It's great to have Coaching Conversations return after a bit of a break, this time meeting Vanessa Keenan. Vanessa is a Synchronised Swimming Coach based in Canada and was last year named on the CoachSeek Top 50 Influential Coaches for 2015. You can find more of her work at her website, The Online Synchro Coach, or her YouTube channel. 

The effect of physical and academic stress on illness and injury in Div 1 College Football players
- weeks of the season categorized into three levels:
1. High physical stress (eg. preseason)
2. High academic stress (eg. weeks scheduled with exams)
3. Low academic stress (eg. regular season, no exams)
- Results:
A) Odds of injury restriction greatest during high physical stress
B) Odds of injury restriction during high academic stress are double that of low academic stress
C) Difference in injury rates in all athletes for high physical stress and high academic stress disappeared if only consider those playing, suggesting high academic stress may have increased effect on playing athletes

Championship coaching starts with relationship building, Dr Wade Gilbert, on ASEP
- Relationships a top priority
- Jill Ellis US Women's Soccer lauded for her open and honest communication style. Emphasis on learning to connect with players in a way meaningful to them
- Steve Kerr of Golden State Warriors: Xs and Os is relatively small part of coaching, 80% is relationships and atmosphere
- Building relationships is an act of courage - the courage to be vulnerable

Hidden Brain Podcast, Episode 22. Originals with Adam Grant, on NPR
- Differece between the great and the ordinary isn't that the great have great ideas, but simply have more.
- Greatest originals are those who failed the most because they tried the most - not that originals have higher hit rates, just more volume with more variety so have a better chance of success
- Many people fall in love with their first idea, which are often the most conventional. You need to weed out the familiar to get to the original. Furthermore, it is hard to judge own findings - need to put our ideas out there for judgement and feedback.
- Fostering creativity = values over rules. High standards.
- Rules = people learn to follow and accept status quo.
- Downside to originality = too much of a good thing and everyone marching in different directions. "Pioneers need settlers".

A coaching system that will help you C the light, on connectedcoaches
- 5 main elements: Connection, Confidence, Competence, Character and caring, creativity
- Jon Woodward = on connections "You have to relate to the person and the sport. If there's no connection there, there will be very little development".
- STEPS framework = Space, Task, Equipment, People, Speed

Let the creative sparks fly, with Richard Cheetham, on connectedcoaches
- Create an environment where it is safe to fail
- Players take ownership and devise/adapt sessions
- 3 stages = Discover, Develop, Consolidate
- Environment where they make mistakes and learn from them encourages them to be robust and resilient
- "Direct instruction equals less coaching"

Formal vs Informal Coach Education, by Mallett et al, 2009
- Ongoing issue about most efficient and effective means of aggregating and accrediting the coach's varied learning experiences.
- Research has shown that coach ed/accred is less valued than experiential learning and other less formal opportunities
- Learning mediated by Knowledgeable Other so learners have less control over what is delivered and learned.
- Debate of F vs In has little value as coaches need access to varying educational opportunities
- Growing evidence that coaches "feel" more learning taking place in informal situations

Formal, Nonformal and Informal Coach Learning: A Holistic Conceptualization, by Nelson et al, 2006
- Formalised learning episodes were found to be relatively low impact endeavours when compared to informal, self-directed modes of learning

Sources, topics and use of knowledge by coaches, by Stoszkowski and Collins, 2015
- Results revealed coaches preferred coaching knowledge from informal learning activities, especially with social interaction.

Emotional intelligence integral to becoming a great coach, on connectedcoaches
- Emotions drive thoughts, thoughts drive behaviour, behaviour drives performance
- The more you know your player, the better you can coach them.
- Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand and control emotions to be able to perform to absolute potential (Catherine Baker)
- A key term in Emotional Intelligence is Self-Awareness.
- Top tips:
1. Understand your EI make up
2. Work on behavioural agility
3. Reflect!
4. Practice adapting behaviour to the person you are coaching.

Kate Boyd is a cheer leadership coach — giving cheerleading coaches the expertise and know-how they need to competently and confidently build their teams. She cheered from junior high to college and has coached on nearly every side of the industry — all-star, recreation league, high school, and camp instruction. Through Kate Boyd Cheerleading, she provides practical, online resources that fit into coaches’ busy lifestyles so they can build the program they want and give their teams the season they deserve. In 2015, she was named one of the 50 most influential coaches by CoachSeek.


Did you compete in cheer originally? If so, how did you find the transition from athlete to coach?
I started as a gymnast then switched to cheerleading when I realized I wasn't going to the Olympics so thought I might as well spend some time with my friends and keep up my skills. I cheered from junior high to college and completely fell in love with it. I started coaching it early on in high school, and I found it a little challenging to switch from athlete to coach. I had to learn to teach what I knew and not just do it. It was difficult at first, but after a couple of years it came a lot more easily as I watched others teach, which I did obsessively, and starting learning more of the mechanics of the things that came naturally to me.

