How To Apply Your of Problem Solving Skills In Sport

Problem solving is a fantastic skill to have. It is also an invaluable quality to have when playing sport as it means you are able to anticipate situations well and know the correct action to take. Learning in a sport is also about understanding play. To improve you must be placed in the correct conditions. So here are  two main phenomenas that could help you heighten your problem solving skills:

Re-creation

When you are out practising during training session you should re-create situations in a drill or game to help you figure out how you can do better. For example when you aim to dribble the football past a defender and into the space behind and the defender intercepts the ball you need to create this situation again. Firstly because you have lost the ball it indicates you need to control better and keep the ball closer to your feet. Thus you need to LEARN and UNDERSTAND what you did incorrectly. But DO NOT PRACTICE what you did incorrectly as this can encourage bad habits. Nevertheless, by setting up the same occurrence over and over again it could train your thinking to better anticipate the movement the defender attempts to make in this instance and how you can proceed forward with the ball to avoid losing the ball.

Be Your Own Teacher

Sometimes the your best teacher is yourself. There are certain things you learn that can only be taught by you putting a large amounts of dedication, time and effort into the task. For instance a gymnast that aims to perfect his or her specific movement requires them to work out how to position their body comfortably enough to execute the movement as perfectly as possible. This requires trial and error to master the skill and teaching yourself to adapt a movement when the performance of a sequence goes wrong. When there are a series of  errors there is an opportunity to discover a new technique that you would not have used in other circumstances and work out when it is necessary to apply it.

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Looking For Sports Inspiration? Two Key Points To Consider

We all have our own personal reasons we love participating and competing in sport. Similarly, every individual is inspired by something or someone which plays a huge part to their interest and enjoyment of sport. Different people are inspired by different things. When it comes to finding inspiration as a sports participant, the themes that you should take a look at are: humour and building relationships.

Humour

The presence of humour opens the possibility for many positive experiences and a fun (positive) time in sport can inspire you to try harder. Humour through banter can turn out to be the number one reason you enjoy playing in your local Sunday football team and love being in the presence of your team mates.

Building Relationship

Build relationships with people directly (team mates/coach) and indirectly can give you inspiration by receiving praise, learning about individuals that you can relate to you and gain invaluable knowledge from.

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How To Create Better Understanding Between Team Mates

To create better understanding between team mates it is a good idea to welcome other ways of enhancing and accommodating the various patterns group dynamics can go through within one team. This blog post will outline how Team-Mate-To-Team-Mate-Mentoring can help you and your team. This may already have been adopted into the facility, club or classes you attend but could still be useful to learn more about it.

You always hear about teams speaking about having team spirit or using some kind of term to describe the togetherness within the team. Anybody who plays a team sport will know that without co-operation it is highly unlikely you will succeed. As a group of people who aim to achieve the same thing whether it is winning competitions/medals/prizes, having fun and/or developing as an athlete, you need to act as support systems for each other at some point. A study by Herrera (2004) showed that sports mentoring improved peer to peer relations and social skills; two components that are arguably useful in a team sport setting.  Sports Mentoring is quite common, where by a coach or an employed psychologists mentors players. Similarly, a strategy that perhaps has not been looked at much (as far as this blog is aware of) is Team-Mate-To-Team-Mate-Mentoring.

Team-Mate-To-Team-Mate-Mentoring is like per-to-peer-mentoring however it is set up for team mates. to mentor one another. It can be organised by a coach, teacher, club, activity leader, team captain or the team mates themselves. One way of structuring the scheme is for somebody responsible and respected by the group to lead it. The first task is to designate each individual with a team member they are responsible for mentoring. Team mates work in pairs.  It it is to the person in charge's discretion whether the same individuals mentor each other. Nevertheless, this blog would suggest that individuals mentor a different person to they are being mentored by. At the same time it is also important to match individuals that get along.

The first step to introducing it is to suggest it to the team as a whole to get an idea of hat their views are about the possibility of mentoring each other. The response may be negative or even non-existence at first. Inevitably there will be people who will be against anything like this due to dislike of certain team mates or genuinely believing it is not needed. Be prepared for criticism and try to address any concerns. If this is the case it is particularly important to perhaps invite professionals who are trained in mentoring. There are a number of charities who can offer assistance free of charge if money is an obstacle. This is may make it more likely that people become open to the idea when someone from the outside comes in and talks about the advantages of mentoring.

