Work Based Learning- Redheugh Boys Club Under 14’s

03/10/07

As part of team-cohesion building, the manager and I implemented on-going exercises whereby all players and coaching staff are required to adhere to a weekly rule set by a member of the squad. This week, the manager requested a turnip as the choice. Failure to arrive for the forthcoming game without the item would result in a £1 fine for any offender. After discussion with the manager regarding the first few weeks of the season, the topic of concern was that some of the squad players who often found themselves as substitutes were feeling secluded by means of selection policy. This reflected in their training ethic where they did not perform to the standard of expectation and previous performance from the last season. It was felt that by installing such an exercise as this would manifest itself into the players, and group as a whole, and help them realise their roles as important and valued members of an organization, and become closer as a team. The theory was that players would adapt their roles for the good of the team, and increase their power of oneness- the we not me approach as highlighted by Lynch (2001). This team-building approach linked well with this training session, as the theme for the present was communication. As it was an area of the teams game which concerned us as coaching staff the previous season, the manager and I were aware that there were several drills which the players responded to in a positive manner, and could be adjusted to develop their inter-communication skills. On assessment from the last game, I was immediately drawn to the quiet nature that the children had adopted between the close season and now. The first area which required attention was the relationship the children had with one another. As the club had recruited two new players in the summer, the relationships were not as reinforced as several of the players whom had been team-mates, and friends for several years. A strategy I felt would work well would be to partner the new, and introverted characters with the more vocal, forthcoming and extroverted members of the team. This way, the new players would be required to respond as such, and echo the commands set by their partner. Mead (1934), identified the influences by peers in a sports situation as being more accepted by the individuals, and therefore lead to conformity. The session was mostly non-ball related, and involved drills such as an assault course whereby the teams of two were set the task of verbally communicating, with the target being to complete the course with one member blindfolded in the best time possible. The timing was irrelevant to the exercise however, as the underlying objective was to ensure clear, concise and co-operative instructions were given by the member of the team who was given the benefit of sight. By the conclusion of the task, it was clear that the exercise had a lasting effect on most of the players, and that many had lost the apprehension held beforehand. I felt that the drill worked well as the team lost their inhibitions, and as a result anxiety levels in many seemed to drop. Communication will be an element revisited in future sessions as previous experience shows that the team are prone to relapses in certain areas. However, on a personal note I was pleased with the response from the squad from this session and will insist on their future performances during sessions being of this calibre.
As I was working alone in the next session, it was agreed that I would conduct the remainder of the session with the manager observing and taking any notes regarding my performance and other issues linked with it. I decided to play a forty minute conditioned game with the emphasis being put on player’s communication. It was an offence for the players to pass or receive the ball without verbal directions with their team-mates, which resulted in a free-kick being awarded to the opposition. The first ten minutes of the drill was very fragmented due to the poor communication between players. I viewed this as a performance error which, as Martens (1997) highlighted, occur not because athletes don’t know how to do the skill, but because they made a mistake in executing what they do know. This mistake may be caused by lack of attention or motivation or by a psychological problem of some type. However, once the children learned from their mistakes by means of punishment (a freekick against them), the game became vastly different, and was beginning to appear more representative of a real match. The players were all forced to give commentary of the situation surrounding them, therefore their play seemed to flow more efficiently. They were more aware of such elements as; their position, their team-mates position, the opposition’s movements, which pass to make, and the most effective option available which could result in a goal. The game took real shape as all individuals seemed to grasp the benefits of verbal communication in the sport.
During the next session and, more importantly implementing into a match, I will give reference to the conditioned game used in this session, and insist that it be revisited. As an outsider for much of training, the manager was pleased with the structure of the session. His feedback was positive and consisted of looking at ways which we could ensure the level of communication continued into a game.
He also felt that on a personal note, this gave him the added benefit of being able to see the session as a whole, and focus on certain individuals approach to training. Because of the successful way in which the session was conducted, the manager also agreed that his observations on regular occasions would allow a greater deal of issues to become resolved, by way of individual feedback to the children regarding their performances.

Bibliography;

Lynch, J. (2001) Creative Coaching: New ways to maximize athlete and team potential in all sports. Champaign Ill: Human Kinetics Publications

Martens, R.1997. Successful Coaching, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois.

Mead, G. H. (1934) Mind, Self, and Society, University of Chicago Press, Chicago