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Understanding your own emotions

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Emotion perception is a key component of emotional intelligence. In the third chapter of our series, we explore the inner world of emotions, and discover how recognising and managing them in yourself and others can significantly improve your coaching.
A good sound bite can be a highly effective means of communication.

It is the reason film trailers are teeming with them, why politicians reel them off thick and fast, and why they trip off the tongue of sports coaches, songwriters, university lecturers and conference speakers.

Those pithy words that encapsulate the essence of your message in such a concise, clever way can stay with you forever.

'Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country.' John F Kennedy's inauguration speech.

My personal favourite is associated with the theory of emotional intelligence (EI). It is snappy and memorable, as sound bites should be, but the words carry great significance and are hugely beneficial in helping coaches understand why the study of emotions is so critical in sports coaching.

So without further ado:
Emotions drive thoughts, thoughts drive behaviour, and behaviour drives performance.
Now, let me put that into context.

Emotion perception is the ability to identify emotions in yourself, and in those around you, and is a key facet of EI.

Understanding and honing your emotion perception will enable you to perform at a much higher level as a coach.

The ability to pick up on and influence your own and other people's emotions will also empower you to influence your players' behaviour. And as the maxim above makes clear, therein lies the secret of improving their performance.
The chimp and the antenna
So it makes sense to make sense of people's emotions. But if you still think I'm making no sense, behavioural performance and training expert Catherine Baker reinforces the significance of emotion perception below with several easy to understand scenarios.

It can become boring for coaches to keep being reminded of it, but the fact is, the mental side of sports coaching is just as important as the technical and tactical sides.

The last time we delved into emotional intelligence, we examined how self-awareness was the first step towards understanding EI in yourself and other people.

In this third part of the series, Catherine argues that, to become the complete coach, you must also have a good perception of the emotional struggles that take place within your athletes' heads, as well as your own head.

'I refer to the two sides of emotion perception as the chimp and the antenna,' begins Catherine, who explains how to use emotion perception as an indispensable performance tool

'Focusing on yourself first of all, and how good you are at recognising emotions in yourself, that is where the whole concept around The Chimp Paradox comes in (the book written by Professor Steve Peters based on the work he did with Sir Chris Hoy).

'What that's looking at is the ability to perceive emotions within yourself and then deal with them appropriately. So, how good are you at realising that you are feeling nervous today, unconfident, insecure, tired, angry, demotivated etc?

'Or it could be the opposite? You may be feeling really happy today, incredibly optimistic, and therefore more likely to be optimistic in the way you go about your day. It's about picking up on those emotions.'

Picking up emotions in others may be more of a challenge. For this, Catherine uses the term antenna.

A good analogy is to think of an old-fashioned black and white TV set. Those of a certain age will remember the aerial with two rabbit ear prongs sticking out of a plastic base that you had to move around the room to pick up a decent reception and get rid of the interference.

Think of having to move that antenna around as you attempt to tune in to the emotions of people around you. That should give you a clearer picture (pun intended!).
Go ape
So go ahead, release the emotional side of your brain - your inner chimp - and give it free reign to interpret the feelings and sentiments circulating inside your mind.

Imagine that you are the coach of a local boys' youth rugby team and that you have reached the cup final. You are hoping to go one better than last season, when you lost in the final.

Catherine develops the scenario:

'It is the night before, you are worried and are lying in bed, dealing with lots of emotions. Have you given the players enough training? Have you given them adequate pep talks? Has the gameplan been worked through properly? You are also worried because your mum hasn't been very well, and that has added to your stress levels.

'When you wake up the next morning, how good are you at recognising those emotions that were, and still are, flooding your mind, as well as appreciating that you are going to be tired because those emotions have caused you to have a sleepless night?'

When you arrive at the ground and enter the dressing room, it is important that you have taken the time to reflect on what you have been experiencing and are now starting to pick up on the emotions of your players by setting your antenna in motion.

Catherine adds: 'Yes, you are going to be going through the game plan and focusing on the technical elements, but that people side is also really important. Which boys are quieter than normal - which might suggest they are extremely nervous - and which boys are louder than normal - which again may be a symptom of nerves?

'Looking around and seeing how they are reacting to the situation will guide you in dealing with those emotions appropriately.'

You may feel it is necessary to psych up certain individuals who respond well to passionate pep talks, and who don't seem to have grasped the importance of the occasion, or put an arm around the shoulder of others to tease them out of their shell so they don't carry that nervousness into the biggest game of the season.

'It's about understanding what those individuals need as individuals,' says Catherine.

Leicester City coach Claudio Ranieri epitomises this piece of advice.

He has guided the top-flight minnows - 5000/1 outsiders to win the Premier League at the start of the season - to the title in arguably the biggest achievement in sporting history.
LIP SERVICE: Claudio Ranieri plants a kiss on the Premier League trophy
One of the many reasons behind his Midas touch this season has been his ability to tune his antenna in to the minds of his players, to ascertain their individual needs and to act accordingly.

'He has a fantastic understanding of what is required in that dressing room in terms of atmosphere and emotions,' says Catherine.

As Ranieri said himself: 'They so need to be relaxed and not harassed. They expect calm and respect in the dressing room so, if you want to be a prima donna, they won't forgive you for it.'

Remember too that sport can also be about taking emotion out of situations.

'When you listen to British tennis ace Johanna Konta speaking, it's very much growth mindset language,' says Catherine. 'So in a pre-match interview, she will say, "I'm going out on court today to try to play the best tennis that I can play," rather than, "I'm going to go out and win in straight sets," which will just heighten the pressure on her shoulders.'
Self-analysis sessions
The process of emotion perception can be easier to employ if you coach individual athletes.

Often, you come to understand the rhythms, patterns and moods of the person, helping you identify the occasions when you need to step in.

One day, they might need geeing up. Other days, they might be particularly focused. Another time, they might arrive for training distracted, and you have to spend time sharpening their concentration before you embark on any technical instruction.

'You may feel you are better at coaching certain people in the morning because your moods seem to fit better,' says Catherine. 'In the evenings, when you are tired, those same people may retain their exuberance, and you might find you have to push yourself that bit harder to match their mood or emotions.'

Emotion perception, then, is the precursor to emotion regulation. And you won't be able to manipulate any emotions if you haven't pinpointed them in the first place.

But isn't it the British way to run from our emotions - keeping our chimp locked in its cage? The idea is that, if we ignore them, maybe they will just go away and stop bothering us.

'That's fine, but if you think it's affecting your performance, then you should deal with it,' is Catherine's advice, and she urges coaches to take the following 'what' and 'why' approach.

'Imagine a situation where you are nervous about something. Say to yourself: "What is it exactly that I'm nervous about, and why am I nervous about it?"'

It might be that you are giving a presentation, and you are particularly anxious because there is a really important person in the audience, or you are not 100% confident in your material and are worried people might think you are out of your depth.

Identifying your anxieties gives you a starting point. You can then begin acting on those feelings.

If you have asked yourself the question far enough in advance, you will have recognised the need to be better prepared and so brushed up on your material. If it's just before you go on stage, remind yourself of the fact you were asked to speak because you are an expert on the subject, and remember your flawless dress rehearsals in front of the mirror the night before.
Train your brain
There are some very simple tools you can use to train yourself in the art of emotion perception.

'One of the really basic things you can do is to try to start taking notice of your own inner emotions before you worry about other people's,' says Catherine.

'So after each session or coach's meeting, reflect. What have I perceived in myself? What emotions did I go through in that meeting? Was I aware of them at the time, or was it only afterwards that I became aware of them?

'Maybe after a week of doing that, when you have got into the habit, begin writing down at the end of the day the emotions you had as you went through the day and the impact they had on the sessions you coached.

'The next week, start adding in another column, the emotions of those around you. Did I notice, for example, or acknowledge that one day I had a group of five-year-old girls who were really giggly and excited because it was their lunchtime session, but then, when I had them again at the end of the day, they were actually really tired and flat? Did I, first of all, notice that and, secondly, adapt my session accordingly?'

Another technique Catherine recommends is asking colleagues for their thoughts.

'I don't think many of us are very good at that. Ask them: "Do you think I am good at reading people's emotions, or do you think it is something I need to work on and improve?"

'Watch and observe anyone in the workplace you think is really good at it. Maybe ask them how they manage to pick up on things so well.'
Keeping up with the Joneses
Interpreting people's emotionally significant stimuli will only come with practice, but you should understand by now how important it is to do just that - practise.

As Catherine concludes: 'It's that classic motto that when I get on the start line, I want to know in myself that I have done everything possible to make sure I'm in the best place to perform at my best.'

And it seems to be working for Eddie Jones, who guided the England rugby union team to their first Six Nations Grand Slam triumph since 2003.

In one of his first interviews since taking over the hot seat, he was asked: 'What three things make a great coach?'

