The summer 2010 issue of Coaching Edge discusses the evolution of coaching in sports, focusing on insights from well-known figures like Peter Shilton and Nobby Stiles. It emphasizes the importance of simplicity in coaching methodologies, the evolution of cricket due to the Twenty20 format, and the role of captains in modern sports. The edition also highlights the UK's coaching awards and resources for aspiring coaches.

1. SUMMER 2010 ISSUE 20 WWW.SPORTSCOACHUK.ORG
EDGE
COACHING
UNG ’s
I
K
LEADHING
AC E
CO GAZIN
MA
ADAPT
AND
THRIVE
How cricket coaches have
embraced lessons of Twenty20
INSIDE: Football’s Masters • Making Mentors Work • Surviving the Credit Crunch

2. 2 COACHING EDGE |CONTENTS|
CONTENTS
04 Learning from the Masters –
Peter Shilton and Nobby Stiles
11 On the Way to Wembley
Mark Pointer
28 In The Running for 2011
Sam Hawcroft
Martin Betts and Craig Smith
Pooling Experience
14
08 Do Captains Set the Course?
John Goodbody
Howard Foster
One Moment In Time –
18
© sports coach UK
Norman’s Wisdom
Sam Hawcroft
21 20:20 Vision
© Darren Walsh/Action Images Limited
Richard Gibson 31 Credit Where it’s Due
Lynn Allen
24 Let the (Friendly)
Games Begin...
John Goodbody
Power and Influence
32 David Bloomfield
Take a Bow
35 Jeff Thornton
Getting the Most from
26 Your Talent
Jeff Thornton
© Getty Images
Published July 2010 by Patron prufus@coachwise.ltd.uk or in sport, as elsewhere, that Coaching Edge is sent quarterly to all
sports coach UK HRH The Princess Royal on 0113-201 5457. both genders have equal status sports coach UK members. It is also
Post: 114 Cardigan Road Chair The opinions expressed in these and opportunities. available to non-members.
Headingley Chris Baillieu articles are those of the authors. They The term parent includes carers, For subscription information
Leeds LS6 3BJ Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of guardians and other next of or to purchase back copies of Coaching
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Phone: + 44 (0) 113-274 4802 Chief Sub Editor or staff. sports coach UK will ensure that Cover Photograph
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www.sportscoachuk.org and bulk subscriptions to Paul Rufus at males and females. It is important Foundation, 2010 Designed and produced by Coachwise Ltd 90618:5

3. |EDITORIAL| COACHING EDGE 3
EDITORIAL sports
coach UK
Welcome to the latest issue of Coaching Edge.
For issue 20 we’ve given Coaching Edge a fresh new look and hope you find something which, in the
NEWS
best traditions of journalism, will inform, educate and even entertain.
Most importantly, it’s designed for you, the coaches.
BURSARY SCHEME
We know that the very best coaches never stop learning, thinking, talking and – perhaps most
importantly – listening, and within each of the features in this magazine there’s something you may
pick up from seeing how others approach their sport and use as a tip for your own work, something
which could be adapted to make your own athlete or team stronger, and you even better.
As coaches, there may be ideas and examples you want to add to any of the features in this issue,
and we’d be delighted to hear from you (our email address is below).
In this issue you’ll see how a new approach helped one small football team come oh-so-close to their
dream, how coaches will use the Commonwealth Games to prepare for The London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games, how cricket is evolving thanks to the Twenty20 format, and so much more.
Sports coaches are in demand, especially in
As a young hockey goalkeeper, I was glued to the TV every time Norman Hughes’ Great Britain the capital. SkillsActive’s London Coaching
side, which claimed bronze in 1984, took to the field – a team which laid the foundations for the Bursary Scheme pays two thirds of the cost of a
sides of 1986 at Willesden and 1988 in Seoul...and to see Norman urging coaches to get involved coaching qualification course for people new
at grass-roots level is inspirational all over again. to coaching, or coaches who want to become
We’ll be building on the great job done by previous editor Anne Pankhurst and wish her the best in qualified. More opportunities are likely to be
her coaching career and academic work. offered as the Mayor of London announces
further initiatives to boost training and
Summer’s here, for some it’s the key time of their season, for others it’s the moment for pre-season qualifications in coaching and officiating,
training and all those hard miles to begin... backed by the Olympic Legacy Fund. Visit
We hope you enjoy reading it as much as the team here have enjoyed putting it together...see you in www.skillsactive.com for more information.
three months!
UK ANTI-DOPING
Tim Hartley, editor, Coaching Edge
UK Anti-Doping, the national body
editor@coachwise.ltd.uk responsible for the implementation and
management of the UK’s anti-doping policy,
has launched a confidential Report Doping
YOUTUBE CHANNEL in Sport hotline, and is keen for anyone
within the sporting community to help
ensure all sport is clean.
The line provides a platform for anyone to
report any information they may have on
doping, trafficking or supply of
prohibited substances.
UK COACHING
The line is hosted by Crimestoppers, which has
AWARDS 2010 years of experience handling calls of this
nature, and all information received is fed into
the UK Anti-Doping intelligence team for
It’s time to think about those inspirational
coaches, and have your chance to say thanks. analysis and investigation. Callers will not need
to disclose their personal details if they don’t
This year’s UK Coaching Awards will take sports coach UK has produced a series of
want to.
place on Tuesday 30 November at The video clips for parents and carers who
Brewery (www.thebrewery.co.uk) in London. are interested in becoming coaches. The number to call is: 0800-032 2332.
Hosted by sports coach UK, the Awards The films provide information on how to
honour coaches and coaching organisations become a coach and what steps to take.
that have achieved outstanding success over
the previous 12 months. Visit the sports coach UK YouTube ‘channel’
Updates on the event, including categories and www.youtube.com/sportscoachuktv and the
how to nominate, will be posted on the sports Coach Zone section of the sports coach
coach UK website. UK website.

4. 4 COACHING EDGE |THE MASTERS|
LEARNING
FROM THE
MASTERS
It’s often said you can only plan for the future by understanding your history, so anyone
who has the arrogance of youth would do well to listen to two of football’s grand masters
– Peter Shilton and Nobby Stiles, men only too aware that coaching analysis and
psychology have long played a part in their beautiful game,
as Martin Betts and Craig Smith discovered.

5. |THE MASTERS| COACHING EDGE 5
T
hough he currently saves
anecdotes for after-dinner
speaking rather than
25-yard thunderbolts
destined for the top corner
of the net, it’s difficult to argue with
Peter Shilton’s views on the beautiful
game and coaching.
Having made more than 1,000 professional
appearances and won 125 caps for England
during a 30-year career, he plied his trade
under legendary managers Sir Alf Ramsey,
Shilton on Robson: Brian Clough and Sir Bobby Robson on a
professional journey which took him from
‘If you’re talking Leicester to Leyton Orient, with nine clubs
in-between.
about a great While his list of medals and caps may blind to
manager and great the fact that he doesn’t hold any significant
coaching qualifications and that his own foray
coach, then into football management with Plymouth Argyle
was unspectacular at best, there’s no doubt
I probably would have that one of the world’s greatest ever
to say Bobby Robson, goalkeepers has some useful insights and
advice for today’s coach.
because that’s what he His career spans four decades, from a
was. He loved to get black-and-white era where a cigarette in the
dressing room before kick-off wasn’t
on the training pitch uncommon, to the dawn of the Premier League
and the arrival of the continental manager,
and he loved to join in sophisticated training, nutrition advisors
the coaching.’ and psychologists.
When Coaching Edge catches up with him he
is sitting in a pokey dressing room in the bowels
of the Savile Rooms, an exhibition venue in
Leeds. Even aged 60 he is an imposing
character and looks the part in an England
goalkeeper’s jersey and tracksuit bottoms
ahead of a corporate event that will see him
face penalties from an array of star-struck
businessmen and women.
‘When I first started out on the early part of my
England career, people like Sir Alf Ramsey
were basically managers,’ explains Shilton.
‘They had coaches – Harold Shepherdson and
Les Cocker – but the coaching was a lot
simpler, a lot of playing games and letting the
lads have a bit of fun at the right time, a bit of
shooting practice, a bit of running.
‘But coaches started to think of new ways of
doing things and it got more complicated.
‘I think there is a danger of overdoing things:
there’s a desire to improve, to coach better, but
better doesn’t have to mean more complicated.
Implementing more complicated drills where
professional players have to really think, day-in
© Getty Images
day-out, can jade them.

6. 6 COACHING EDGE |THE MASTERS|
‘With kids, certain drills can improve their ‘If your body is in the right position, your feet
concentration, improve their technique, get are in the right position and you have your
them thinking. But with professionals, if you weight in the right position, you can be better
complicate coaching too much, they can get balanced and quicker to react.
tired mentally because they’re thinking too
much about training. It can be that, when you
come to a match day, players can be a little
stale rather than being mentally fresh.’ ‘I don’t think a lot
It’s the pervading message from Shilton of coaches know
throughout the day: keep it simple.
However, that’s not to say he doesn’t believe in
about the
analysing coaching, nor taking the radical step importance of
of taking a coaching lead from one sport and
incorporating it into a session plan for another. getting the
He’s also quick to underline the importance of fundamentals of
an area of coaching sports coach UK has
been trying to promote in recent months: the
movement right.
FUNdamentals of movement. I learnt my
‘I think I was probably the first goalkeeper to
start to develop alternative exercises and drills
footwork and body
specific for my position, like footwork exercises positioning off a
and quick-reaction exercises, and practising
punching and analysing different areas of ballroom dancer.‘
goalkeeping in order to improve in
certain areas.
‘I don’t think a lot of coaches know about the
‘When I started it was “catch the ball at its importance of getting the fundamentals of body
highest point” and “get your body as near to, movement right.’
or behind, the ball as much as you can”– two Nobby Stiles was part
very basic things. I developed my footwork and Shilton, as his posture and demeanour of the success of ‘66
body positioning, which I learnt off a fellow suggests, is a very relaxed man, and his
called Len Hepple, an ex-ballroom dancer, favoured coaching style is laid back rather
who started to teach body positions. than dictatorial. He has no time for the rant-and-rave approach
of some managers and coaches, and he cites
‘Uncle Bobby’ Robson as the best
manager/coach he worked with.
‘It’s important coaches appreciate that if you
make a mistake it’s not always a bad thing as
long as something positive is learnt. People
don’t make mistakes on purpose; a coach has
to man-manage those people and get their
thought processes positive again.
‘The worst thing a coach can do when things
go wrong is to scream and shout, because you
then have even further to go to pick people up
for the next challenge.’
But if Shilton’s greatest moments on the pitch
were during Italia ‘90, it’s another World Cup
which springs to mind when Englishmen say just
one word...‘Nobby’.
Norbert Peter Stiles, ‘Nobby’ to football fans
over the last 50 years, was one of the unsung
Nobby Stiles, George Best and
© Getty Images
heroes of the 1966 win.
Bobby Charlton lining up for
Manchester United in 1968 Mention his name and images of a toothless
wonder dancing on the Wembley turf with the

