Welcome back to the Monday field hockey blog. Today we will discuss how having different coaches is beneficial to your child’s skill growth.
No Two Coaches are the Same
No one is immune to falling into a specific coach’s teaching habits—this sometimes makes it difficult to then adjust your form of play when you begin working with a new coach who has novel techniques you aren’t yet used to. Just like there are many different learning styles for athletes; there are many different coaching styles for coaches. With this said it is important to remember that there isn’t one way of coaching that is better than another. It merely depends on the type of athlete you are and how you tend to learn the best.
The first type of coaching style we are going to discuss is the telling style. This type of coaching technique is when coaches tell their athletes what they want to do and exactly how they want them to do it. This style of coaching works best for athletes who are auditory learners. These athletes can be told how to do something and have no problem then completing the drill. Sometimes coaches will explain the benefits of these drills to an athlete by telling them why they are important and asking if anyone has questions before they begin.
One of the more common types of coaching styles is the visual coaching method. This is where coaches will briefly describe the drill while physically showing the athletes how to perform the drill. The visual coaching method works great for athletes who are visual learners and pick up on things based on watching others. Coaches may demonstrate the drills by themselves or use athletes to help demonstrate the drill.
Coaches may also have different styles when it comes to personality. All coaches are dedicated to their respective sport and want nothing else but for their athletes to succeed and become better. Some coaches tend to be more vocal while others are more laid back. This truly depends on the type of person they are outside of coaching and based on the type of coaches they have had in there past. Every child will react differently to each and every coach they will learn under throughout their playing career.
Here at Koa we like to have two coaches for our club teams in order to give the girls the opportunity to learn from different styles of coaching at an early age. At our rec league level we may have different coaches run the teams each week to help with the athletes who may have a different learning style than what one coach is teaching. This method might seem varied on paper, having multiple coaches work with your children, but it’s truly the best way to learn the game and enhance your abilities as a player. Your perspective of the field will constantly evolve and update with each new piece of advice you learn. This is how you become a well-rounded athlete as well as a coachable player. Nothing is wrong with having different coaches teach your child as long as the coaches are Dedicated, Team First, Fun and Positive!