Knowledge, enthusiasm and an ability to manage people was his response, explaining that understanding and responding to each player's emotional needs is an instrumental part of being a good coach who is driven to achieving success.
Read more about Catherine and her work (including how to get in touch with her and her team) by visiting her Please join the debate by leaving a comment. coaching profile

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Dealing with feelings: The importance of getting your head around emotion perception

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Emotion perception is a key component of emotional intelligence. In the third chapter of our series with behavioural expert and ConnectedCoaches Content Champion Catherine Baker, we explore the inner world of emotions, and discover how recognising and managing them in yourself and others can significantly improve your coaching.

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25 Important Questions Coaches Can Ask Children

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25 Important Questions Coaches Can Ask Children

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25 Important Questions Coaches Can Ask Children

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Infographic produced by BelievePerform (@BelievePHQ) showing 25 important questions coaches can ask children

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Top Tips for managing participants in your sessions

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Top Tips for managing participants in your sessions

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Coaching Our Sons & Daughters - A Great Problem to Have?

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Coaching Our Sons & Daughters - A Great Problem to Have?

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https://www.connectedcoaches.org/spaces/17/coaching-children-ages-5-12/blogs/general/5400/coaching-our-sons-a-great-problem-to-have?utm_campaign=CWS_749+-+SCUK_CoachTalk_010317&utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=

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Ostracised Newbie or Welcomed Addition? 'Being the New Coach'.

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Ostracised Newbie or Welcomed Addition? 'Being the New Coach'.

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How to behave as the new coach?

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We've all been, or at some point, will be the 'new coach'. Starting in a new coaching role, or any job for that matter, is an exciting time; whether its your first role or an opportunity to step up a level. New people coming into any kind of organisation bring enthusiasm and different perspectives, but they can also bring unrest and discontent.

Sometimes things go well - really well. Other times, it can bring resentment and hostility. New coaches may meet opposition to their ideas and become demotivated all too quickly.

Often the new coach who faces hostility is a 'whirlwind coach' - who comes in full of ideas and energy, ready to revolutionise (as they see it) the poor practice currently occurring: they have all the answers.

I've been that coach. And that approach was probably more linked to my ego than anything else, and perhaps feeling like I needed to prove to others why I was appointed.

But I've also been a different coach - one with a more thoughtful and measured approach. This resulted in more meaningful changes, which were relevant and important to the players and got buy in and support of other coaches in the club. And it was so much more of an enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Some thoughts to consider:

- Begin with 'why'

- Build relationships and trust

- Know your own non-negotiables

- Remember you were excited about coming here!

Its easy to look at things and think 'they're doing it wrong' or 'I've got a better idea'. But the current coaches have probably iterated the curriculum and processes over and over again - what you see now is a result of time and effort put in by the people around you, so being hyper critical may well turn others against you. Some of your ideas may have already been tried, or are being used in a different way. Don't just assume that what you see now is all there's ever been.

And remember, what worked for you previously in a different context won't necessarily work in this one. Instead, begin with 'why'; ask with an intent to listen, to understand why things are done the way they are, and what's gone before. You're then in a much better position to have realistic expectations of which of your ideas to implement first, and how.

Build relationships and trust

Face it - you're currently the 'unknown' - to both the players and other coaches. For the players, you are a key person in their enjoyment of the sport, their development, and in some circumstances, their retention in a talent development programme. So consider how you can begin to get to know your players - not through data and statistics but by actually talking with them and trying to understand who they are and what's important to them. Then use this to inform your coaching.

Similarly, you're an unknown quantity to the coaches now working alongside you. Are you a threat to their position? Will you be easy to work with? Just like you should with the players, find ways to connect with the other coaches.

Know your own non-negotiables

There may be things that you don't like, but decide they're not a priority to change yet. Its not about accepting bad practice, but about choosing what to impact and when, recognising that you can't change everything all at once. However, you have to be clear about which of your own beliefs and values, that, no matter what, are non-negotiable. These are things that you stand firm with. For me, these include safety and respect - that I will always respect others. These are things that I can control and will not waive on. Be clear on what these are to you and be prepared to say no if current practice breaches them.

Figure out how you can add value

Once you've got an understanding of the context, the players and the coaches you're working with, you're in a much better position to evaluate how you can add value to the programme. How can you enhance what is already in place? How can you support a process or initiative which another coach is passionate about? Once other coaches see that you're willing to embrace and support their ideas (and not simply shoot them down), and the value that you can add, they're much more likely to be open to hearing about and being supportive of yours.

Remember you were excited about coming here!

The first school I worked in, a successful lesson was sometimes simply one where all students remained in the sports hall for the whole lesson without any fights breaking out... it was a steep learning curve and I developed a whole variety of skills through necessity. In my next school, as Head of Girls PE, staff's main complaints centred around kit - particularly students bringing 'the wrong type of football socks'. At first it sounded ludicrous to me that was their biggest moan! Yet only a few weeks in, I could feel myself beginning to empathise with petty negatives, instead of focusing on the important aspects and being excited about a new and different challenge. Don't let others sap your energy or drag you into their negativity. Remember how you felt when you were handed the role - tap back into that when you feel yourself being negative to help put things into perspective.

So keep that energy and enthusiasm. Model good practice - including how you treat other coaches - and recognise that in order to be heard and have the opportunity to begin effective change, others need to be willing to listen. That's much more likely to happen if you are first willing to understand your context and the people involved, to build trust and add value to what's already there.
This blog is also available as a podcast on a number of platforms including iTunes. Listen here. If you enjoyed this you can find all my other ConnectedCoaches blogs here.

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Ostracised Newbie or Welcomed Addition? Being the 'New Coach'.

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I've had lots of conversations recently with coaches starting new roles. Full of ideas & energy, their over-riding intention is to make positive change - to make things better. However, after a few weeks, where some are excelling & making a welcom...

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Engaging the Disengaged

Do you have a participant in your session that you struggle to engage with? Hear Gary's story via the link below about how he tackles 'the problem player' in football.

https://www.connectedcoaches.org/spaces/18/coaching-youth-age-13-18/blog/Blake/272/the-secrets-to-building-a-more-productive-relationship-with-problem-players?utm_campaign=CWS_703+-+CoachTalk&utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=

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5 Top Tips to Coaching New Participants

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Apparently most coaches use it wrongly. Check this blog out for more infor.

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Coaching is not a 9-5 job, it's a 24/7 365 commitment to impacting others & changing lives forever & social media enables that

In today's sports landscape most coaches are learning very fast that the 20th century model of coaching will simply not succeed in the 21st century. Gone are the days when letters, printed mail-outs & phone calls would get the job done locking up top recruits. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat & Facebook are the pens and paper of days past, but most importantly the mediums in which players communicate, live & truly understand.

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
- Nelson Mandela

Current Landscape

While "most" coaches have come to terms with this new digital reality and have hesitantly joined social media, just being active on social does not mean you're using it correctly and maximizing its effectiveness. Unfortunately many coaches have joined social media only to check a box, to avoid being painted a dinosaur or to carry out athletic department marketing campaigns. It's very easy to tell the coaches whose social media accounts are actually an athletic department marketing channel, pushing content aimed at selling tickets to games, hyping up fans with cookie-cutter messages after wins & blindly retweeting every mention. A lot of coaches have only joined Twitter or Instagram to monitor recruits and players, which is actually a great use of the platforms and can help avoid future headaches down the road, but social media is a two-way street and only using it to monitor potential knuckleheads is missing out on the true essence of social. And then there are the coaches who believe that social media is the bane of their existance, the reason they just lost a big game and the downfall of millennials everywhere. Coaches who ban their players from using social media are purposely choosing not to educate their players to succeed later in life. Most of these coaches will say they're banning social so players can focus or avoid the "noise", but really it's because of lack of trust and avoiding having to spend time to properly educate them on how to use digital platforms to help them succeed throughout their lives.

What Coaches Are NOT Doing

Coaching is not a 9-5 job, it's a 24/7 365 commitment to impacting others & changing lives forever, and social media enables that! Too many coaches are missing out on massive opportunites to motivate, teach & inspire on platforms that can enable them to impact more players, recruits, fans & adoring followers.

Everyone nowadays is always talking about building "culture" and instilling that culture into every part of their program, from the locker room to the weight room to the class room to the dorm room, coaches are working to build a culture that translates into success for their program and players.

How many coaches are building their culture digitally?

Long after players leave practice or coaches leave the living room of potential recruits there are hours upon hours of ample time to continue motivating, teaching & inspiring online. Whether it's through 140 character motivational quotes on Twitter, a photo of a teachable moment on Instagram, or even sharing an inspirational book on Facebook, MANY coaches are not taking advantage of their huge platforms to be constantly teaching, recruiting & inspiring.