What lessons did you learn along the way that are important to your coaching today?
I learned that you always have something to learn and I learned that establishing boundaries is very important. One of my first coaching jobs out of high school was for my alma mater. So I was coaching old peers. It made it very tricky, but we came through after a rough patch. That taught me that healthy boundaries and good communication are the key to just about everything.

You say Heart + Vision + Know-how = Hero. What made you settle on these ingredients? 
I took a little inspiration from Coach Taylor and Friday Night Lights here, but I really believe it's true. You need the heart, the passion, the desire to be better at what you do for your team. You need vision, a clear picture of the future of your program and your goals, especially what you want for the character of your athletes. And you need know-how, credibility, and coaching skills to make it happen. When you put those together you end up becoming the kind of coach people remember because you make a difference in people's lives, and those are the coaches I love working with.

How would your athletes describe you as a coach?
I haven't coached athletes in a few years, but I think they would say focused, creative, and passionate.

You mention running a practice, teaching stunts effectively etc which all require excellent communication skills. What do you think are the key things to keep in mind when communicating with and coaching athletes?
I think it's most important to communicate expectations at all times, and it's important to consider your goal when communicating. Are you trying to inspire, educate, inform, or something else? Then you can frame the communication properly. 

You describe travel as your number one hobby. Why is this? Do you think it has had any impact on you as a person and as a coach?
I can't explain my love for traveling. It's just been one of those desires that I've had since a child. Recently, I've had the opportunity to travel to quite a few places, and I absolutely love it and want more! It has certainly had an impact on me as a person to be someone who has more grace for others and focuses on what's important long-term and not just what seems important in the moment. 

Your website kateboydcheerleading is aimed towards helping coaches - what were you seeing out there that made you feel you could be of assistance? 
I was a rare case that was able to coach cheerleading part-time at a school. Many coaches I encountered were full-time teachers who happened to be cheerleading coaches, and many of those were handed cheerleading whether they had experience or not. I knew that I had a unique combination of skills that could help them with their trouble spots as a professional communicator, skilled teacher, and tech-savvy person. So they could get the education they desired from their home or their classroom in an affordable format.

Your website helps to educate coaches. Is there any form of official/formal Coach Education within the sport of cheerleading?
There are a few safety certification programs for school coaches through National Federation of State High School Associations and American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors. However, these aren't required or formal. All-star coaches have their own certification programs through the US All-Star Federation that are level-specific, and this is a very formal process.

Are there any common themes that you see younger and less experienced coaches seem to struggle with?
Younger and inexperienced coaches tend to struggle to get organized at first, especially for such a long season. They usually have a lot of questions about stunts and they are encountering cheerleading parents--famous for their passion--for the first time. So they're learning to communicate, teach, and be administrative which can be tough all at once.

Interesting that you released your Guide to Problem Parents. I'm sure this is something coaches in all sports have struggled with at times. It mentions, among other things, how you introduce yourself, expectations of both you and them too. I know of a few schools and Academies within Rugby here in the UK that run parent forums to do a similar thing and it works really well. Why do you think it is so important to establish that 'working relationship' with parents?
Most of the time in cheerleading, you're relying on parents to get your athletes to and from events, practices, and games, and you need their permission for their child to participate. So it's important to have them on the same page from the beginning and also try to establish a relationship with them so they trust you and want to work with you rather than against you.

Really enjoyed one of your blogs called "3 Keys to Your Parent Plan", think it would be a good read for any coach who works with young athletes. Particularly agree with the points of over-communication and trust. Do you think there is any aspect of dealing with parents that you still need to work on and improve?
I think there is always room for improvement! I'm not always the best connector and tend to shy away from reaching out without a good reason, but I still worked on it because I know it's important for me and for athletes to have solid parent relationships.

Don't Decide Like Martians, on psychologyblog.com
- The most common team decision strategy (voting) is probably the worst
- Team decisions have competing agendas and interpretations
- 3 options for decision making: Leader decides; team broker action to reflect the desires of members; vote.
- Vote puts huge social pressure to conform, therefore if using voting then confidentiality is key

The Coach's Coach, on hmmrmedia
- Becoming a better coach is more than methods
- Find a mentor, observe then build a bridge between theory and practice
- Art of coaching not just about training methods but communication and understanding athletes
- Nothing replaces experience
- In the end you have to try to do it yourself. The trouble is in knowing how you are doing.
- Everyone needs a coach

