Coaching Philosophy
England Netball – Values
- A game for life, A world-leading game, A visible presence, A resonant voice, A thriving collective, An extraordinary experience
- Roses Development Framework
- Learn the game, Love the journey & Win deep.
Beliefs
We believe that coaching is a process of purposeful improvement and development of individuals and teams in preparation for participation in, and progression through, the England Netball player pathway.
We believe an England Netball pathway coach…
- Understands the sport and leads by example
- Displays commitment and passion about the game
- Is knowledgeable about the game and is open-minded to learn
- Has self-awareness
- Knows their athletes and values and respects that relationship
- Treats everyone with dignity and respect
- Is focused and goal-oriented
- Is positive, enthusiastic and supportive
- Communicates clearly and with consistency
- Places the athlete at the centre of the process
- Engages with activities that enable athletes to learn best
We believe that athletes learn best by:
- Engaging in authentic and challenging netball environments
- Being exposed to new knowledge, experiences, and understanding
- Relating ideas and making connections between prior and new knowledge,
- Having significant opportunities to develop and practice new skills and receive feedback
- Developing independent and critical thinking, and self-regulation
- Having the opportunity to transfer knowledge and skills to new and different contexts
We believe that performance is best developed by repeated and consistent exposure to the physical, technical, tactical and psycho-social demands of the game.
Five principles of effective coaching
Here are five principles of effective coaching, that enable athletes to learn the game, love the journey and win deep…
Involving the ‘look and feel of netball’ for the athlete lies at the heart of the coaching process. Effective coaching pays close attention to game-centred demands and designing practices based on, and linked to, the game that help athletes to develop game-appropriate skills, game understanding and decision-making under pressure.
Effective coaching maximises athlete engagement and playing opportunities, as opposed to ‘queuing’ or a very ’stop-start’ sessions. While not necessarily physical, optimising activity requires coaches to design practices that maximises athletes’ ‘time on task’ and engagement with the task in sessions
Effective coaching involves coaches thinking outside the box to design innovative and purposeful practices that accelerate learning, disguise necessary repetition, while recreating game-like conditions in training to build knowledge and problem solving.
Effective coaching creates an environment that provides space for the athletes to experience the game and learn through it. In this manner, coaches look to facilitate (rather than direct) and encourage athletes to explore their skills and learn for themselves, prior to intervening with coaching points – with care that this is not an excuse for a lack of support and guidance for the athlete.
Effective coaching involves challenging athletes at the appropriate level where they are highly engaged and driven to explore and develop their game within a supportive environment. The coaches’ skill is in providing the right level of challenge for that athlete where they experience some success at the task, but it also stretches their capabilities and serves to inspire the athlete to master subsequent challenges session to session, and through the programme.
Effective coaching actively involves athletes in their own learning and encourages openness. The coach empowers athletes to collaborate on their development and take personal responsibility through self-regulation, developing ownership in the athlete while ensuring they are supporting athlete needs. Such collaboration reflects a mutual commitment from both the coach and the athlete in their development.