Coaches are always working to make sure every interaction with players in meetings, practices, workouts or around the facility are impactful and help develop them in one way or another. Why not continue coaching players without them knowing they're being coached?

Almost every millenial today lives on their phone, primarily within the Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat & (yes, still) Facebook app constantly following what their friends, family, favorite musicians, athletes, celebs, and even coaches are doing! Whether any one wants to admit it, most millenials live in 2 worlds at any given time, where they are currently and what their digital persona is doing on their phone.

Understanding where most players spend their time enables you to continually reach them where they live on the medium they understand best! This provides opportunities to share great articles on success, motivational words of wisdom, inspiring videos of courage & captivating content around the clock. Committing to using your social media platforms as subliminal teaching tools can help hammer home major points that might have been missed in team meetings or practices. Not to mention, showcasing who you are, your inherit beliefs and what motivates you on social media will also help paint a better picture for that parent that might be on the fence about which program to send their child for the next four years.

Some Coaches "GET IT"
Here are JUST A FEW examples of coaches who I admire for what they're doing on social media:
Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze is constantly active on Twitter sending out motivational messages, leadership lessons, Bible quotes and actively interacting with followers.

Nevada's Eric Musselman is one of the best on Twitter about taking quotes from players, coaches & leaders and relating their message to life and basketball.

Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams is truly one coach who understands everything matters and that social media enables constant coaching of players, but more importantly people. Buzz uses his Twitter platform also as a way to reward players who go the extra mile, so a #getBETTER shoutout from Coach is a big deal!

Western Michigan's PJ Fleck is another coach using his social platform to constantly coach his players, he also has made #RTB "Row The Boat" quite a rallying cry online and off.

South Carolina's Dawn Staley is awesome at Twitter, aside from a ton of hilarious tweets, Coach shares and connects with her players, recruits & followers through powerful content like above.

Pittsburgh's Kevin Sutton has seemingly been on Twitter from Day 1, using his platform to share messages of motivation, leadership lessons and honest advice around the clock.

South Carolina's Frank Martin has also pretty much been on Twitter from Day 1, aside from his positive tweets on how growth and leadership amongst others, Coach Martin is constantly using Twitter as the 2-way street it's intended to be.

Texas A&M's Bob Starkey has been ahead of coaches for year's, whether it's on his HoopThoughts blog or on his Twitter, Coach is constantly using his platform to teach, educate & lead those who follow.

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Most Coaches Are Using Social Media WRONG! - Coaching For Success - Medium

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In today's sports landscape most coaches are learning very fast that the 20th century model of coaching will simply not succeed in the 21st century. Gone are the days when letters, printed mail-outs & phone calls would get the job done locking up top recruits.

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UK Coaching - How to Coach Disabled People in Sport

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Gain the confidence and understanding to ensure your coaching is more inclusive. This workshop aims to answer the commonly asked questions about disabled sports participants and will show you how, with a few minor adjustments to the way you work, you can make your coaching more inclusive and more effective

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Richard Branson talks about the importance of fail-ing (First Attempt In Learning).

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As Rauschenberg continued: "I have an almost fanatically correct assistant, and by the time she re-spells my words and corrects my punctuation, I can't read what I wrote." Like him, I make plenty of mistakes when I write things down, but I keep writing more and more notes, knowing this is the only way good ideas will surface.

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Get to know your athletes/participants.

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Jeremy Frith and Rachel Sykes pictured outside Celtic Park with world-renowned psychologist Carol Dweck, left Performance coach Jeremy Frith and educational psychologist Rachel Sykes explore the topic of positive development and application of mindset with athletes and young people.

Your mindset plays a crucial role in your level of achievement and success.

The beliefs people have about their abilities shape their mindsets and therefore their behaviours.

Coaches can help their participants fulfil their potential as performers by understanding their individual mindsets, and whether they show fixed or growth mindset personality traits.

This knowledge can help you shape your participants' belief system and effect behaviour change.

There are some easy to apply techniques that can be used by coaches to foster growth mindset in young participants.

It is human nature to want to be successful in whatever venture you undertake in life.

Your way of thinking - your mindset - is crucial to whether you end up fulfilling your personal goals: achieving the exam grades you yearn for; flourishing in your career; reaching the performance level you aspire to in your chosen sport.

In coaching terms, understanding your participants' individual mindsets is an important first step in helping them fulfil their potential as performers.

More specifically, identifying if they have a growth mindset or fixed mindset: do they believe in their capacity to learn and develop their abilities, or do they think their personal qualities are genetic traits that are set in stone?

By having an awareness of where your participants sit on the growth to fixed mindset continuum for mental and physical character traits - such as resilience, confidence, motivation and strength - coaches can more easily begin the process of guiding their participants' way of thinking, with a view to cultivating a growth mindset culture.
Equal opportunities vision
The manipulation of athletes' mental traits to achieve performance gain is given a high priority in elite sport, where psychologists can work directly with athletes and alongside coaches, and time is not an issue.

With the concept of growth mindset now widely regarded as being a wonderful foundation for learning, imagine the impact if the majority of the 3.1 million adults who coached in England during 2016¹ had been utilising this powerful learning tool as part of their coaching methods.

In reality, while coaches may be aware of the work of Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck on the role mindset plays in achievement and success, most do not have a deep enough knowledge to be able to influence constructive action - shaping their participants' belief system and effecting behaviour change.
Getting a detailed fix on mindset
ConnectedCoaches member Jeremy Frith is confident that this will change and is doing everything in his power to enlighten people about the effectiveness of employing growth mindset coaching strategies.

Jeremy is an ECB Level 4 Coach and Coach Educator and a Performance Director for the Guernsey Sports Commission. He also works with business partner Rachel Sykes as an Education Development Officer for Growth Mindset for the States of Guernsey Education Department.

Before shining a light on some easy to apply techniques that can be used to foster growth mindset in young participants, the pair begin by providing a more detailed synopsis of fixed and growth mindsets.

'In a fixed mindset, people believe that abilities, intelligence and talents are fixed traits they were born with - in other words, that you have a certain amount of ability and that you can't do much to change or improve upon that,' says Jeremy.

'In a growth mindset, people believe that, with practice, dedication and hard work, abilities can be developed. This view creates a love of learning and resilience leading to personal challenges and a greater likelihood of a person being their very best.'

'It is these beliefs about abilities which shape people's mindsets and therefore their behaviours,' adds Rachel.
Super Mac and Super Brat
It is important to note that people can still achieve with a fixed mindset, but they are likely to underachieve.

'Having a growth mindset is very much about how people can be the best that they can be. It's not about being the best but about people being their best,' says Rachel. 'Not that we can ever predict someone's potential or know how good they could be. It is about the belief in constant incremental improvements.'

'Take John McEnroe, for example. He would certainly say he underachieved in his career because he had fixed traits.'

McEnroe (pictured) was one of the most successful tennis players of his, or any other, generation, but he believed painstaking practice was a waste of his time as he considered he already possessed the inherent skills to succeed at the top level.

And anyway, he was practising when he was playing, and he was playing a lot because he was winning a lot! Such skewed logic might be offered as an excuse by someone with a fixed mindset to cover up criticism of the number of hours they spend fine-tuning their technique.

A reluctance to practise wasn't the only thing that shackled McEnroe's progress. When he lost, he would always be quick with an excuse, of how it was the umpire's fault, how he was feeling the after-effects of a bug; basically, someone else or something else was always the problem, never himself.

Failure to acknowledge his weaknesses, and therefore muster a genuine commitment to correct them, meant they remained weaknesses for the entirety of his career.

Blaming others and not taking personal responsibility are traits seen in a fixed mindset when faced with failure or criticism.

This phobia of looking bad, seeing effort as pointless, shunning personal challenge and becoming so frustrated at his mistakes meant he famously earned the nickname Super Brat. Although this did not prevent him becoming a great of the game, some would argue it wrecked his chances of becoming the greatest.
Are you a lefty or a righty?
What about at the other end of the sporting spectrum?

A promising young footballer might be told by their coach or parents that they are 'one-footed'.

The player, if they have a fixed mindset, may hold the intransigent belief that they cannot improve their ability with their 'weaker' foot because they were born right-footed. In their mind, their left foot will always be inferior and they can do nothing about it.

As a direct result of their mindset, they will stubbornly refuse to take up the challenge to improve their 'weaker foot' technique, and every wayward cross or skewed shot with their left foot thereafter will simply reinforce their belief.

Importantly, and unfortunately for them, their failure to master the skill could ruin their chances of making the transition from club level to county level.
The million-dollar question is, how can you teach people to adopt a growth mindset?
We know the formula for maximising your potential and being the best you can be means applying a healthy dollop of effort to your current levels of ability.

But in those who harbour fixed mindsets, learning to see effort as your friend, not your enemy, requires the help of an outsider with knowledge and influence - which, in the context of this article, means a good coach.

