Team Coaching

[Skating Jessica]

Just curious as to how many other coaches out there are involved with "team coaching"? This is a pretty common thing at the rink I coach at and I was just wondering if anyone else is interested in sharing their experiences with this?

For instance, what is your focus with the skaters (MIF, freestyle, dance, etc.) and what are the other coach(es) working on with them? For example, I am the head coach. I teach MIF, freestyle, and some dance. Two of my students also work with two other coaches, one for freestyle (but they only do 25 minutes/week each) and another for dance (30 minutes/week each). I teach these students regularly 1 hour/week doing whatever discipline I feel they need work on, be it dance, freestyle, or MIF. Basically, the other two coaches are "fill-ins" that give my skaters some extra time that I'm not able to.

Do you feel team coaching is more beneficial or more complicated, for lack of a better word, for your skaters and yourself? How so?

Feel free to share anything else you'd like!

[RachelSk8er]

There are some coaches in my area who do this (to the point they are set up as an LLC and have someone who does their billing and all that stuff for them). I personally only work with one of the coaches, the head coach, for MIF, dance and freestyle. However, there are a number of kids who do seem to take lessons from multiple coaches in this group. Some of the less experienced younger coaches seem to work mainly with the younger skaters, while the coaches in charge have a mix of high level, beginners, and adults. From what I can tell, it's good for several reasons:

Multiple coaches knowing a skater's ability, strengths, weaknesses, learning styles. If a skater's main coach is not able to be there for extra lesson time, a competition or a test session, there is someone who can fill in. I think the "team" atmosphere of coaches working together carries over well to a rink atmosphere where the skaters are friendlier toward each other. My coach has had other coaches he works with watch my dances while he and I partnered to point out things he can't see while he skates with me, and that has really helped. Also, the younger coaches are basically "trained" by the more experienced coaches (many of the younger coaches were also students of theirs) and they are constantly being evaluated, monitored, and have someone to go to for advice or if they need help. In turn, they'll be better coaches.

[miraclegro]

I don't team coach, but if i did, it would be for the skater that i teach to learn skills i myself am not as strong in. For example, there is another girl there who coaches part time like myself, but she would be excellent in MIF because of her background.

There is another coach that i know that was team coaching but it didn't work out because the other coach would tell the student what they had learned was wrong. I realize there are different methods of teaching skill building, and ways to word it, but if a coach tells the student something is wrong (and knowingly that the other coach is teaching that, ) it confuses the student. There are ways to word things without confusing the child and looking like you are slamming the other coach.

We have a lot of weird parent issues at our rink, and i am glad the parents of my students are not that way, but team coaching has the possibility of a train wreck. Choose carefully who and why you want to permit team coaching.

I myself use two coaches; one is a Master coach and the other is not, but the Master coach is 2 hours away, so the other one i fill in on what we've learned and it all works out well. The more junior type coach is great to have available for close proximity, knowledge of local rink and judges, etc. But, i am an adult skater, also, so less likelihood for drama (no parental involvement!)

[Skittl1321]

I'm suprised you didn't get more responses from coaches. So to bump this up, I'll put my word in as a skater.

Currently, I do not have team coaches- but I do use multiple coaches, who all know, and are okay with, me taking from other coaches. I have a primary coach (although right now she's only done dance/moves with me, not freestyle), a synchro coach, and a group lesson instructor.

My primary coach is a high-test dancer. She is very new to coaching, having just graduated college and wanting something to do after work. She is fantastic with moves, and because she is new she is affordable. Because she is a new coach, she isn't very territorial about who she coaches and has no qualms that I work with other instructors as well. Just due to the fact that I have only been skating with her for a few months (after having left another coach, and taking a month break before finding a new one) we have only done 1 dance lesson and then focused on moves because I have a test coming up. I have worked with her in a group setting on freestyle and feel like she is a good coach for me. She keeps me motivated, but makes sure I work out like a "real" skater, and not a lazy one.

My synchro coach is mainly just that. However, if I want to work on specific elements, such as back lunges or mohawks, from the program I will sometimes take a lesson from her. Even though these are traditional freestyle/footwork elements, I sometimes think it's good to work with it from someone who knows the context of the program, and also a little bit so she knows I'm really actually trying! I have also taken a few moves lessons from my synchro coach when my primary coach is out of town- just so I don't lose a week. Just recently she changed the entrance of 3/5 of my bronze moves, and while I "checked" with the primary coach before making the change permanent, I don't think there was every any doubt that it wouldn't be okay.

The group lesson instructor was a very high level skater, and is a fantastic, though relatively new coach. Groups are mostly freestyle, though occasionally we will do moves. In general, if he recommends a change, I tell my primary coach and we do it that way, as opposed to the synchro coach where I check if the change is okay. He's just too expensive for me to use as a primary coach. With the new coaching requirements, I may have to check and see if he'll be willing to do one private a month or something like that, so that he can sign my test papers- as I don't know if my coach plans to get approved, and he's already on the list.

These coaches are all young, either in college or just out of college, and friendly with each other, though they do not officially work together.

[sk8tegirl06]

I wouldn't necessarily say I partake in team coaching. I take from one coach when I am away at school and a different coach when I am home for summer and winter breaks. They both know that I take from the other, and because of my situation of going back and forth between home and school they understand. In fact they both used to compete against each other in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I have only done moves and freestyle. I attempted synchro for a bit, but never committed to the team because I couldn't make most of the competitions/performances.

I'm curious as to what the opinion is on how many coaches is too many. I work in the rink at school and the amount of lessons/coaches that some skaters have per week is insane. Some of these kids don't know how to practice by themselves because anytime they are on the ice, they are in a lesson.

[Skating Jessica]

I'm curious as to what the opinion is on how many coaches is too many. I work in the rink at school and the amount of lessons/coaches that some skaters have per week is insane. Some of these kids don't know how to practice by themselves because anytime they are on the ice, they are in a lesson.

Yes, I'm also curious as to others opinions on the how many is too many coaches question...any takers?

At the rink I coach at, there are some skaters who have 4 or 5 coaches: one primary (usually freestyle), another freestyle coach, a dance/moves coach, sometimes synchro for those who desire to enhance their synchro skills outside of team practices, and a dance partner who occasionally works with them before tests.

The two skaters that I [head] coach only work with two other coaches. One is for dance and the other assists me with freestyle (she's great with choreography). Personally, this is just the right amount--three, at most, IMO. To me, team coaching is a lot like that saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth." Although its not always the case--and I have yet to run into this issue--sometimes having too many coaches can be confusing for the skater, especially if the coaches have drastically different ways of teaching. Yes, skaters learn better in different ways (verbally, kinesthetically, visually, etc.) and sometimes they can pick up various tips necessary to master a skill; however, there's a difference between being introduced to new techniques and perspectives from several coaches and having contradicting techniques and viewpoints that may or may not be criticized (unethically, of course) by the skater's other coaches.

Stil, if a skater and all coaches participating in a team coaching atmosphere have open communication and generally the same style of teaching (or rather teach the same techniques despite their coaching style, for instance), team coaching can be very beneficial to a skater.

[sk8tegirl06]

I would have to agree with about 3 coaches being ideal. However, I have heard stories of 2-3 times that amount. Even with similar teaching styles, I can't imagine that being very productive or useful for the student.