A First Jump into the S&C World…and Learning How To Land!
This blog article was written by Sarah Payne. She entered the competition to win one of 3 days passes to the UKSCA conference, and shares her reflections from the day here! Thanks to Sarah for writing this, as its such a great read and one many can benefit from!
How does driving 3 hours for an 8am start sound?
If I was asked this on a normal day, I’d say no thanks. Yet, when the opportunity came up to immerse myself in something I have a huge passion for, it was an easy “yes” and immediately applied for a sponsored place at the UKSCA conference from Dan Howells and Collaborate Sports, which I was lucky enough to be chosen for. I knew it would be an invaluable experience for someone mid-way through my S&C training and transitioning career paths, especially as I had listened to some of the speakers on various podcasts and already loved learning from them.
Writing this blog has also been a big part of my experience – reflecting in more depth on what challenged me, inspired me and what I would’ve done differently. If you’re an emerging coach, thinking about taking the step into the industry or just want an insight into the UKSCA conference day 1, I hope these reflections are helpful or at least food for thought!
Embracing the unknown!
It almost took me back to my younger self at the first day of school – arriving with the fear of not knowing anyone or understanding the content of the day (imposter syndrome strikes again!) but my excitement and inner-nerd quickly took over. I met Dan at the Hytro stand and was introduced to a few people, including one of his current mentees who also happened to be another female coach working in football. With only a handful of women there on day one, I felt really grateful for this introduction as I had someone to share most of the day with and bounce ideas off and I got a really good insight into her experiences as a female coach.
Prepare to learn but not overwhelm
With a day full of talks and workshops, I had made an intention to try and be present for each session whilst taking some notes/videos so I could process properly afterwards. Too much information can be overwhelming, so it was helpful to approach the day with no expectations but with hopes of sparking my curiosity, being exposed to different perspectives and making new connections. And, if I’m honest, give me some validation that my decision to take a risk and evolve/change my career path was the right one!
Learn by Doing
The day offered a good mix of practical workshops, talks and poster presentations. The best talks gave challenging, thought-provoking and some uncomfortable questions back to those listening and gave a ‘bigger picture’ insight. And just as athletes learn through repetition and rehearsing movements, I also gained a lot of value from the practical sessions.
We tend to teach what we most want to learn as that’s our passion, but you don’t know what you don’t know! So, I was mindful to explore some different topics or perspectives such as Animal Flow, The Athletic Shoulder System and Youth Sport as well as those that related to my background in football.
Movement not muscles
Ben Ashworth spoke of how assessments are “movements not muscles” which really stuck with me. He explained that looking at force AND mobility was important. For example, how an athlete could be strong on force but lack external rotation. It was great seeing his assessment in action and the importance of glute and trunk strength to optimise force production in another region.
In the morning, I attended the Animal Flow workshop with Richard Scrivener and the Snatch Assessment workshop. Both were fun and valuable, leaving me with a better understanding of my own movements and awareness and a reminder that enjoying what you’re doing always helps the process! Although different specialities in practice, both brought to light the importance of our body awareness, relationship with the ground and proprioceptive precision and control.
As a dancer in my youth, the flow of a good snatch movement or ape-beast-crab flow both seemed like an art-form to me. I wondered how using the ‘flow’ and ‘feel’ of movement translates into approaches for coaching and cueing. It turned out that this was something that Jonas brought into his Speed for Team Sports workshop in the afternoon…
Shared language
This was probably the other most important phrase of the day for me. I understood this as the process of understanding of what is efficient and effective (running) and why and what this feels like. Communicating this successfully and reflecting on the feeling of the movement with the athlete is necessary for their awareness and development.
Some bitesize takeaways from Jonas:
· The concept of collective individualisation
· “Quickness and speed are often synonymous, but they aren’t the truth”
· “Projection must be maximal optimal”
At the start of the day, I was given a name badge which turned out to also be a shared language between Jonas and myself at the end of his talk. The value he put on knowing my name as a new coach there that day, rather than just another face was so meaningful and reminded me that knowing those you are training as people first goes a long way to being able to develop that shared language between you.
Dan also took the time to speak with me and offer some guidance around networking, questioning and what my focus might be for the rest of the day and it was interesting to learn more about his mentorship programme which I hope to join in January 2023.
Things I missed …
Asking more questions and taking more videos (remember a phone charger..), approaching more people/female coaches that were there and explore the exhibitor space a bit more. I should have prepared more snacks for the day (lunch was good though) and in an ideal world, I’d have gone back for another day!
Bitesize Takeaways:
New placement? New industry? New team? New course? Choose courage over comfort. Growth happens when we take risks.
Keep it simple
Making mistakes are inevitable – don’t avoid them, embrace and learn from them.
We need to be ‘all in’ to be optimal coaches. We have the same expectations of athletes to be all in if they are to be optimal in their performance. (Ali Jawads talk brought this home for me)
When shifting direction, embrace the unknown.
The human experience concept – how the design of training sessions influences our emotional experience and how that impacts on engagement in the short and long term. (Glenn Hunter)
Coach the person – a good relationship creates a safety for athletes to be able to ask questions, empower them to take ownership and enjoy the process. (Ali Jawad)
I do know things! Sometimes all we need is someone with more experience to give us a nod so we know we are on the right path.
Conclusion
“It was an eye-opening day with the variety of sessions, expert knowledge shared and challenging conversations, almost like a baptism of fire. It confirmed to me that it’s never too early to jump into something you love because you’ll always find a way to land, you just need an open mind and trust in the process.”
Many thanks to Dan Howells and the UKSCA for this opportunity!
If you liked what you read here, and also resonate with the concept of paying it forward, do consider visiting the Practitioner Development GoFund me page here. The industry needs to support its emerging coaches more than ever currently, and so by donating, you will be providing a CPD opportunity for a coach in the industry who is starting out in their careers!