Remember at this point that it is just as important for the coach to develop a growth mindset.

As Jeremy explains: 'If you've got a fixed mindset about something as a coach, it will come through in some way when you are communicating directly or indirectly with the people you are working with.'
The table of elements
Jeremy and Rachel have worked on creating a mechanism to help coaches develop growth mindset, whereby sportsmen and women become more self-aware of their beliefs about particular skill sets. This is explained in detail in their book The Growth Mindset Coaching Kit. They believe it is helpful for individuals to be able to identify where they sit on the mindset continuum for different attributes within their sport before targeted training and education can begin in earnest.

'This can be done in many contexts; for example, in the primary and secondary education sector, in business leadership, sport or any kind of professional domain,' says Jeremy.

'By identifying the skill sets that can be used to make up a successful performer, we can then ask them about those individual attributes; is that something they believe can be learnt, or is it something that they think you are born with?'

Rachel takes over the baton: 'The work we have done with mindsets in sport indicates that some of those mental factors - like motivation, control, resilience - people tend to think of as being more fixed.

'Shifting fixed beliefs can take time. The first step is to help people see where they may hold these beliefs, and then changing them becomes a choice.'
Understand this: The rewards are huge
For many coaches, becoming immersed in the intellectual workings of the mind may add a layer of complexity to the job that is just too elaborate for them.

And being told that you should not label people as either fixed or growth mindset, that it is a misconception to be so black and white ('in reality, no one has either one or the other completely', says Jeremy), could cloud coaches' thinking.

'It really shouldn't,' counters Rachel.

'The challenge of mindset is not understanding it - it is quite simple to understand - the danger is that it gets applied poorly, at a surface level, and lip service gets paid to it.'

Jeremy adds: 'I think that was the thing with my sport, cricket. Some of the sports psychologists I know say that they are the last resort. Clubs come to them after they have tried everything else.

'A lot of coaches have never got into the psychology of learning, the psychology of motivation. I don't think coaches can be blamed for that. There's almost a stigma about it, something to do if you've got a problem.

'I think every coach, teacher or business leader needs to demonstrate to people that it can make a tangible difference to what they do.'

In other words, the obvious benefits make it worth the investment in effort.

'If you can give people those very simple strategies to take away then they very quickly buy in,' says Jeremy.
Tools and strategies
Something as simple as using the word 'yet' can be a powerful tool coaches can use to cultivate growth mindset.

As Jeremy puts it: 'Learn to love and embrace the word.'

'When participants say they can't do something, add the word "yet" to what they say,' adds Rachel.

'It changes people's whole perception of what they need to do in order to be able to do it. Maybe not straight away, or even in three months, but in time, they will get there.'

Another simple tip is to reward and acknowledge the effort, not the outcome.

So, for example, at a debrief following a match, even if you have won, don't praise the result, praise the fact that each player fought back brilliantly in the first half from going a goal down; praise the team's resilience to hold on till the final whistle against a late onslaught; praise an individual in front of their teammates for the fact they didn't let their head drop after conceding a penalty, singling out their lung-busting display to make amends.

'I find sometimes when I'm watching junior age group cricket that, if the team is winning, the coaches are sitting in a deckchair, drinking a cup of tea. If they are losing, they are up, pacing the boundary, shouting instructions,' says Jeremy. 'And yet, at the same time, they would be saying how "Learning is one of the most important things for my players." Well, just because they are on top, they can still be learning things.'
That the outcome is of secondary importance is something coaches should also impress on the parents. Urge them to celebrate personal bests, enjoyment, learning and development over competition results so that it will encourage growth mindset behaviour to take root in their child.
'Keeping children motivated because they are getting better, with the focus on their own development rather than on the outcomes, is so important at that level,' says Rachel. 'That's one of the key things that is going to keep children playing sport and keep them motivated.

'So, parents picking their kids up from matches, the first question on their lips is so often, "Did you win?" Try to educate them that that is not the most important question. "Did you enjoy it?", "What did you feel you did well?"; "What do you think you would do differently next time?" - they are the questions you should be asking them. And if you watched them, simply say, "I loved watching you play." That is all the child needs to hear.'

The behaviour change process is a three-way partnership, then, between parents, coach and athlete.

And the fact that parents want what's best for their children should help to convince your partners in learning of the urgent need to change their line of questioning.
Take up the challenge
Jeremy and Rachel have devised the Challenge-O-Meter, a simple tool that, if used well, can have a massive impact on learning.

They suggest coaches stick the poster up in the dressing room or the sports hall, or hand out individual copies so participants can Blu Tack them on their bedroom walls for easy reference.

'Challenge is one of those things that is often determined by people's mindset,' says Rachel. 'In a fixed mindset, challenge is often avoided for fear of failure. Here, we see people doing things they already think they are good at it, which means they are not going to be learning as quickly as if they are pushing themselves. In a growth mindset, challenge is sought and embraced.

'So we've introduced this notion of 0-10 of challenge, with 9 and 10 being a really high level of challenge. The Challenge-O-Meter also shows what you might say to yourself if you are a fixed mindset, and encouraging you to challenge yourself back with a growth mindset.

'The more you acknowledge that you are making mistakes and getting things wrong, the more you will start to realise, uncomfortable though the journey may be, that if you don't challenge yourself, then you might not actually get better.

'Having that language there before your eyes, and seeing the explicit importance of it, and how it is linked to failure, is incredibly useful.'
Now, it's over to you
Please get involved in this fascinating, fashionable and fundamental topic by letting us know your views on the power of growth mindset to maximise athletes' potential.

How has your own coaching behaviour impacted on the mindset of your participants?

In his blog ' Mental Muscle ' (If coaches claim that emotional fitness is so important, why don't they spend more time working on it?), Nick Ruddock suggests 'Drip feeding these mental messages throughout frequent interventions, further reinforced by a coach echoing the same messages in training'.

Can you offer some more tips on how coaches might build growth mindset techniques in to their coaching methods or drills so they do not have to deliver psychology lectures to a group of youngsters who have had their fill of being lectured to at school all day?

No sidestepping. Time to exercise your growth mindset and rise to the challenge.

¹ Coaching in an Active Nation: The Coaching Plan for England 2017-2021, Page 17

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Growth industry: Advocating a mindset revolution in coaching

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Jeremy Frith and Rachel Sykes pictured outside Celtic Park with world-renowned psychologist Carol Dweck, left Performance coach Jeremy Frith and educational psychologist Rachel Sykes explore the topic of positive development and application of mindset with athletes and young people. Your mindset plays a crucial role in your level of achievement and success.

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15 things all new coaches should know...

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15 things all new coaches should know...

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When you are starting to coach, it can be a slightly daunting experience. Suddenly, you are in charge, and all eyes are on you. And it should be a bit daunting. And exciting. And enjoyable, even fun. You are in a position that determines whether everyone enjoys taking part or not. This is a position that shouldn't be taken lightly.

With that in mind, here are 15 things that you should know to help you when you start out as a coach:

Be prepared. Have your equipment sorted, have some ideas for what you want to do. Have the required information, such as medical conditions, physical readiness forms and contact details, in a secure folder. If you are the named first-aider, make sure you have a stocked first aid kit.

Be flexible. Especially if you are coaching children or recreational sport for youths and adults. You want to have your first activity in mind, but choose one that isn't dependent on exact and even numbers. Activities like tag and bulldog work well with younger ones. Adults and youths might go for a jog as a group and enjoy the social interaction.

Whenever possible, get there early to set up. Sounds simple, but it's amazing the difference it makes if you aren't putting out equipment when they start to turn up.

Know your responsible others. They will be a godsend for when life overtakes you and you can't get there early. No one knows when the car will break down or the boss needs that report done before you go home or you can't get the customer off the phone. If you have an assistant coach, then you're golden. If you don't, then you need to have a team or squad captain who can lead them through a safe warm-up under your supervision while you set up your first activity and compose yourself.

Remember it's their game, not ours. As adults, we have the privileged position of being invited into their world, and we are custodians of their fun. If it's children playing grass-roots sport, it should be mostly fun game-based activities. If it's children on a talent programme, it should stretch and challenge them appropriately. As adult coaches working with children, we must remember playing sport should be enjoyable.

If you're coaching youth and adults, you need to find out what the motivation is for them taking part in your sport. Who is there to get fit, achieve a PB, make friends, enjoy the social element, to improve, to compete, to stay involved in their favourite sport and so on? Then you should try to give everyone a meaningful experience by matching your delivery, activities and session structure to their individual needs.

'Can we play a match yet, coach?' You will hear this many times as a new coach. Don't fret, it's not a reflection on you as a coach, because no matter how good your practice sessions are, everyone loves doing their sport above all else. While this may not be exactly 100% accurate all the time, it's a pretty high probability that everyone would rather play 3v3 games than do a passing drill, have relay races with each other than do shuttle runs, play a round-robin tournament than hit 50 forehands from a ball machine. Embrace the fact that they love your sport, and fuel their passion, don't squash it.

