Coaching Programs at Clubs and Coach Development

Welcome

• Aims of the session – answer your questions

• What is Coaching?

• Decisions and Decisions

• The Island Sailing Club – an example

What is Coaching?

• Sailor driven

• Sailors have a range of skills and experience

• Flexible

• Time frame driven by need

• Whole of life

• Coach sailors at State/National level

The Island Sailing Club – an example

• Membership total 450 split – 375 senior & 75 youth

• YATC running Learn to Sail and Tackers

- 65 people through GISBS and 42 kids through Tackers

• Race on Saturday afternoons from Oct through to April

• Main classes are Pacers, Lasers (various) and Tasars and assorted others

Decisions, Decisions

• What questions does a club need to ask?

• What is happening now?

- low retention rates after Learn to Sail

• What is our member base?

• What are people sailing?

• What is our demographic?

• Other Stakeholders

Decision Point 1 for Island Sailing Club

• Should we develop a coaching program at our club?

• What benefits would a program bring to the club?

• What are the risks of embarking on a coaching program?

• Do we have the energy for this?

• Can we get these benefits another way?

Is this something we really want to do and are capable of doing?

Planning to Coach

• Form a team

• Identify need

• Choose a coach

• Island Sailing Club – team will be headed/guided by the YATC Principal, with Coach and an administrator

• Identified need - after Tackers and youth development

• Have a member who is a YA Club Coach but will look externally as well.

Decision Point 2 – Island Sailing Club

• How does the club choose a coach?

- Objectives

- Candidates

- Evaluation

• Island Sailing Club

- Objectives are Tackers follow on and youth development

- Availability

- Cost

- Relationship skills

- Communication skills, coaching experience, sailing experience

Island Sailing Club

• YA Club Coach who is a member (George)

- Good with high level youth performance

- Extensive technical knowledge

- Very experienced sailor

- Good communication skills

Other resources available

- 2 YA Instructors who teach Learn to Sail, both are club racers one has been to Pacer Class Nationals (3rd overall)

- 3 Assistant Instructors - one is member of HP squad

Design a Program

• Build a time line

• Create a schedule

• Coach should design the program

• Identify milestones and checkpoints

• Develop a timeline

• Publicise the program

Island Sailing Club

• Tackers 3 Follow On & Youth Development

Tackers 3 Follow On – 12 sailors

- Coach would design the program but could be run by the YA Instructor who finished 3rd at Nationals with one of the AI’s

- Objective for program could be sailors to compete in Green fleet at upcoming Nationals

Island Sailing Club

• Youth Development Program

- Club Coach designs and runs program with assistance of one instructor

- Target the Pacer class with aim to finish in top 5 at Nationals

- The Tasars & Lasers

- Organise their own coaching within Club safety operating procedures.

- The club is focusing on Junior and Youth Development

Measuring the Success

• One of the most important steps

- What worked, what should we do again

- What didn’t work, what wasn’t helpful

- What should we do next time that we didn’t this time

- Talk with the coach and instructors

- Talk with participants

- Balanced Scorecard

Coach Development

• Assistant Instructor

• Instructor – powerboat & first aid

• Club Coach – safety boat & first aid

• State Coach

Coach Development

• Island Sailing Club

- Identify Instructors and Assistant Instructors who would have potential to become coaches

- Club Coach would mentor those Instructors

- They assist the coach to run the programs

Summary

Coaching Programs

• Situation Appraisal – vision and goals, action plan

• Planning to coach – do we want to do this?

• Choosing a coach

• Design a program

• Run the program

• Review and analyse

Coach Development

• Building expertise for the future