Coaching

National Coaching Development Programme

THE Coaching Strategy for Ireland has been developed in partnership with the Irish Sports Council ( ISC ) and Sport Northern Ireland ( Sport NI ). This follows an extensive consultation process with Coaches, Athletes, National Governing Bodies of Sport and other relevant agencies.

The National Coaching and Training Centre ( NCTC ) has evolved into Coaching Ireland with an all- island remit and a clear focus to lead the development of Coaching in Ireland. Following a review in 2008 Coaching Ireland is gearing up to a new way of working to actively meet the demands and needs of Coaches and Coaching in Ireland.

The Coaching strategy for Ireland builds on the good work done since 1992 and sets out the course for coaching Ireland and its Sporting partners in the Sports Coaching context.

The purpose of the IKAB Coaching strategy is to:

Provide an agreed direction on how coaching will contribute to the development of Karate-Do in Ireland
Create a framework for the development of Coaching Karate in Ireland
Improve the quality of Coaching and raise the standard of Karate Coaches and Athletes at all levels in Ireland
Raise expectations for coaching Karate in Ireland by setting clear standards and targets
Identify a clear structure and a focused approach for the delivery and implementation of the IKAB Coaching Strategy
To improve services and the effectiveness of coach education and coach support
To ensure that the strategy is effectively implemented

An Overview of Coaching in Ireland

The National Coaching & Training Centre (N.C.T.C.) was established in May 1991 as a result of two government reports indicating the need to have a central agency to assist in the development of coaching and coach education. It is based in the University of Limerick.
The National Coaching Development Programme was launched by An Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds T.D., at the Westbury Hotel, Dublin on September 28, 1993. The Programme, which has secured the involvement of 51 National Governing Bodies in sport, will establish a coaching ladder at four different levels.

Improved Standards

Speaking at the launch Mr. Reynolds said “The introduction of this Programme means that for the first time, all of the sporting organisations in the country will be part of a unified development plan which is aimed at improving standards in coaching and in performance. Such an initiative is particularly appropriate in Ireland where we are keenly interested in sport both as participants and supporters.”

Pat Duffy, then Director of the N.C.T.C., outlined the major elements of the Programme. He pointed to the central role which the education of coaches would play over the course of the first cycle of the programme between 1993 and 1998. Each Governing Body in sport will be assisted by the National Coaching and Training Centre so that a sport specific education programme can be delivered.

Different Roles

In referring to future developments in coaching, Mr. Reynolds alluded to the important role played by volunteers and he highlighted the importance of a smooth synergy between voluntary and full time sectors.
“The massive volunteer input into sport in this country bears testimony to the passionate love which we have for sport. There is now a great opportunity to maximise our reservoir of talent, both in coaching and performance, in the context of the National Coaching Development Programme. The Programme will, I believe, investigate ways in which the volunteer input to sport can be acknowledged and complemented with the inputs of suitably trained coaching and technical personnel operating in semi-professional and professional roles.”

Four Tier Coaching Ladder

The NCDP is centred around a four tier coaching ladder which presents coaches with the opportunity to advance their coaching ability and education from introductory to international level. The four levels have been carefully considered, taking into account national requirements and projected developments in Europe.

Recognition for coaches

For the first time, the NCDP will provide the Republic of Ireland with an accreditation mechanism which will ensure that standards are uniform across all sports. National certification will be available to coaches at all four levels.

Partnership

The key to the Programme lies in the concept of partnership and is a result of all the sports organisations working closely with the NCTC. Each sport will take responsibility for the implementation of coaching courses at the first three levels in the coaching ladder, with level four courses being jointly implemented.

