coaching style

[winziped]

If you were coach , what would be your coaching style?

like a boss laisez faire
a demanding coach
A like a friend coach
or a balanced coach ( demand results but too recognizes the achieves)

[SynchroSk8r114]

I would say that my coaching style is probably balanced. I'm definitely not laisez faire, but I'm not one of those coaches that screams and forces my skaters to practice until they're ready to pass out. Most of the time, I try to be like a friend, but at times this can work against you because kids will find that they can easily take advantage of you or they can't take you seriously. In a way, coaching is kind of like being a parent; you have to find that delicate balance between instilling discipline and giving kids the freedom to figure some things out on their own.

To achieve that balance, I've began using skater's notebooks, which I give to each one of my skaters. They are to record:
- personal skating goals
- elements/discipline that they worked on during practice
- any problems/questions they have
- something they did well during practice
- "fun stuff" they want to learn
- when and how long they practiced

I check in on this every day (my way of instilling discipline). My hope is that by requiring each of them to keep a skater’s notebook, they’ll become more aware of their own skating goals and what it will take to achieve those goals, how to use practice time efficiently, areas they are struggling with, and the gradual progress that results from hard work, commitment, and responsibility.