How I coach Trampoline
The thinking behind my coaching approach
This is me, in orange, coaching the local Member of Parliament on the Trampoline.
My dad is on the side, watching and waiting for his upcoming session.
The other trampolines had other adults and children ranging in age and ability.
I run Eastbourne Trampoline and coach using 3 main aims:
Fun first
Family friendly
Encourage exploration
Fun First
There is no best way to coach, but fun is the primary reason for participation in organised sport.
Science says fun is the best way to:
Keep people involved.
Help people learn.
Build confidence.
Make new friends.
The problem is that fun means different things to different people.
Fun is COMPLICATED
In this study, out of 81 factors, there were 11 that everyone agreed upon.
I remember the 11 fun factors using the acronym COMPLICATED.
Clothes - Team clothes help people feel part of a team.
Order - Order helps people relax and enjoy themselves.
Match - Match support with consistent officials helps fairness.
Positive attitude - Positivity toward engagement and effort keeps people interested.
Loyal friends - Loyalty creates friendships that go beyond the sport.
Improvement - Improvement through organised but varied sessions.
Challenging - Challenging practice and games with plenty of sport time.
Advancing - Advancing their skills through problem solving or measurements.
Tumbles and trials - Allowing, even encouraging errors and mistakes to be made.
Everyone - Get everyone involved to build a community beyond the sport.
Desirable difficulty - Desirable difficulty is what everyone is looking for.
However, putting a fun-first philosophy into practice is easier said than done.
Family Friendly
Working with parents in sport can be a tricky topic.
Some coaches see parents as a problem, but a parent only becomes a problem if we, as the lead coach, make it one.
Get EVERYONE involved… Fun factor number 2.
These are the types of parents I experience:
Taxi - Drop children off and wait until pickup.
Spectator - Watch children, but avoid getting involved.
Helper - Tries to get involved but is unsure how.
Instructor - Tells their children what to do.
Coach - Coaches their children their way.
I try to work with parents rather than against them; however, this is an area I am working on at Eastbourne Trampoline.
Stay tuned for further developments.
Encourage exploration
Coaching philosophy is what coaching science is all about.
We will never agree.
There will always be an alternative way which might be better.
In future stories, I will dip into some of the science behind my decisions, which include:
And many other sources I have read over the years.
But I try to be an effective coach, defined as:
The consistent application of integrated interpersonal, intrapersonal and professional knowledge to improve athletes competence, confidence, connection and character in specific coaching contexts. Cote and Gilbert 2009
Instead of an answer, I encourage exploration. A Journey. And this is the start of a new journey.