Sport Wales’ Post

Holistic coaching should be about teaching athletes as human beings both inside and outside the sporting environment, and about developing athletes who are not only competitive and competent in their sport, but are equipped with some of the tools to survive and thrive in life outside the sport domain. There's enormous pressure on professional sports' teams to win and, as Gearoid Prendergast, to develop players to play in the red of Munster and Green of Ireland. I wonder, though, if clubs actually know what holistic coaching involves and are equipped to fulfil its needs. https://lnkd.in/e5JQqqbp

On the 10th of August, I've been a qualified PT for over 20 years A bit about me: 💪One of first 100 to be UKSCA accredited (examiner = head of GB rowing) 💪Trained Olympic Taekwondo athletes, Tennis and American 🏈 team 💪Studied Sports Science for three years at top five sports uni's in the UK 💪Successfully built three PT businesses (one in Essex, Shoreditch and City) 💪Secured exclusivity to operate TRUTH from The Devonshire Club, EC2 💪Hired 20+ PTs and coaches (and fired a few) (I am not even the most experienced coach on my team!) These will save you thousands of 💵and hundreds of hours of ⌚ 1. Don't choose a coach because they're the cheapest. You know it's a bad choice 2. Don't choose a coach who changed careers three years ago for a better lifestyle 3. Don't choose a coach because they transformed themselves (it's irrelevant) 4. Don't choose a coach without tons of social proof 5. Don't choose a coach if you have old injuries, need accountability from a human expert Tag any amazing personal trainers and health coaches I should follow below...

One in Ten What do you do if the goal is to lift a 10kg weight 10 times? Or to get 10% of children in Wales (approx 54,000) to play tennis regularly? The most obvious thing to do might be to begin by breaking down the task at hand – lift a 10kg weight once, or get a few schools to start incorporating tennis into their PE lessons. But, what if our weightlifter focussed on something bigger, more inspiring, like lifting 100kg once? What would happen? The goal of the Athletic Skills Model is to give focus to the idea that there are 10 physical skills that a child should master. The one most of interest in this example is: Throw, catch, hit and aim Sports include: Squash Badminton Cricket Softball Rounders Padel Table Tennis What if all these sports could coordinate their resources to ensure all kids in Wales spent a share of their time in the year, hitting, throwing, catching, and aiming using ONE generic activity, like street racket, for example? It’s hard to imagine that the shared learnings from that coordinated action would not bring significant change, cooperation, and a positive experience for children in Wales. Rather than focus on what seems important, focus on something bigger, and let it teach you. Here is the next Coach Camp event – if you know a coach in Wales involved in sports who is ready to think bigger than themselves, please share this link. Tx Link to event: https://lnkd.in/eaeFXNwA Link to blog: https://lnkd.in/ezXQpcKC

# About Us Cristian M. Fernández Martínez Broad experience as a Rehab Coach in English Football being part of different Coaching Staffs and Medical Departments [Wolves FC, Watford FC, Everton FC, Newcastle United FC, Hull City AFC,…]. Worked as Fitness Coach in Spain and actively involved in University Lecturing in the area of Sports Rehabilitation. Being immersed in many elite contexts with high-level players and professionals has provided a great comprehension of an elite athlete’s requirements. The most important thing is the footballer and being available to compete in the best possible conditions should be the main target. The aim is to reach an optimal preparation that allows to fully exploit the skills as a player and withstand the high demands of the game and current training methodologies with minimal risk of injury. #Football #RehabCoach #FitnessCoach #FootballPerformance #InjuryPrenvention #Rehabilitation

I finally used qualification … well, I have been for a while 💭 Making a Difference in Community Rugby Coaching! 🏉 When I started coaching underrepresented teams in community rugby, I quickly realized the challenges we faced. Resources were limited, and at times, we lacked fully rounded coaches. It was clear that in order to provide the best coaching experience, I needed to step up and embrace my attribute of always seeking professional development … I made a conscious decision to not just attend coaching courses but to also enhance my skill set with additional certificates. One area I focused on was strength and conditioning. My primary goal was to support women and older men venturing into a new sport, as they are often the ones left behind in traditional coaching setups. I became a qualified strength and conditioning coach! I'm proud to say that I achieved my goal and ambition with this qualification. During sessions, I was able to implement tailored programs and provide support to my players of my experience with an effective S&C plan. One highlight was creating a program for Christopher Pezet President of the Melbourne Chargers Rugby Club who is preparing for the Bingham Cup in Rome, Italy this year. Sometimes, it's the little things that make the biggest difference. It doesn't always require a significant amount of effort, but rather a willingness to dedicate some of your own time to ensure we're providing the best possible experience for our players. We can all still back Rugby Australia and support where we can too. NB: He survived the session 😅 #RugbyCoaching #CommunitySports #StrengthAndConditioning #DiversityInSports #Inclusion #MakingADifference #SportsDevelopment #PreparationIsKey #BinghamCup #DEI #Wellbeing #MentalHealth #Coaching #Belonging #GayRugby #WomensRugby

Everyone's been writing about football, and I've made some really interesting observations the last few weeks. English top-flight football sucks because English grass-roots football sucks. If we treated our businesses like we do our football teams, we'd be very poor, very fast. https://lnkd.in/eZ3qbXg2 #football #business #coaching #grassroots

The Emotional Journey of Coaching Youth Sports Saying goodbye to a young athlete can be heartbreaking for coaches. In this video, we share a touching story of five years of dedication and the bittersweet moment when a talented player moves on to bigger opportunities. Discover the emotional side of coaching and building lasting bonds. #YouthSports #CoachingLife #EmotionalJourney #Sportsmanship #CoachStories #AthleteDevelopment #ParentInvolvement #YouthAthletics #BuildingBonds #LifeLessons

"Celebrating our Paralympics Coaches on Teachers' Day! You teach resilience, adaptability, and determination. You show us that with hard work and heart, anything is possible. As we look at our performance in Paralympics 2024, we're grateful for your tireless efforts to help our athletes soar. Thank you for being their guiding lights! #Paralympics2024 #CoachesMatter #TeachersDay #ParaSports"

As a Performance Coach sometimes the perception is that we work primarily with high end performers. However, Nicks comments here are a great example of how we can use performance coaching to help children develop as individuals. In this case setting up the right environment and challenges to nurture individuals in their development.

From the work we have been doing with the Irish Rugby Union set-up it's clear that balancing elite sport with education presents unique challenges for young athletes. The pressure to excel in both arenas can lead to intense psychological stress, where the fear of underperformance in one area impacts the other. As competition grows fiercer, the demands on time and energy make it difficult for these athletes to fully engage in their studies or enjoy the typical experiences of youth. It’s crucial we foster environments that support not just their athletic development, but also their mental health and academic growth, ensuring they have the tools to succeed both on and off the field. #wholepersondevelopment #Dualpathway