NEXT SEASON IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER…
NOVEMBER ALREADY? What’s a coach to do?
A) Relax and enjoy the down time
B) Reflect on the past season
C) Look at your personal coaching development
D) Put together you yearly plan
E) All of the above
If you chose (E), you are most likely a coach who takes his/her job seriously, regardless
of the ability level of your athletes.
If you are the coach of a competitive traveling team, that has a shot at a Provincial title or
the coach of a house league team of young, enthusiastic beginners, your role as their
coach and how you handle that role is important to the development of the mind and body
of these in your charge. What will you bring to the field or gym that will make the
athletes experience rewarding physically, mentally and emotionally and also make it fun?
There are plenty of things you can do during the fall and winter months even before you
blow the whistle or toss the first ball that will improve your chances of success as a coach
this upcoming season.
Under the ‘should do’ heading, it’s a good idea to clean the helmets, uniforms, ball bag
and equipment bags now, as opposed to the day or two before use next season. Once
that’s done, the next thing you might consider doing is to begin planning for your teams’
next season. A self-evaluation is probably a good place to start.
Another launching pad may be a review of your personal philosophy as it relates to
coaching and the sport of softball. However you choose to evaluate your performance,
reflect on all the content you covered in theory levels 1,2, and 3. Assess your current
coaching knowledge and behaviours, and compare it with what you would like your
knowledge and behaviours to be. Then decide what you need to do to bridge the gap
between current and desired levels of coaching performance.
Now try writing the answers to these questions being as specific as possible.
~ What can I do to enhance my role as an exemplary leader (enabler, inspirer etc)?
~ What can I do to improve my communication skills?
~ What can I do to enhance team building with my athletes?
~ What mental training skills can I use or develop to enhance my coaching
performance?
Some quiet reflection and visualization about the past season will help you itemize your
ideas and record them as activities, routines or policies you should stop, start or continue
to include in your program. Visualize your practices, pre-game warm-ups, important
competitions and preparations leading up to these competitions. Replay, in your mind,
the communications with your athletes and the team. Were you able to communicate in a
positive and successful manner? What would you change?
Perhaps you are in the midst of a 4 or 5-year program and you are familiar with
evaluating the progress of the program and adjusting or modifying the long-term goals
you have set for yourself, the team, and the individual players. Maybe, you just want to
be prepared for next year. Now is the time to begin setting realistic goals for you and the
team, taking into consideration the athletes age, abilities and experience!
Start by thinking about the goals, priorities and expectations you have for yourself and
your athletes. Asking yourself the following questions will help.
~What were my main goals and areas of concern this year?
~ What specific goals could be set in each area of concern?
~ What strategies could be used to achieve these goals?
When you are setting goals with athletes, it helps to know what your personal goals are.
By planning in the winter months, on your own, you can be sure about what you want to
accomplish in the next season.