Design your own Badminton Coach Education
Could you design your own Badminton Coach Education system?
This is your opportunity to decide what to include
The advice, the experiences, the information
I’ve met lots of coaches who complain and moan about their associations when talking about badminton coach education.
They describe and identify what’s not right with this or that system or project. However, very few of these coaches detail what they’d want their system to look like.
So now is your chance to consider what you would include. Sit down with a friend and rather than moan and pick apart the system you are currently part of, try to design something you want.
To show you that I’m not hiding my thoughts, I’ve taken up the challenge to. Click on this image if you want to read about my specific ‘selfish’ system.
I wonder if you will agree with me and want to be part of something I feel would bring more value. Well value to me that is 🙂
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Ideas to consider
Now is your opportunity to consider what you’d want from your perfect badminton coach education. Here are a few discussion points for you and your friends to consider.
They aren’t the solutions. Neither are they limited by money, time or opportunity.
They are conversation and thought starters. Mostly in the form of questions without answers. Maybe just select 2 or 3 out of the list to start your conversation.
If you don’t explore what could be, how will you ever take action
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Do you think you could design something better than your existing system?
The Tutors – how would they act
What to coach – the content
How to coach – the methodologies
Why, When and What – coach decisions
How to develop – what happens after the course
Assessment – what type do you prefer, if any
Duration – how long should people allocate
Cost – £$£
Environments – generic or specific skills
What would you include within each of these headings?
Consider each one and decide what you would include if you were in charge of the project. Do you see challenges or are you clear in your vision?
Or, think about your last coach education course and identify what they did, the highlight or standout points. How much did you agree with their content and structure?
If you decide to write something then I’d be interested in reading your thoughts contact@badmintonandy.com
But here is a better idea, why not send your ideas and share this link with your Association’s head of coach development.
What do you think the head of coach development would think of your ideas
Would respond to your email?
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How the Tutors act
What would a good tutor look and feel like?
What would they do, and how would they act?
How would they treat you?
For me, these are the key questions before you get to any other considerations. The style of tutoring and the amount of support, challenge and advice a tutor provides is crucial.
In your system would you allocate lots of time, thought and study to educating and preparing the Tutors? I wonder how much your Association currently does to develop their Tutor workforce.
Should we be calling them Tutors or Coach Developers – is there a difference?
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What to coach
In your badminton coach education sytem what would you advise or instruct people to coach? The content that includes tech, tact, phys, psych, and social elements. What do you think are the most important aspects to include under each of the sub-headings (tech, tact, phys, psych, social). Can you remember the highlight or standout points from your last Coach Ed course?
How much should be tailed by what the new coaches want?
How much by you the course designer?
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How to coach
How important do you think it is to help the coach understand the coaching methodologies to use? Then how to apply them to all the information you will receive. There must be lots of different ways to coach the same thing. Which teaching/coaching methods and advice would you include?
Isn’t the delivery of the information just as important as the information itself? Delivery is a lifelong learning process, gaining the information is the easier part, finding the most effective way to deliver it, now that’s tough.
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Why, When and What Decisions
The process of how to make great coaching decisions has got to be included, do you agree?
But how often do you hear coaches talking about it and was it discussed on your last qualification? What goes through a coach’s mind before they act?
Someone once said, “for the one decision a coach makes and acts upon, there are 3 or 4 options that they have considered and left in their mind”. Can this be taught and developed?
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How to develop
What happens after the course finishes, isn’t that where the most learning and development happens? Do you have some great tips for improving away from formal education? Have you ever received advice about this?
Isn’t the aim of coach education to help you on a journey to gain more knowledge, experience and understanding? There must be many ways of doing this, so it’s essential you are advised of some.
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Assessment
Do you prefer a formal assessment, an immediate pass or fail?
What other ways are there to ensure that understanding has taken place? Maybe a 20 – to 30 minute coaching exam on the court isn’t the best way to help you. What experiences have you had?
Are there proven ways to ensure that people have understood and are able to apply the information that they’ve received?
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Duration
How many hours, days, or weeks would your ideal system take to establish the learning you are after? I’m guessing more than 4 or 6 days. But, would you be happy with a course that takes 6 -12 months to complete and includes around 40 hours of logged coaching reflections afterwards?
Was the duration of your last qualification long enough for you to fully appreciate the material?
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Cost
This is always a tricky subject. Have you ever been asked you how much would pay? Did you know that some Associations treat Coach Education as an income-making initiative, is that right?
Should Coach Education be subsidised, profit-making or break-even?
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Environments
Should courses be specifically designed for different types of coaching i.e. performance (Jnr & Senior), participation (Jnr & Senior), plus others that I’m sure you can think of. Do the skills instilled in you on a generic course really prepare you for all these different types of coaching?
Imagine a qualification that was targeted at a specific group of players, how knowledgeable could you become?
And finally
What’s your view on being challenged to think about what you do as a coach?
Or would you rather just listen to the advice being given