Depending on the group dynamics of the team the mentoring scheme can be casual   or a strategy implemented in the long term. It is advisable to organise it in the long term as Johnson (1998) study showed the positive outcomes of mentoring occurred over a long period of time. The basic aim of Team-Mate-To-Team-Mate-Mentoring is to heighten the camaraderie and relationship between team mates. It is also a method to build trust and encourage people to get to know each other a bit more in a social context.  This is especially beneficial for teams or training classes where individuals just turn up to train and disappear. It is additionally opportunity for individuals to disclose views in confidentiality. You must stress the condition of confidentiality if you decide a mentoring scheme is for your team . Of course there is not much wrong with that but there more team mates who play together can relate to each other this allows the possibility for it to be replicated on the game itself in terms of team work and support. It can also do wonders for the atmosphere during training sessions if it is applied successfully. 

The most important point to take from this blog is that it all has to be judged in the context of the nature of interaction and relationships among your team. Team-Mate-To-Team-Mate-Mentoring may not be for you and your team mates. But it is something worth exploring.

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How To Maintain & Increase Your Motivation To Keep Fit and Active

One of the hardest things about keeping fit and active is having the motivation to continue the effort you have put in. This often the situation when you are tired and/or you are seeing the progress that you expected. To give you an idea of how you can personally maintain your motivation take a look at the following:

1. Re-focus on what really motivates you. It is important that you continually remind yourself of the reasons because it can help you keep on track especially when you feel like giving up. If you are a person that is motivated by external expectations like medals and prize money you should consider re-living the experience of success and winning. For example by targeting challenges that you are likely to succeed in you can gain some confidence which then feeds you with the motivation to keep it going.

If you are someone internally motivated, i.e you are motivated by feeling fit/healthy, having fun and enjoying yourself you need to be in the conditions which create the possibility for the former. For instance when you enjoy the social aspect of physical activity it is best to find an environment (e.g. a fitness class) that is friendly and encourages interaction between yourself and others.      

2. Learn New Things

Seek to consistently learn new things because learning new things like how to master a Judo movement or how to physically condition yourself for high intensity period of competition is a way for you to develop. Learning gives you the tool and knowledge to improve. This can be very effective for your motivation levels when the application of what you have learned has produced the positive outcomes that you targeted.

3. Mentoring

Whenever you want to pursue something which requires long term dedication you are in need of support and some sort of a mentor. Having an individual that can mentor you throughout your involvement in physical activity can be a great motivator. The words of encouragement given to you is highly likely to give you a boost and belief in yourself. Although the role of the mentor can be taken by anyone who is supportive of you it is more beneficial when it is a Coach/Teacher directly involved with your participation as they will have a better understanding to your aims and concerns.

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How To Effectively Manage Your Communication With Team Mates

Your success in communicating effectively in team sports is about communicating to and with team mates.

So do you play a team sport like Football, Handball, Dodge ball, Floorball, Hockey or Netball? Then you will know that there are times where communication is absolutely non-existence for reasons ranging from disagreements on issues, lack of confidence, poor co-operation/team work and sporting culture. All of these can cause a break down in communication. Below are two points to think about to get your view across in a way that is effective. Good communication is important in any social context and this couldn't be more relevant in team sports where a player's ability to perform well is sometimes dependent on the communication of a fellow team mate. Get it right and you will see a better team effort and co-operation. Get it wrong then you risk increasing  low morale or failing to improve cohesion.

 

Communicating To Team Mates

Firstly, communicating effectively is about understanding and appreciating that certain team mates are more responsive to a certain approach. Communicating to your team mates relates to how, when, why and what information you pass on to your team mate when communicating. You may have a team mate (s) that doesn't listen to your sound suggestions no matter what. They may be stubborn or too arrogant to listen but you need to consider  is it perhaps the way you communicate that is the reason you cannot get the response that you expected? Because people like to be communicated to in a way that acknowledges their strengths. So you need to be sensitive to their personality, views and experiences. This will impact on how they communicate to you in return. In your team you may have an individual that likes to be respectfully be given advice that doesn't embarrass them in some way. In fact this can hurt their confidence if they have the perception that they are being picked on or being barricaded by a fellow team mate. It is not a good feeling. For an team mate like this it may be best to praise them as well as giving constructive criticism.

Communicating With Team Mates

Secondly, you need to listen carefully. This means that you sometimes need to communicate with team mates  by  sitting back and allowing them to interact with you. Part of communicating with individuals is also about learning  about the other person and to learn we must listen at some point. Communication is also about taking in information accordingly as well as giving information. Your team mates are much more likely to be open to your views if you listen to their concerns and opinions because then they can at least trust that you understand. The ability to listen well to your team mate and respond accordingly is a skill that can help you pick up cues about how to approach your team mate.