7. |THE MASTERS| COACHING EDGE 7
Stiles on Ramsey:
‘Tactically, Sir Alf
was so far ahead.
As a manager, he
was tremendous.’
© Getty Images
Jules Rimet Trophy are often conjured up. This position we have a certain Bobby Moore”...
THE COACH’S EDGE
jig following the 4–2 win over West Germany that was how Alf spoke to you,’ says Stiles. Don’t overdo things: there’s a
only touches upon the success of the diminutive desire to improve, to coach
ball-winner who plied his trade under the A boyhood Manchester United fan who thinks better, but better doesn’t have
perhaps the nearest player to him these days to mean more complicated.
stewardship of some great coaches.
would be someone like Owen Hargreaves, Develop alternative exercises
‘I joined (Manchester) United in 1958,’ Stiles believes communication and listening and drills specific for positions,
recounts Stiles, who made his first-team debut to the manager was, and remains, the key such as footwork exercises and
to success. quick-reaction exercises. If your
against Bolton in October 1960, having athlete learns that their body is
originally being signed as an inside-forward... in the right position, and that
‘I tried to balance their two opinions (those of
the Frank Lampard of his day! their feet are in the right
Busby and Ramsey). Alf cemented a great
position and they have their
bond within the England team of ‘66, which is weight in the right position,
Stiles, who along with Bobby Charlton shares
still there today.’ they can be better balanced
the distinction of being the only Englishman to
and quicker to react.
finish on the winning side in a World Cup Final After earning 28 England caps and following a
and European Cup Final, considers himself Coaches must appreciate that
spell at Middlesbrough, Stiles moved into if you make a mistake it’s not
‘very fortunate’ to have worked under management with Preston North End, whom he always a bad thing as long as
footballing knights Matt Busby and Alf Ramsey, had originally joined as a player-coach. something positive is learnt.
whom he calls two great managers, but with
For more on the
very different philosophies and personalities. Jobs with Vancouver Whitecaps and then West FUNdamentals of movement,
Bromwich Albion followed, and the last visit www.1st4sport.com where
‘Alf picked me for the under-23 international v coaching job for the 68-year-old was back at you can purchase An
Scotland in 1965. My dad had told me my Old Trafford from 1989–1993 under Alex Introduction to the
best position was playing at the back, so I Ferguson, helping develop a new generation of FUNdamentals of Movement
asked Alf to see if I could revert to the back talent which would include David Beckham, resource and DVD.
and he said “you may if you wish, but in that Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

8. 8 COACHING EDGE |CAPTAINS|
DO CAPTAINS
SET THE
COURSE?
How important really is the captain? Are they simply the ones who toss the
coin at the start of a game, or are they the ones who organise the coaching
sessions and whose turn it is to provide the bacon butties and ensure the kit
is clean? It varies between sports, between levels of those sports, and is
often dictated by a sports club’s finances.
But, as John Goodbody points out, at the top level the role has
certainly changed...
The role of the rugby captain – such as British
and Irish Lions’ leader Paul O’Connell – is very
different to that in other sports

9. |CAPTAINS| COACHING EDGE 9
T
he era of the god-like captain would have coped with a director of cricket. This will follow extensive consultation before
Not well I suspect. the game.
is over. In team sports, the
captain used to be regarded However, I could see Mike Brearley, so acute Lord says: ‘The shift in recent years has been
as the fount of most as a captain of England 30 years ago, as the increased amount of performance analysis.
knowledge and would plan the being far more amenable. This is trawled through by the captain and
manager or coach. Previously, strategies were
strategies and tactics, and often the Still, unlike shorter and more fast-moving games, based on intuition. Now they are based on
training and preparation for games such the captain in cricket remains responsible for facts. Captains now go out on to the park with
as football, netball, rugby union, hockey, decisions on the field, such as the change of very clear plans.’
bowlers and the field placing.
cricket and lacrosse.
Asked if messages are still sent out, in the
However, gradually over the decades, with the Gordon Lord, the head of elite coaching
traditional manner, through the 12th man with
increasing professionalism of sport, the role of development at the England and Wales Cricket
the drinks, he replied: ‘Yes, there are occasional
coach and manager has become more and Board (ECB), talks of the ‘clarity of role’ of the
messages but these might sometimes be in the
more significant. captain and the coach.
form of a question rather than a statement.’
Now the emphasis is on the partnership of
coach and captain. ‘In 2009, there Michael Fordham, a former lecturer at
Loughborough University who has worked
Think of Sir Clive Woodward and Martin were seven new extensively on the managing and coaching of
cricketers, points to the structure of many
Johnson, architects of England’s 2003 Rugby
Union World Cup-winning team, or Duncan county captains counties who have a director of cricket or
cricket manager, the person responsible for
Fletcher and Michael Vaughan of the victorious
2005 Ashes squad.
but two had ‘getting the team to win’.
What matters is not only the ability of the
relinquished their Below him, he has several coaches. At big
players, but the way in which they are prepared
physically, technically, psychologically and
posts by the end of counties, such as Yorkshire and Lancashire,
these may number six-plus others for younger
nutritionally for their matches. the season.’ teams, whereas Worcestershire have three
full-time coaches plus part-timers.
Cricket has remained a sport in which the
captain has continued to have a major role, He says: ‘The ideal model, to which the vast Fordham, who has been
despite the arrival of, at county, let alone majority of coaches aspire, is for the captain to instrumental in the Level 4 awards
international level, the director of cricket or have the information to make all the necessary at the ECB, says that the
cricket manager. decisions on the pitch. The job of the coach is relationship between the captain
to prepare the captain and the team in such a and the director of cricket is
One wonders how celebrated ‘absolutely crucial. They must sing
way that the captain is totally in charge on
martinet captains of the past, from the same hymn sheet’.
the field.’
such as Douglas Jardine of
England’s Ashes-winning
Bodyline team or
Warwick Armstrong
of Australia,
nicknamed The
Big Ship,
© Darren Walsh/Action Images Limited
England netball captain Sonia Mkoloma
fights for the ball against Aussies
Sharelle McMahon and Alex Hodge

10. 10 COACHING EDGE |CAPTAINS|
England captain Charlotte
Edwards lifts the ICC Twenty20
trophy at Lord’s
However, it is also important that the captain A footballer, hockey or rugby player will always Simon Drane, a performance psychologist at
is worth his place in the side. Fordham have a partial view of the game, even if that the English Institute of Sport based at Bisham
explains: ‘If not, he will start getting worried. view may be most illuminating, whereas someone Abbey, believes one of the great
Even the power base of Mike Brearley used watching from the touchline is better able to disadvantages of the player/coach is that ‘he
to fluctuate.’ is trying to do two jobs at once, whereas
appreciate the ebb and flow of the match.
modern sport demands 100% focus’.
The other players also like to see their captain
in form. It gives them confidence. In rugby union, you now often see the captain ‘In cricket there is an enormous strain on the
or player looking to the touchline for advice on captain because an outfielder can switch on
Much of Fordham’s work has been with and off. But a captain has to be switched on all
directors of cricket and county captains, and he what they should do when, say, a penalty is
the time and if he drops a catch or misfields,
points to the pressures of the modern game. awarded in the latter stages of a game, the mistakes are so much more explicit than in
querying whether they should go for goal, kick many other games, when you may be able to
‘In 2009, there were seven new county to touch for a lineout, or take a scrum. In make up for it very quickly. It is simply very
captains but two had relinquished their posts by demanding to be a captain.’And also very
general, therefore, it is better to separate the
the end of the season,’ he says. demanding to be a coach or manager.
two jobs of player and manager/coach.
Fordham has also worked in football, where the
concept of a player/manager or coach has
disappeared from the top flight in England,
THE COACH’S EDGE
How to make the most of the role...
although there have been many celebrated
The successful partnership of a captain and his manager/coach is a matter of
names enjoying both roles – such as Terry
chemistry. It is like a marriage. They have to have similar ambitions and ‘sing from
Venables, Glenn Hoddle and Ruud Gullit. the same hymn sheet’.
Probably the last really outstanding success In cricket, their knowledge has increased greatly in recent years because of the
was Kenny Dalglish, who led Liverpool to the development of performance analysis. Captains now go out on the field having a
Double while having both roles in 1986. much better factual and statistical basis of the strengths and weaknesses of their
own players and those of the opposition.
Fordham says: ‘The advantage of a Captains in any sport must be worth their place in the team, otherwise their
player/manager is that he can lead from the confidence will suffer and the players will no longer believe in them.
front. However, nowadays it does put a huge Player/managers are no longer commonplace in top-flight football because the
burden on the individual. A good coach uses pressures are too great. Modern sport demands 100% focus. However, further
their background as a player in their work but, down the levels in the game, the player/manager role still exists and, financially or
of course, you don’t have to have been an practically, it is worthwhile for the club.
outstanding player to be a successful manager If a player/manager is appointed, that person must lead from the front and set an
– look at Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.’ example to the rest of the team.
Managers/coaches on the sidelines will better be able to see the pattern of the
Of course, lower down the leagues, game as a whole than the captain. This is why in sports such as rugby union, you
player/managers survive, but this is often often see players looking towards the touchline to get guidance on what particular
for financial reasons. Doubling up simply tactics to adopt.
saves money.

11. |LIVING THE DREAM| COACHING EDGE 11
ON THE WAY
TO WEMBLEY
How many millions of children have played in their back garden and dreamt of Wembley?
For most it remains just that, a dream, but one small club in East Anglia showed that with
great planning and the right spirit, nearly anything is within reach. Mark Pointer spoke to
the coach who masterminded their run to the big stage...
© Archant
G
ood communication more than £3.5 million and is a national leader
with your players is ‘The time you have in sports teaching for children.
fundamental to with the players is ‘How to communicate with the players and to
communicate in the right manner – how to
sustained success.
So says David Batch. The man who guided
precious and you do impart our message to the players is really
important and is probably more important than
Wroxham, a small village club on the edge of
the Norfolk Broads with an average
not get much of it football-specific knowledge at this level,’ says
Batch, who cites José Mourinho and Aidy
attendance of less than 100, to last season’s
FA Vase final at Wembley.
and you have to Boothroyd as two managers who have
mastered that particular art.
The Yachtsmen have been Norfolk’s dominant
take into The successful entrepreneur applied some core
force at Eastern Counties level for the past 20
years – or step five of the non-league
consideration that business fundamentals to the task of guiding
Wroxham to Wembley – after first establishing
football pyramid. people have been with the Trafford Park club’s board the FA Vase
was their top priority last season.
Until Batch’s close-season arrival, national
success had eluded this well run club. But he
working all day.’ ‘It came totally out of the blue when Wroxham
asked if I wanted to become their manager,’
brought with him an impeccable coaching
he says.
pedigree: a UEFA ‘A’ qualified coach and the
youngest-ever to achieve the FA advanced Batch gained experience in the professional ‘Most of the time you get asked to become a
coaching licence when he was just 20 – the game with Cambridge United at youth level manager when that club is struggling.
same year he became the youngest manager before founding his own company, Premier Wroxham has a great pedigree and were far
in Norfolk senior football history at Downham. Sport, which now has an annual turnover of from struggling, but they felt they

