National Coaching Certification Program

1. National Coaching Certification Program Planning a Practice

2. Structuring a Practice

3. Who are my athletes? What are the logistics of my practice? What are the safety risks, and how should I prepare for them? My Practice Plan What abilities and skills does my sport require? What am I trying to accomplish with my practice? How will I deliver my practice? How am I going to organize my practice?

4. Key Elements • Introduction 2-3 min. • Warm-up 13-25 min. • Main Part 30-60 min. • Cool-down 5-10 min. • Conclusion 3-5 min.

5. Introduction Purpose: Greet athletes and let them know what will be taking place Before practice begins: Beginning of practice: Review goals and the activities planned for the practice Give safety instructions • Inspect facilities • Organize equipment • Greet each athlete • Assess each athlete’s energy level

6. Warm-up Purpose: prepare the body for the efforts of the main part General warm-up: Specific warm-up: Brief activities that mimic the movements of the main part Gradual increase in intensity that will not tire the athlete Quick transition to main part • Loosen muscles • Warm body temperature • Progressive stretching

7. Main Part Purpose: perform activities that will help athletes improve sport-specific abilities and fitness Three or more activities linked in proper order: • Challenge athletes so they can learn and improve while enjoying themselves • Athletes involved most of the time • Allowed lots of practice of each activity • Appropriate for the age, fitness, and ability levels of the athletes and are relevant to the sport

8. Cool-down Purpose: begin recovery process • Gradual decrease in intensity • Stretching, especially of muscles most used

9. Conclusion Purpose: debrief athletes and tell them about the next practice or competition • Provide and ask for feedback • Tell athletes about the next practice or competition • Lead team cheer

10. Planning for Safety

11. Risk Management • Environmental Risks • Weather • Equipment and Facilities Risks • Quality and operating conditions • Human Risks • Athletes (characteristics, and behaviour) • Parents, coaches, officials, and event organizers

12. Risk Management

13. Preventing Sport-Related Injuries: What to Do and When to Do It

14. Preventing Sport-Related Injuries: What to Do and When to Do It

15. Heat Injuries • Give sufficient time to adjust to the environment • Wear protective clothing/lotions • HYDRATE (before, during, after)

16. The Humidex Relative Humidity (%) Temperature (°C)

17. Heat Guidelines • Above 30°C : • Bring extra water • Wear light weight clothing • Low intensity, shorter activities • Practice early morning or in the evening • Shaded areas, indoors • Alternatives

18. Cold Injuries • First Layer: close fitting • Second layer: slight room between 1st and 3rd • Third layer: wind breaking/water repellent • Practice between 11am and 2pm • Allow additional time to warm up • HYDRATE (before, during, after)

19. Wind Chill Wind Velocity(km/h) Temperature (°C)

20. Frostbite

21. Emergency Action Plan (EAP) • Who is in charge if an emergency occurs • Have a cell phone/spare change • Know emergency phone numbers • Medical profile of each athlete • Directions for EMS • First aid kit • Designate a call person (to call 9-1-1)

22. Emergency Action Plan (EAP) • Step 1: Control the environment so no further harm occurs • Step 2: Do an initial assessment of the situation • Step 3: Do a second assessment of the situation • Step 4: Assess the injury • Step 5: Control the return to activity • Step 6: Record the injury on an accident report form and inform the parents

23. Head Injuries & Concussions • A concussion is an injury to the brain that results from a hit to the head or to another part of the body that allows the transmission of impact forces to the head • A concussion manifests itself as a temporary alteration in mental state it may also be accompanied by physical symptoms

24. Concussions • Direct blow to the head, face, jaw, or neck • Collisions from the blind side or hits from behind • Hard fall on the buttocks or a whiplash effect • Poor quality of protective sport equipment (shock absorption), failure to wear protective head equipment, or improper adjustment of such equipment • The environment • Significant differences in the skill level, age, or size of athletes involved in activities with physical contact or risk of impact • Poor physical condition or insufficient strength in the neck and upper-body musculature

25. Concussions • Headache • Dizziness • Loss of consciousness • Nausea • Lethargy • Memory loss • Confusion or disorientation • Vacant stare • Lack of focus • Ringing in the ears • Seeing stars or flashing lights • Speech impairment • Balance impairment • Problems with sight A person can suffer from a concussion without losing consciousness

