Coaching and mentorship comes into the spotlight
Is coaching really about formation systems? Is it more than just combining team players and developing them? Is it about mental stimulation and motivation?
The challenge of coaching and developing players has always been a complex task for coaches.
On Sunday, November 10, coaches from different sporting backgrounds met at the Wanderers Club, in Johannesburg, for the conclusion of the Powerade Performance Academy Major Cities Tour.
Here the discussions focused on the importance of developing and mentoring coaches.
Among the audience were coaches from various high schools due to their role in influencing the next generation of South Africa’s sporting heroes.
Is coaching really about formation systems? Is it more than just combining team players and developing them? Is it about mental stimulation and motivation? These were some of the questions that were discussed on the day.
Various players, coaches, experts and motivational speakers, including John McGrath, Andre Arendse, Zanele Mdodana and Natalie Du Toit were all there to assist and help answer these questions.
“One of the main reasons, in my book, is that professional coaches are more driven by results. Development coaches should be driven by learning, rather than results,” said Andre Arendse, former national team goalkeeper and Supersport United goalkeeper.
Protea player and passionate university netball coach Zanele Mdodana, spoke about the aspect of changing the game and changing lives, which many of the high school coaches could relate to.
“The Powerade Academy gave me the opportunity to share my journey I have taken with the Maties team and how we were able to change the players lives through changing the game, which leads to the team coming together to seal a successful 2019 season. Through my experiences, it’s been imperative for players to hold one another accountable and create a coach-lead but player-centric programme for their desired outcome.”
The former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper said that the thought process of being a good coach is identifying what it takes to mould a good player, and making the player understand what it takes to get them to where they need to be.
According to Paralympics and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Natalie Du Toit, coaching is more short term, more structured, whilst mentoring is more long term and more about getting to know and help the athlete.
She added that the key is to be emphatic and understand where the athlete is and what the athlete is going through.
The theory of coaching and mentorship has different stages and phases to it. The most important, if not challenging, is getting your mind right as a coach. It is important, as an individual, to be prepared mentally before one can begin to mentor and coach. This is according to John Mcgrath, a high-performance coach and a motivational speaker.
McGrath added that how we condition our thought is quite vital in preparing the individuals we are going to coach, and if we are not prepared mentally as coaches, we cannot achieve what we seek to achieve.
