Day 4 Planning a Program When you begin planning for the upcoming season try and keep the following thoughts in mind No individual has the same physical and mental capacities at any one time. You must identify and consider the levels that your athletes are at. Evaluate the social, physical and mental maturity of your athletes. The question is how? Some athletes need extra help and some will require additional challenges. Therefore, the key is to identify the needs of your athletes and thoroughly plan.

Benefits of testing Predict future performances Indicate weaknesses Measure improvements Enable the coach to assess the success of the training program Place the athlete in appropriate training group Motivates the athlete

Factors Which may influence test/assessments Ambient temperature, noise level and humidity The amount of sleep prior to test Medications Athlete’s emotional state (test anxiety) The time of day Caffeine intake, last meal

Factors Which may influence test/assessments cont. Test environment Athlete’s prior test knowledge/experience Accuracy of measurements People present Personality, knowledge and skill of the test administator

Organizing your practice The 4P’s Plan, Prepare, Perform, Post-evaluate Segments are easier to manage than whole pieces Break your activities into small chucks of 5 to 10 minute durations Do this b/c you can allow athletes to achieve success at simple task then move them on to the next level Attention spans are less likely to decrease olver short amounts of time More slot/changes also means more variety

Example of practice progression Warm-up Component Gets athletes prepared for the activity Raises body and muscle temperatures (now being questioned to the validity Start slowly and gradually increase the pace and metabolic rate Increase flexibility – from general stretches to sport specific;

Review of Previous learning/skills Make use of drills that have been previously learned or that practice fundamental basics Use adaptations of previous learning by allowing for progression on levels of difficulty that build on the fundamentals or previous experience

Teaching new skills or refining old Describe the new skill (see teaching new skill) Pick 2 or 3 teaching points to highlight Use drills that allow for the development of the new skill Ensure full participation - no one should be standing if possible Use plenty of positive feedback and encouragement (IT IS NEW) Modify activities as athletes improve

Game Simulations and Conditioning Simplify game scenario – reduce plating space, the number of athletes, rules and equipment Try and incorporate fitness into the activities NOT AS A PUNISHMENT NEVER AS A PUNISHMENT

Cool Down Decrease the intensity of the activities slowly and gradually Use stretching (static = slow without bouncing)starting with the major muscle groups used in the activities then the secondary muscle groups

Closure/review Review the practice with the athletes Prepare the athletes for their next practice Evaluate the practice either as a group or individually as coach (coaching staff)

Assessing your practices Activities Athletes participates continually, minimum waiting time, quick instruction and/or demonstrations. Drills and activities changed on a regular basis, averaging around 10 minutes or less Drills developed a progression – easy to more difficult; fundamental to more complex

Assessing your practices continued Variety Skills are practiced using an assortment of methods Fun activities should be used to break up times of intense effort or focus Change up routine at times – try something new, modify the rules and/or equipment, different positions etc.

Assessing your practices continued Organization of practice Produce a plan for the day and season Start and stay and finish on time Have the facilities ready for activities or delegate to players or other people when appropriate

Teaching a new skill This can be achieved by various methods: Verbal instructions Demonstration Video Diagrams Photo sequences

Learning phase There are 3 stages in the learning phase Cognitive Phase = Identification and development of the component parts of the skill Associative Phase = Linking the components parts into a smooth action Autonomous Phase = developing the learned skill so that it becomes automatic

A few questions to assess performance Are the basics correct? Is the direction of movement correct? Is the rhythm correct? Are faults present?

What causes faults? Incorrect understanding of the movement by the athlete Poor physical abilities Poor co-ordination of movements Incorrect application of power Lack of concentration Inappropriate clothing or footwear External factor e.g. weather conditions, people present at practice etc.