While I am there, I am going to be helping with the Jr Boys soccer team. Today was my first time with them and it was enjoyable. I am going to use this time to learn how to be a good assistant, something I've never really had to do. Both coaches are full time teachers and it's only right to respect their place in the school and be helpful in the background and step up when asked.
It's nice in this case because the coach is Loris Lucchetta, the person I work with on Welland's U17 boys. Keeping the circle tight, I guess.
Today we worked on 1v1 defending. The practice plan laid out by the coach was solid and he showed maturity by altering it when he realized he would have to introduce a totally different topic to make his one step work. It's never a bad thing to alter your plan if it makes the session better for the players.
It's very early in this team's life. The session had a diagnostic tone to it, seeing where the boys stood in terms of knowledge and technique. They have a lot of work to do.
Coaching while at a school makes the experience so much better for me as a teacher. You make new connections with students, hopefully making their own school experience more memorable.
High School coaches fill a VERY important role in transforming youth soccer players into players for life. A definite challenge for a coach-teacher is to keep their cool during games. You're still in your official role as a teacher and the players are students at your school, so every word and action are subject to review, questioning and potential discipline. You should always be a well behaved coach, the teaching designation just makes it an official requirement.
Next up for this group is Tuesday after school, when everybody returns from the Easter break.
No comments:
Post a Comment