National Coaching &Training Centre

NCDP Third Cycle

Coaching and Coach Education

2006 - 2008

National Coaching & Training Centre’s mission is to:

Broaden the base and expand the peak in Irish sport through the following:

Educate and support coaches
Provide services to players and athletes in the context of (ISC) policies
Provide technical advice to (ISC) in coaching and high performance sport
Benefits of a structured coaching and coach education
Participation rates in sports are improved
Sports performance is enhanced
Standards of coaching are improved
The profile of coaching is enhanced
More coaches are enticed into the system
Resource usage is maximised
Up-to-the-minute information is constantly available
National Coaching Development Programme: Record
NCTC and 56 NGB’s – Cycle 1, 1993-1998
ISC, NCTC and NGB’s – Cycle 2, 1999-2004
Over 39 sports running accredited courses
Over 600 (coach education) tutors have been trained
Over 30,000 coaches have been certified (mainly at Intro and Level 1)
NCDP Cycle 3, 2006-2008: To be agreed
Challenges for NCDP 3…
Develop more coaches at L2 and L3
NGB capacity – personnel/tutors
Pathways – sport specific LTPAD/LIPSA models
Revised/Full coaching Ladder & Syllabus – coaching children, recreation, young talent, high performance
Local coaches – education & support in their work
Up-to-date information and resources at each level
Full coaching system development & alignment within ISC policy and programmes.

Irish Karate Advisory Board

National Coaching Development Programme (NCDP)
The key elements of the programme are:

A recognised national qualification for all coaches.
The establishment of a National Coaching Ladder at four levels.
The training of tutors to deliver Coach Education courses.
The development of a central accreditation system and register for Coaches.
The provision of support services for Coaches at club, national and international level.
A programme for the continuous progression of Coaches at all levels.
Specialised courses in coaching children, recreation, young talent and high performance athletes.
Full up-to-date information on current best coaching practice and sports science support.

The NCDP relies on the support of all the member Karate associations of IKAB for the success of the Programme.

The IKAB Coaching Programme is fully proactive and full support and assistance will be given at all levels to ensure the success of all participants.

Coach Structure

All participants must be registered members of IKAB.

Coaching Assistant

Fundamentals and beginning karate.

Level 1 Coach
Learning to train.

Level 2 Coach
Training to train, training to compete.

Level 3 Coach
Senior Coach, Training to win.

Level 4 Coach
Master Coach, Elite Athletes

The Player Athlete Pathway & Coaching Ladder

Coaching ladder – the NCDP is based on a Four Tier Coaching Ladder which provides coaches with a clear progression to advance both their education and coaching ability from introductory to international level. These levels have been carefully considered with National requirements, also taken into account is emerging coaching developments in Europe.

Player Athlete Capacities

The following identify the capacities through which the player-athlete can achieve growth and success in competitive karate.

  TECHNICAL: develop the fundamental karate skills and understand   the need for good form and consistent progress through the pathways.

  TACTICAL: work with partner to practice strategies and tactics and provide participants with the opportunity to experience the competitive structure.

  PHYSICAL: understand and develop the fitness requirements for recreation and sports participation.

  MENTAL: understand the need for concentration, motivation, goal setting and planning.

LIFESTYLE: enjoy participating! Development of social skills and recognise the need for commitment in high performance sport.

Coaching

Quality coaching leads to improved performance and a better overall sport experience for athletes. In understanding the role of the coach, the art of Karate-Do places great emphasis on the development of the character of its students and a code of behaviour is used together with the physical training to ensure that technical skill, physical fitness and good behaviour become synonymous with Karate-Do. The role of the coach is one which enables the athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left to his/her own endeavours. The role of the coach is to create the right conditions for learning to happen and to find ways of motivating the athletes. Most athletes are highly motivated and therefore the task is to maintain that motivation and to generate excitement and enthusiasm. The roles that you will find you undertake as a coach will be many and varied and you will find at some stage in your coaching career that you will be as follows,

