions towards the art of coaching, having had both
the experiences of an athlete and a coach showing that when the relationships are good
between both parties, that the results are ‘phenomenal’ both on and off the pitch. He
believes that the art of coaching comes down to communication between both the player and
coach. (Trainer Gorres, 2016) describes 3 ways in which communication is most beneficial
with speaking the language of the sport being a big factor. He states that soccer has its own
language, and it isn’t defined by just the country or region the people are from. An example
he used was that the word offside is completely different in soccer compared to American
football meaning that the players need to understand what the coach is trying to show for It
to make sense (Trainer Gorres, 2016). His second theory is that the coach needs to connect
new information to old information by building a bridge between the past experiences and
comparing and connecting them to the present resulting in more information being retained
by the athlete (Trainer Gorres, 2016). Gorres states that coaching must move from broad to
specific, and then simple to complex, helping to create a foundation which allows growth
mentally and physically for the athlete. He compares his theory to a Lego block which he
describes as ‘fairly simple but remarkable’ just the way the connection of the information
should be consumed by the athlete from the coaches (Trainer Gorres, 2016). Gorres’ last
theory towards the art of coaching Is to ‘isolate, integrate, challenge, step away’ which
describes the job as helping the athletes become a great player by giving them the
necessary tools needed to reach their full potential (Trainer Gorres, 2016). By isolating the
athletes to certain actions or movements, it allows for it to become more perfect and less
flawed when aiming to improve the weaker parts of the player to help them become more
‘unconsciously competent’ (Trainer Gorres, 2016). The second part being integrating
movements and skills into game like scenarios. (Trainer Gorres, 2016) states that this allows
for more performances towards a higher level by being able to recognize, anticipate and
execute movements which could be unpredictable and random. The third part is to ensure
that challenges and appropriate goals are put in place to help motivate the athlete. (Trainer
Gorres, 2016) however says that the challenge can’t be too difficult, or it becomes
discouraging, or too easy which will make the athlete bored. If correctly challenged, Gorres
states that the physical and mental sharpness will be increased, and each victory will help to
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build up more confidence and increase the chances of bigger victories (Trainer Gorres,
2016). His final part shows that the athletes need to be given the opportunity to be placed
into a struggle and ‘find themselves’. He believes that the coach must prepare their athletes
for the moment of failure which is always a risk otherwise there would be no such thing as
success (Trainer Gorres, 2016). He believes the coach should simulate the moments of
challenge and risk which the athlete doesn’t believe they would be capable of doing during
‘the moment’ which faces them at some point. Gorres shows examples such as making them
lift a heavier weight they didn’t think they could lift, or a jump they didn’t think they could
reach. It shows that sometimes they would fail and other times they may succeed (Trainer
Gorres, 2016).
Psychological and physiological factors towards an athlete can influence their performance
both positively and negatively during a football match (Biswajit Buragohain, 2018). His article
helps to define and understand the characteristics within professional football players which,
in future can help to boost their performance. (Biswajit Buragohain, 2018) states that
achievement motivation within individuals satisfies their needs and helps the athlete with
being driven to succeed for both internal and external reasons. This can be measured by 3
different factors relevant to professional successes such as working hard, willingness to pick
up tasks with much difficulty and also contributing success and effort (Biswajit Buragohain,
2018). Intrinsic motivation within an athlete is something that is inherently enjoyable to the
individual (Ryan and Deci, 2000). (Mark Brodie, 2020) states that the athletes motivation
comes from within, and they find tasks rewarding and are always looking to further improve
and develop themselves by learning. Examples of this would be that the player is more
driven to improve themselves than in comparison to money and fame (Mark Brodie, 2020).
Brodie says you must ensure that the intrinsically motivated players are given opportunities
to develop and also proving constant feedback on performances and praise, helping to boost
self-esteem and confidence However, extrinsically motivated athletes are more interested in
generating goods, rewards and recognition for their performances on the pitch (Mark Brodie,
2020). Brodie states that it is becoming more common for extrinsically motivated players to
begin to demand more and want bigger salaries on their contracts. This is by forcing their
club to give them more money or leaving certain clubs just due to the amount of money they
will make whilst playing for someone else. Extrinsically motivated players would find it
difficult to stay motivated when their team isn’t winning often or gaining recognition at all.
This means that keeping these kinds of players in winning teams is key to get the best out of
them and keep them motivated for certain periods of time (Mark Brodie, 2020). In
conclusion, (Mark Brodie, 2020) thinks it is important that athletes have a mix of both
intrinsic and extrinsic to enable the athlete to push themselves within but also to want to
have the hunger to win and keep a competitive streak. Anxiety is a by-product of stress, and
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they are both major areas of concern for any ages competing in football, this is due to many
athletes dropping out of sports due to frustration and fear of failing when performing and
competing (Biswajit Buragohain, 2018). (Elizabeth Quinn, 2020) describes anxiety as
‘choaking’ and can be caused by thoughts of doubt, failure or lack of confidence due to their
own self talk methods which bring themselves down. She has identified some solutions for
before the performance of the athlete which can decrease the chances of anxiety. Pre-event
solutions are used sometimes even days before an event which may be giving the athlete
nerves or stress. (Elizabeth Quinn, 2020) states that visualization can be beneficial
beforehand by helping to mentally rehearse their performance to perfection with no mistakes
or worries. This linked with positive self-talk can change the individual’s attitude and help
them to feel more relaxed by playing out potential scenarios which could happen during the
match.