Secret Ingredients of Great Coaching, on Changing the Game Project
- Coaching is a RELATIONSHIP business
PERFORMANCE = (POTENTIAL + BEHAVIOUR) - INTERFERENCE
- Too many coaches ignore 'interference'
- Trust is the secret ingredient of great coaching.
- Steven R Covey: characteristics of high trust teams include:
Common purpose and values; Respect; Commitment; Resiliency; Love which decreases fear; Few discipline issues; Intrinsically motivated players; celebrate each other's success
- Coaches must intentionally build trust in team
- Coaches need to be worthy of trust, coach the person not the sport
- Trust works by Blanchard, Olmstead and Lawrence:
ABILITY / BELIEVABILITY / CONNECTEDNESS / DEPENDABILITY

What a Fighter Pilot Can Teach About Teamwork and Focus, on inc.com
- Feel the fear, do it anyway
1. 80% is good enough. 80% of the information is enough, follow up and follow through
2. Prioritize. Three priorities is enough
3. Deal with fear. Question is not whether you will fail but how you will respond to it.
4. Trust
5. Focus. Simple statement of purpose, adaptability easier if everyone is oriented to one singular purpose.

Why Organisations Don't Learn, on internettime.com
- Real Learning features:
* Destigmatize making mistakes
* Embrace growth mindset
* Avoid attribution bias
* Don't work to exhaustion
* Take frequent breaks
* Take time to think
* Encourage reflection
* Leverage your strengths
* Know the person

Knowing How You Decide is as Important as the Decision, on nymag.com
- Traditional research = keeping options open ultimately makes you less happy with your choice. It is better to choose and move on with it.
- New Research = reversible decisions can still make you happy. Depends on what type of decision maker you are.
There are two types:
1. MAXIMIZERS - concerned with making BEST decision having considered every option
2. SATISFICERS - know what they want, find an option that meets that criteria then pick and move on
- Satisficers tend to be happier with choices
- New research (R Shiner) indicates Satisficers happier with permanent decision, Maximizers happier knowing they can change their mind. This suggests, at least for little things, Maximizers better off recognizing tendencies around decision making and adjust accordingly
- Key to better decision making may be understanding how you make decisions

Reflective Practice, on SCUK
- Reflective Practice basically = thinking/reflecting on what you do
- Difference between casual and purposeful thinking - making considered and cognitive effort to consider and recall what happened, the part you played and your view against it as coach with expected outcome
- Reflective Practice is a conduit for experiential learning. A PURPOSEFUL and COMPLEX process that facilitates the examination of experience by questioning whole self within context of practice
- Reflective Practice transforms experience into learning
- Must develop critical thinking and open mindedness

Establishing Athlete Behaviour Standards, on ASEP.com
- Athlete behaviour should be evaluated against flexible team standards, not rules
- John Wooden = equal treatment is not equitable treatment
- Rules punish negative behaviour whereas Standards promote positive behaviour
- Urban Meyer has a three-tier system:
BLUE LEVEL = entry level for all. Lowest status and fewest earned privileges. eg No unexcused absence from class
RED LEVEL = show record of good academic performance and adherence to team standards. Earnt more freedom and trust.
GOLD LEVEL = shown they desire to be treated like 'grown men'
His coaches meet weekly to review and move athletes up or down the levels.

54 Mistakes of a Start-Up CEO, cbinsights.com
- Always work on culture
- Work with employees to draw up a 'Culture Code'
- 1v1 feedback is crucial
- 360 degree feedback: open forum to question 'leader' as well as others
- focus on a good onboarding process for new people

Edward de Bono '6 Thinking Hats'
White = information, data, facts
Yellow = the positive view
Black = caution, difficulties and dangers
Red = feelings, intuition and emotion
Green = creativity and new ideas
Blue = process control, summaries and conclusions

Coaching Cues That Actually Work, stack.com
3 aspects of coaching:
i) Instruction and Feedback = two ways, cue body and movement process or reference action outside the body. The latter is far superior
ii) Practice Design = effectiveness of random practice. Try to include 'purposeful struggle' so that players learn to overcome the struggle
iii) Intrinsic Motivation = Tap into self-determination theory. 3 components Autonomy (give them choice), Self-Efficacy (more powerful if athlete comes up with own coaching cue) and Social Interaction

5 Lessons I've Learned as a Performance Analyst, on thevideoanalyst
1. Network
2. Don't waste time with doubters
3. Push hard and know when to stop talking
4. Don't forget the basics
5. Value your work

Rich Shuttleworth Saracens CPD
- give players time outs that they can call
- Feedback crucial to player improvement, ensure it is positive
- Don't be an artificial stimulus (eg huddle to highlight what they are not doing)
- Focus on principles (eg go forward and support) rather than patterns
- Use of analogies helps learning - eg support runners 'keep the heart alive'
- Focus on core skills like awareness, decision making and scanning
- Don't worry about execution, focus on the decision making