Be inclusive in your coaching. Do this check on yourself. Are you providing everyone with the same opportunities? Do they get sufficient playing time? The same access to the best equipment? Do you offer everyone equal praise and feedback? Are your activities suitable for the abilities of the strongest athletes and the less developed participants?

Overtly praise effort, and avoid telling someone they are talented. This advice is based on the Growth Mindset concept of Carol Dweck, where praising effort leads to them having a mindset that practice and hard work will improve performance. Whereas saying someone is talented leads to a closed mindset, ie 'I'm already good so don't need to try as hard.' It also leads others to assume they aren't talented and drop out. Avoid using false praise when it's not deserved, and use clear feedback that promotes an attitude toward self-improvement.

People remember how you make them feel far longer than they remember what you did. Develop a rapport with everyone. Be it a pleasantry when they arrive, a high five to celebrate, using their names, remembering a fact about them, asking about their day.

'If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, And blaming it on you,' said Rupyard Kipling in his famous poem 'If'. There will be times when passion boils over and otherwise responsible adults and well-behaved children will behave in a manner toward you that makes you question whether it's all worth it. Well, it is. You just need to remember Kipling's words and remain the rational one. Once you start responding in the same manner, your credibility in the eyes of everyone else will take a hit. So take a deep breath and exhale.

Treat success and defeat in equal measure. You will lose games, competitions, tournaments. It's inevitable. If you're feeling disappointed, then you can guarantee your charges will be too. It's your job to keep a sense of perspective, help them put defeats into context and use them as development opportunities. In times of success, you should ensure that they enjoy the moment for the self-fulfilment it brings, and avoid the bloated ego and gloating that can follow a victory.

Love thy opponent. Without them, there is no sport to play. Without a strong opponent, there is no one to make your players and individuals compete at their best. And to test your abilities as a coach.

Be a role model. Model the behaviour you want to see from others. Enthusiasm, respect, integrity, commitment, determination to continually strive to get better. If you show these, if will rub off on everyone else around you.

Be a sponge. That is, take every opportunity to learn about coaching. Speak to experienced coaches (start a conversation on ConnectedCoaches), observe them, go on the Internet and find information, go to workshops. Buy a book - yes, they do still exist. Contact your sport's governing body and find their entry level coaching course. If you're not sure where to start, then go to the sports coach UK website.

Find out more about me by visiting my ConnectedCoaches profile or follow me on twitter @andygrantfc
Are you new to coaching? Has this blog helped? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Likewise if any experienced coaches are reading this and have anything to share please feel free to add a comment.

Next Steps

sports coach UK has a new online learning course, Discover Coaching which is a fun, self-paced course that will open your eyes to the world of coaching. Being able to connect with people is the most important skill for a coach - an increasing challenge in today's digital world. That's why this course will enhance not only your coaching knowledge but also your people skills.

Content includes a reflection on the wide range of coaching roles today, a game where you advise a friend who is just starting out, a decision-making game where parents' demands, the head teacher's requirements and a child's needs differ etc. The course was influenced by ConnectedCoaches members experiences.

Enter code CoachingCan at checkout to receive a 50% introductory discount.

This blog is also available as a podcast on a number of platforms including iTunes. Listen here.

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When you are starting to coach, it can be a slightly daunting experience. Suddenly, you are in charge, and all eyes are on you. And it should be a bit daunting. And exciting. And enjoyable, even fun. You are in a position that determines whether everyone ...

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Solutions to five common coaching challenges

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Solutions to five common coaching challenges

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A selection of coaching conundrums that have the potential to cause angst amongst even the most experienced coaches, along with some solutions to steer you and your participants on the road to happiness and success.
Challenges are to coaching as fells are to the Lake District. They come with the territory.

And when you embark on your own personal coaching journey, be prepared for some ups and downs.

Whatever your motivations and aspirations - beginner, intermediate or advanced, working at a grassroots club for pleasure or a performance centre for payment - you WILL encounter your share of false summits that sap your morale.

But no coaching challenge is insurmountable, and having ConnectedCoaches as your guide can serve as an essential piece of survival kit, curbing that human impulse to make mountains out of molehills.

Here is just a selection of common coaching conundrums waiting to trip up even the most intrepid coach hell-bent on scaling the heights, along with some solutions to get you back on the right track.

Condensing answers to such significant topics to a few paragraphs is difficult. These snippets are intended as your 'starter pack' - guidance in a convenient nutshell. Links to the unabridged ConnectedCoaches blogs from which they are taken are provided, along with recommended suggestions for further reading.

And please do use the search facility to discover what other members have had to say on the topics highlighted - or any other topics for that matter. Whatever the challenge, there is good chance members have swapped advice in a relevant conversation thread.

If you can't find what you're looking for and you've got a coaching question why not start a conversation (click share on the menu -> start a conversation etc) in the relevant specialist interest group? There are lots of members willing to share their experiences with you who will only be too happy to help.
1. Dealing with pushy parents
Talking of essential 'coach survival kit', every children's coach must feel that a whistle and a hard hat is something they cannot afford to leave home without. A hard hat to deflect the verbal volleys of advice being fired out machine-gun style from the side lines on match days, and a whistle to silence these back-seat coaches. Well-intentioned their advice may be in most cases, it is nonetheless misplaced, and can be incredibly damaging to the psychological development of the child - not to mention immensely frustrating to the coach.

According to Ceri Bowley given that the primary objective of both coaches and parents is to provide young people with a positive and fulfilling experience of sport, a common sense approach would be to work together.

Here are a few of his top tips for engaging with parents so that they go from knowing how to push the coach's buttons, to learning how to pull in the same direction.

Hold a pre-season coach-parent meeting to initiate open, healthy communication, and thank them for their support and the commitment they will show in bringing their children to training and matches throughout the season. Consider stretching the lines of communication to outlining your coaching philosophy for the team and including them in team talks and debriefs.

Making the time to speak to parents in such a way will hopefully mean they will be less likely to 'coach' their children from the touchline.

Read the full blog: The athletic triangle: Coach-parent-athlete triad

2. Dealing with bullying
To excel as a coach, it is imperative you hone your surveillance skills. By this I mean an aptitude towards observing, monitoring and supervising your participants, not wire-tapping, espionage or covert undercover intelligence work.

Taking the time get to know your participants and having the inclination to build a good rapport with them will allow you to develop something of a psychological radar that warns you when something isn't quite right - as you become trained in recognising and understanding their behaviours and emotions.

The Annual Bullying Survey 2016 highlighted the scale of the silent epidemic, finding that 1.5 million young people aged 12 to 20 (50%) have been bullied within the past year; 44% of young people who have been bullied experience depression; and 33% of those being bullied have suicidal thoughts.

The challenge for every coach is to improve your receptiveness to those who may be being bullied and sharpen your responses to how to deal with a range of scenarios if you spot the clues, thereby giving you the confidence to challenge either a team-mate or parent.

Remember too that coaches can be inadvertently guilty of bullying behaviour - which can be verbal, physical, emotional or written - and that the competitive nature of sport makes it an ideal environment for the bully to operate in.
3. Dealing with problem players
One of the most common phrases my childhood football coach (and my mum and dad for that matter) used to say to me in jest, every time an excuse was thrown his way, was: 'If I had a pound every time I heard that, I would be rich.' Well, I wish that I had a pound every time I had written in a blog that a solution to a particular coaching conundrum lay in 'developing the person before the player.' Suffice to say, I'd be rich.

As advice goes, it is worth a million dollars, and is certainly relevant in the context of developing performers who are perceived to be lazy or disruptive. It is paramount that you understand the individual that you are trying to develop - their particular motivations and needs. Once these have been established, you can begin to identify what you can do as a coach to help that individual get better.

So, if you are working with a squad of 16 players, you have to develop 16 unique and sometimes very different relationships. Ask them the following five questions to establish their motivations and to identify what you can do as a coach to help each individual get better:

Why do you play this sport?

Why do you play for this club and not another club?

What motivates you (competition or enjoyment)?

What are your ambitions?

What do you expect of me as the coach and of the team?

It is likely that each performer will want/need something different, says Dr Ceri Bowley in his advice to coaches.

He is adamant there is no such thing as an uncoachable player. By adhering to the 'person before player' development philosophy and constructing individual learning journeys, the hope is that more coaches will begin to appreciate this.

Quotes taken from the blog: The secrets to building a more productive relationship with problem players.
4. Dealing with pressure
What words of wisdom do you impart to your participants to help calm their nerves and ensure they perform at the top of their game when it matters? And what techniques can you integrate into sessions to help them cope with pressure and control their emotions on the big day?

