As coaches we want our athletes to succeed; we want them to reach their full potential. But sometimes we find ourselves stuck at a roadblock. We have knowledge of the game and are constantly transmitting that knowledge to our athletes, but sometimes they just look back at us with a blank stare. There is a big disconnect.
What can we do as coaches to get them more involved and excited?
EMPOWER OUR ATHLETES!
Typically, we use the Coach Centered Approach to coaching, which is the coach or expert telling the athletes what to do, give them drills, techniques and workouts. The coach is the one driving all the communication, the instruction and the daily “how to” of the sport.
I personally started my coaching career using this approach. I would coach and most everyone follows along. As time passed, I realized my athletes were disengaged at times, just going through the motions. I wanted something different, I wanted them to feel a connection, a purpose. I wanted to empower them. It was then I realized that when my athletes were an active participant in training, I got more out of them. I switched to the Athlete Centered Approach (ACA) to coaching and saw a drastic change.
With ACA coaching, it is proven that you improve communication with your athletes, have higher levels of motivation, improve competence and have a higher level of engagement.
I have found that these 4 strategies are most beneficial when implementing the Athlete Centered Approach to coaching:
1. ASK MORE, SAY LESS
Ask more questions during training.
Especially ask “How” and “Why” questions to your athletes.
“How did that feel?”
“Why did we move to the right instead of the left?”
“How do we want to finish off training today?”….
Understand the implementation of questioning takes time and may be uncomfortable at first. The athletes that you work with may not be used to answering such questions and may be reluctant and even intimidated, especially if they need to answer those questions in front of their teammates.
Start off slow, asking one or two questions at training. You might even want to talk to your athletes and let them know you will be asking more questions to increase their awareness and understanding.
Action Item: Ask one or two questions at training each day this week instead of telling your athletes what to do! Then the next week take it to two or three questions per training.
2. GET THEM INVOLVED
Allow your athletes to be part of the solution. Make them active participants! Get them thinking rather than switching to autopilot at trainings. When athletes come up with their own solutions in training, they are more likely to use it in competition. When athletes understand why they are doing a specific drill or why a training is set up a certain way, they are more prone to actively participate. It increases their involvement in decision making, performance and problem solving.
Action Item: Ask your athletes for feedback or alternate options to challenges. Ask their perspective or observation about a competition, opponent or game.
3. GIVE CHOICES
This is one of the most effective ways to involve your athletes in training. Give them options. Let them be part of the decision making. As a coach, if you know you are planning two different drills at a training and the order of the drills is insignificant, ask the athletes which they prefer to do first. Challenge the athletes to come up with their own drills or workouts for trainings with a few guidelines you set as the coach.
When athletes feel part of the decision making process they are more engaged and have a better chance of remember the activity.
Action Item: Give your athletes a choice this week during training.
4. YOU ARE THE COACH
Remember that asking your athletes to be an active participant doesn’t mean you are no longer the coach. Set clear boundaries and standards as the coach. Engaging them into the trainings doesn’t mean you are a pushover or completely turning trainings over to the athletes. The goal is to get them involved in their own decision making, performance and problem solving.
Action Item: Where in your next training can you ask for your athletes’ input? How can you get them involved?
Using the ACA involves designing training sessions that meet the needs of our athletes, asking questions and allowing our athletes to take ownership. Think about it, at a competition, athletes are the ones ultimately in control, they are the ones in the action, performing and making decisions! We, as coaches, want to help them make the right ones!
Check out other resources for your athletes here!
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