12. 12 COACHING EDGE |LIVING THE DREAM|
needed to step up a level, which made it quite
an interesting challenge. FACTFILE
‘I wanted those priorities and that remit
because there was going to come times when I David Batch, Wroxham Football
would need to give players a rest. Therefore, if I Club manager
knew what their criteria were, it would make it  Youngest-ever manager in Norfolk
easier to work to.’ senior football when appointed
boss of Downham Town aged 20
Batch surrounded himself with backroom staff
 Youth team manager at Cambridge
whose complementary skills he could blend as United when they were then a
he built foundations off the field before the key League Two club. Developed
task of player recruitment. He knew he had a several academy players who
decent base to work with and that would make graduated to the professional ranks
attracting the right players a little easier. – including Trevor Benjamin who
Wroxham brought in players from their own joined Leicester City for £1.3m in
league and the best local talent from the lower 2000
leagues which might have been overlooked in  Cambridge City manager at
the past. Southern League level for a year
‘We had certain player criteria – but probably  Only the second manager to guide
a Norfolk football club to the FA
the most important thing for me was what they
Vase final when Wroxham reached
were like as people,’ says Batch. ‘We wanted
Wembley this season
people who were hungry to improve and
hungry to win. We made no promises to the  Chief executive and founder of
players at the start, apart from that they would Premier Sport, which is a
be treated the most professionally they could nationwide coaching company with
be treated at this level of football.’ an annual turnover of £3.5m–£4m
specialising in sports teaching
Before a ball was kicked, Batch sat down with and instruction.
his playing squad to find out what they wanted
from the season ahead and what keywords Whitley Bay v
would form part of a collective blueprint. ‘So there are different factors involved. ‘We Wroxham FA Vase final
tried to design our sessions to have an impact
Batch would refer frequently to that agreed
on as many people as possible. My style has
template during the campaign. The players
now evolved into setting up the sessions with
wanted to create a ‘family’ environment at the ‘We have had to coach in different ways and it
restrictions to coax things out of the players that
football club – somewhere they liked going, might mean not even putting on a session, but
I want, and then letting the game and letting
seeing their teammates and where their families coaching people into our way and how we
the players find that – rather than saying you
liked to accompany them. want things done, to educate them away from
do this and you do that.
the pitch.’
‘The time you have with the players is precious,
you do not get much of it and you Inevitably, given the desire for a successful FA
have to take into consideration Vase campaign, preparations for those games
that people have been differed from the league, mainly because of
working all day,’ he says. time and budget. Batch had every FA Vase
opponent watched.
‘We trained to expose any weakness
they may or may not have and
organised ourselves for specific
situations that may arise,’ he says. ‘As
for budget, if we went away we
would stop and have a pre-match
meal or stay overnight if we had a
long journey to make.
© Archant

13. |LIVING THE DREAM| COACHING EDGE 13
© Peter Cziborra/Action Images Limited
‘We trained and prepared like you would do horrible experience, but one I would take Last month, Batch, along with his staff and
at a professional football club – we might not again – because not many people have players, again sat down to devise a fresh
have had much time, but we dealt with it.’ done it. blueprint for the new season that looks to
evolve the ‘family’ ethos which underpinned last
With Wroxham’s progress to within touching ‘I would rather be in the ring than watching as
season’s achievements.
distance of Wembley, Batch also had to an outsider. Losing in a game like that hurts and
manage the rising expectations and pressures we can do something about that this coming ‘I am really proud of the environment of honesty
affecting his players who were on the verge of season and when we do beat teams we will we have created and the biggest word that
making history. do it in the right way and be professional about
came from the blueprint was trust. Trust between
it with humility.’
‘It was great testament to the players that they the players and the management staff,
kept referring back to the blueprint and the Batch believes Wroxham Football Club now which hopefully we can use to our benefit
words that kept coming up were improvement has the foundations for sustained success. in the future.’
and humility,’ he says. ‘Winning each round
was good, but we knew we had not won
THE COACH’S EDGE
anything and needed to step it up and improve
in order to compete.’ Good communication with your players is the number one priority.
David Batch says: ‘How to impart our message to the players is really important
Wroxham’s memorable FA Vase run ended
and is probably more important than football-specific knowledge at this level.’
without the fairytale postscript as holders
Whitley Bay proved too strong on the big day. Core business fundamentals are needed – establish the top priority/target.
But Batch knew his squad had done everything Choose your fellow coaches wisely. Work with staff whose skills complement
they could to prepare. And he learned another your own.
invaluable lesson from the Yachtsmen’s If changing players, consider what they are like (as Batch says) ‘as people’.
humbling 6– defeat.
1
‘We wanted people who were hungry to improve and hungry to win.’
‘The journey was a brilliant one,’ he says. Establish what the players want to gain from the season ahead and ensure they
‘I am sure I will look back on it fondly and I buy in to a ‘collective blueprint’.
am really proud of the players for doing it, but
the biggest thing is I hate losing – that was a

14. 14 COACHING EDGE |MENTORS|
POOLING
EXPERIENCE
Coaches are meant to inspire their athletes and teams, to always be there for them with a word from the wise.
But who is there for the coaches themselves? Howard Foster examines the importance of the mentor, and
© Austyn Shortman
what qualities they ought to possess...

15. |MENTORS| COACHING EDGE 15
edication, perspiration ‘Nowadays, with coaching courses and the
D
Internet, coaches can get access to techniques
and…inspiration. We
all have sporting idols
and things of a more technical nature. Mentors
provide the help for troubleshooting, the things KEYQUALITIES
whose methods and you don’t find in a textbook.’
achievements spur us on. Christine Nash’s research states
Dame Kelly Holmes, who founded her own
But a poster of Muhammad Ali, or a mentoring scheme ‘On Camp with Dame Kelly’
the top qualities a mentor should
possess are:
worn-out VHS of the Barcelona 1992 recently, told The Sunday Times: ‘For me, it’s
1. Effective communication skills
Olympic and Paralympic Games aren’t about an exchange of knowledge and learning
2. Knowledge of their sport
much use when it comes to rolling out of to benefit a person who’s on the same journey 3. Experience
as you. But it’s as much about nurturing
bed in the dark for yet another 4. Approachability
self-belief and confidence.’ 5. Enthusiasm
uninspired early-morning training 6. Qualifications of the mentor
session, or helping you realise why your One of her ‘mentees’, athlete Laura Finucane, 7. Success in their sport
most talented protégé’s competition said Dame Kelly’s help was invaluable when 8. Organisational skills
she suffered an injury: ‘When I hurt my calf last
times don’t match up to their year, having just recovered from another injury, The top three qualities identified by
training sessions. having her there gave me the extra self-belief I student coaches in a study by
Nash were:
needed to stick with the sport.’
You need real-life inspiration to fill the gap 1. Effective communication skills
2. Approachability
between training courses and job experience –
which is why more and more coaches are
being encouraged to work with mentors.
‘For me, it’s about 3. Enthusiasm
Mentors ranked different skills in
an exchange of their top four:
Long-established in the business world, a
mentor is defined as a ‘wise and trusted guide knowledge and 1. Knowledge of their sport
2. Experience
and advisor; a teacher or counsellor’.
learning to benefit 3. Organisation
4. Leadership
In his pioneering 1998 book A Guide to
Mentoring Sports Coaches, Bill Galvin points
a person who’s on Key ways in which a mentor can
out the vital role the mentor plays – stressing:
‘Mentoring is a powerful tool in the education
the same journey as assist a coach are:
1. Being a resource
and development of sports coaches at all you. But it’s as 2. Building confidence
3. Developing knowledge and skills
levels. Successful coach education
programmes change the behaviour and much about 4. Being challenging and questioning
5. Being a role model.
practice of coaches – whether they are novices
or (at an) international (level)’. But he adds:
nurturing self-belief
‘The process of mentoring is difficult to pin
down; this is a strength, not a weakness.’
and confidence.’ to work together. What we need to do is share
techniques and advice. We are now working
together for the common good.’
This view is endorsed by Christine Nash, Austyn Shortman is widely acknowledged as
lecturer in sports coaching at Edinburgh Napier one of the finest swimmers Britain has ever Shortman – who cites his own father as his
University: ‘Mentoring can fill the gap between produced. His record speaks for itself: Double coach/mentor during his competitive career –
a good training course and on-the-job Commonwealth silver medallist in 1990 in the has these tips for mentors to impart to coaches:
experience, offering a mixture of both. A lot of 4x100m freestyle relay alongside the likes of ‘Stick to your beliefs – don't be distracted.
coaches, when they finish doing a course, don’t Mark Foster, and in the 4x100 medley relay Young inexperienced coaches need to have
always see the direct relevance of what they when teammates included Adrian Moorhouse. the courage of their convictions and not be
have learned, and being able to have And, until recently, Shortman was World swayed by other influences, especially parents.
someone to talk to about it is a very Masters record holder for 50m freestyle. He is
helpful thing.’ now the county swimming development officer ‘The strength of conviction comes with
for Carmarthenshire County Council. experience, and a mentor can take the
‘Some people learn better practically than in a pressure off by reminding the coach of their
classroom environment. The difference is Shortman is in the process of developing a qualities and supporting their right to coach in
having someone who has been through the formal mentoring scheme and currently mentors their own way.’
same thing.’ his junior coaches on a more relaxed, ad hoc
basis. He says the advantages of the new Echoing what Shortman tells us about a key
Nash, who has coached swimming at scheme are clear, with a pooling of experience mentoring role of allowing less experienced
international level in both Scotland and the the obvious benefit. coaches to find their own style, and to have
US, gives the example of a training course confidence in their abilities, Galvin says:
role-playing exercise where other course ‘We are getting cooperation between three ‘Mentoring means different things with different
members take on the role of, say, a group previously separate regions. Where once coaches at different levels. With novice
of 10 year olds. However, such a group in coaches jealously guarded their techniques coaches, mentoring may be about
a real-life coaching situation can act and information, now, crucially, they are empowering and helping coaches to control
very differently… sharing – perhaps not everything – but enough the learning process for themselves.’

