If the answer to these questions is yes, then Coaching Hampshire & IOW is looking forward to hearing from you.
Whether you're still competing or an ex-athlete, a parent who has become interested in a new sport, a teacher developing their skills or a volunteer with a passion for sport, there are several ways to get into coaching.
STEP 1: Can you assist a more experienced coach in a club/school environment? This will give you a flavour for what coaching actually involves and whether you have the desire to commit to the journey of becoming a high-quality coach.
STEP 2: Book yourself onto a coaching or sports leaders course. Sports Leaders UK offer generic sports leadership training at a variety of levels. National Governing Bodies of sport offer sport-specific coaching and leadership courses through local delivery centres.
Most governing body courses offer the following types of course:
| Level | Classification | Profile |
Level 4 | Advanced/Master | Plan, implement, analyse and revise multi-annual coaching programmes. Demostrate advance coaching competence, innovation and leadership. |
Level 3 | Senior Coach | Plan, implement and review annual coaching sessions. Demonstrate advance coaching competence. |
Level 2 | Coach | Prepare for, deliver and review coaching sessions. Demonstrate basic coaching competence. |
Level 1 | Assistant | Deliver coaching sessions and aspects of coaching sessions under direction/support. Acquire and practice basic coaching competences. |
Leadership Awards | Sports Leader | Develop understanding of sport-specific environment. This may include assisting with the organisation of competitions, games and training sessions as well as officiating and basic committee roles. Assist more qualified coaches delivering aspects of coaching sessions, always under supervision. |
As well as initial & further training courses offered by sport-specifc governing bodies, there are also Higher Degrees offered by Universities in sports coaching.
STEP 3: Find a mentor. Mentoring is a great way to give direction to your development. A good mentor will not only act as a sounding board for ideas and questions on coaching, but can help you reflect on your coaching practice and philosophy.
Think outside the box! Whilst an experienced coach mentor from your own sport may be able to assist you with your technical and tactical development, you may find that someone from another discipline can challenge you in terms of your knowledge and your career pathway giving you an opportunity to think outside of the box.
STEP 4: Plan your CPD. CPD stands for Continued Professional Development and is the key to improving your technical, tactical and overall craft knowledge. Generally these cover any formal/informal training opportunity. This may involve a sport-specific opportunity like a Coaching Conference, observing a more experienced coach in practice or attending a workshop on Child Protection or High Quality Coaching.
Mentoring is a great way to give direction to your development. A good mentor will not only act as a sounding board for ideas and questions on coaching, but can help you reflect on your coaching practice and philosophy.