Coaching

Coaches should have pedagogic knowledge and training to make the dissemination of information more effective and engaging.

Successful teams use milestones and team meetings to set and focus on their seasonal goals, track their progress and celebrate their successes at the end of the season. 

A seasonal training plan creates a structure for the season. It allows athletes to plan their season and ensure they maximise their training. All bodies are different and, as a result, react to intensive and rest periods differently. It is good practice to, after an intensive phase, have physical and mental recovery periods. It might also be worth considering the difference between female and male bodies. These differences lead to specific considerations for injury prevention

Inexperienced coaches might be overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the role. A training plan template helps create a structure, and a drill book with the standard exercises and plays helps to have the whole team on the same page.

Feedback allows a player to improve. But there should be clear rules on how to give it and who should do it to avoid confusing players with contradicting suggestions.

Although a sport may be played by the same rules regardless of gender, there are often tactical differences between women’s and men’s sports that make any comparison between the two ineffective and inappropriate.

It is hard for athletes to commit to sport as long as they are not invested. Short-term goals help to keep their focus during practice and encourage athletes to begin investing in their progress.

The menstrual cycle has a massive impact on the training and life of an athlete. Coaches should be aware of issues associated with the menstrual cycle and be able to adapt and personalise their program to suit the needs of their athletes.

Physiology of athletes and menstrual cycle

Until puberty, girls and boys do not differ significantly in most physiological responses to exercise, hence the existence of only a mixed category for under 14s. However, there is an individual variation in their stage of development, with puberty taking place on average two years earlier in girls.

Sports associations are mainly run by volunteers; therefore, as many people as possible must dedicate time to recruiting for and developing the organization. 

Gender equity can be encouraged through participation in specific drills. Changing behaviours regarding gender equity on the field can also affect how we perceive others and deconstruct our biases off the pitch.