16. 16 COACHING EDGE |MENTORS|
Nash states the relationship between the
mentor and coach should be based on mutual
trust and respect, and allow both to develop
their respective skills.
‘Initially’, she says, ‘the mentor has the relevant
© Sandra Teddy/Action Images Limited
experience and generally more power, or
influence, within the organisation. The success
of any mentoring relationship relies on the
mentor allowing the beginner to extend their
knowledge and play a more dominant role Great Britain’s Kelly Holmes
than at the outset’. celebrates after crossing the finish
Nash firmly believes mentoring should be a line to win the gold medal in Athens
process, with the end product seen as the
empowerment of the coach. those with a less notable record on the world the 1st4sport Level 3 Certificate in Mentoring in
sporting stage. Sport, developed in partnership with sports
‘You are looking for the development of the coach UK, is the qualification for you. The
person who is being mentored. Older coaches shouldn’t discount the need for qualification is being used by a growing
mentors too, although Nash believes many number of governing bodies of sport as the
‘They should eventually be able to give advice already have a mentoring system in place, benchmark qualification for mentors.
to the mentor. In the beginning there is a flow of albeit an informal one: ‘At a higher level they Alternatively, you can take your support skills to
information from mentor to novice. Then it develop networks. They don’t use the word the next level and attend the sports coach UK
becomes more reciprocal.’ mentor. They know who has been in their sport workshop ‘A Guide to Mentoring Sports
quite a while and that they have someone to Coaches’. To find your nearest workshop, visit
But she warns: ‘In some organisations and
talk to.’ the workshop finder at www.sportscoachuk.org
mentoring situations, the idea of the mentor
relinquishing authority, especially to a beginner, Coaching is a long road – there will always be
is a difficult concept to introduce.’ room for development. And the way to ensure
you are always moving forward and staying on
‘The strength of
Choosing the right mentor – and choice is the
operative word – is vital to a successful
top of the game is to choose a mentor who is conviction comes
doing likewise. The support they will provide
process. Nash stresses: ‘Difficulties arise if a
mentor is imposed. It should be someone you
could provide that crucial extra five per cent with experience, and
know and respect. If you know next to nothing
difference between coaching the gallant
contenders or the gold medallists.
a mentor can take
about who they are it’s very difficult to get into
that situation. After all, it is very hard to tell
Where to go next?
the pressure off by
someone your weaknesses, and a lot of
coaches see mentors as having an impact on Clutterbuck, D. (2004) Everyone Needs a
reminding the coach
whether they are seen as a good or
bad coach.’
Mentor. 4th edition. London: Chartered Institute
of Personnel and Development.
of their qualities and
Vital attributes for a mentor are, she believes:
ISBN: 978-1-843980-54-4. supporting their
‘Someone you trust, admire and respect, Galvin, B. (2005) A Guide to Mentoring right to coach in
Sports Coaches. Leeds: Coachwise Business
someone who has knowledge and the ability
to communicate that knowledge.’ Solutions/The National Coaching Foundation. their own way.’
ISBN: 978-1-902523-03-2.
Getting a mentor can be a tricky business,
Kay, D. and Hinds, R. (2004) A Practical Austyn Shortman’s key
THE COACH’S EDGE
however, especially if you are in a minority tips for mentors to impart
sport or already the most senior in your local Guide to Mentoring: Play an Active and
Worthwhile Part in the Development of to coaches:
field. However, Nash believes you can search
for your mentor across other sports – many Others, and Improve Your Own Skills in the Stick to your beliefs – don’t
techniques, psychological tips and injury Process. Oxford: How To Books Ltd. be distracted.
problems will cross over. ‘If you’re talking about ISBN: 978-1-845280-18-5.
Have confidence in your abilities.
someone who is just starting in coaching, Pegg, M. (1998) The Art of Mentoring.
there’s an awful lot of transfer between sports A huge part of what a mentor can
Gloucestershire: Management Books 2000 do for a coach is to enhance their
at the early stages. A lot of team sports are Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-852522-72-8. ability to self-reflect, but with the
very similar, so are a lot of athletic sports.’ determination to analyse what you
Zachary, L.J. (2000) The Mentor's Guide: do and change as necessary.
You can also broaden the field – we can’t all Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships.
have a Commonwealth silver medallist as a San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Young inexperienced coaches
coach – but it is respect that is vital. In Galvin’s ISBN: 978-0-787947-42-2. need to have the courage of their
words ‘the technical knowledge of a coach convictions and not be swayed by
who has competed at a high level’ can prove If you’re interested in developing your other influences, especially
invaluable. But it does not bar the way for skills in the area of mentoring other coaches, parents/families of team members.

17. Give your
coaching
the edge
with sports coach UK workshops
WHATEVER LEVEL YOU COACH,
SPORTS COACH UK HAS A
WORKSHOP FOR YOU.
For more information visit:
www.sportscoachuk.org/improveyourcoaching

18. 18 COACHING EDGE |ONE MOMENT IN TIME|
NORMAN’S
WISDOM
Many of us enjoy a defining moment in our sporting career, a time when things come right either as a
coach or as a performer. For Norman Hughes, successful coach and businessman, it was an Olympic
Games which by rights his team should not even have qualified for, as Sam Hawcroft discovered.
N
orman Hughes was part friends at Crewe County Grammar School for As he reached his mid-20s, an international
Boys cajoled him into playing hockey for a few career beckoned; after becoming a senior
of the Great Britain
weeks, although Hughes took a fair bit of professional in 1977, Hughes went on to
bronze medal-winning become the first English male hockey player to
convincing – as far as he saw it (and to a
hockey team at the Los certain extent people still do), hockey was a reach 100 caps, and he captained the
Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Here he girls’ game; he admits he didn’t really want to national team more than 70 times in a career
talks about his journey towards that be seen as a ‘nancy boy’, to put it bluntly. spanning nearly a decade. At Los Angeles
1984, he was initially awarded the
defining moment, and how it has However, another of his fellow pupils, David
Swallow, who went on to be a leading vice-captaincy, but finished the tournament as
influenced his highly successful coaching captain – leading a team seen very much as
career since then. international hockey umpire and who is now
outsiders to an unprecedented bronze-medal
the head teacher of Barry Comprehensive
victory against Australia, who had been
Hughes, now 57, somewhat reluctantly School in South Wales, finally managed to
favourites for the gold.
embarked on a career in hockey in 1968, at persuade him to play – and Hughes realised
the age of 16 – relatively late in life compared that he did, after all, have a bit of a natural flair The road to the 1984 Games wasn’t a
with today, he points out – after his football for the sport. ‘I had a go, and I thought – “I straightforward one, however; Britain’s hockey
teacher told him he was too short to forge a can play this”. You know pretty soon if you’ve players had been due to go out to the
career as a centre-forward. A couple of school got the knack of playing a game.’ Moscow Games four years earlier, but their

19. |ONE MOMENT IN TIME| COACHING EDGE 19
© Norman Hughes
Norman Hughes and the
Wakefield girls celebrate
another success
(including five golds) – but field hockey bosses spent a lot of that time at Lilleshall getting very,
‘Play with a smile at the time decided to support the
government’s stance and stay at home.
very fit.’
on your face – For the Los Angeles Games, Britain’s hockey
In a lot of senses, this meant the pressure was
off. Hughes said: ‘Nothing was expected from
because life’s too team did not initially make the cut, but were
made first reserves. Fortunately for them,
us, but deep down as a squad we realised that
we were in with a shout – we wouldn’t be far
short to take sport however, in what appeared to be a clear off the mark. But people outside the squad
too seriously.’ retaliation against the Americans’ 1980
boycott, the Soviets refused to turn up to the
obviously didn’t realise that, and with us being
first reserves, they’d pretty much written us off.
1984 Games – meaning GB hockey were set They thought we’d probably come 9th or 10th,
challenge was scuppered by a boycott of the to play a part after all, earning a very late but no better than that.’
event by Margaret Thatcher’s government, call-up a little over two months before the start
along with the US and many other countries, in of the tournament. ‘We thought we’d blown it However, Great Britain’s men won through to
protest over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. about nine months earlier when we went the semi-finals, topping their group above
Most UK sporting governing bodies defied the through a qualification process in Hong Kong eventual gold medal-winners Pakistan, but then
ban, and Great Britain ended up coming an and lost out to Malaysia,’ says Hughes, ‘but narrowly lost out to that familiar sporting
impressive seventh in the medals table, with 21 now we’d got 10 weeks to prepare – so we nemesis, West Germany. Their performance in

20. 20 COACHING EDGE |ONE MOMENT IN TIME|
COACHING
THE HUGHES WAY
‘Hard work, in the end,
pays off.’
It may not be a particularly flashy
motto, but it’s the overriding lesson
Hughes has learned from his numerous
achievements, and it’s the main
message he tries to get across to the
youngsters he works with daily – as
well as their parents. ‘The mums and
dads may get agitated about their
children not having made the various
squads, but I just keep urging them to
hold on; it comes in waves, and if you
keep working and working, you’ll get
where you want to go. It’s
determination never to give in –
maybe a selection might go against
you, or the ball might not run for you,
but keep going, keep working hard,
and over time, things will level out.’
Hughes also has a message for elite
coaches, whom he says have a ‘duty’
to give something back to their sport
at grass-roots level. ‘Some of the top
coaches and performers get so
involved in the elite that they don’t
have time – or they don’t find time –
© Norman Hughes
Norman Hughes coaching at to work where they’re most needed,
and that’s with kids. A lot of sports, not
the National Seminar for just hockey, put their so-called top
Lithuanian Coaches performers and coaches working with
just the elite 30 senior internationals in
the group stages – drawing against Pakistan, give it all out there – guts and everything – the country – when really, if the next
crop coming through is going to be a
and beating the Netherlands, New Zealand don’t bring anything back. Don’t leave anything
healthy crop, they should be working
and Kenya – was the best ever by any British on the pitch.” The game should have been with the eight to 12-year-old kids,
hockey team in the Games thus far. ‘We just completely beyond us – but we managed to instilling in them the right habits
lost the wrong game!’ says Hughes. turn it around and won 3–2.’ and skills.’
The battle for third place was not just a Though this was undoubtedly the pinnacle of
formality, though – it was to be another Hughes’ career, what he has gone on to the England Hockey Cup for the past three
gripping contest among old rivals, and one achieve since then – and, more to the point, years in a row.
almost worthy of the Olympic Games’ final
what he has helped others achieve – is, in his
itself. Hughes adds: ‘Without a shadow of a ‘To be honest, that’s just as inspirational as
eyes, equally as important.
doubt, the best team there were Australia – but playing in any Olympic final or World Cup
they lost to Pakistan in the semi-final, so we final’, says Hughes. ‘A young player might not
He retired from the international game after
ended up playing against them for the bronze think that at the time, when they’re, say, 24, but
playing in the World Cup final in London in
medal – and they absolutely pounded us for now, to see a bunch of young players grow
1986, when England lost 2–1 to Australia, and
35 minutes. The game should have been and achieve their potential is really inspiring – it
later coached Great Britain’s men to sixth
dead and buried – but we dug deep, and becomes a lot of fun.’
our goalkeeper, Ian Taylor, was place in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games,
absolutely outstanding. and England to bronze in the European And despite the fact that Hughes – now the
Championships in Paris. Since then, he has owner of West Yorkshire-based equipment
‘Just before half-time, when we were 2–1 down, returned to club-level coaching with Wakefield specialist Wasp Hockey – has played and
we sensed that the Aussies’ legs had gone – Hockey Club, becoming involved with both the coached at the highest level, he insists that fun
that they’d given everything to get the game senior men’s and women’s teams, as well as is what sport should be all about.
over with. At half-time, several of us senior pros leading the girls’ teams – aged from six to 15 –
got the lads together and said, “Look, they’ve to a series of impressive victories. Under his ‘Play with a smile on your face – because life’s
gone – they’ve absolutely gone. Go out and guidance, the under-16 team has triumphed in too short to take sport too seriously.’

