Tips for school coaches
THE annual Powerade Performance Academy continued to be a huge success in Port Elizabeth last weekend. It saw coaches from around the Eastern Cape listen to expert performance coaches as part of an interactive session of empowering and enriching lessons for school coaches.
Malibongwe Maketa, the assistant coach for the Proteas, Verlie Oosthuizen, a partner and head of Social Media Law at Shepstone and Wylie Associates, John Mcgrath, Luvo Manyonga’s high performance coach and motivational speaker, and Kass Naidoo, South Africa’s first women cricket commentator and the founder of Gsports, took the coaches on a journey of discovery as they spoke to them about various aspects of coaching and youth development.
Maketa explored the topic of identifying talent and about coaching a diverse team.
“Coaches are in a position where they can change someone’s life on a daily basis. If there is one thing I hope the coaches understood, it is the reality of dealing with a group of different characters from different backgrounds. Additionally, coaches need to learn how to deal with their players, get the best out of the different characters and ensure players accept each other and work together for the benefit of the team.”
Oosthuizen enlightened the coaches about the dynamics of social media and how coaches can orientate players adequately to benefit the team and the players.
“Social media needs to be used responsibly and consciously, otherwise the reputation of all school stakeholders will be compromised,” Oosthuizen said.
Coaches are often under fire by parents and old students from schools, so they need to be educated on the best practice of social media conduct either professionally and/or personally.”
Mcgrath tackled the mental side of preparing sportsmen and women.
“In shifting paradigms, it is about abandoning preconceived ideas that people have about their abilities.”
Mcgrath illustrated practical examples of breaking boundaries by bending nails, breaking chains and tearing packs of cards.
“These are all metaphors for what you can do and what is possible. Everyone has an inner voice that prevents us from achieving our goals, and it is up to us to decide if we would like to listen to that voice or not.”