Reflection as a coach development tool, on coachgrowth
- Reflection helps turn experience into knowledge
- Reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action
- Helps to improve WHAT and HOW
- Reflection consolidates understanding of problem and helps you to invent better solutions
- Critical Incidents: cause coach to understand event by examining underlying trends and motives
- APPRECIATION - ACTION - REAPPRECIATION
or
IDENTIFICATION - SIMILARITIES? - FRAME AND REFRAME - CONSEQUENCES OF SOLUTIONS - CONSEQUENCES DESIRED
or
DESCRIBE - INFORMING - CONFRONTING - RECONSTRUCTING

Understanding the Experience, by Peter Jackson on ijebcm
- Reflection works because it helps to:
i) Balance learning by experience and generate new learning
ii) Objective stance
iii) Perspective of overall goals in relation to actions
iv) Develop capability to react more quickly and effectively to future challenges

Reflective Practice, by Cropley et al (2012) on SCUK
- Coaches operate in complex social and ambiguous environments
- Role is beyond prep for athletes to managerial, admin etc all underpinned by ability to develop and manage interpersonal relationships
- Many approaches to learning are valued to help coaches develop theoretical and practical knowledge required to be sensitive to, and better cope with, the peculiarities, intricacies and ambiguities of coaching
- We don't habitually learn from experience but instead experience has to be examined, analyzed and considered to shift knowledge
- NGBs should create opportunities for coaches to reflect with others

Reflecting on Reflection by Knowles et al (2006) on tandfonline.com
- too often reflection has a negative focus. Reflect on positive and negative experiences that also consider competitive process and their role within it

Reflective Practice by Irwin et al (2005) on tandfonline.com
​- most important resource to coach development is a mentor

The following was written for Coach Logic and the original can be found at:
​
http://www.coach-logic.com/the-4-key-elements-to-coaches-communicating-effectively/

KEY ELEMENTS TO COACHES COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

​Communication is crucial to all aspects of coaching and it is my belief that it needs to be carefully considered and continually reviewed by a coach. It is one area of my coaching that I constantly focus upon, not just in terms of coaching cues and how I can create the best learning environment for my players, but also how I can engage them as both people and players so as to ensure that they feel valued and have a clear understanding of my thought process.

Respected coach Allistair McCaw tweeted earlier this year:

“Clear and well understood communication is key in the successful working relationship of athlete and coach” – @allistairmccaw, 10/03/2015.

Below I have listed some points that I strive to address on a regular basis.

What am I saying / What are they hearing?

Every coach has had sessions where whatever they planned just doesn’t seem to be working – the players aren’t quite reacting in the way you had hoped they might. Of course there could be a number of reasons for this, however it is always worth considering that players aren’t necessarily hearing the message that you think you are saying. It is crucial to know your players in a training environment – how do they normally react? How do they learn best? Is there anything I could say, do or demonstrate differently to get them to the point that I want them to reach?

Remember – there are many roads to the same destination. Sometimes they will be the ones you mapped out in advance; sometimes you’ll have to work out the best route on the fly.

Know the person behind the player

The player is made up of a variety of experiences, decisions and relationships both on and off the pitch. Knowing them as a person creates a far stronger bond and also puts you in a better position to have a positive impact as a coach. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone necessarily needs to be treated the same way – strive to create a team of individuals working in unison rather than multiple versions of the same individual. If you get to know them, understand their experiences and have an idea of how they see the sport and the world in general, then you are better placed to know how to treat them if they have a bad game, or show up late, or their performance stagnates, or they lose interest etc etc. Take the time and you’ll see/feel the benefits.

Treat players with honesty and respect

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou

Force yourself to not just make the tough decisions but to follow this up by having the tough conversations. This is particularly true for team selection. Personally, I don’t believe that players should be left confused by your actions as a coach – they may not agree, they may not be happy, but they should have a clear understanding of what has led you to that decision. Furthermore, you should be there to support them to help them reach the level of performance that you want to see.

The quote above, from Maya Angelou, is one that I use for motivation to ensure that I treat my players with enough respect to have the uncomfortable conversations that can help them in the long run.

Encourage players to speak up and give feedback

This is not a dictatorship. Encourage players to question you and to provide both positive, or negative, feedback. Leave your ego at the door and focus on improving their performance. If they question you, they are at least thinking about the game in some more detail. Communication is a two-way process and we should all be striving to create ‘thinking players’. You can’t do it for them on the pitch – they need to be able to make decisions for themselves at the correct times and under pressure. An environment that encourages and values their input increases their engagement, understanding and sense of responsibility for performance.