21. |CRICKET LESSONS FROM T20| COACHING EDGE 21
20:20
VISION
Even a year ago, could you have predicted England’s men would be
cricket world champions? But that’s precisely what happened in the
Caribbean this May and, as Richard Gibson discovered, it’s no
accident... coaches throughout the sport have been adapting to a whole
new discipline in the grand old game.

22. 22 COACHING EDGE |CRICKET LESSONS FROM T20|
wenty20 was dismissed as a of facing Steve Harmison and batting for a day
T
and a half. Or it might go the other way, where
hit-and-giggle fad upon its
you have been grafting for your runs in
inception, but, seven years Championship cricket and then are expected to
on, its increasing influence go out in a Twenty20 contest and crash it from
has led to a serious overhaul ball one.’
of how professional coaches prepare Encouraging players to visualise what they are
their players and teams. trying to accomplish in forthcoming matches
and familiarise themselves with their upcoming
Most intriguingly, having been derided for its
surroundings has become a major component
lack of subtlety, it has delivered various strands
in the modern coaching ethos. So, whereas
of new thinking.
traditionally batsmen would tinker with
Cricket is undoubtedly the strangest beast techniques and bowlers seek line and length in
among our major national ball sports in that it regular net sessions, they now take an
comes in three different packages. But its altogether different approach: often working on
newest arrival is impacting positively on the the particular match venue’s square to get used
approaches to the game in general. to its idiosyncrasies – the distance to each
boundary, wind direction and general visibility.
The 20-over format’s fast pace and
concentrated time span has led those in charge
to focus on the minutiae of nutrition, fitness and
technique. After all, the smallest of gains can
make the biggest of differences for a team,
particularly when results are settled by the
‘Particularly with
narrowest of margins. Twenty20 in mind, England’s Kevin Pietersen, Craig Kieswetter
Some will argue that modernisation of
coaching methods was inevitable, but it is
batsmen now and Paul Collingwood celebrate with the
indisputable that the emergence of this sleek practise power trophy after they defeated Australia in the
final of the ICC World Twenty20, 2010
Twenty20 vehicle has put cricket on a road to
greater wealth, and with greater wealth comes hitting into the
improved resources. For example, full-time
nutritionists and fitness coaches on the county
stands, a tactic Batters will also spend designated periods
circuit would have been unthinkable just a
handful of years ago.
associated with reverse-sweeping or switch-hitting. Repetition
drills also apply for bowlers in delivering
Sussex’s Mark Robinson and Paul Grayson, of
cow-corner yorkers, slower balls and bouncers. And with
Essex, are two of the head coaches who have
embraced the evolution and been successful to
merchants in club greater volume of time now spent on magnified
technical areas within the game itself, even
boot; in four years at Hove, Robinson has cricket a decade fielding practice has altered.
overseen two County Championship titles, two
Pro40 titles and victories in both 50-over and or so ago.’ Gone are the days when the entire team
followed a uniform session. Now individuals
Twenty20 finals; while in two full years as head are asked to concentrate on skills specific to
coach at Chelmsford, Grayson has celebrated their role in the field.
Friends Provident and Pro40 Division Two
Particularly with Twenty20 in mind, batsmen And the influence of day/night cricket has
crowns, promotion to the top tier of the
now practise power hitting into the stands, a resulted in practice sessions being arranged in
Championship and an appearance at
tactic associated with cow-corner merchants in twilight with the floodlights on, so that eyes are
Twenty20 finals day.
club cricket a decade or so ago. trained for every possible match situation.
Remaining competitive across all formats is their
primary challenge given the 24/7 nature of But, as Grayson – who takes his team to his ‘There is definitely more intensity in fielding drills
English domestic cricket. ‘Therefore, players county’s largest ground, Billericay, to target than before and it has become more specialist,’
have to be helped with their mental clearing the ropes – explains, there is far more Grayson says.
progression,’ explains Robinson. finesse to their aerial assaults. ‘You don’t see
nine, 10 and jack getting runs in Twenty20 ‘Someone who fields deep cover or deep
‘They have to be able to think about what they cricket, it’s the technically correct batsmen who midwicket will practise boundary catches or
are trying to do, trigger a mental switch to are clearing their front legs to hit over midwicket running in to stop twos, while close fielders will
make sure they have shaken out of one mode or giving themselves room to hit over the concentrate on diving and under-arm shies at
when they turn up to play another. off-side, like we have seen Craig Kieswetter do the stumps. The change in the way we think
for England. about fielding is emphasised by someone like
‘You find that your best sportsmen are usually Eoin Morgan, who does long-on at both ends
the most flexible. You can prepare a team to ‘It’s no coincidence that the guys who are for England. That is all part of the way the team
peak for an important one-day game and then successful six-hitters practise so hard – and they under Andy Flower has been drilled. They all
send them into a situation where you are asking are helped of course by how great these bats know their own games and know exactly
them just 24 hours later to get ready for the task are these days.’ where they need to go.

23. |CRICKET LESSONS FROM T20| COACHING EDGE 23
‘Little differences can win games and so ‘Twenty20 has influenced players moving make the right choices for your next move.
fielding becomes even more important: hunting around the pitch in a more dynamic manner Fitness has to be job specific and relate to
in packs, chasing the ball down in twos or and you are now expected to dive, hit the performance, and that has to be supported by
relaying it back to the stumps. You only have ground and be strong enough to get back up good nutrition and good sleep.
one-and-a-quarter hours to field and players without incurring injury due to the impact,’
seem to have decided that they will give it their explains Robinson. ‘We need players who can peak for events,
all before coming off.’ although our events are complicated because
‘We are looking for anaerobic rather than our season is so congested. A lot of other
Conditioning of players has also come on in aerobic fitness – it’s the short, sharp bursts that sports involve peaking for a match on a
leaps and bounds in the past decade: Essex’s you want players to excel in, not run marathons. Saturday, but we can’t do that because we
squad, now au fait with regular ice baths, were It’s about being able to perform your action – are playing five days a week. So endurance
given personalised diet plans at the start of the whether it be bowling a ball, chasing in the is another key part of being a
2010 season and, whereas stop-offs at field or running between the wickets, and then professional cricketer.’
fast-food joints used to be the norm on long
coach journeys back from away matches, they
are now very much a scheduled treat.
THE COACH’S EDGE
‘Body shapes and what players eat both
In ‘quick’ formats of sport, the smallest of gains can make the biggest of
pre- and post-match has changed
differences, particularly when results are settled by the narrowest of margins.
considerably,’ Grayson says.
Encourage players to visualise what they are trying to accomplish and familiarise
‘Protein shakes have become a staple part of themselves with their upcoming surroundings – in cricket this may be the distance
the diet, guys are now even reluctant to have a to each boundary, wind direction and general visibility.
beer, which is a big change from my playing Players with good technique can adapt, so spend designated periods on
days, and if they are not rehydrated sufficiently repetition drills.
they are not allowed to take part in fitness work
after the game.’ Ensure individuals concentrate on skills specific to their role.
In short forms of a game, coaches look for anaerobic rather than aerobic
Sussex were market leaders in fitness fitness – it’s the short, sharp bursts that you want players to excel in.
in the early noughties, and their current
12-month-a-year programme is based upon
building cricket-specific strength.

24. 24 COACHING EDGE |COMMONWEALTH GAMES |
LET THE
(FRIENDLY )
GAMES
BEGIN...
Fans (and politicians) may be hoping for medals at The London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games and in the future, but as John
Goodbody discovers, the best coaches already know the value,
and are learning the lessons, of events such as the upcoming
Commonwealth Games too...
A
lways known as ‘The spice to the competitions, while also allowing ‘In individual world championships, competitors
Friendly Games’, the even more UK athletes to take part. are usually staying in a hotel, but at the
Commonwealths there is a village with thousands
Commonwealth Games Don Parker, the sports director for of competitors. The experience of holding camps
holds a popular and Commonwealth Games England, points out that is also helpful.’
unique place in the psyche of the the Games are the second most important
multi-sports event in which most competitors take This year, the main holding camp will be in
British public. Doha, where about 150 out of the 360 England
part, and the British Olympic Association (BOA)
Their status may not be what they were before has researched the benefit that athletes have had team members will attend pre-Delhi training, but
sports such as athletics, swimming and boxing in subsequently winning Olympic medals, from Commonwealth Games England has learnt the
had their own individual world championships, having previously participated in Commonwealth value, as has the BOA, of individual governing
but they remain not only an alluring feature for multi-sport events. bodies preparing in the way that best suits
many television viewers, but also a valuable their competitors.
introduction to athletes to the rigours of multi-sport Among recent examples he cites are: boxer
international competition. James DeGale, who progressed from winning This autumn the cyclists, for instance, will attend a
the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2004, to a camp in Newport, just as they did before the
The standard varies widely, not just from sport to bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games in triumphs in Beijing, while the wrestlers will stay in
sport, but also in the events of those sports. So, 2006, to his Olympic title two years later; Russia after the world championships for further
in athletics, some of the running events will be heptathlete Jessica Ennis getting a high jump preparation in one of the strongholds of the sport.
almost of world championship level, with the
medal in the 2004 Youth Games, a bronze in the
Kenyans often dominating the middle and John Atkinson, who will be team leader for
2006 Commonwealths and the world title in
long-distance races, while in the sprints there will swimming in India, says: ‘There are perhaps four
2009; and Beth Tweddle competing in the 2000
be enormous interest should Usain Bolt take part or five events in the Commonwealth Games,
for Jamaica when this year’s Games take place Youth Games and subsequently winning world
gymnastics titles. which are possibly harder to win than the world
in Delhi, India from October 3–14. championships because in the Commonwealth
However, in many field events, there will be Parker says: ‘You learn an enormous amount in Games, countries are allowed to enter three per
relatively few world-class performers on show. multi-sport environments and, given the small event instead of two and there is in a big rivalry
percentages by which Olympic medals are won, between Australia, Canada, South Africa, who
The separate participation of the individual the Commonwealth Games provides an are progressing fast, and the home nations. The
nations making up the United Kingdom adds invaluable experience. standard is much higher than it was before 2002.