26. Concussions • Arrange to have transportation to emergency department of nearest hospital • Do not allow athlete with any symptoms to return to play • Do not leave athlete alone and continually monitor • Return (with medical consent) should be gradual and the athlete should be constant re-evaluated

27. Concussions • Step 1: No activity, complete rest • Step 2: Low-intensity, continuous exercise • Step 3: Low-intensity, sport-specific activity without contact • Step 4: Moderate-intensity, sport-specific training activities without contact • Step 5: Regular practice with body contact (if required) • Step 6: Return to regular training and competition

28. Coach Liability Coaches, at all times, have a legal obligation to provide a safe environment for athletes

29. Negligence • Behaviour or action that falls below a “reasonable standard of care” • A coach’s conduct is negligent when all four of the following occur: • A duty of care exists (such as the one that exists between a coach and an athlete) • That duty imposes a standard of care that the coach does not meet • An athlete or some other person experiences harm • The failure to meet the standard of care can be shown to have caused or substantially contributed to the harm

30. Standard of Care • Written standards • Unwritten standards • Case law • Common sense

31. Liability • Responsibility for the consequences of negligent conduct • Responsibility may lie with the coach who was negligent or with another person or entity

32. Risk Management • Retain • Reduce • Transfer • Avoid There is no template, formula, or checklist for managing risk. The law expects coaches to provide a safe environment for athletes, but what that means for a coach’s conduct will vary with circumstances, including athletes’ age and skill level and the environment where the coaching activity occurs.

33. Risk Management • Adhere to standards • Monitor athletes • Keep adequate medical supplies on hand • EAP • Inspect facilities and equipment • Develop liability waivers • Liability insurance policy • Do not be afraid to stop or withdraw from activity • Common sense and intuition • Pursue professional development and certification

34. Designing Activities for Practices

35. Risk Management The activities you choose The way you run each activity The goal of the activity The sport The athletes you coach

38. Skill Development • Athletes should progress through predictable stages • The time and amount of practice necessary to progress from one stage to the next can vary greatly from one athlete to another

39. Skill Development

40. Skill Development • It may take months or even years of practice for an athlete to reach the Refinement stage of skill development. • The vast majority of athletes will never reach the Creative Variations stage. • At the introduction level coaches should focus on ensuring the fundamentals and that the athlete can perform them in a variety of situations and conditions

41. Planning Guidelines • Athletes’ need should guide the goals you have for the practice • Ensure goals are adapted to the needs of the athletes and that the conditions in which these activities take place also match the athletes’ capabilities • The most effective activities/task, types of practice, or practice condition may vary with the skill to be learned • Athletes can perform the tasks: • Whole, or parts of it • Many repetitions without rest, with rest • Predictable order or in a random order

42. Athletic Abilities

43. Speed • Dynamic • Maximal or near maximal • Short repetition • Rest long enough to allow sufficient recovery • Rest periods of light activity • Low repetitions • Good warm up • Beginning of the main part of the practice

44. Speed-Endurance • Dynamic • Slightly below maximum speed • Rest long enough to allow sufficient recovery • Rest periods of light activity • Good warm up • Should take place before the athletes are tired

45. Aerobic Stamina • Dynamic using large muscle masses • Sport itself can be used • Must be sustained for a few minutes • Moderate intensity • Continuous or intermittent • Fatigue may occur • Athlete should be active at all times

46. Coordination • Sequence of actions in a coordinated manner • Level of difficulty varies with movement type • General or sport specific • Basic motor pattern should be mastered before complex • Focus on specific body parts • Ensure sequence is correct (neuromuscular pathways) • Various directions (weaker side) • Challenge by: • Increasing speed • Adding new movements • Modifying the order • Combining actions • Adding restrictions

47. Balance • Some coordination or general motor development activities may contribute • Requires conditions of normal movements in unusual positions • Use of balance equipment • Athletes must lower their centre of gravity

48. Flexibility • Preceded by a light warm up involving continuous, dynamic efforts • With or without a partner • Muscles stretched in a controlled, gradual manner • Breathe slowly and deeply • Performed on both sides • Exercise repeated 2-4 times per practice session • Quick, sudden movement should be avoided • Cool-down period a good time

49. Strength • Localized muscle masses using body weight • Athletes should avoid heavy loads • Speed should be moderate and controlled • Avoid overloading the spine

50. Tactics • Imitate competitive or real-play situations • Athletes must have a clear understanding of the desired objective • The situation should have some degree of uncertainty • Encourage creativity • Performed at game speed • Make the athletes think critically