Reciprocal sports coaching is such a great way to maximise time, and give your team a greater understanding of what they are trying to achieve.
If you consider your understanding of your chosen sport as a player, and then think about how much better you understand the same sport now you are coach, I would imagine you would all be in agreement that as a coach, your understanding of your sport has improved. So why not get some of your players to do some coaching during your sessions?
Benefits of Reciprocal Sports Coaching
Reciprocal coaching can have a really positive effect on your players:
- Reach more of your players with greater regularity on the vital coaching points.
- Improve individual and team performance.
- Give player’s greater understanding of what they are trying to achieve.
- Players get a feeling of controlling their own development.
- Improve team spirit and togetherness by promoting an ‘open’ team environment.
With the limited time available to us as sports coaches, we must make sure that every word, demonstration and intervention we give has a positive effect and purpose to ensure progression. However, standing on your own in front of a group of 25 can present a challenge when developing individual skills.
Group Coaching for Individual Skills
As a strength and conditioning coach, speed is a classic example of trying to improve individual performance in a team environment, so I am going to use this to demonstrate how I use reciprocal coaching.
Here are the stages I like to use when developing acceleration, which is a vital component of team sports such as football, rugby, basketball, hockey, and a whole host of other sports:
- Identify the key components of successful acceleration
- MAXIMAL Force production is my ‘buzz’ topic at the moment
- Demonstrate the body position and movement
- Give some initial coaching points, which will include…
- Engaging the core ‘quickly’ to allow force generated to be properly utilised.
- Highlighting the importance of the first 3 steps (imagining pushing the ground away from you)
- Be aggressive, to get into your running as quickly as possible.
For those of you that have read my previous blogs, you can also use the imagery previously discussed.
I would then allow the players to have 2 or 3 runs to get a feel for what they are trying to achieve.
Once this is done, I will pair them up and they will observe and give feedback to their partner. As coaches, you will know the importance of intervention, but getting your players to do this will give them a much-improved understanding of what and how they will achieve success in the area you are developing, which will then transfer to their own development.
It’s what you might call a ‘WIN WIN’ situation!
You have reached far more players, and they have all got a greater understanding than if you had only been able to give feedback to a select few in the group!
You can then use the video analysis you have done to get the players to give feedback, as they will feel far more comfortable doing this, creating an open and honest environment.
This is just one example of reciprocal coaching, and I would love to hear if you have used similar practice in your coaching or are planning to in the future.
