The Coach
The coach plays a crucial role in the development and promotion of Gaelic games. Essentially the coach is the person who enables players to become competent by assisting and challenging them to achieve their full potential - whatever that may be. The challenge for the coach is to create the right environment for learning to occur.
There are a number of reasons for becoming a coach: to be more involved as your child is involved in the sport, to help others in your Club or you may have been a player yourself and want to 'give something back' to your Club.
Whatever the reasons for wanting to become a Coach, there is a constant demand for good coaches from grassroots level upwards. The first requirements to becoming a successful coach are having an interest in Gaelic games, and the enthusiasm to become involved. The GAA’s Grassroots to National Programme outlines the Coaches Education pathway, which will allow you to develop your skills as a Coach, so that you can help your Players to develop to their full potential. The Coach Education programme focuses on continuing education, so that you can improve as a Coach by means of a series of specifically designed courses, workshops and conferences incorporating internationally recognised principles of best practice. These opportunities will include a combination of Theoretical and Practical inputs and allow for the use of digital and e-learning techniques. Applied Lifelong Learning makes provision for Coaches to continually develop their skills, and to progress at a rate suited to their own development.
What are the Benefits of Becoming a Coach
For those who have played Gaelic games becoming a coach is an excellent way of maintaining involvement in sport, keeping active and developing the games. It is not necessary to have been a player to become a good Coach. In fact coaching provides an excellent opportunity for those who have not been involved as a player to enjoy a positive role in sport.
Also Coaching:
- Keeps you active
- Enables you to still enjoy a positive role in sport
- Raises self esteem
- Provides new career opportunities
- Coaching allows you to learn a range of skills, including organisational and communication skills, and to use them in other areas of life
- Personal development
- Development of your sport
The roles that a Coach undertakes are many and varied. In many ways it is more than just teaching the techniques and tactics associated with a game. Throughout the sporting year a Coach may be called upon to be: advisor, assessor, chauffeur, demonstrator, friend, fact finder, fountain of knowledge, mentor, motivator, organiser, planner and supporter.
- Analyser and Advisor - Analysing a players performance in training and games and advising on the needs to improve an area of their game, providing appropriate drills and games.
- Chauffeur - Transporting them to training or games if parents or family are unavailable to take them.
- Demonstrator – The ability to demonstrate the skill that you want the players to perform is not always necessary. You do not have to have played Gaelic games to become a Coach. Good coaches have the ability to communicate to the players how to perform the skill
- Friend - Over the years of working with a team and individual players a personal relationship is built up where as well as providing coaching advice you also become someone who they can discuss their problems or share their success with. The coach must keep personal information confidential otherwise the respect the player had for you as a friend and coach will be lost.
- Fact finder - Gathering information on your own players and opponents and to keep up to date with current training techniques.
- Fountain of knowledge – A coach will often be asked questions on diet, different types of training, sports injuries and topics often unrelated to Gaelic games.
- Leader – Have a vision of what needs to be done, in each session, and throughout the year. The good coach is firm, fair and flexible, and prepared to learn as well as coach.
- Mentor–Any players attend training sessions are under your care, with responsibility to their parents and family for ensuring that they are safe and secure. It is important to get prior information on any health issues they may have, and ensure that the training/playing area is as safe as possible. A good coach should also support them should they have any problems or sustain any injuries.
- Motivator - Maintain the motivation of individuals and of the team during the competitive season.
- Organiser and planner - Preparation of training plans for each player, developing team play and outline tactics. Also incorporates the ability to organise training and games to suit players, other coaches and the Club as a whole.
- Supporter - Competition can be a nerve racking experience for some players, especially the young player. Often they like the coach to be around to help support them through the pressures. Role of a 'Friend' and perhaps 'Counsellor' come in here to.
Winning is part and parcel of being a successful coach, but successful coaching is more than simply beating opponents. Successful coaches help players to master new skills, enjoy competing with others and develop self-esteem.
Your success as a coach will be impacted by your coaching philosophy more than any other factor. Your coaching philosophy is the set of beliefs or principles that you bring to coaching that guide you in the decisions that you have to make. In developing your coaching philosophy it is necessary for you to decide what you want to accomplish as a coach and how you will deal with the diverse range of people – players, match officials, administrators and parents, that you will encounter. Your philosophy will be developed through asking questions of your self and considering issues which may occur during your coaching career.Your coaching philosophy will be greatly determined by your belief of what is success as a coach, and the goals that you set for yourself and your team:
- To have a winning team
- To help young players to have fun
- To help young players to develop technically, tactically, physically, psychologically and socially
Often the determination of success will be influenced by whether the goals are short term (winning the next game), or long term (developing a players weaknesses). Winning the next game is the objective of every team - winning within the rules of the game should be the main objective of every player and coach. These two objectives are actually intertwined – by helping to develop a players’ technical ability and tactical prowess as well as physically, psychologically and socially, any team can strive to win an upcoming game.
A coach’s philosophy is not necessarily a rigid set of rules. Just as a player develops throughout the sporting year, a successful coach also develops based on events during the year. A coach will deal with each event based on his/her philosophy. The consequences of how the coach handles each situation will either cause them to adjust or solidify their beliefs and principles.
As a coach you should provide your players with clear guidelines for trust, cooperation, understanding and what you expect of them with regards to discipline, teamwork and communication between players and players and coaches.
Coaching Style
Your coaching style will determine how you determine to organise coaching sessions, and what skills and strategies to teach, how you discipline players and the role of players in any decision making. There are essentially three coaching styles that a coach will lean towards:
- The Command Style (The Dictator)
- the coach makes all the decisions. Players listen and comply with the coaches instructions. The coach feels it is their role to tell the player what to do. This style is effective if winning is the main goal of the coach. Unfortunately this style can lead to players being motivated to play through fear of the coach.
- The Submissive Style (The Baby Sitter)
- the coach makes as few decisions as possible, give little instruction and provide minimal guidance in organising activities. Many of these coaches adopt a "throw out the ball and have a good time" approach.
- The Cooperative Style (The Teacher)
- the coach shares the decision making with the players. The cooperative coach provides the structure and environment for players to set their own goals and assume responsibility for their actions. Players recognise the coach as the leader who guides players towards achieving their own goals.
A well developed coaching philosophy will guide you through each situation that you might encounter as a coach. There is a wealth of information and books produced by successful coaches around the world. An important aspect of your coaching philosophy is that it is your philosophy. By practicing your beliefs in coaching through your words and actions, you will help your players to develop their own philosophies, helping them to develop psychologically and socially.
You’ve decided to become a coach? Congratulations!!
The GAA Grassroots to National Programme provides for a Coach Education ladder that allows a Coach to develop their skills at a rate that suits you. Through Applied Lifelong Learning, you can continually update and expand your skills as a coach. This programme is allied to the National Coaching Development Plan (NCDP) being implemented with the guidance of the National Coaching and Training Centre (NCTC). The NCTC is run under the auspices of the Irish Sports Council and provides courses throughout the country for aspiring and experienced coaches. The Programme currently covers 5 levels of Coach Education:
- Foundation level (Juvenile/Assistant Adult Coach)
- Level 1 (U.14 to Adult Coach)
- Level 2 (Underage Intercounty Coach
- Level 3 (Adult Intercounty Coach)
- Level 4 (Advanced Adult Inter County coach).
Coaching courses are held throughout the year in Clubs around the country. Information on upcoming courses can be found here.
For more information on Coach Education contact:
Lorraine White
Youth Development Officer
Tel: 905 493 1449
Email:
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