“Practice makes perfect”, is the old saying but in truth it is not practice but principle that will make a player or team perfect. Drills and skills will only produce a programmed child; principles will allow the players to think for themselves, to make decisions and apply creativity in matches. Coaches of school teams need to have key principles, ten of which are highlighted here.
The first coaching Principle is that the school coach must indeed focus on principles, not just practices. William Ralph Inge has pointed out that “The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts but of values.” The school sports coach is involved in the education process so the coach must instil in his players the true value of sport and the necessary values in sport. Sport teaches vital life lessons and these need to be explained and reinforced in every practice by the coach.
The second coaching Principle is that the school coach must coach players for a life-time enjoyment of sport. Sport is not only for the elite, talented players but for all players – and all players, talented and novices, are to enjoy the sport. School coaches need to put fun and variety into all their sessions so that the pupils will continue with sport after they leave school.
The third coaching Principle is that the school coach must enable players to learn, for themselves. The age-old principle of “Don’t give a man a fish; teach him how to fish” applies to a coach as much as to a teacher. Players need to see what is going wrong (and how to address it) rather than be told.
The fourth coaching Principle is that the school coach must be able to ‘treat triumph and disaster the same’. We need to teach players how to fail and how to deal with failure – too many successful sportsmen fail in other areas of life as they never learned how to fail. School sport is not for the coach’s CV or the parents’ entertainment but for the pupils’ education.
The fifth coaching Principle is that the coach must set the highest example. The coach is the coach – more than a rugby coach but a life coach. The coach is the coach, on and off the pitch and so his example is absolutely crucial at all times. Players look to the coach about how to react to situations. Coaches who shout at referees are setting a poor example to their players who will do the same
The sixth coaching Principle is that the coach must treat players individually. Coaches must deal with the players they have, not how they would deal with players they want. Different players handle pressure differently; different players need different treatment. The wonderful film “Cool Runnings” about the Jamaican bobsleigh team underlined the point that the Jamaican team would not succeed by copying the East Germans, but by being themselves, keeping their own national idiosyncrasies.
The seventh coaching Principle is that the coach must consider the welfare (not just physical but emotional, social, spiritual, mental as well) of every player, not just their favoured or talented ones. The tendency and temptation will be to spend time on the gifted and interested pupils but this only divides the team and demotivates the players.
The eighth coaching Principle is that the coach must be well-prepared. Teachers are required to submit Schemes and Records of Work to their Head of Department to show how they are getting through the curriculum; so should coaches. Training sessions should be planned, appropriate and well-organised, geared to a clear long-term sporting curriculum.
The ninth coaching Principle is that the coach must look for what is not visible. A coach must not watch the ball or worse, the referee, but should be analysing the opposition and appraising his own team’s performance. He should be looking at what is not happening more than what is happening. He should be considering what a player is not doing (or saying or feeling) and help him through it.
The final coaching Principle is that the coach must have balance in his practice sessions, just as schools must balance the curriculum. The coach must balance the serious and fun; values and skills, win and loss.
We want our pupils to have principles; our coaches must therefore have principles too.
