Schools must raise the bar
REAL DEVELOPMENT KEY FOR YOUNGSTERS
Iwas chatting to a good friend of mine, business strategist Chris Medley, and he was up in arms about the state of his daughter’s hockey team and the school sport in general. It was quite ironic because I have had the same conversation with three other people this past week as well and the point all these guys make is valid.
The primary concern at most schools is to make sure students pass their exams so they can validate that their framework of teaching is working. So when it comes to school sports, more than likely this will be an after-thought.
Who are the coaches ordinary schools employ? Well first up, if you are lucky, they don’t employ coaches, but rather use teachers to save a buck. And quite frankly they would rather be doing anything else including marking than stand on a cricket pitch for hours.
Secondly, schools employ past matric students because they come cheap and the job is normally for a set period rather than a yearly contract.
For some strange reason, school management tend to believe that because you were good as a first team player, it gives you the right and the credentials to coach a team younger than you. It is ludicrous to think that schools are not investing in quality youth coaches. Should schools not have the most qualified coaching staff investing in proper training methodologies such as injury prevention exercises, assessments,
mental toughness and coping skills?
Are schools using a sports science coaching framework for successfully developing the next breed of athletes?
Is it that they don’t care or are they using the excuse that they don’t have the budget? Surely it is important to train with purpose, set goals and achieve them?
Ask the question; is it worthwhile even coming down to practice, or get up early mornings for matches when you know
you will be learning very little if anything? Let’s say it is a budget problem. I can respect that. But what I can’t respect is the fact that schools are not investing in coaching courses and certifications. Money invested into this can be claimed back and if every school adopted this attitude of educating their coaches then every school would demand it on their coaching CVs. Here are two strategies schools can adopt on a tight budget. Firstly, invest in a sports science framework. What this means is that schools need a system to guide them in developing and growing the potential of their athletes. Yes sure, the initial investment might be costly, but once the system is up and running, everyone in the system will be empowered to succeed. I guarantee my training results with my clients not because I thumbsuck, but because they work within our framework of success. Working inside the framework allows for creativity, personalisation and adaptation to sport as long as it is within that framework. I am 100% confident a half decent coach will excel if they fit into the school’s success framework. Call your local sports scientist to help you set one up today. Secondly, invest in theory and practical workshop. Courses might only come twice a year and they might be expensive for each coach, so schools need to look at running continual quarterly workshops where they bring the experts to the school to train up. I remember getting a call a little while back from a government school – Glenvista High –in the south of Johannesburg. They could not afford to send all their coaches and teachers on course due to time constraints and budget so what did they do? They brought us in for a speed training workshop for their coaches and teachers for both practical and theoretical work. It was a day workshop, but it was on a day that they could do it and have everyone participate. The value of a practical workshop where they actually get to learn the techniques, skills and drills is priceless and they found it highly valuable. The point I am making is that if a government school took the appropriate steps to think outside the box on a shoestring budget, why can’t you?
School sport is not evolving and this denies athletes the opportunity to explore another avenue where they could potentially earn money from. You go to school to pass so that you can go to varsity, get a job and make money. Why can’t schools see that by investing in proper coaching they are betting equipping students with the tools to potentially succeed in their sport. Schools must rethink the way they run sport so that Chris and other parents can see real value in their children’s development.