Tutorial Meeting

Today our group met with Cliff for a brief meeting. We had a well needed discussion with him regarding our practical session. We said the objective of the session was to look at improving/developing special awareness.

 

After we shared a few ideas with Cliff, it was clear he understood our goals and was heading in the right direction. However he gave us a few pointers to consider not just for now, but future reference.

 

Sometimes he said it is best to break it right down, and start with the basics of the technique or skill you are looking to develop. I thought this was a brilliant way to approach the session. If I think about it, this is a very useful tip which I can implement in future sessions when working with children.

 

The breaking down of a skill or technique to the very basics is an excellent way to start any coaching session. The aim and purpose of doing this is to allow all players to start at the same level and progress at different rates. It allows you to see who finds that particular skill easy and those who don't. For the ones who do, you can set them individual tasks, or if one player struggles you can use someone who finds it easier to help/guide them. Players helping one another to execute a skill/technique is a good form of guided discovery in a way. You are allowing players to become indecent from the coach, and rather the myself being the coach, the players help to coach each other.

 

All of this leads back to a post I put up a few weeks back, where I talked about the use of different coaching intervention methods, to allow for more effective coaching. The brief tutorial with Cliff has really helped me understand the importance of breaking down skills, rather than them being too technical. Even breaking them down to basics, you don't get the same technical element, but the specifications of the session are still there!

 

Ill update soon to let you know how the session goes, fingers crossed it goes well!