25. |COMMONWEALTH GAMES | COACHING EDGE 25
‘You learn an
enormous amount
in multi-sport
environments.’
continued. It is one of the compensations for all
the hard work she and other gymnasts put in.’
One of the dangers of the village environment of
a multi-sport event is the ready availability, 24
hours a day, of huge quantities of food, which
does not occur in hotels for other competitions.
Dr Kevin Currell, a performance nutritionist with
the English Institute of Sport, says: ‘At an event
such as the Commonwealth Games, athletes are
in a situation that perhaps they have never had
to face before. There is a huge range of food
for different cultures. It is free and readily
available and, for some people, they are facing
the most important event of their life. It is not an
ideal situation.
‘Athletes who have been training really hard and
are tapering for their event may feel they deserve
the food as a reward. And they have to be
helped to manage the situation.
‘There will be vast buffets, which are obviously a
hygiene challenge in themselves, and there is the
danger of trying food to which your stomach
may not be accustomed. There is also the
danger of overeating, not only for competitors in
weight category sports, but for everyone.
Consultation has to take place as to what
‘So the competition is an ideal preparation for the ‘You have to be dedicated in gymnastics, as in all individual competitors need close to their event.’
Olympics and the Commonwealth Games do sports, but while Imogen’s friends outside the
also allow the home nations to enter sport were going out and having fun, Imogen The lessons learned at the Commonwealth
separate teams. had to train. Games in October will be useful at the 2012
games. Although an attractive event in its own
‘England has 51 swimmers, including those for ‘At the Commonwealths and Olympics, Imogen right, the Commonwealth Games will also
the six Paralympic events, which are interspersed was able to go into something fresh and meet certainly be an invaluable dress-rehearsal for the
in the main programme, and this also enables the new people. And these friendships have London 2012 Games.
Paralympians to get experience before the
Paralympic Games in 2012.’
THE COACH’S EDGE
Atkinson adds: ‘It is not only the standard of What will coaches take away from the Commonwealth Games?
competition, there is also the environment of the Research by the British Olympic Association has shown how few individuals win
village with 3000–4000 people, including medals at their first Olympic Games. Taking part previously in a multi-sports
international stars. At the world championships, event, such as the Commonwealth Games, with the different pressures from
you are more likely to be able to control every competing in world or European championships, helps prepare individuals for
single detail than you are in the environment of a the greater rigours of the Olympic Games.
multi-sports competition.’ Holding camps work best when they are tailored towards the need of individual
In some sports, British competitors are passing up sports, rather than all the competitors preparing together in the same location
the chance of going to the Games because it before an Olympic Games or Commonwealth Games.
clashes with other events. At world championships, coaches can better control the details of preparation
than they can at multi-sports events. This issue has to be addressed by officials.
Gymnasts have their own world championships
in Rotterdam the same month (October 16–24) The Commonwealth Games allows competitors to mix with other sportsmen and
women from different disciplines, so widening their horizons, which might have
but Imogen Cairns, who was England’s only
become narrow because of their focus on their own activity.
gold medallist in artistic gymnastics in 2006, is
aiming to retain her vault title. Liz Kincaid, her The village atmosphere, with unlimited food 24 hours a day, can provide a
coach at the Academy of Gymnastics in temptation to the unwary athlete. There are hygiene challenges from the open
Portishead, North Somerset, says: ‘Gymnastics is buffets, the attraction of exotic food and the danger of overeating, not only for
one big family but you can see too much of the those in weight category events such as boxing and weightlifting.
same people.

26. 26 COACHING EDGE |ANALYSING YOUR COACHING|
The team’s winning, the athlete’s on top, so all’s well... right? Not necessarily, as even the
best coaches need to look at their own performance, as Jeff Thornton discovered.
© Steven Paston/Action Images Limited

27. |ANALYSING YOUR COACHING| COACHING EDGE 27
W
hile sportsmen and improve, and just as you want your athlete or native county of Rutland, where he helps coach
team to achieve excellence, to also achieve it as part of a busy new career which also
women at the top
yourself in the discipline of coaching. involves plenty of charity work and fundraising.
level need bags of
confidence, and He reflects upon styles and suggests picturing Hampson says from the off he has had to
may even believe that too much the coaching styles as a continuum, where consider exactly what he says. ‘I can't
perhaps 10 is very dictatorial, while one would physically perform the drill or the skill, so I need
thought on why they are winning can be so laid back it's horizontal. to verbally instruct. There are lots of different
introduce doubts, it’s always good styles of teaching people – some get it
to understand what will bring success ‘As I say, you need to analyse how you come verbally, others have to see it – and then I’ll
and improvement. across. As a coach I realise that I tend to tell pick two players and talk them through what I
people...but that I need to discuss, suggest and want them to do.’
In coaching, while it’s great to have the listen. I need to analyse the environment, so I
courage of your convictions, it’s also wise to have to therefore develop the skills of moving He says this method was what he used when
question everything – how your opponents back down the continuum. On that scale of taking his level one qualification, but that he
performed, how your athlete or team got on 1–10, with 10 purely telling, and one listening, has analysed closely his style as a coach.
and why...and especially how your own I’m perhaps a 7.’ ‘What I have learned, not just at Oakham
performance as a coach measured up. when coaching but in life, is that as I have a
To Dr Hamish Telfer, a former senior lecturer ‘When I played I care team all the time, I have to be able to
verbally instruct. Every facet of my life revolves
at the University of Cumbria – formerly St
Martin’s College, Lancaster – and an got shouted at, trod around that, so it comes naturally to me.
experienced top-level national athletics coach,
this latter part is absolutely vital for the down if you like, it ‘Everybody is different. When I played I got
shouted at, trod down if you like, it was a tough
development not only of the coach, but also
of the athlete or performer.
was a tough environment. I benefitted from that but a lot
don’t. Some players respond just from a quiet
So important in fact, that Dr Telfer is a leading environment. I word. I have learnt to empathise, to work
people out.
figure in sports coach UK workshops aimed at
Analysing Your Coaching. benefited from that ‘I did a bit of coaching before my accident, but
‘In the workshops, and in this whole subject but a lot don’t.’ not too much. I found it difficult, but I was a lot
younger then. I’ve grown up a hell of a lot in
area, we start from the presumption that most the five years since the accident, and have
coaches have only ever been assessed on their And Dr Telfer is quick to point out that the best experienced more than most people my age.
team or athlete’s achievements and are coaches are able to adapt their styles as
respected on basis of what results they achieve. ‘I love seeing somebody improve. When they
needed. ‘Of course, if you have, say 15
In other words, they think that if the team or pick up something you’ve taught them and they
people in a squad or team, and whatever level
athlete wins, I’m good! use it in a match, it's very satisfying.’
they are at, some will want to talk, others will
want you to tell them what to do, even at the
‘Crossing over from the world of teaching, one
highest level. So I need to be aware of that
thing we know is that this is nonsense...that it’s
THE COACH’S EDGE
and shift my approach. For more on Analysing Your
down to the progress made.’
Coaching visit:
‘Analysis of coaching helps coaches become
Dr Telfer says the emphasis is not just on ‘what' www.sportscoachuk.org
more adaptable, to have the ability to work
the person coaches – of course in sport that ‘Analysing Your Coaching’
with all types of athletes, and develop all
will always be important, instead just as vital is workshops are due to be
individuals...and in many sports that is
the ‘how’.
something which simply does not happen. held on:
‘A really good coach is the master of both,’ – 9 September (Bilston, West
he says. ‘The best managers and coaches are ones who Midlands – to book email
understand what their teams need, who
winslowc@wolvcoll.ac.uk)
‘A coach with the real ability is the one who understand how they can get the best out of
can get the best out of athletes whose talent each individual within the team and, when – 20 September (St Helens,
may not be quite as obvious as the (Paula) combined, the sum of those parts make the team Merseyside – to book
Radcliffes or (Sebastian) Coes of this world. better than they would be individually. A team telephone Ruth Moss on
becomes greater than the sum of its parts.’ 01744-675 651)
‘Analysing Your Coaching allows you to reflect – 29 September (North
upon your own performance, not just the One young coach who has been forced into a Shields, Tyne and Wear –
outcome, and it's about a model to fit both the deep analysis of his coaching is Matt to book email
performance and participatory areas of sport.’ Hampson. He is the former rugby union prop chloe.blakey@
forward who became quadriplegic after an
tynewearsport.org).
The workshop, and the weighty Analysing Your accident while training with England’s under-21
Coaching resource from sports coach UK, are side in early 2005. But Hampson remains For more on Matt Hampson, and
aimed at helping you become the type of positive and has become a great role model, to follow his charity work, visit:
coach you want to become, to continually not least to pupils at Oakham School in his www.matthampson.co.uk

28. 28 COACHING EDGE |MARATHON|
IN THE
RUNNING
FOR 2011
Virtually as soon as the last charity runner crossed the line, thousands of athletes in this
year’s London Marathon were already mentally preparing for 2011’s event.
Sam Hawcroft spoke to three people keen to take part on the streets of London next
spring, and will follow their preparations right up to the big day...as long as they make it
through the ballot! Meanwhile, coaching experts will also assess their progress...

29. |MARATHON| COACHING EDGE 29
‘In the end, you Sergio Lara-Bercial athletes know what they are doing, and why
they are doing it, when this may not be the
need to have huge Spanish-born Sergio,
35, only started
case – and this has been among the ‘biggest
lessons’ he has learned since he began
determination to running seriously
about 18 months ago
running. He adds: ‘When you’re training for a
very unforgiving event like a marathon, you
get from the – but says it has can’t really fake it – you’ve either done the
beginning to completely changed
his life. As a leading
training or you haven’t, and if you haven’t done
the training you’re going to pay for it.’
the end.’ basketball coach, he was already no stranger
to fitness training and maintaining a healthy
lifestyle, but he soon discovered that, for him,
Abi Masha
running offered a whole host of new physical – Abi, 30, who has
and even psychological – benefits. been running seriously
for about two years, is
Sergio first caught the running bug after feeling
gearing up for what
that he needed to do more for his father, who
she hopes will be her
suffers from Parkinson’s disease, so he set
first London Marathon
himself the challenge of running the equivalent
next year. She only
of the distance between his home in Stockport
committed herself to signing up when the ballot
and Madrid – some 1287 miles (2070km). He
opened at the beginning of May – and won’t
began his challenge in February 2009, and is
know until October whether her application
due to finish this July, when he’ll run the
has been successful. In the meantime, however,
marathon-length distance from the airport in
she is in training for the Great North Run this
Madrid to his father’s house.
September; having run last year’s race in just
For Sergio, the impact of becoming a serious under two hours, the half-marathon is the
runner was almost instant, and took him furthest distance she’s done so far, and she’s
somewhat by surprise. ‘The more I ran, the looking for a time of around 1h 45m, in what
more I wanted to run,’ he says. He began, as will mark roughly the halfway stage in her
most do, with the shorter distances, such as marathon preparations. ‘Hopefully this will
10Ks and half-marathons, before building up to stand me in good stead to let me know how far
his first marathon in Barcelona last year, where I’ve progressed,’ she says.
he clocked up an impressive time of 3h 6m.
For Abi, running is very much about
During his preparations, he talked to people
self-motivation. After a friend introduced her to
who had already run at least one marathon,
it, she has never looked back; the ‘feel-good
and he has embarked on a training regime that
vibe’ and sense of daily achievement is enough
balances mileage and speed. Regular long
to spur her on – and she prefers to train on her
distances mean leg muscles become more able
own. She used to be a smoker, but taking up
to cope with runs of two hours-plus, while
long-distance running gave her the final impetus
speed sessions help towards the overall aim of
she needed to kick the habit for good. Put
running a faster marathon. ‘Once you
simply, she says, ‘You can’t smoke if you want
understand why you’re doing both, it’s easier to
to run.’ And, while she does aim to eat healthily
get motivated and go out there.’
in general, and has improved her diet since she
As a coach, Sergio believes that taking up began running, she is not obsessed by it – in
running has helped him set a better example to fact, she confesses to having somewhat of a
the athletes he trains – and even to his friends sweet tooth – but the fact she is burning off so
and family. ‘I’ve become more organised in my many calories most days means she can afford
training, more organised in my family life, and I a few indiscretions.
work more efficiently – it’s the epicentre of
Abi’s approach to the marathon is, no doubt,
everything I do. It’s had such a positive impact
like that of many first-timers: ‘I’m following
on everything. My wife’s started running again,
various different schedules that I’ve
and a couple of friends have seen me run and
have started to run themselves – it’s having a downloaded from the Internet,’ she says,
kind of ripple effect.’ Running has also helped ‘and I’m just sticking to the ones I feel
him enormously with his own motivational comfortable with. But I am taking it quite slowly,
considering I’ve got a year to prepare.’ At the
© Steven Paston/Action Images Limited
techniques. During his basketball career, from
which he retired eight years ago, he wasn’t so moment, she is going out for, on average,
enlightened, as he says: ‘I didn’t quite know five to eight-mile runs every other day; she is
why I was training; I got told to do something trying to work in some speed sessions, but
and I did it. I never understood what I was admits she is finding this aspect of the training a
supposed to be doing, because no one little difficult. At this stage, she’s unsure what sort
explained it to me.’ Many coaches, Sergio of finish time she should be aiming for in the
says, make the mistake of assuming that their marathon; having watched the elite athletes in

