Coaching Children – What does good look like ?
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Coaches play a vital role in delivering fun , engaging and developmental sessions for children which influences whether children take up , stay in and / or progress within hockey .
As coaches we are not just responsible for developing hockey players , but also developing people . Sport and hockey can be a key vehicle to develop a number of different aspects of a child ’ s life . The ‘ C ’ system follows this holistic coaching model and uses sport to develop the whole child . Hockey can be a vehicle to develop a number of these different aspects of a child ’ s life . These include :
• Social and Personal – For many young people , involvement in sport is a fundamental part of their personal and social development .
• Physical and Movement – This concentrates on both gross and fine motor skills and developing control over the body , particularly muscles and physical coordination .
• Game Understanding – By exposing children to the primary rules , skills and tactical problems they become literate in a variety of games , activities and sports . This helps them develop an understanding and competency of the skills and tactics associated with playing hockey and other sports .
• Skill Development – The environment created by the coach that offers the children the opportunity to develop skills , ‘ game sense ’ and an understanding of the rules and tactics to play really good hockey .
The coach needs to be aware and to recognise that these areas are all entwined and linked to each other – and many activities will cover all aspects . Confident , competent , decision-making hockey players come from confident , competent , decision-making people .