Coaching Roles

Advisor - Advising athletes on the training to be conducted and suitable kit and equipment.
Assessor - Assessing athletes performance in training and in competition
Demonstrator - Demonstrate to the athletes the skill you require them to perform. To achieve this it is important that you also keep fit.
Facilitator - Identify suitable competitions for them to compete in to help them achieve their overall objectives for the year.
Fact finder - Gathering data of national and international results and to keep abreast of current training techniques.
Fountain of knowledge - This may be part of the advisor role in that you will often be asked questions on any sporting event, events that were on the television, diet, sports injuries and topics unrelated to their sport.
Instructor – Instructors should be competent in demonstrating technical knowledge and skill commensurate with the level of the karate-ka.
Mentor - When athletes attend training sessions you are responsible, to their parents and family, for ensuring that they are safe and secure. You have to monitor their health and safety whilst training and support them should they have any problems or sustain any injuries.
Motivator - Maintain the motivation of all your athletes the whole year round.
Planner – To develop and implement training and development programmes suitable for all levels of karate-ka.

Coaching Process

The coaching process divides into three main areas: Planning, conducting and evaluating.

Coaching Skills

As a coach you will find that you need to develop many skills. These include:

Know how to communicate effectively with your athletes
Understand the learning process and training principles
Understand and implement appropriate teaching methods
Understand the various coaching styles
Understand the capabilities of growing children
Advise athletes on safe training practices
Understand the causes and recognise the symptoms of over-training
Understand how to reduce the risk of injury to your athletes
Prepare training programs to meet the needs of each individual athlete
Advise athletes on their nutritional needs
Understand and know how to develop the athlete's energy systems
Advise athletes on relaxation and mental imagery skills
Evaluate the athlete's competition performance
Evaluate athlete/training and athlete/coach performance
Primary coaching skills

In a coaching role you will initially need to develop the skills of: providing instruction and explanation, demonstrating, observing, analysing and providing feedback.

1.      In providing instruction and explanation you should think about and plan what you are going to say, gain the athlete's attention, keep it simple and to the point and check they understand.
2.      In providing demonstration make sure you are in a position where the athletes can clearly see you, focus on only 1 or 2 key points, repeat the demonstration 2 or 3 times (side, back and front view), ask if they have any questions and then let them practice the skill.
3.      In observing and analysing break the action down into phases, focus on one phase at a time, observe the action several times from various angles, compare the action with your technical model and if appropriate determine what corrective action is required.
4.      In providing feedback encourage the athlete to self analyse by asking appropriate questions, provide specific and simple advice, limit the advice to 1 or 2 points and make the whole process a positive experience for the athlete.

Particular responsibilities of IKAB Coaches

All IKAB Coaches have a duty to behave in a way, which will maintain and enhance the reputation of IKAB and to ensure they conduct themselves in a responsible way, as they will greatly influence the behaviour of their students both inside and outside the Dojo. A good rule of thumb is to lead by example.
Dealing with ethical issues is becoming a regular part of a coach’s duties. Increasingly, coaches are being required to face issues such as sportsmanship, drugs in sport, cheating, bullying, respect for officials, abuse of power, harassment and judging when an athlete should return to sport after injury.

All coaches must be fully familiar with, and implement; ‘The Code of Ethics & Good Practice for children in Sport’, the IKAB Anti Doping Programme and ‘The Code of Ethics for Coaches’.

Coaching

The Way Forward

Since its inception in Ireland, in the early 1960s, Karate-Do has long been taught through the instructional method. No formal instructor/coach education program was developed and as a result of this no formal teaching practice models were ever established.

With the implementation of the National Coaching Development Program, coaches can now benefit from a professionally structured, effective and well planned educational program from Introductory right through to International Coach, with certified national recognition. Karate-Do in Ireland can not only benefit through the provision of a knowledge base for positive learning experiences for coaches, but also through the implementation of well planned training programs for the effective progression of Karate athletes in Ireland and on the International stage.

In addition to these benefits, a clearly mapped out structure will prepare Irish Karate athletes for top level competition and will also provide for the development of Karate at a recreational level.

As a result coaching and coach education, competition and training structures, sports science and medical support can be more effectively targeted in line with the demands of Karate-Do. This approach will provide a clear and effective way of preparing our Karate athletes for performance in a holistic way, which recognises the demands along the road to Karate excellence.

Bill Creasey: IKAB Coaching Officer