PLAYER CENTRED COACHING. Cushion et al (2003) suggest the heart of coaching is the constructed connection between the coach and the athlete. Some players are easy for coaches to connect with, they might enjoy feedback or be the joker in the group. However young players are actually quite difficult to get to know properly, the player you see on the pitch might be very different to the personality at school, home or even in the changing room. A great way to make that first connection is to get to know them and if possible talk about something other than football. A few simple questions could include;
Do you have any brothers or sisters? How was school today? What’s your favourite thing to do in your spare time? Do you play any other sports? What’s your favourite…food/movie/holiday destination etc
This is something which is blindly obvious and has almost instant results. Players feel like you care about them not just how they play football. These conversations open lots of doors, create weekly conversations and even some great new nicknames! (Wright, 2016). Many elite level academy and youth coaches see their role as being more about forming people who will become successful footballers, rather than creating great athletes who will be able to perform tasks associated with achieving in football (Nesyi & Sulley, 2015). Coaching scholars have also acknowledged coaching as a pedagogical endeavour and the role of the coach to educate rather than simply train (Nelson et al, 2012). The art of coaching recognises the complexity of sport and the need for creativity. Ideally the process recognises people as imaginative, evolving, living organisms – not machines. Renshaw, Oldham, & Bawden (2012) have suggested that Game based Approach (GBA) can develop the three innate needs suggested in the self-determination theory- those of autonomy, competence and relatedness. Therefore, the focus is placed on players – relationships and group dynamics – and constructing a deep, sincere understanding of each individual. Relationships are formed during; Feedback at key moments Cultural upbringing and varied meanings Complex contexts Team culture and shared understandings Learning environments Motivational climates “Unless your players are robots, they need to develop their decision-making skills during game play”. The Player Centred Approach (PCA) is where the coach supports player autonomy by implementing various strategies intended to enhance each player’s decision making ability during game play, as well as outside game play (De Souza & Oslin, 2008). This process empowers players to take ownership of their own sporting performance and also the team’s. This mean that coaches have to establish environments in which players share responsibility. It’s about developing people not just better players (Kidman, 2001). Research has identified that PCA has;
Increased plyers engagement Increase communication with players Increased competency when players are given an opportunity to take control of their learning. Increased motivation
PCA, the Tactical games approach (Mitchell et al., 2005) and Game Sense approach (Thorpe, 2001) evolved from the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) approach (Bunker & Thorpe, 1986) and all promote the use of small-sided games and the use of questioning to develop student’s and players tactical awareness and understanding. The belief is that knowing “what to do” influences players/students to appreciate why they need to practice. So learning is a result of an individual interacting with the task and the environment (Davies, 2016).