Kosovo Tutor Training – October 2016.
Our newly trained Kosovan LEAP Tutors.
The Quickest Way From A To B Isn’t Always A Straight Line.
As a general rule we are taught that the quickest way from A to B is a straight line. As coaches we often try to help our athletes learn by using a logical; straight-line; progressive approach.
Straight line learning involves assessing our athlete to establish where our starting point A is and then setting a goal of getting to point B. We plot our logical, linear progressions from A to B.
There is one essential ingredient for our learning recipe and this is engagement. Our athlete, our learner must be able to engage with the task. Engagement is like pushing down on the accelerator pedal of a car, making the car go faster. The more our athlete engages the faster their rate of learning. So what can we do as coaches to encourage engagement?
Rocket Fuel
Curiosity, creativity and challenge: the rocket fuel for engagement.
For our athletes to engage fully with whatever task they are doing, they need to have curiosity, creativity and be challenged.
Curiosity: “I wonder why…what…when…where…how much?”.
Creativity: “I’ll try solving it this way or that”.
Challenge: “I’ve had success, I’ve solved my problem, I feel pleased with myself and confident. What is my next step – where next is my curiosity leading me? I feel equipped to take on my next challenge”
The problem with straight-line learning is that we as coaches have worked out A and B and the logical progression between. We have been curious, creative and set the challenges. We have done all the thinking. We have been engaged but not our learner. They may well be doing our progressions but not necessarily engaging with our progressions fully.
The Flying Rubber Balloon Alternative
Picture yourself blowing-up a rubber party balloon. Instead of tying a knot you decide to let go of the balloon. The balloon shoots-off at high speed, flying in every direction. Using the flying balloon as an analogy:
The air escaping the balloon, powering the balloon in its flight: This is our athlete’s curiosity, creativity and the challenges they set themselves, powering their engagement and learning.
The journey travelled is maybe further and most definitely not a straight-line; but the journey is faster and richer, with more questions, more answers, more challenges and more learning.
So if we want high speed learning, we need to design sessions to foster, curiosity, creativity and challenge.
Supply the rocket fuel and let our athletes fly.
Breakdown but don’t break.
As coaches we observe our athletes. We observe their performances; their technique; their strategies. We think about what could be better. We break things down to work on making these improvements. We breakdown:
• Technique.
• Competition strategy.
• Lifestyle.
• Physical preparation.
• Our plan.
• Our goals.
But what about building-up? Perhaps with our focus on, “fixing” by breaking things down, we are losing sight of building-up. Building-up:
• Confidence.
• Success.
• Motivation.
• Our Coach / Athlete relationship.
• Our athlete’s ability to accept more responsibility for their own development.
• Enjoyment.
Breaking-down without building-up, might just leave us with broken.
SJAC – Athlete Of The Month For May.
Genevieve Hodge Athlete Of The Month Interview. Listen to Genevieve talk about being funny, loving and cute; Jessica, Holly and Ella and the Personal Best Line. (Approx. 6 minutes).
SJAC – Athlete Of The Month For April.
Cecilia Addison Athlete Of The Month Interview. Listen to Cecilia talk about being kind, funny and happy; adding numbers, running for quite a long time, being a butterfly and, “Tidy your room!”. (Approx. 6 minutes).
QuadKids – 22nd June 2016 – Results.
Well done to everyone who competed in the QuadKids competition last Wednesday. Every athlete applied themselves excellently. Hopefully this will inspire even more determination, effort and practice towards improving performances for next year.
SJAC – Athlete Of The Month For February.
Georgie Manning Athlete Of The Month Interview. Listen to Georgie talk about being friendly, funny and energetic; running around, jumping high, being a cute tabby cat and, “You can’t go on the tablet yet”. (Approx. 6 minutes).
SJAC – Athlete Of The Month For January.
Sophie Wilson-Shanks Athlete Of The Month Interview. Listen to Sophie talk about being full of energy, quite loud and being really lazy; running and long jump and “Hurry-Up!”. (Approx. 6 minutes).
St. Lucia – LEAP 2017.
St. Lucia Tutor Training – January 2016.
Our newly trained St. Lucia LEAP Tutors
Our Training Venue
Dusk…St. Luica Style
