Better Coaching Techniques for Better Coaches [NIAAA]

By: Mark Rerick, CMAA

The best coaches understand that their athletic venue is an extension of the classroom. For that reason, techniques that work in the classroom are also effective on the court, field, track, or rink. In reading a text about the use of Response to Intervention (RTI) techniques in schools, I was reminded again of the parallels between teaching and coaching. When observing and evaluating coaches' performances, these RTI guidelines can provide a useable outline for athletic directors to discuss with coaches.

The author of the text I was reading, Wayne Callender, first listed the four conditions necessary for a student's practice to improve his/her performance:

1. The learner must be sufficiently motivated to improve performance.
   More importantly, don't forget that different athletes are motivated by different outcomes.
2. The learner must have all the knowledge necessary to understand the different ways the new knowledge or skill can be applied.
   Relate practice drills to the applicable necessary skills and relate those skills to the team's scheme.
3. The learner must understand how to apply the knowledge to deal with a particular situation.
   Athletes need to apply their skills to a variety of situations and must be able to adjust and adapt on short notice.
4. The learner must be able to analyze the results of that application and know what needs to be changed to improve performance in the future.
   The trick to getting a peak performance from athletes is for the athletes to recognize what went right or wrong without being told by a coach. Coaches should wait for the kids to answer questions or analyze performance before just telling them what went right or wrong.
   The second part of Callender's explanation describes the teacher's role in this process.
5. Select the smallest amount of material that will have the maximum meaning for the learner.
   This is individualized learning. Teach athletes the skills they need to succeed at their positions and at their level of competition.
6. Model the application process step-by-step.
   Give students a visual model of how skills should be performed. As we get older, we know that our modeling skill may not be up to speed (literally!), but it's important for athletes to get the visual. If you as a coach can no longer physically model the skill, make sure you have an assistant or upperclassman who can.
7. Insist the practice occur in the teacher's presence over a short period of time while the student is focused on the learning.
   Notice the three aspects of this role. Coaches need to be present. Practice segments should be short. Athletes need to be focused in order to learn.
8. Watch the practice and provide the student with prompt and specific feedback.
   This is typical of any good coach running a good practice. Provide athletes with correction or reinforcement as soon as possible after an action.

These steps are pretty basic, but I find them to be good reminders, especially to coaches of higher levels. Too often, varsity coaches want to ignore skill teaching to focus on teaching strategy, or they want to teach skills to a group of kids not interested in learning those skills. Using those steps listed above provides a good template for coaches to become better coaches.