Flexy Sports Programme's First Year- There is Still Time To Be Part Our History

 

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The year 2010 has almost come to an end. In celebration of our launch for this year we have given discounts to people who have requested our services for the first time. It is available for both the 6 Week and 12 Week Flexy Sports Programme. It means that every individual participating in one of our programmes for the first time will be handed a number of sessions free of charge. Additionally, it is important to that as a member you are actually able to spend quality time playing and learning sport. There is nothing more annoying when the preparation of participating (getting changed to appropriate clothing and foot wear etc.) taking time out of your practical enjoyment. Which is the reason we also have a 15 minutes extra policy.   

As a result the responses to our many programmes have been extremely positive. We attribute this many things. The main reason is the good relationships we have managed to build within a short space of time. 10 months to be precise. We have built relationships with people who are directly and indirectly involved in our programmes: teachers, carers, mentors and sports co-ordinators in the schools we work with, the Youth Workers and young leaders in youth clubs, the children, young people, adults attending sessions in local communities and parents. But what has really been popular amongst the pupils is the exciting and dynamic experience they have been given through new sports like Handball being introduced to them and the familiarity of sports such as Football.

Like the majority of organisations we constantly monitor and evaluate how pupils are finding their experience. One of our key findings is related to the standard of our classes. Thus we are happy to report that 60% of people rated the sessions they had attended in a 6 Week Flexy Sports Programme as 'Very Good'. The figure for the 12 Week Programme was 65%.  The increased rating in the 12 Week Programmes is an indication that the longer the programmes last the more pupils enjoy it due to the additional quality sporting experience. We will announce the outcome of the rest of our results in the coming weeks on our website.

There is still plenty of time to experience the Flexy Sports programme and all the benefits that come along with it. We are confident that we can deliver the experience that you want. So if you are a school, charity, community group, a sporty individual or have children around the East London area and would like to join in on the fun then log on to our website and make a booking. There is still time to receive extra hours of physical activity before the offer ends by Christmas. The worse thing that could happen is people have a really good time.

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How To Maximise Your Employability As A Community Sports Coach

Here we discuss themes that will help you stand out as a Community Sports Coach. The following themes also give an idea of what organisations like the Run Fun Starz Group looks for in employing coaches. If you are serious about your employability you will consider the points discussed in detail.

As the practice of sports coaching is transforming to become more and more professional, recognized by institutes and accessible to members of the community. It is also becoming very competitive amongst Community Sports Coaches in the capital  as employers have a higher number of people to choose from. In 2007 the extensive market report Sports Coaching in the UK II written by Rosie Townend and Julian North showed that professional coaches account for 30% of the workforce. This is an increase from 19% in 2004. The majority of existing coaches are community coaches working with with children and young people. Thus the participant level of coaching is getting increasingly competitive. As you move up the ladder there is more room to manoeuvre in relation to the career options available to you and financial opportunities.

The UK Coaching Model

The first step to making yourself more attractive to potential employers is to prove your dedication to coaching. One way to do that is to have a record of volunteering. So if you are just starting out as a coach get going and volunteer as much as possible. You do not have to spend all day volunteering (although it would be good if you could) but sparing a couple of hours each week is reasonable. There are a lot of organisations and sports clubs such as Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics Club who would appreciate your offer to help out in training sessions. You must ensure that whilst you are volunteering that you are actually given some responsibility which involves practical coaching. It is not just about the fact that it looks good on your CV. Consequently, you could be missing out on vital experience. An example of an invaluable experience is the chance of coaching athletes and potential elite athletes. An experience like this shows that you have a some insight to how to coach at a higher level due to observation of senior coaches and through personal application.  

Its fantastic when you have coached a multiple number of sports because that shows flexibility and it is a great asset to have in any field of employment. Nevertheless, it is no good being able to work within so many contexts of sport development and coaching and failing to discuss or even state that you personally enjoyed it. A Community Sports Coach needs to enjoy coaching even more because this needs to reflect on to the children and young people involved in your sessions. It is common knowledge amongst coaches that fun is the most important factor for people being coached especially children. This is why you need to show that you actually enjoy what you do.

A community coach's career is very dynamic and the coaching hours offered can often be limited. As a result coaches are sometimes forced to seek employment from a number of organisations at one time to support themselves financially. Many employees appreciate this. You should use it to your advantage as it means you have acquired knowledge about best & effective practice, coaching skills, research and planning from different sources and employers. You should clearly state and demonstrate what you have learned as an employee from working with each previous or current company. Employers want you to bring the key elements that you have learned to the table to their organisation as this shows that you can develop personally, professionally and boost the expertise of their workforce. You can express what you have with a line on your CV and you can propose how you can apply it into their set up if it is desirable. 