30. 30 COACHING EDGE |MARATHON|
the race on TV, she says she couldn’t ever Abi’s background as a smoker and her love of
imagine being able to run a mile in 5.5 minutes sweet foods means the marathon could
– but for her, it’s more about going the distance. represent a ‘huge task’ for her, says Scobie.
‘She has got a lot to do in order to be sure she
Chris Pearce can run in this race, and that she can finish it; I
think she needs to change an awful lot in her
Chris decided to sign lifestyle in order to achieve her goal. She
© sports coach UK
up for the marathon would need to be a fairly determined woman.’
with a friend, as they
are both heading for As for Chris, Scobie warns that ‘any
a personal milestone 40-year-old guy embarking on a marathon at
next year – hitting 40. that age could come up against all kinds of
‘We want to do it problems; you’ve got to do the amount of work Further Reading
while we still can,’ he says. Although he’s been necessary and you’ve got to stay healthy
running seriously for at least six or seven years, throughout the training period. Avoid injury Balk, M. and Shields, A. (2009) Master the
he’s never gone the full 26.2 miles before, and illness while you put your body through Art of Running. London: Collins and Brown.
having done a couple of half-marathons and a conditions of stress it has probably not ISBN: 978-1-843405-43-6.
few 10Ks in the past. ever encountered.’
Hilditch, G. (2007) The Marathon and Half
His main motivation is fitness – as he Scobie adds: ‘A marathon is a fairly substantial Marathon: A Training Guide. Wiltshire: The
approached his late 20s, he decided he undertaking. Of course, you see people who Crowood Press. ISBN: 978-1-861269-63-8.
needed to improve his general health and lose you wouldn’t think could do it actually doing it;
Murakami, H. (2009) What I Talk About When I
a bit of weight, so took up running as a and the crowd helps, other race participants
Talk About Running. USA: Vintage.
pastime, initially. ‘I was not doing enough help – but in the end, you need to have huge
ISBN: 978-0-099526-15-5.
exercise and eating too many burgers – I determination to get from the beginning to the
realised how unfit I was getting, and I thought, end, and before that, you’ve got to have a Nerurkar, R. (2008) Marathon Running: From
“it’s time to turn things around”.’ Long-distance similar measure of determination to undertake Beginning to Elite. London: A & C Black
running has inspired Chris to transform his diet the preparation.’ Publishers. ISBN: 978-0-713688-52-8.
and eat more healthily – he now aims to make
more meals from scratch instead of falling back
on ready meals.
How you can approach marathon training for...
THE COACH’S EDGE
Chris has, however, taken breaks over the
years, but has been able to pick up more or A Beginner
less where he left off each time; he ran the 10K In terms of a marathon, a ‘beginner’ still needs to have some running/racing
Leeds Abbey Dash in 2009 after not having experience and should be reasonably fit. If they can't run three miles
run for about a year. ‘I did a quick six weeks of comfortably, then perhaps you need to gently tell them that training for a
training for that – the first couple of runs were a 26.2-mile run is not the place to start. The main goal to set them should simply
nightmare, but I started with easy runs of about be completing the distance, and not focusing on the time too much, if at all.
three miles and gradually built up to the Although some speed work is necessary, the bottom line is that you need to get
distance. I am trying to take this one (the your runner used to long distances – beginners who are not used to running
marathon) a bit more seriously, though!’ Like 20–25 miles a week need to gradually work this in to their training. It is crucial
Abi, Chris’s first port of call for information and they don’t do too much too soon, though; start at three miles and slowly increase
the distance week by week.
advice has been the Internet – while he is
trying to get his distance up gradually, he is An Intermediate runner
also following a guide on how to improve his You should assume that your runner has at least half-marathon experience, if not
speed by doing interval training once every actually having a marathon already under their belt. They should also be used to
couple of weeks. His main aim at the moment is running three to five days a week, covering 20–25 miles, and able to
getting round the course, but he does have one comfortably run at least eight miles. Being at intermediate stage, the runner is
eye on a sub four-hour time. likely to be looking to go one better than just completing the distance, so will be
aiming to achieve a specific time. To this end, you should ideally encourage them
The coach’s view to supplement their long runs with some more intense running twice weekly,
including sustained tempo runs at half-marathon race pace.
Brian Scobie, England Athletics Area Coach An Advanced runner
Mentor for endurance coaches (covering West
Someone who falls into this category would have considerable marathon
Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and experience over at least three or four years, and be well used to training for such
Humberside), said that, of our three runners, an event; they should also be currently running 30–40 miles per week, and
Sergio’s playing and coaching background, comfortably be able to run at least 10 miles. Your runner will need to be
and the discipline this has given him, certainly prepared to up their weekly mileage to about 50 per week, although bear in
gives him the edge over the others. He said: mind that doing so many miles on the flat can lead to stagnation, mentally and
‘Sergio seems to me to be highly focused; he’s physically – so incorporate interval training, fartlek training, hill climbs and
been an elite sportsperson, and the fact he’s power exercises. Rest is always important, but at advanced level, it is crucial;
doing it for his father means he’s found an your approach may be to say that your runner must takes one day off a week –
external reason other than fitness.’ and this means a day off from all exercise, not just running.

31. |COACHING WITH NO CASH| COACHING EDGE 31
CR£DIT
WHERE
IT’SDUE
Success comes at a price...not always the physical toll,
instead it's quite literally a monetary cost. While some
© Paul Currie/Action Images Limited
sports may be cash rich, and certain clubs bankrolled by
benefactors, the truth is that most clubs in the majority of
sports get by, just, on a shoestring, and if times are tough in
post-recession Britain, they’re equally tough on sports clubs.
Wessex Volleyball Club coach Lynn Allen reflects on a great
season...and what the club must do to keep on going.
A
s we near the end of Our club has explored many possibilities for If you are not successful it’s valuable time
another indoor volleyball reducing the cost of playing our sport, some wasted, but you have to try again.
more successful than others:
season, Wessex can reflect Governing body – This has been fruitful for us
on many plus points. Fundraising – Due to the commitment shown with benefits on both sides as Volleyball
by our players and volunteers we have little England has agreed to part-fund a Community
Our under-16 boys team are national Development Coach for our area. This came
time left over to run many fundraising events.
champions, two other junior teams are ranked
from much hard work and planning.
second in the country, while two others are in
We do hold a few but it isn’t easy to ask
the top four. Volunteers – My last article highlighted the
people for money when there are so many
worthwhile causes in the world. assistance Wessex Volleyball Club has had
The Wessex women’s team play in the Super
8s, the top national league division, our men from experts such as Paul Rees on the strength
are in Division One and our junior men won the Sponsorship – The club have sent out many and conditioning side and Bournemouth
South West Adult League. sponsorship letters in the past couple of years, University on the psychology side. This has
and this season we have contacted 70 proved invaluable to the teams involved.
Wessex also had many local and regional agencies. Despite being one of the top English However, this would not have been possible if
successes as well, while individual players volleyball clubs with a group of our volunteers the players and parents had had to pay for
were selected for England. running the biggest beach tournament of the these services on top of the other costs.
The club now has a really good set up with a summer with more than 300 teams competing,
On the volleyball side, all our club coaches
great set of volunteers. However, all this has we have not been able to secure any cash
and managers are unpaid, giving hours of their
been achieved at a cost – a huge financial sponsorship deal.
time each week.
cost to the players and parents.
Links – This is one area where we have been As we look to the beach season and start to
These are difficult times and unfortunately we able to make progress. Links have been formed plan for September when the indoor season
cannot make cutbacks because our main costs with the University and local schools which restarts, we have grounds for optimism with
are the essential ones – court hire, fuel, have allowed us an occasional cheap court, new players interested in joining us and more
accommodation etc, all of which have free use of a gym and meeting room, and the juniors playing.
gone up. cheaper use of minibuses. We provide
It is ironic that the more successful you are the coaching sessions in return. To reduce their costs in this difficult economic
more the expenditure you incur. time, we will continue to try to establish links,
Grants – There seem to be a lot out there but it apply for grants, seek sponsorship and – like
Volleyball has never been a sport which only the takes time to research which ones may be thousands of clubs like ours – rely on volunteers
wealthy can afford to play, and there is no wish applicable. Having decided this, there will then to give athletes the opportunity to play the
to become one. But how do we prevent this? be a lot of work involved in the application. sport they love at as little cost as possible.