The growing recruitment in professional sport of consultant or even full-time sports psychologists is testimony to the rising influence this sphere of coaching - the science of the mind - is having on the profession as a whole.

Coaches should consider taking an 'aggregation of marginal gains' approach to developing strong mental mindsets in their performers - applying the following series of small steps that, when combined, can lead to big performance gains.

Distractions, disruptions and differences that occur in a competitive environment can sabotage exhaustive preparations. Try listing what form these could take in the context of your own sport, and discuss them with your athlete one-to-one so they do not come as a total shock to the system on the day. This changing environment is often enough to trigger doubts and invasive thoughts. 'The more information they know about travelling to an event, for example, the more it helps reduce anxiety and perceptions of pressure,' says Nick Ruddock

Mimic the feeling of stress by inducing the reaction of sweaty palms, an increased heart rate, the feeling that they didn't sleep the night before, by purposely placing them in pressurised situations where they feel uncomfortable. That could include messing with warm-up timings, radical changes to training patterns or training in an alien environment that takes them out of their comfort zone.

As well as preparation and planning, repetition is key. Practise competition protocol again and again... and then again. As Chris Chapman says: 'What seems like pressure initially, if you do it repeatedly, is not pressure.'

Quotes taken from the blog: Blessed or stressed: Dealing with pressure in sport
5. How to create a winning culture
Emotional intelligence (EI) can have a huge influence on team dynamics. Don't be put off by one of coaching's buzz terms. Boiled down to its essentials, it can be as simple as listening to one another, taking it in turns to speak and showing sensitivity to each other's needs.

Follow this mantra and you are halfway to developing a successful group culture whereby players feel confident they won't be embarrassed, rejected or punished for speaking up; where there is interpersonal trust and mutual respect; and where people are comfortable being themselves.

The particular EI behaviour traits at play here, says Catherine Baker and which are intrinsic to achieving this ideal state of 'psychological safety' needed for players to thrive within a team setting, are:

the ability to put yourself in other people's shoes (empathy)

your ability to build and maintain emotional bonds (relationships), and

your ability to utilise and adapt social skills to fit certain situations (social awareness).

A coach looking to establish a philosophy of collective ownership - that is, fostering an environment conducive to building a common purpose and understanding, for the mutual benefit of all - should devise ways to encourage social interaction between players, so they bond socially and form social connections. Note the intended repetition of the word 'social', as a convivial club climate is instrumental to sustained success.

Head coach of the Olympic gold medal-winning Great Britain hockey team, Danny Kerry, goes as far as to say 'culture precedes performance - it is absolutely fundamental'.

Quotes taken from the blog: Smells like teen spirit: How to create a winning culture through the use of emotional intelligence - The blog also poses a range of scenarios that demonstrate how to put the concepts into practice.
What are the biggest coaching challenges you have faced? Try using our search engine to find some solutions that could work for you. If you can't find what you're looking for why not start a conversation (click share on the menu -> start a conversation etc) in the relevant specialist interest group? There are lots of members willing to share their experiences with you who will only be too happy to help.

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Solutions to five common coaching challenges

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A selection of coaching conundrums that have the potential to cause angst amongst even the most experienced coaches, along with some solutions to steer you and your participants on the road to happiness and success. Challenges are to coaching as fells are to the Lake District. They come with the territory.

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A must watch video into Mountain Bike Champion Nino who shows how his gym sessions are all about developing and transferring the necessary skills to competition.

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N1NO - The Hunt for Glory - Chapter 9 Part 1 "Hittin' the Gym with the Champ"

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The reasons behind Nino Schurter being one of the most iconic mountain bikers of all time is ever growing. One thing that sets him apart from the rest is the atypical way he trains and prepares for the season. Nino decided to reject traditional training methods and to re-think mountain bike training from the ground up.

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The mind games of the local Park Run.

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The use of video in your coaching practice to enhance the experience for your athletes is part of the coach's toolbox, to make those in your care better than they were yesterday. Chris Chapman explores the use of hudl in coaching, asking questions to ensure that it's planned and considered to maximise its potential.

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The decision comes before the action but we teach it the other way round. A must listen podcast for all coaches.

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The Talent Equation is a community of people dedicated to unleashing the potential of young people in sport

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Creating the right environment for learning!

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Creating the right environment for learning!

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Questions to ask ourselves as coaches.

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I am currently sat on a sofa in Bournemouth and am unable to lift my arms. Two weeks ago I could barely move my legs after a children's party in Bristol...

When not slightly injured, I am forever fascinated by learning and exploring environments that might best support learning. Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to hang out with 'elite' sports teams across a huge array of sports, spend significant time in schools, colleges and universities, spent time with the Chief Wizard at Google, observe rockstar teachers in action in the performing arts in places such as the BRIT School and observe and spend time with a multitude of people who are similarly obsessive with learning environments for young people.

Two weeks ago, I was in 'Free Dog' in Bristol, a remarkable learning environment... no coaches, kids in charge, coaching themselves and one another, providing verbal and visual feedback ( they video one another on their phones), the only rules are those around safety, experts ( although they don't think they are) mix with novices, the practice is variable and it feels a safe and caring environment. There are no trophies.

Meanwhile, the majority of adults who are clearly way more sensible than me, enjoy a nice cup of coffee and are not foolish enough to join in. If you do join in, you travel back in time and remember what it once felt like to be both a child and a learner... a remarkably joyful yet frustrating experience.

In Bournemouth today, and after a short safety brief, I once again remembered what it felt like to be a learner as I paddled 'Thriller-style' into a strong headwind managing to paddle for ten minutes and remain in exactly same place I started. Meanwhile, my son glided through the water, turning only to humorously acknowledge my screams every time I fell in. I was definitely failing better every time and an hour or so in, was cheerfully asking Charlie ( the instructor.. although he did very little, allowing us to learn by doing) 'who are the best paddle boarders in the World?'... I was beginning to fancy my chances. The environment was fun, paddler-led ( we were the ones aware of how we felt), supportive ( we gave positive feedback to one another when we made progress), allowed us freedom to make decisions ( no buoys to map out our route) and a memorable experience. I wanted more...

I also coach on a Sunday morning. The mighty Old Bristolians U13's who always play mixed teams, everyone plays multiple positions and the players do their own subs to even up game time travel around the South West measuring success by how many kids rock up, how much fun they have and how many piggybacks Jack Potter can hitch. I am always curious when we turn up on a Sunday morning how close the environment will be to Free Dog or paddle boarding in Bournemouth.

How would people observing describe your environment?

If you asked them to do an impression of you coaching with no sound, that would it look like?

How are you encouraging freedom and coaching decision-making in your players?

How are you creating memories that mean they want to come back again and again?

How are you getting to understand what it feels like to be a kid or a learner?

How good are the kids at giving one another positive feedback?

How safe is your environment?

In what ways might the adults be getting in the way of fun and learning?

How does your coaching make the kids feel? How do you know?

How would a kid feel if he made a 'mistake' in your environment?

Which kids in your environment would love to be coached by you?

Who would not? Why? What would those kids say about you?

What are you doing to help support them better?

What feedback are you getting from those kids?

What 3 words would they use to describe your coaching?

What 3 words would you really want?
What and how are you learning as a coach?

Russell runs a Magic Academy sharing site - if you'd like an invite please email him on russellearnshaw@hotmail.com.

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Remarkable Learning Environments - what makes one?

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I am currently sat on a sofa in Bournemouth and am unable to lift my arms. Two weeks ago I could barely move my legs after a children's party in Bristol... When not slightly injured, I am forever fascinated by learning and exploring environments that might best support learning.

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Coaching Children - What does great children's coaching look like?

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Uploaded by England Netball Coaching on 2016-09-07.

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Using games to engage, energise and empower your participants.

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Correcting errors in sport.

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Research Summaries Research Summary 38 Correcting Errors in Sport

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Picture the scene - you're coaching and have noticed an error. What is the best way to correct it? New research suggests a style of show rather than tell may be most effective. Re-enactments that show the athlete what the coach has seen can help the instruction process.

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The hidden advanatages of dyslexia.

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Stop Climbing, Start Swimming: The hidden advantages of dyslexia: Jonathan Buchanan at TEDxWarwickED

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In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.

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For coaches helping people with sensory impairments get active.

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Top tips for coaches: helping people with sensory impairments get active

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Great video by Sense - a national charity that supports people who are deafblind, have sensory impairments or complex needs. Hope the tips help!

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Giving kids an opportunity to prepare for anything!

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Giving kids an opportunity to prepare for anything!

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sports coach UK believes in nurturing physical confidence from a young age. A proven way to do this is through developing fundamental movement skills. To find out more about the support available to help you coach fundamental movement skills visit www.sportscoachuk.org/physicalconfidence

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This sports coach and Sport England animation encourages coaches to be creative and provides thought on how to make your session unmissable. Use #UnmissableSport to tell us how you make your session unmissable. To download more info click the link below: http://tinyurl.com/p2vqxk9

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As coaches how often do we consider the language we use when talking to our participants?