As a coach you should always be prepared to enhance your personal and professional development because you never stop learning. New research and revamps of coach education is constantly occurring. You need to adapt to it and be willing to absorb the information relevant to you. Therefore your skills and experience have to be aligned with updates if you want to stay in contention for a position. Due to the ever approaching Olympics funding for coaching is expected to continue in London. Of the last government's funding made available to sports £60 was earmarked for sports coaching alone.

You are probably already aware that a huge amount of funds has already been invested into Coach Education. So you need to make sure you attend workshops like How To Analyse Your Coaching provided by Sports Coach UK and gain additional National Sports Governing Bodies coaching qualifications as the year progresses. Target particular courses you want to do each year. This blog would suggest at least gaining one qualification and attending one workshop each year.The courses and workshops can be  expensive but are largely worth it because they are so educational. But understandably in this economic climate it is difficult to find extra money to spend. Occasionally there are discounts and even courses and workshops offered free of charge. You can be informed of these offers by signing up for newsletters on sites like Pro-Active East London. Alternatively, join as a Sports Coach UK and/or National Sports Governing Body Member.

Finally building a good network of contacts you have previously worked with can help your prospects. So if you have done a really good job for an employee or even for an individual include them in your contacts. Add your contacts by storing them in your email account or by writing it down as a list of people who can further your claim to a position. It is best that the individual has credibility. For instance the opinions of  Managers or a person with a senior role within the company you worked for will hold more weight. This means you are more likely to have a high quantity of contacts as well as quality. The more positive contacts you have the better your employability should be. Thereafter, when are asked about references you now have a wider choice. You should seek to match the right contact for the right coaching position. For example if you have been asked for references from a charity that is looking for someone to coach week end Dodge Ball sessions to Under 8's give them references that can specifically talk about you effectively coaching Dodge Ball to that age group and within a similar community setting. It makes sense because it also should help your case that you are the right person they are looking for. Ensure you always ask for permission before using your contact as a reference.


The main points to take:


A. Volunteer as soon as possible, as much as possible. It shows dedication to your role.


B. Express your enjoyment of the job and what you get out of it. Show what makes you different.


C. Regularly update your practical skills and knowledge with more Coach Education


D. Use the appropriate contact/reference to enhance your case in being the right Community Coach


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How To Find A Suitable Place To Play Sports

One of the most difficult things for a female who is active and enjoys playing community sport is finding a place that meets your needs and expectations. This even more relevant within inner city areas like East London. Although some sports are more female friendly than others in general it is still a male dominated field. If you are seeking a place to play your favourite sport it can be particularly daunting when you have been a way from the sport for a long time. However, the most common barrier women and girls are faced with is the lack of regard for their provision, organisation and opportunities in sports. Thus if you are a woman or a young girl looking for somewhere to play regularly there a few signs you need to look out for and questions you need ask yourself to ensure that the environment is for you.

1. Safety & Security


Safety must always be your first concern. Facilities are required by law to provide safety for people. However in instances like returning from a training session late in the evening where the risks are higher for women and girls are still a possibility. Sport organisers are often very helpful when it comes to this so if you have any concerns by all means raise them. You have a right to feel safe. 

2. First Impressions

Consider your first impressions when you arrive to the facility. Is the person in charge present? When it is visible that an individual is in charge you can have some confidence that the activity is going ahead. Is the area of play set up accordingly and prior to your arrival? An area that is laid out shows that there is a preparation. Equally, you need to bare in mind that it may not have been set up by the time you arrive because the facility is occupied by another activity, sport, group or individual. Has the information provided to you prior to your arrival been useful/adequate? If the information given to you has been descriptive and beneficial it is a good sign that there are good procedures in place. It is helpful that you arrive to the sessions, classes, programmes or whatever activity you wanted to take part in with a clear idea of what you are letting yourself in for.

3. Do You Feel Welcomed?

Assuming you want to get the best out of yourself when you attend sports sessions you need to feel welcomed. Your enjoyment of your chosen sport is linked with enjoyment. Now this may not happen on the first day or even in the next coming classes. So do not give up straight away. It could take time before you feel 100% comfortable in your surroundings. This is because you are amongst strangers and getting used to the whole set up. Chances are that your counterparts are feeling exactly the same as you do. Relationships with strangers take time to build. Nevertheless, once you have settled in you could end up making some really good friends because of your shared interests.

4. Organisation

The overall organisation of the provision should be at a good standard. This involves that the turn out number is reliable and adequate. This is more significant if you want to play team sports/activities. Additionally, training should consistently begin and finish on time. In relation to consistency it is important that the Coach/Personal Trainer/Activity Leader is the same professional delivering the activities. Regularly organised competitions or participation shows a commitment to development and opportunity. 