Coaches are needed and used to help athletes and younger children reach their full potential
in their sports (Hannah Ellerton, 2018). Coaches should encourage healthy development in
younger players and are shown as important figures to determine the outcome of
participation. It can be broken down into 4 C’s. Competence, confidence, connection,
character and caring (Hannah Ellerton, 2018). Competence is viewed as the athlete having a
positive view of themselves during sport resulting in being more motivated to work hard and
achieve as much as possible. The athlete feels much more accomplishment which can help
to keep pushing them forward in the right direction (Hannah Ellerton, 2018). In order to have
confidence, (Hannah Ellerton, 2018) says that the athlete needs to have a positive sense of
self-worth and self-efficacy. By having this view, it can create an influence in increased
motivation and coaches can be used in order to help with showing younger players more
initiative and more independence whilst competing within their sport (Hannah Ellerton,
2018). Coaches which focus on self-reference for the athlete help to produce internal
motivation and overall help them to view themselves a lot more positively (Hannah Ellerton,
2018). Connection is the bond between players and friendships which create a sense of
belonging, increasing the overall participation and engagement. This means there is more
opportunities to create positive groups within teams and squads, helping to create a warm
and welcoming environment without reducing the amount of encouraging feedback to keep
enjoyment within the team (Hannah Ellerton, 2018). The final part, Character and Caring.
(Hannah Ellerton, 2018) describes this as being respectful towards others and
demonstrating the correct behaviours on and off the pitch to create good moral characters
and footballers. In comparison to coaches influences on performance, (Paul Madden, 2020)
has identified some of the general factors influencing sport participation in 2021. These
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ranging from government policy’s in different countries to funding, access and age and
gender.
There are two kinds of communication, verbal and non-verbal which are both very important
in their own way (UK coaching, 2015). Being effective means the coaches can get their point
across to their players each training session on what they want them to do, making each
session more successful (UK coaching, 2015). Within the document (UK coaching, 2015)
refers to Albert Mehrabian who describes effective communication to be 7% speaking, 38%
tone of voice and the final 55% body language. During the first session with new players and
individuals, (UK coaching, 2015) states that they must create a good welcoming and
greeting which doesn’t necessarily have to be with words, it could just be with a smile.
Effective communication will help to create new relationships with players which will create
winners meaning they will be able to have better chances of reaching their full potential (UK
coaching, 2015). There are many ways a coach can develop and improve their
communication skills such as asking the ways in which certain players want to be talked to,
demonstrating their drills and trainings to help the players get a greater understanding of
what’s being asked of them, making sure to give them lots of encouragement and praise
which will increase motivation and working levels will increase (UK coaching, 2015).
Feedback is critical from a coaching point of view to help the athlete with what they need to
improve on when they may not see it themselves (Metrifit, 2021). Feedback allows for
coaches to tell their players how they are performing in comparison to their expectation set
out by them in the first place, resulting in more chances of better performances in the future
Metrifit, 2021). Research has shown and supported the idea of feedback being used as it
provided extra incentives for the athletes due to its positive influence regarding motivation.
Successful coaches manage to motivate, challenge, direct send support the players to aid
with improving their skills and the individuals overall performance for the period of the match.
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References:
(Biswajit Buragohain, 2018). international Journal of Physical Education and Sports
Sciences. Psychological and Physiological Factors Influencing the Performance of Players
with a Reference of Football Players. Retrieved from: http://ignited.in/I/a/150494
(Elizabeth Quinn, 2020). Verywell Fit. Sports psychology for performance anxiety. Retrieved
on 4th Feb 2022 from Website: https://www.verywellfit.com/sports-psychology-forperformance-anxiety-3119436
(Hannah ellerton, 2018). Human Kinetics. What is the role of sport coaches and how can
they influence athletes? Retrieved on 4th Feb 2022 from Website:
https://humankinetics.me/2018/10/08/role-of-sport-coaches/
(Mark Brodie, 2020). Believe Perform. How are sports stars motivated? Retrieved on 6th Feb
2022 from Website: https://believeperform.com/how-our-sports-stars-are-motivated/
(Metrifit, 2021). Metrifit. Coach feedback- How important is it? Retrieved on 7th Feb 2022
from Website: https://metrifit.com/blog/coach-feedback-how-important-is-it/
(Paul Madden, 2020). Club Force. Factors influencing Participation in Sport 2021. Retrieved
on 7th Feb from Website: https://clubforce.com/news/factors-influencing-participation-insport/
(Trainer Gorres, 2016). Amplified Soccer. Coach Guide. Retrieved on 6th Feb 2022 from
Website: https://www.amplifiedsoccerathlete.com/coachguide/the-art-of-coaching
(UK coaching, 2015). Effective communication. Enhance your communication skills AND
meet the needs of deaf participants. Retrieved from:
https://www.ukcoaching.org/UKCoaching/media/coachingimages/Entity%20base/Guides/Quick_Guide_Effective-Communication.pdf
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