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As coaches how often do we consider the language we use when talking to our participants?

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This is a good TedTalk that will get you thinking.

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Echoes beyond the game: the lasting power of a coach's words | Coach Reed | TEDxCincinnati

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Do you have a know it all in your session? 

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Do you have a know it all in your session? 

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Here are a few tricks to help.

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Emotional intelligence: How to recognise and coach an overconfident 'know-it-all' participant

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In this video, ConnectedCoaches member Catherine Baker provides you with actions, tools and techniques that you can apply when you're faced with overconfident 'know-it-all' participants in one of your coaching sessions. This video is the second in a four-...

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Ben Ryan Head Coach of Fiji's Rugby 7s team talks about the teams environment before hte Olympic Final. Creating the right environment for your participants is paramount!

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Ben Ryan Addresses Fiji supporters at Prince Charles Park, Nadi

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Ben Ryan Addresses Fiji supporters at Prince Charles Park, Nadi

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What Makes a Good Coaching session?

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University of Winchester Richard Cheetham

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What makes a good coaching session? In this video, ConnectedCoaches member and Senior Fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Winchester Richard Cheetham talks about what makes a good coaching session.

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Norwich City FC have inspired us this week with the creative game below.

Take a look and feel free to share with us any creative practices you use.

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VIDEO: Norwich City have invented an incredible new goalkeeper training drill

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VIDEO: Norwich City have invented an incredible new goalkeeper training drill Norwich invent brilliant new goalkeeper drill For goalkeepers, training must become a bit of a drag from time to time. After all, getting a ball pelted towards from various distances must only be fun in small doses.

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The Power of Music on Performance in Sport. Let's all go and put a bit of Cold Play on?

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What motivates young people to be active?

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What motivates young people to be active?

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A video to help you understand the motivations of young people and how you can meet those motivations.

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Advice For Young People & Entrepreneurs From Jack Ma

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What motivates young people to be active?

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In collaboration with Sport England, sports coach UK has created this second in a series of three animations looking at the motivations behind taking part in a coaching session It is important to be reminded that all young people are different and will therefore have different reasons for taking part based on different experiences, personality, and lifestyle factors.

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How to recognise and coach a nervous participant at your session?

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How to recognise and coach a nervous participant at your session?

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Emotional intelligence: How to recognise and coach a nervous participant at your coaching session

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In this video, ConnectedCoaches member and founder of Sport and Beyond Catherine Baker talks about how coaches can recognise and approach coaching nervous participants. The aim is to help you to understand how important the behavioural and emotional side of coaching/physical activity delivery is, the huge impact it can have on your effectiveness as a deliverer, and the experience that your participants have.

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How to recognise and coach a participant losing interest?

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How to recognise and coach a participant losing interest?

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Dramatically Increase Your Intelligence & Improve Your Life

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Emotional intelligence: How to recognise and coach a participant losing interest

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In this video, ConnectedCoaches member and founder of Sport and Beyond Catherine Baker talks about how coaches can recognise and approach coaching participants who are losing interest in their coaching session.

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A series of football sessions transferable to other invasion sports.

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Coaching session plan videos from Ultimate Player HQ (@playersessionHQ)

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Videos of coaching drills and games produced by Ultimate Player HQ (@playersessionHQ) that you can adapt to your sport. The list of animations includes games on defending, attacking, possession, shooting and much more!

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Eddie Jones discussing the length of team meetings, team interaction and the environment that creates

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"It's not like 'Any Given Sunday' any more..."

Eddie Jones says @EnglandRugby team meetings are never more than 15 mins long

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"It's not like 'Any Given Sunday' any more..."

Eddie Jones says @EnglandRugby team meetings are never more than 15 mins long https://t.co/2gDRkhUwGY

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"It's not like 'Any Given Sunday' any more..."

Eddie Jones says @EnglandRugby team meetings are never more than 15 mins long pic.twitter.com/2gDRkhUwGY
— Soccerex (@Soccerex) September 5, 2017

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"It's not like 'Any Given Sunday' any more..."

Eddie Jones says @EnglandRugby team meetings are never more than 15 mins long https://t.co/2gDRkhUwGY

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"It's not like 'Any Given Sunday' any more..."

Eddie Jones says @EnglandRugby team meetings are never more than 15 mins long https://t.co/2gDRkhUwGY

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"It's not like 'Any Given Sunday' any more..."

Eddie Jones says @EnglandRugby team meetings are never more than 15 mins long

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What is more important, how you coach children or what you coach them?

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What is more important, how you coach children or what you coach them?

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Dan Cottrell, pictured, believes the 'how' and 'what' you coach are intimately interconnected It is imperative that a coach manufactures an environment where players become responsible for their own learning. Introducing games and constraints is an effective way of achieving learning outcomes. It encourages participants to search and find solutions to problems, thereby aiding the development of new skills. While this approach requires minimal hands-on involvement from the coach, their input is nonetheless critical in ensuring its success.

Coaches can become so preoccupied with dispensing technical advice they forget they must also be able to excite young people and motivate them to learn in more effective ways.

How you coach and what you coach are inextricably linked. Creating and managing a sophisticated learning environment, using games and constraints (the how), can directly influence the development of techniques and new skills (the what).

The best coaches will look to create a fun, challenging and creative environment that gives their players the opportunity to learn and develop.

New coaches can sometimes labour under the misapprehension they have a rooted responsibility to impart pearls of technical and tactical wisdom in rapid-fire fashion to their young charges.

Either, they treat sessions like they are in a race against the clock to transfer these nuggets of practical advice, and are disappointed if they do not see immediate evidence of the impact of their explicit instructions on their learners.

'Listen up folks, this is how to master the perfect technique. Look and learn, look and learn.'

Or, alternatively, they are afraid they do not possess a deep enough knowledge base to be able satisfy their participants' apparent thirst for acquiring new technical skills.

In time, the novice coach will (hopefully) come to realise that the learning process is a little more circuitous than that, and that by over-prioritising 'what' they coach they can be neglecting 'how' they coach, which can have far-reaching repercussions.

There is a wonderful blog written by Sydney-based ConnectedCoaches member Darren Wensor entitled The biggest misconception about coaching kids in which he argues 'technical knowledge doesn't impress kids but being passionate and likeable will.'

For Darren, the 'how' to coach means getting back to basics, with the most important qualities of a children's coach being presence, voice projection, bodylanguage, group management skills, sense of humour and being able to tap into a repertoire of games and fun activities. Developing those areas should be the coach's priority.
The subtle side of coaching
It is a subject that fascinates ConnectedCoaches Content Champion Dan Cottrell too, who is editor of Rugby Coach Weekly and a coach with Swansea Schools Under-15s.

Dan believes the 'how' and 'what' are intimately interconnected - with the former having a direct influence on the latter - and that it is therefore wrong to try and assign extra importance to one element over the other.

'I think it is probably wrong to frame it like that,' he says. 'I think you need to have a holistic view. If you develop what to coach you have to develop how to coach at the same time.

'There is no point being a brilliant coach [likeable, passionate, creative, a people person who can manage a group] if you don't have a good grasp of what you are coaching, in terms of the technical knowledge. But it works the other way round too. The two go hand in hand therefore.'

Level 3 qualified coach Dan - a course tutor for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) - explains that a lot of coaching is so subtle and nuanced that players don't realise they are even being coached.

Players will carry out a technical or tactical move and think they have manufactured it themselves, when actually the coach has created the environment that has allowed them to develop that skill.

'The best coaches do that,' says Dan. 'There are plenty of coaches people will listen to and then take their golden nuggets and apply them. But for best results, coaches should strive to create an ideal environment that gives their players the opportunity to learn and develop.'

Modify and adapt
By way of an example, you might be looking at developing a specific skill with your players which they can use to solve a problem arising in a game scenario. For example a 'quick lift' in hockey, so that when a player attempts to tackle you while in full flight, you can lift the ball over their stick and continue your run without breaking stride.

The coach could explain in detail what that technique involves - how the player should position their feet and body, how to align their grip, when to tilt their wrist, what angle the stick should be in the air before striking the top of the ball, and with how much force - and follow this up with an explanation of why it is necessary to use this technique sparingly in a game.

Equally, you might engineer a particular environment in training that allows the players to discover for themselves how to execute the skill and when it is appropriate to use it in a game, with the learning happening on a subconscious level.

Putting the onus onto the player to explore and create opportunities for learning through a creative, games-based environment, rather than compelling them to listen to explicit instructions and advice, is an effective means of achieving learning outcomes and an example of when the 'how' and the 'what' become intertwined.