5. Long-Term Aspirations

You should think about the long term standing of the group, organisation, club etc. If they are already established it is a huge advantage as you can be sure that there will be regular training session. You need explore their long term plans if you are looking for stability.  Will activities scheduled be on next week? At the same time this might not be an issue for you if only one-off or short-term provision is only available to you.  

6. What is your aim?

One of the most essential things you should find out before committing yourself are the aims and objectives of those hosting you. Do they fit in with yours? Are able to help you reach your goals by joining? How can they accommodate you? In fact are they willing to accommodate you? If the answer is yes then it is definitely worth trying out what they have to offer. 

7. Communication

A good communication avenue between you, the leaders and other individuals attending is beneficial. Most places use an email system to inform its players about forthcoming training sessions and updates. This lets you know that there is at least some system in place to let you know about future plans. It is always a good when people make the effort to keep you informed as they care about your contribution.

So keep all of the above seven points in mind to find a suitable place to playsports and do not be afraid to try different places until you find the right one for you.

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How You Can Overcome The 'I Can't Barrier'.

Female Gymnast - Has the confidence to get back up

Failing to run under a specific time is a disappointment for a sprinter after much preparation just like missing a weight loss target for an individual who seeks to improve their fitness. It is the cycle of trial and error that can cause you to quit all together. How do you get over that stumble block that always gets in the way when things are going pear shaped? It is a question that we come across in many aspects of our lives. When you attempt to bake a cake for the first time you might not get it right the first, second, third or even fourth time. Whilst your counter part bakes it perfectly in one go. I am sure you can think of the number of reasons for this.

In sport things not going your way can sometimes be a constant theme and if it carries on it  can become a struggle when you are not able to handle it.  Learning a new skill or approach can be extremely frustrating when things are not going positively for you. It is especially annoying when it seems as you have tried everything to get it right.  It may be easier for somebody experienced to over come it but even elite athletes are faced with this mental challenge. The perfectionist within you wants to it to be accurate all the time.

As person who wants to be fit and active you need to overcome this 'I Can't Barrier' to help you remain focused in adversity. There is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist but a lot of the times it is you who is putting yourself under too much pressure.

1. Consider the progress

When it comes to progress it is about making consistent progress that is vital. You need to be realistic and less naive regarding what is achievable by YOU within a certain period of time. So you may not have reached the results you wanted but your performance should be getting gradually better. Keep track of improvements and learn to take positives as much as the negatives. For example monitor your progress, if the100m sprint is your event you may not run under an aimed time in the initial week you had planned. However you may reach your target the next few weeks. This is something you should take heart from because you are improving. It is when the reverse is happening you should start worrying.

2. Do Things Better

When I refer to doing things better it involves assessing your strengths as well as your weaknesses. It is easy to point out what went wrong. For instance when you have been out of playing regular football for a few weeks, you are slowly getting back to fitness and thus target a specific game where you want to last at least 60 minutes on the field. You ended up not even making it to 40 minutes. What happened and what could you have done better as an athlete? Here the answer is probably lack of stamina which may also link back to needed to work longer on enhancing your core fitness. Hence it is not a question of what went wrong but what you could have done better. If you focus too much on how you do things went wrong there is a danger of believeing that you can't do it.

3. Ask For Help/Advice

Asking for help and advice is an opportunity to introduce fresh thoughts and perspectives.  You would be surprised by the number of people who fail to ask for help. Sometimes you need accept that you need assistance to reach your goals. Be open to asking for help and suggestions from friends, team mates and experts. A little piece of advice from even a parent can trigger a whole new idea you didn't previously think about. Take a situation where you know an individual who is good at keeping their composure when aiming for the basketball hoop but you have a problem with this. ASK THEM: what works for you? what do you do to keep relaxed before shooting? what do you think I could do better?  Sometimes you can become caught up in your own world and forget that there is actually plenty of information and people who are willing to help you out. 

4. Model

It can be effective to model an individual or group of people's methods and techniques. For example someone who does Judo and wishes to perfect their self defence technique in Kime No Kata may seek to model a master at this particular movement. If you do not  personally know  someone with this skill you could always research through books and manuals which should have illustrations and explanations of the movements. Alternatively, the Internet is full of video demonstrations. The person that is modelled does not have to be well known or indeed an elite athlete. It could be someone that you train with regularly.

You can overcome the I can't do it barrier by appreciating that you will have to pass through more trials and errors than you anticipated.You will gradually get there with persistence , consistency and hard work. Follow these four steps to help you get started. 




Good luck.

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