I'll be honest, when I've had a really stressful day at work or I'm on a three hour drive up the motorway to get to a training session on time, sometimes... I don't want to go!
So often though, it's those sessions that surprise me.
A couple of examples from this week, of why I love coaching:
School coaching session
I had young player that has not looked happy or engaged playing, and has really struggled with the basics, (netball isn't what gets her up in the morning), but in the last session coaching ' straight-line ball' she;
- Caught the ball from a backline
- Turned and immediately looked for that straight-line ball
- Delivered it, and finally...
- Smiled!
I couldn't resist but to give her a major hug and tell her she was fantastic. A 'lightbulb moment'
Team performance
On Saturday, one of my teams, not the highest skilled team in the Club, kicked off a match and quickly went down 5 goals Q1, again Q2 - some half time straight talking needed! (we'd been doing ' change of direction' in training for the past 3 weeks), I explained that the movement on court resembled tankers turning rather than 'dynamic' movement. Harsh but true. They took it constructively, and proceeded to dig in deep and return a one goal win, With movement all over the court - a 'great attitude moment'
- Occasionally it's like herding cats
- Sometimes you have to be devious ( i.e. mixing up the time of the fitness element of the session so even those that drop in half hour late to avoid it a - get to participate)
- Sometimes you want to bang your head on the wall
But sometimes, when that golden moment comes along - there is nothing else I want to be doing. And that's why I love coaching netball.
Lisa Wise is a freelance Level 2 coach and founder of Laurel Park Netball Club, based in Earley, near Reading, Berkshire www.laurelparknetball.co.uk She coaches players from Schools, Back to Netball, and leagues in the Berkshire area. A regular contributor to BBC Radio Berkshire, she has received awards from local leagues and County Association.
