Meeting the needs of individuals.

At a training session this week we had a large group of participants , across the group in terms of performance there was a significant gap in ability from top to bottom of the group. With only one coach several people were worried about what the session was going to achieve. With the nature of the training session however (sprint training) we would need rest between efforts. Acknowledging this the group was informed early of how the session would be run and stating the requirements and co-operation of the participants that would be needed , in order not to waste track time they were to be ready to come on track as the previous group left the track. By effectively communicating with the group the coach has given themselves time to deal with individual needs of participants , this allowed the two groups to focus on areas that were most relevant to them with the varying speeds of the group it would not be safe or particularly fulfilling for the slower memebers of the group to train with the others. However the effective break up of the groups meant that the two groups were able to get a much more useful session for themselves with appropriate training..

This is a good example of a coach coping under pressure , usually there would of been two coaches for this session , but with the change , they were still able to adapt and deliver a relevant session for all standards of participants. It is always important to consider the needs of  the group or even the individuals within the group and if in this instant we had simply decided to place all participants together then it would not of been an effective training session for the majority of the group.

On reflection of the critical aspects of the session , this showed the coaches dedication to the players and the desire to do a good job personally. By taking on effectively two sessions at once running side by side he took on a lot more work and had no break during the two hours. This shows a good positive working attitude and the willingness to take on a challenge. Another coach may of shied away and taken the easy route , but this shows a lot about having the right coaching attitude. If you show a good attitude your participants are likely to replicate. Remember as a coach you are all so setting an example and acting as a role model , what you set the standards at are what performers are likely to want to achieve. Take the easy route and you may see players taking the easy route.