32. 32 COACHING EDGE |INFLUENCING THE PITCH|
POWER AND
INFLUENCE
Tactics, speed, stamina and strength all play a huge role in preparation, and getting them
right enhances a coach’s armoury in pursuit of success. But sometimes, and it's often illustrated
at the top level, the ability to influence other environmental factors can also hold sway, as
David Bloomfield reveals.
Stoke City’s Rory Delap launches a long
throw, one of his team’s best attacking
weapons and one opponents try to counter

33. |INFLUENCING THE PITCH| COACHING EDGE 33
I
t is impossible to say where the The examples in football of managers and
coaches trying to catch out the unwary
responsibility or the influence of
are legion.
the coach ends, he certainly
holds sway over the tactics and When Brian Clough ruled the roost at
Nottingham Forest, the away dug-out was
personnel his team employs, but in an
strategically placed some distance from the
age where the line between winning and half-way line, affording a very imperfect view of
losing has become a fine thread, each the match, while Liverpool under Bill Shankly
and every angle where an advantage is were renowned for providing pre-match balls
to be had needs to be investigated. that bore little or no quality resemblance to the
ball that would be used at three o’clock.
The simple fact is that if you are not looking at
the game in its context and trying to influence For a period of time in the early 1990s,
the environment in which the match is being Cambridge United enjoyed relative success
contested, your opponent almost certainly will and came within a whisker of promotion to the
be, and without a ball being kicked your side top-flight under John Beck.
will be at a disadvantage.
Of paramount importance is an analysis of your
opponents. What are their strengths and ‘The examples in
weaknesses and how can you neutralise one
and capitalise on the other? Knowledge of
football of
your opponents is a key factor at any level
of sport.
managers and
As a Sunday morning football manager, in
coaches trying to
advance of an important cup-tie, I found out catch out the
where our opponents were playing the week
before and duly turned up with notebook in unwary are legion.’
hand. I was then subsequently able to allocate
my defenders to best nullify their forwards and
pinpoint their defensive shortcomings. His side favoured a 'long ball' approach
where the ball would be swiftly delivered from
Come the day of the match, our opponents the back into space behind the opposition’s
were genuinely shocked to come across me defence. The problem was that the ball often
again and there is no doubt that they felt a went off for a goal kick before his forwards
level of unease, albeit one that is difficult had managed to latch onto it. The solution?
to quantify. The groundsman was instructed to allow the
The level of analysis and attention to detail grass in the four corners to grow in order to
at Premier League level is astonishing. inhibit the ball’s propensity to roll!
Every match is analysed from every One of the most successful attempts by a
imaginable angle. coach to alter the context in which a match
Peter Shreeves, the former Spurs manager, who was played was in 1987 when the Rangers
acts as a match delegate, recently witnessed manager Graeme Souness reduced the width
Chelsea’s assistant manager Ray Wilkins of the Ibrox pitch for a European Cup tie.
discussing with the match referee Steve Bennett, In the first leg against Dynamo Kiev the
in precise detail, what his team was able to do Ukrainian flank players had had a field day in
to counter the long throws of Stoke City’s a 1–0 victory. In the return, on a pitch whose
Rory Delap. width had been reduced to within a whisker of
He said: ‘The discussion took place one the minimum requirements, Rangers overcame
hour before kick-off as the team sheets the deficit and progressed to the next round.
were delivered to the match officials’ The old ‘same for both sides’ argument can be
changing room. called into service by those wishing to
denounce the key role the width of the pitch
© Steven Paston/Action Images Limited
‘Eventually it was determined that a Chelsea
player could stand no closer than three metres played in the match, but interestingly there is
from Delap, and that he couldn’t jump until the statistical evidence that Arsene Wenger’s
ball had left the Stoke player’s hands. Arsenal score more goals on the larger Premier
League pitches. And if ever there was a side
‘When news of these deliberations reached the that played an expansive game where
Stoke manager Tony Pulis, he in turn sought possession is kept in the sure expectation that
clarification and confirmation that this was how spaces and gaps will open in the opposition’s
the fixture was going to be officiated.’ defence, it is Wenger’s Gunners.

34. 34 COACHING EDGE |INFLUENCING THE PITCH|
When Arsenal moved from Highbury to the
Emirates they increased the size of the playing
surface from one of the smallest to the largest.
Indeed, but for the size of the pitch, Highbury
would have been a venue for the 1966 World
Cup and Euro ‘96.
Once upon a time the ballboys at a match
were youngsters who, in exchange for their
services, were rewarded with free admission.
Shreeves has noticed that even this practice has
had a makeover: ‘Nowadays I have seen
traditional ballboys replaced by young
footballers on the staff and when their team has
the throw-in the ball is swiftly returned. Even the
ballboys are athletes!’
Shreeves himself wasn’t averse to calling upon
the services of the ballboys: ‘When I was at
Spurs and we were playing Real Madrid at The wide expanses of Arsenal’s
White Hart Lane I got all the ballboys together Emirates Stadium suit their
and asked if any of them supported Real. I
didn’t get a reply, but all hands went up when I
football style
asked if we had any Spurs supporters.
‘“OK then”, I said, “when we have a throw let’s all-white outfits Liverpool arrived in at Wembley write a sufficient number of words to fill the
see the ball back with a Spurs player in for the 1996 FA Cup Final. Fine for a garden space their editor has allocated.
double-quick time, and when it’s a Real throw party, but they were out of step with the
tradition of Liverpool FC. Needless to say they The late Sir Bobby Robson almost never
let’s not break our backs!” I don’t class this as
were blown out of the water by Manchester failed to answer a question from the media,
cheating...just that when you are the home
United come kick-off. however banal, repetitive, rude or ignorant the
team you have a chance to set the scene.’
questioner. He may have lost some battles
Many coaches can look at some of the above along the way, but over time he most
One of the factors behind the growth of
examples and identify with them. And if you are certainly won the war with his polite and
analysis of all sorts in sport, apart from the
lucky enough to be at the top level and subject gentlemanly stance.
sheer ease with which statistical data can be
gathered and transmitted, is the need of the to media scrutiny, there’s more.
Many times a manager’s programme notes
coach to avoid a situation whereby a player have riled their opposite number. Patronising
can retort, in the post-match blame game, that If your team is involved in a match that is the
statements or over-confident remarks will be
he simply wasn’t advised that ‘player X’ had a subject of press attention, the best rule of thumb
pinned up in the other team’s dressing room
long throw, cuts inside, stands in front of the is to play it straight, but to ensure that you avoid
and act as motivation in themselves.
keeper at corners, or did whatever it was that making comments that can be seen by the
caught the player unawares. opposition as being dismissive. And the simplest method of creating a feel
good factor among your players? Taking a
At the top level, the day before a match a Unless you are dealing with a very sensitive new kit out of the kitbag. Players revel in trying
meeting will be called where all those, apart issue, in which case specialist advice may be it on for the first time and can’t wait to get out
from the players, who have a direct input into the way to go, journalists merely just want to there. That’s the way you felt, wasn’t it?
the team will be invited to make contributions.
This is an acknowledgement that even an
THE COACH’S EDGE
experienced manager, although he makes the What do you know of the opposition, the playing surface, the equipment, the
final decision, can glean something from those venue? Research on these areas will pay dividends.
experts under him that will help him in that Clear up any issues you think may occur with the match officials before the game.
decision-making process.
Consult with others in the set-up. They are a good sounding board and you can’t
think of everything. Make clear that you are the decision maker, but that you value
When Manchester United travel to an away their input.
fixture, more often than not they are seen in
Have you relayed all that knowledge to your players? Communicate what you know.
club blazer and club tie. They look a
professional outfit in every sense of the word. If your team arrives looking like a team, there is a good chance they will play like
one too.
They look like a team. The lead here is clearly
coming from Sir Alex Ferguson. Be straightforward and up front with any media requests. Don’t be afraid of the
media, but don’t get carried away, your opposition might read it too!
Care needs to be taken and when the players Are the opposition trying to undermine your preparation in any way? The higher the
start calling the shots alarm bells should start level of competition the more this is likely – be aware of the possibility but don’t
ringing. The example always mentioned is the develop paranoia.

35. |THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE FUNNY| COACHING EDGE 35
TAKE
A BOW
Hollywood may like the glamour of the
longbow, but as Jeff Thornton discovered,
there’s an army of serious coaches out there...
W
e may well be midway ‘And we are working very hard at getting ‘To go through the ranks as a coach does take
youngsters involved either in school or as a lot of commitment. With the portfolios
through a summer of
after-school activities.’ needed to maintain the qualifications a
sport, and when significant investment – not least in time – is
someone mentions So even though the latest Crowe version of the needed. But there are people wanting to do it.
Lord’s your thoughts turn to Test match Robin Hood legend may be good for the I may sometimes suggest to someone that they
cricket against Bangladesh or Pakistan, tourists in Nottinghamshire, it’s a sport already may consider coaching, but often it’s archers
working hard, and with coaches keen to themselves who step forward and want to work
but for one group of sportsmen and improve our national standing. as a coach and get involved. Of course,
women the famous ground will mean becoming a coach does affect your own
just one thing...Olympic archery. ‘That’s not to say films don’t have an effect on shooting, as you give up some of your own
people interested in the sport,’ admits Okin. practice time in order to coach others!’
For many this will be a sport they know little ‘I believe Lord of the Rings had a significant
about, and any mental images may involve effect, a lot of people must have watched and And with sights set firmly on the Olympic
Michael Praed or Russell Crowe careering thought “I’d like to do that”!’ Games, and improving the UK’s standing,
through a recreation of 13th century Sherwood Okin is enthusiastic about new developments.
Forest in another Robin Hood guise...or What Okin does stress is the discipline needed,
‘There’s a brand new national development
perhaps their recollections are of A-level from archers as well as coaches.
programme, where every county will have a
history and Agincourt.
‘Discipline and safety are paramount. A good coordinator to work with the national
But for a large number of people, it’s a coach in this sport has to be patient, aware, development team, perhaps to help start new
thriving – and very much current – sport. and know the technicality of the instruments we clubs or develop existing clubs. The aim will be
are using.’ national centres of excellence.’
Colin Okin, who is already well on with
planning his fifth Southern Counties Archery As Okin says, it’s a sport keen to learn, and
The world has changed significantly since
Society (SCAS) Coaches Conference for early next year’s conference has a lot to live up to.
Britain’s last Olympic individual gold medallists
2011, says: ‘People perhaps don’t realise how
in 1908 when Queenie Newall and William ‘Over the last four years we’ve gone from 90
popular this sport is. SCAS is one of eight
Dod both took first place (Dod’s sister Lottie delegates to 148 in 2010. I’m keen for more
regions making up Archery GB and we have
was a sporting legend in her own right, coming than 150 next time, we’ve had some
approximately 10,000 members, and I believe
second to Newall, but more famously being phenomenal speakers, and will look for
there are upwards of 60,000 members across
five-time Wimbledon tennis champion, a golfer another excellent event.’
the UK.
and hockey player). While he’s also keen to see another full house
‘Archery UK has 12 associated organisations at Lord’s in 2012...but more long bow than
including The English Archery Federation, the These days an Olympic-standard bow could
cost £2,000, while the arrows, which may last Long Room.
Army, the RAF, the Civil Service, the Post Office,
Paralympics, Universities and The Royal a season, would cost £250 for a dozen. So For details on next year’s Southern Counties
Toxophilites. In addition there is the Long Bow Okin admits it’s not a cheap sport, and it’s also Archery Society Coaches Conference,
Society, so overall there may be about one which requires dedication from the archers planned for 5 March, email Colin Okin on:
100,000 archers. and coaches. colinokin@hotmail.com

36. Everything you need to
improve your coaching m
A Guide to Mentoring Sports Coaches
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Mentoring is a powerful tool in the development and education
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The process outlined is flexible enough to fit comfortably with
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Code B23032 £9.99
Positive Behaviour Management in Sport
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This full-colour resource will introduce you to the subject of
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Every group and individual is different, and managing the
behaviour is a hands-on job. Use the examples within this guide
to help find the best solutions to create a positive environment
for young people to develop.
Broken down into manageable sections, it discusses the different
ways of tackling problem behaviour and how to create an
environment that encourages positive behaviour. The ‘Top Tips’
sections throughout help you pick out key techniques to recognise
what creates a positive coaching environment, and what actions
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Code B40679 £14.99
For 100s of specialist coaching resources, whatever your sport, visit
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