Things all coaches should keep in mind
One of the other coaches in our league (who has quite a bit of experience in coaching of various sports) took a session on how to be a good coach. Below I have surmised some key bits from it that you might want to consider thinking about yourself if you are going to take a derby session.
Pre-session prep
[1] The place I usually start my coaching from is from allthederbydrills. Another place to check out is the derby skillz and drills Facebook page. For more advanced drills or specific problems you might have to get creative and start making up your own drills, which is where I am currently.
Pre-session prep
- Plan drills around a theme that you want to see skaters improve on throughout the session [1]
- Try to order the drills in a logical order that build up on each other.
- Stand in a place in the hall where everyone can hear you, make sure you don't have your back to anyone. If you gather people in, this makes speaking to in this way them easier. If you are a quiet person get people to sit down while you talk as they will be able to hear you better.
- The best thing for coaching is talking as little as you can by explaining drills succinctly - this allows for the most skate time. If you can show them the drill by getting it acted out this is better than too much talking.
- Do make clear to skaters why specific drills are being done - what are they developing - this can give the skaters a clearer focus when participating in the drill.
- Give the skaters a chance to ask questions to check that they understand what they are being asked to do and why.
- Watch out for the mood on the track, if people are struggling to get something don't feel like you have to force it. A negative mood can spread across the skaters. Move onto something to lighten the mood to get people enthusiastic again.
- Encourage skaters to give each other feedback rather than relying on you.
- Keep your plan and note down any adhoc changes made during the session as they can effect future planning considerations.
- Also think how you might have done one thing differently to improve for the next time you coach.
[1] The place I usually start my coaching from is from allthederbydrills. Another place to check out is the derby skillz and drills Facebook page. For more advanced drills or specific problems you might have to get creative and start making up your own drills, which is where I am currently.