This ecological dynamics approach to coaching requires players to modify and adapt their behaviour under different environmental conditions and in response to external cues. The coach plays the part of primary observer, who is there to ask discerning questions and provide feedback.

In this coach-manufactured performer-environment relationship, player intentions, understanding and actions are interconnected and, as solutions are sought and found, so new skills are acquired and honed.

'A good coach will recognise the developmental stage of the players before challenging them to move to the next stage,' says Dan. 'Some techniques may need a more formal introduction, where you might need a little blocked practice first. However, it is better if you can create the challenge and the players seek a new technique. Like a PS4 gamer who's struggling to overcome a "monster". They will be on YouTube to look for a solution. You can be their "YouTube" or "Google".'

'Equally, participants should have a purpose to understand why they are playing a certain game. That purpose is the challenge, or the problem to solve.'
The wheel of success
Dan uses the spokes in a wheel analogy to illustrate the interlinked structure associated with optimal player development, and the importance of performers understanding every aspect of what constitutes a successful sportsperson.

What you coach and how you coach represent two spokes in the wheel. Other spokes include the environment you put them in, being introduced to competitive situations, the art of purposeful practice, to name just three.

'If you don't develop all these aspects at the same time then you can have an unbalanced player,' says Dan - the gist of the analogy being that, just as an unbalanced wheel makes for a bumpy ride, so an unbalanced player cannot expect smooth progression on their sporting journey.

'So it is not somebody who can spend hour after hour hitting golf balls down at the range. It is someone who can practice doing that, realise when to use the shots they have been developing in different situations on different types of course, and understand the pressure involved in the shot-making because they have been involved in competitions. It is also someone who can enjoy the moment when they are successful and enjoy it too when they have been unsuccessful, because then they realise what they can do differently to improve their chances of success in the future.'
Are your games inclusive?
Devising and utilising a portfolio of creative games is another example of the 'how' setting off a chain of events that impacts on the 'what' - with the formation of new technical and tactical skills a beneficial by-product of this type of coaching methodology.

'My belief, like so many others, is that players enjoy playing games more than they enjoy drills,' says Dan.

'What I am fascinated in from a games aspect is that, while a lot of people have said this is the way forward, they have not really thought about what the games should look like or how they can be more effective.

'Just look at kids playing games in the playground. Look how wonderful that is. Yet often those games are poor because they don't give everybody a chance - they are not particularly inclusive - and often one or two kids will dominate.

'I think we need to be more sophisticated in the way that we create games so they are more democratic.'

Take the popular game bulldogs. For those unfamiliar with the rules, one player (the bulldog) stands in the middle of the field, or game zone, with the others lined up at one end. The aim is to run from one end of the field of play to the other, without being caught by the bulldog. When a player is caught, they become a bulldog and the winner is the last player to be captured.

On the surface, everybody is having fun and each player is being challenged. But that is not actually the case.

'This game needs to be adapted because in the end, the small fast kid wins every time,' says Dan. 'So in a rugby training context, large slow players don't actually get much from it. It's not inclusive and does not have a place because it is unfair to certain types of player.

'A lot of coaches of young players don't realise they need to give very few rules, then step back and let the game unfold and watch carefully, only stepping in if they need to clarify a point.

'If you are in the middle and shouting instructions, geeing the players up and cheering them on, then you can't do that.'

Observing allows you to analyse, reflect and note the impact the game is having on the group and the individual players. As the challenges evolve over time, so your players will discover a range of solutions to those challenges, helping their problem-solving and decision-making skills and seeing them evolve as all-round performers in the process.
Constraints inspire creativity
Imposing constraints in games optimises the learning environment.

Again, there is a bit of how to coach and an element of what to coach, in that constraints can help players develop techniques and skills and also determine the correct time to use it, but equally, how the coach implements the constraints is just as important.

'Constraints create creativity,' says Dan, who explains in simple terms how this works.

Give a football to a group of participants and stand to one side. If they are in an area 10x10 metre square, they will create a game. The constraint, in this case, is the size of the playing space.

Put them on a full-sized field but impose the constraint that they can only use one goal, and the group will create a different game. Headers and volleys for example.

'So the constraint should lead to creativity. They are the currency on the environment that shape the way you play.'

Coaches will quickly learn that, with each constraints-based exercise they set, there is no one right way of doing it. You might say, given the metaphor used by Dan below, that there is more than one way to crack an egg.

'How many times have you cooked a spaghetti bolognaise or lasagne and it tastes different every time.

'In creating that dish you have probably used the same recipe, just maybe cooked the meat a bit longer, boiled the pasta a bit less, added a pinch more seasoning, added the onions a bit later. There's no right way necessarily, but each time it tastes different.'

You can stretch this metaphor further and say that, the better coaches will reflect on what worked best for them, what didn't work quite so well, and then recognise when and how to tweak it in order to get just the result they are looking for, in the context of developing certain core skills.

Dan says he knows coaches who have devised games that, years later, bear no resemblance to the original.

'For a new coach working with young children, they panic the first time they use a game and it doesn't look very good and doesn't work in the way they expected it to. They will learn to recognise that they just needed to let them play the game as, weeks later, by working together they would have adapted and modified the game until they had found the right ingredients to make it work.'
Keep it environmentally friendly
So the message to new coaches is to slow down and reassess your coaching methods and priorities.

The emphasis should not be on whether players can mimic what you have shown them during a session. Transfer of learning is optimised if they can acquire the skill themselves through a sophisticated learning environment.

As Dan concludes: 'We shouldn't set out objectives that we want them to do this and learn this by the end of a session. It is better for us to keep creating a great environment so they enjoy themselves, keep creating challenges so they keep trying things out, and keep them involved so they want to come back next week and try again.

'I think that is a more powerful way to approach it with younger players. And then that takes a bit of the pressure off the coach to feel the need to be pushing skills and new techniques onto their participants all the time.'
Any thoughts? Please leave a comment below.

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What is more important, how you coach children or what you coach them?

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It is imperative that a coach manufactures an environment where players become responsible for their own learning. Introducing games and constraints is an effective way of achieving learning outcomes. It encourages participants to search and find solutions to problems, thereby aiding the development of new skills.

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Promoting Good Mental Health through Coaching

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Promoting Good Mental Health through Coaching

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Helping coaches to support their participants well-being.

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promoting good mental health through coaching

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Promoting Good Mental Health through Coaching - Animation

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Working in partnership with Mind, the UK's leading mental health charity and with support from Public Health England (PHE), we're pleased to release: 'Promoting Good Mental Health through Coaching' - the next animation in the participation animation and infographic series.

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Tips for a good season debrief

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Episode 7 Top Tips for your Season Debrief by England Netball Coaching

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Stream Episode 7 Top Tips for your Season Debrief by England Netball Coaching from desktop or your mobile device

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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte spotted attending a coach education workshop in Italy ran by Marcelo Bielsa. A great example that proves that even coaches at the top of their game value coach education and continue to develop themselves.

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Fun picture to encourage practice.

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I'm sure this is something most coaches can relate to at times.

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Do you understand motivation and how it impacts your participants?

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Do you understand motivation and how it impacts your participants?

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A little bit of support to help  give your coaching focus through goal setting .

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"Don't practice until you get something right...practice until you can't get it wrong!"
- Andrea Pirlo

#coachcorner #leapwithus

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'A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.' (Wayne Gretzky)

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Supporting Coaches on Mental Health Awareness

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Supporting Coaches on Mental Health Awareness

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Tips to support coaches and further opportunities to access training.

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I saw this on Twitter this afternoon and thought it was worth sharing. Eddie Howe is the manager of Premier League club Bournemouth FC and has shared some key points of his coaching philosophy. What I think is great about what Eddie has shared is that all the points can be adopted by any coach, at any level, from any sport.

Enjoy! Thanks, Shay

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Connected Coaches have put together a mental health awareness infographic with advice for coaches on what to do if it emerges that one of your participants is experiencing a mental health problem.

If you would like further information/training around this topic area we are running a Mental Health First Aid workshop on Monday 8th May. More details can be found here - http://www.leapwithus.org.uk/events/mental-health-first-aid/

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UK Coaching Podcast with Karen Howells from The OU

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UK Coaching Podcast with Karen Howells from The OU

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Exploring Coaching and mental well-being

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Exploring Coaching And Mental Well-Being With Sports Psychologist Dr Karen Howells

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In this podcast we explored the positive impact coaching has on mental well-being with Dr Karen Howells, a sports psychologist working as a sports and fitness lecturer at the Open University.

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Groundbreaking research inspires radical rethink on how to coach fundamental movement skills.

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Groundbreaking research inspires radical rethink on how to coach fundamental movement skills.

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A fascinating read that will support your coaching when working with children.

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How can coaching increase young people's motivation?

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How can coaching increase young people's motivation?

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Motivating to Play.