How can you alter your style of teaching to meet the demands of different practice and competitive situations for individual, Racket and team activities?

AS and A Level Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

Many people have different styles of teaching and they all can be affective in different situations. A good leader in one situation, if unable to be flexible may not be successful in a different situation. There is a range of different types of leader from one extreme to another. This is demonstrated in Moston and Ashworths spectrum:

This shows the balance between the teacher making the decisions to the learner making the decisions. The line shows the scale from one extreme to the other.

The scale runs from:

Command style (A) Reciprocal style. Problem solving/discovery (J)

Command style/Autocratic

The coach dictates what he wants the learners to do and they do it without asking questions or offering feedback like a drill sergeant.

Reciprocal style/Democratic

The leader is more cognitive in its nature and makes the learners think and playing a part in each others learning by evaluating and learning from each other. The coach still controls the structure of the session.

Problem solving or Discovery/laissez-fair

This style leaves the learner to decide and work on what they think needs to be done and the coach helps them with that the coach leaves the decision making to the subject(s) and is there to offer his/her knowledge

The different styles will be most affective or necessary in the different situations, with different learners or for different sports. In dangerous situations command style will have to be used for safety. With elite performers a problem solving/discovery style will be most effective. A coach teaching armatures it will be between command and reciprocal. A small club team such as a local football team will be in-between reciprocal and discovery.

What makes a good leader?

Definition:

“The behavioural process of influencing individuals and groups towards set goals.”

Barrow 1977

Team sports e.g. Rugby/football

Beginner e.g. Under 8’s

This is a preview of the whole essay

To teach under 8’s the prime philosophy must be to have fun with learning happening as a result. As in all team sports social interaction is a major part and this must be encouraged and through all stages the coach must be seen as a team mate as well as a leader. The personality required for this age group has to be reasonably easy going and fun but to have authority. It is more essential to have experience with young children then rugby though you must have a reasonable knowledge of the sport to perform and teach the activity safely and correctly. You must be up to date on safety regulations and restrictions on teaching this age group. The danger of the sport must be taken into consideration must be taken in to consideration and there must be high levels of supervision. Especially with people of this chronological and maturational age for physically they can’t withstand an intense training regime both physical and mentally they will become board and will not enjoy the sport thus not learning maturational age may vary within an age range and some people of this age will be able to treated differently and this must be assed and adapted accordingly. With this taken into consideration the style in relation to Moston and Ashworths spectrum should be more towards the A/B section autocratic, command but not as a drill sergeant only because the have little knowledge and need constant guidance.

Armature e.g. school/college/village team

For this group there is greater variation for there motivation may have a greater difference for if they are looking to progress to pro or just to play as a social activity and to remain at the same level. So their philosophy on why they are playing and what they want to achieve will have great variation so the teaching style will also have a great variation. They will have a greater knowledge of their sport and how to interact with there team mates. This will probably mean that the teaching style can be more reciprocal and demographic which is section E/F on Moston and Ashworths spectrum because the maturational age along with the chronological age is older and more capable in analysing and making constructive criticism on there own and other team members performance but still needing guidance from how to improve from a coach. The philosophy of the coach to be successful is in direct proportion to the philosophy of the team and the coach will have to adapt to the objectives of the team to reach their objectives which may be to have fun or to finish top of the league, by doing this he will be able to meet any objectives he may have for the team. The teacher will need a greater knowledge of the sport and more experience to be able to progress this level of player. This group may have some developed characters in the team and they may be up for a laugh a coach must adapt to different situations and be able to have fun but be commanding in dangerous situations.

Elite/pro players e.g. top league, international players

This group has a vast knowledge of there sport and will have a high motivation. Teacher will have to have to have a vast knowledge of the sport and a lot of experience to pass on to the team. The style of teaching will have to a discovery/ reciprocal approach (the H/I area of Moston and Ashworths spectrum). This is because of high motivation and experience of the players and the closeness of the team. The coach is under a lot of pressure and his sole objective which is shared by the team is to win and the fun aspect takes less precedence. There will be a lot of demands placed on the players and practices will be complex and highly organised and task analysis will be done a lot to improve. Resources, time and staffing will be the best and the best equipment which means there should be no physical restrictions to the coach to get the best from the team.

Individual sports e.g. Swimming, Running, Marshal arts

Beginner e.g. under 8’s

Individual sports at this stage are often taught in large groups to encourage the beginners and to make it fun because at this stage the main objective is to make the sport enjoyable and this has to be the philosophy of the teacher. As before the teacher

needs to have a good knowledge of working with children as well as a moderate knowledge of the sport. These activities can be dangerous especially swimming and marshal arts so the teacher needs to have a commanding style of teaching as to lower the risk of injury but while doing this the teacher must be careful not to eliminate the fun aspect which is the main objective. The students won’t have much input into the lesson because of their limited knowledge. In relation to Moston and Ashworths spectrum it should be more towards the A/B section autocratic, command. But the teacher must be able to do this and maintain a fun atmosphere. There will be little demand placed on the learner and tasks won’t be complex.

Armature e.g. school/college/village team

At this stage teaching groups will become smaller and the objectives will be more towards progression this is the stage where talented athletes start to develop and the teacher at this stage unlike in team sports emphasis has to be progression. The teacher has to still be reasonably commanding in marshal arts because it is still a dangerous. Swimming and running is also orientated towards progression but the teacher can be more reciprocal and the training session may be equally orientated towards fitness as technique. The coach needs to build relationship with the learner to help them progress. Little facilities are needed to practice this and a high level of fitness practice is needed at this stage.

Elite/pro players e.g. top league, international players

At this stage a teacher will be on a one to one level with the subject and there will be intense fitness practice and task analysis will be important to improve technique the teacher will offer guidance and the subject will suggest improvements for their selves. The coach will have to implement a discovery role because the subject has a good idea on what they have to improve. Demands will be high on the teacher and subject to perform.

Racket sports e.g. squash, tennis

Racket sports follow much the same pattern and require a similar teaching style throughout the progression from beginner to elite as individual sports. One difference may be in the elite stages will need more complexity along with repetition to improve some of the skills and the coach needs to be able to offer advice on aspects of there game also leaving the subject to have a large input into their improvement. Analysis will play an important role in progression. Motivation will be high as at all athletes at this level and the coach will have to understand that and offer his support.

Analysis

In review of this work I can see a pattern that although there are variations between individual, racket and team sports the main difference is from teaching different levels of ability and maturity and although in any sport a dangerous situation has to be responded by a command style of teaching at what ever level. The pattern follows Moston and Ashworths spectrum, younger less experienced people doing the sport has to be taught in a command style with the teacher making all the decisions, armature more mature subjects can have a more reciprocal approach with coaching decisions being shared and elite performers with the high levels of experience and knowledge can be left to a more discovery style and make a majority of the decisions. In what ever case it is a good teacher needs to be able to read different personalities in a team or a group and adjust to the best way for them to learn rather then to enforce there personality on to them and the way they want to teach. The idea is to make the subject want to reach the same goals that you want them to reach. The coaching at grassroots level requires a totally different approach to that of coaching elite athletes. The orientation of a beginners training session is towards enjoyment and attracting people to the sport and wanting them want to continue rather then making them progress. A coach in this situation may not be successful at an elite level unless he/she can adapt there approach and visa versa an elite coach wouldn’t have a positive affect on young beginners unless they changed the approach and objectives of what they want to achieve.

For models and theories see appendices.