THEORY AND TECHNIQUES OF COACHING
Session 5: Effective Coaching Methods; Principles of Teaching.
Objective: Developing Effective Coaching Methods
As you read through the next few pages reflect on how you would perform each item
yourself. Make sure to read the pages in the “Successful Coaching” Book.
A. Effective Coaching Methods.
1. Good coaching requires individualized instruction/assessment during the preseason.
a. Assess the skills and knowledge to determine individual and team capabilities.
b. Identify technical and tactical skills to teach and organize drills to improve
player/team skills.
c. Develop guidelines for try-outs (if it will be necessary to cut players).
1. Select basic skills for testing that are essential to the sport.
2. Test the basic skills of the players in a safe environment.
3. Formal testing to perform skills or complete written/oral examinations.
4. Informal evaluation through observation and/or interviewing players.
2. Effective communication during the season.
a. Team meeting to communicate expectations (be fair, firm, and consistent).
b. Practice organization components (establish specific objectives and time
schedule).
1. Warm-up activities (flexibility, strength training, aerobic, anaerobic).
2. Technical and tactical skills/drills.
3. Games approach.
4. Cool down.
5. Closure.
c. Provide feedback for correction.
1. Do so in a timely manner.
2. Do so as appropriate to the player’s skill level.
3. Correct only one error at a time.
4. Provide positive feedback (how the skill can be performed correctly).
3. Self-evaluation of the coaching experience.
a. Did the team meet its goal?
b. Were team rules adequate and enforced?
c. Did the players perform at a high level?
d. Did the players display positive attitudes?
e. Did player attitudes affect season outcomes?
f. How did other staff members perform?
g. Was practice time used effectively and efficiently?
h. Are conditioning procedures effective?
i. Were injuries minimized/prevented?
j. How did opponents perform?
k. How did the scouting system work?
l. Were travel procedures effective and efficient?
m. What is the status of next season’s budget?
n. What is the status of next season’s facilities and equipment?
4. Coach evaluation by the athletic director.
5. Student-athlete assessment of the season, as it relates to the Educational
Frameworks.
6. Parent assessment of their child’s experience, as it relates to the Educational
Frameworks.
B. Principles of Teaching.
1. Coaching the Games Approach Way (Successful Coaching, Chapter 9).
a. Technical skills (Successful Coaching, p. 169).
b. Tactical skills (Successful Coaching, p. 170).
2. Essence of the games approach to coaching (Successful Coaching, p. 174).
a. Holistic approach (Successful Coaching p. 175).
b. How the games approach works (Successful Coaching, pp. 175-180)
1. Shaping play.
2. Focusing play.
3. Enhancing play.
Skills to teach through the games approach (Successful Coaching, pp.180-188).
a. Technical skills (the ability to move one’s body to perform the task that needs to be
accomplished – Successful Coaching pp.181-184.
b. Tactical skills (the decisions and actions of players in a contest to gain an advantage
over opponents – Successful Coaching. pp. 184-185.
1. Reading the situation.
2. Acquiring the knowledge.
3. Making decisions.
c. Physical skills (preparation of the body to meet the physical needs of the sportSuccessful Coaching. pp. 186-187).
d. Mental skills (preparation of the mind to meet the psychological demands of the
sport-Successful Coaching,, p. 187).
e. Communication skills (sending and receiving verbal and non-verbal messages to and
from coaches and teammates – Successful Coaching, pp. 187-188).
f. Character development (good character is knowing the good, desiring the good, and
doing the good – Successful Coaching, p. 188)
g. The collective skills (Successful Coaching, p. 188).
4. Making the games approach work for you (Successful Coaching, p. 189).
5. Teaching technical skills (Successful Coaching, Chapter 10).
a. Learning technical skills (Successful coaching, pp. 192-194).
1. Motor program
b. Three stages of learning (Successful Coaching, pp. 195-199).
1. Mental stage
2. Practice stage
3. Automatic stage
c. Introduce the technical skill (Successful Coaching, pp. 199-200).
1. Getting the team’s attention.
2. Arranging the team to see and hear you.
3. Naming the technique and explaining its use.
d. Demonstrate and explain the technical skill (Successful Coaching, pp. 200201).
1. Demonstrate and explain.
2. Relate the technique to previously learned techniques.
3. Check for understanding.
e. Have the athlete’s practice the technical skill (Successful Coaching, pp. 201208).
1. Whole method.
2. Whole-part-whole method.
3. Have athletes practice the right technique.
4. Have athletes practice the technique in game like conditions.
5. Keep practices short and frequent when teaching new techniques.
6. Use practice time efficiently.
7. Make optimal use of facilities and equipment.
8. Make sure athletes experience a reasonable amount of success at each
practice.
9. Make practice fun.
f. Correct errors (Successful Coaching, pp. 209-211).
1. Observe and evaluate performance.
2. Providing feedback.
3. A positive approach to correcting errors.
6. Teaching tactical skills (Successful coaching, Chapter 11)
a. Tactics and tactical skills (Successful Coaching, pp. 214-216).
1. Tactics
2. Season strategy
3. Game plan
b. Reading the situation (Successful Coaching, pp.216-219).
1. Cognitive skills.
2. Improving attention and concentration.
c. Tactical knowledge (Successful Coaching, pp. 220-225)
1. Rules
2. Strategic and game plans.
3. Playing conditions.
4. Strengths and weaknesses of opponents.
5. Self-knowledge.
6. Tactical options.
d. Decision-making skills (Successful Coaching, pp. 226-230).
1. Teach the tactics in whole, then in parts.
2. Have players observe decision-making in others.
3. Have players observe themselves.
4. Variable practice.
5. Control feedback.
6. Ask questions.
e. Tactical skill development plan (Successful Coaching, pp.231-232).