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Transcript of Coaching Female Athletes - USA Hockey CEP Age Modules · PDF file3 Coaching Female Athletes...
Coaching Female Athletes
LESSON WORKBOOK
MICHELE AMIDON
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Coaching Female Athletes
Physiological Considerations• Untilpubertytherearenomajordifferencesinbodycomposition,strength,enduranceorspeedbetweenboys
andgirls.Ingeneral,girlswillexperiencegrowthspurtsuptotwoyearsearlierthanboys.• Whenboysreachpuberty(aroundage13)greaterdifferencesbetweenthetwogendersbegintoemerge.Atthis
point,musclemassandstrengthgainsbegintodevelopatafasterratewithboys.Asgrowthratesdecelerate,the2-3yearadvantagegirlspossessedoverboysintermsofstrength,statureandbodymassbegintoleveloff.
• Attheyoungerageshockeysuccessisbasedonskill,agilityandcoordination.Asfemalesprogresstotheageofcontacttheyneedtorelyonsize/quickness,technicalskillanddecisionmaking/awarenesstoplayagainstandwithboyswhohavehitpuberty.Iftheypossessthesequalitiestheycanplayandexcelwithboysatthehighschool/Bantamandpossiblymidgetlevels.
• Example:Alotofparentsandcoachesthinkgirlscan’tshootpucksashardasboys.Thistheoryisuntrueattheyoungerages.Girlswhoaregiventhesamecoachingandopportunityforskilldevelopment(throughrepetition)willbeabletoshootthepuckashardasboys.
• Bodycontactisaskillthatmustbetaughtinpractice.Introducingbodycontactatthe8Uagelevelallowsfortheskilltobefullymasteredbythe14Uagelevel.Controlledbodycontactallowsplayerstolearnhowtotakeawaytimeandspacewhilegapcontrolmaybeachallengingskilltolearnascheckingisnotpermittedingirl’shockey.Femaleplayersneedtobestrong,agileskatersinordertoangleandclosethegapbetweenthemandtheiropponent.Itisimportanttoteachgirlsthatitisokaytobephysical.
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Coaching Female Athletes
• Example:Somecoachesfeelthatbecausethegameisanon-checkinggamethatitisnotphysical.Ifyouhaveeverseenawomen’scollegiate,nationalorOlympicgameyouknowthegameisextremelyphysical.Women’ssoccerandbasketballaregreatexampleofotherphysicalsports.
• PeakHeightVelocity(PHV)isevidenceofhormonalchangeandisdirectlyrelatedtothedevelopmentalageofathletes.PHVisameasureofthemaximumrateofgrowthinstatureduringagrowthspurt.TheageofmaximumvelocityofgrowthiscalledtheageatPHV.PHVisakeycomponentoftheLongTermAthleteDevelopment(LTAD)principles.Eachathletegrowsatadifferentrate;thereforeacoachcanhave,onthesameteamortraininggroup,early,averageand/orlatematurers.
o Onaverage,girlsstartgrowingtwoyearsbeforetheirmaleteammates.OnaveragegirlshittheirPeakHeightVelocityaroundage12whileboysreachPHVaround14yearsold.
o Femalesage11-15oftenweighmorethanmalesthesameage.Theyproducemoreestrogenthatkeepstheamountofbodyfatontheirbodieshigherthanboyswhoareproducingmoretestosterone.Thiscanbeanadvantageforfemalesintermsofstrength,statureandbodymass.
o Malesage15-18usuallyweighmorethanfemalesthesameage.
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Coaching Female Athletes
5 Basic Stages of Training and Performance: Critical Windows of Accelerated Adaptation
• The“critical/sensitive”periodsofacceleratedadaptationtotrainingneedstobeutilizedtohelptheathletemaximizetheirpotentialdevelopment.
1. Stamina (Endurance):TheoptimalwindowoftrainabilityoccursattheonsetofPeakHeightVelocity(PHV).Aerobiccapacity(themaximalamountofoxygenthebodyiscapableoftakingupandusingtoproduceenergyforlowerandmoderateintensitywork)trainingisrecommendedbeforeathletesreachPHV.Aerobiccapacityshouldbeintroducedprogressivelyaftergrowthratedecelerates.
2. Strength:TheoptimalwindowoftrainabilityforgirlsisimmediatelyafterPHVorattheonsetofmenarche,whileforboysitis12to18monthsafterPHV.
• Manyparentsandcoachesdonotunderstandtheimportanceofstrengthtraining(weightsorbodyweight)forgirlsforperformanceandinjuryprevention.WeseeandfindmanystrengthandfunctionalmovementdeficienciesinplayerswhoattendSelect14,15,16&17NationalPlayerDevelopmentCampsaswellasourcollegiateU18andseniorNationalTeamandOlympicplayers.50%ofsportinjuriesarecausedbyoveruse.Weseeplayersatalllevelswhohavesufferedmultipleinjuriesduetolackofemphasisonstrengthtraining,prehab,rehab,andbasicfunctionalmovementtrainingduringthefemalestrengthwindow1&2(windowsofacceleratedtrainability).Weighttrainingisimportantandextremelyuseful-ithelpspreventinjuries,buildpower,strengthandflexibility.
• StrengthandConditioningRecommendations(beginningatage12forfemales):1. Includedynamicwarm-ups,cooldowns,andbasicbodyweightcircuits-possiblyincludinga
stabilityball,medicineball,quicknessladder,etc.2. Coreworkisessential.Learningtoactivatecorestabilizerstoprotectthespineandimprove
movementqualityshouldbetheprimaryfocus.3. Developathletesfirst.Iftheyaren’tathleticofftheiceitwillbedifficultforthemto
playthegamewell.4. Workwithstrengthandconditioningexpertswhenpossibletoimplementprehabandrehab
exercisesintoyourteam’sworkoutstoavoidcommonfemaleinjuries:ACLtears,labrumtears(hip&shoulders),PatellaFemoralSyndromeandFemaleAthleteTriadsyndrome.
3. Speed 1-Segmentedspeedintervalslessthan5seconds:agility,quickness,changeofdirection-linear,lateralandmulti-directionalwithin2-3strides.Girls’optimaltimefortrainingspeed(period#1)isbetweentheagesof6-8.Speed 2-Anaerobiccapacityandpower-chaoticspeed5-20seconds.OptimalSpeedperiod#2occursbetweentheagesof11-13.
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Coaching Female Athletes
4. Skill:Thewindowforoptimalskilltrainingforgirlsoccursbetweentheagesof8-11whileboystakesplacebetween9-12.
a. ABCs-Agility,Balance&Coordinationoptimalskillacquisitionforgirlsisbetweentheagesof8-11.Thiswindowoftrainabilitycanbe2-3yearsshorterforfemalesthenmalesplacingextremeimportanceonskillacquisition.
b. Latedevelopers(thosethathitpubertylaterthantheirteammates)haveanadvantagewhenitcomestolearningskillsastheLearntoTrainStagelastslongerforthem.Onaverage,girls(11-15)hitpuberty2-3yearsbeforeboys(13-16)sotheyareatadisadvantage.ThisputsmoreofacriticalemphasisontheskilldevelopmentduringtheFundamental(6-8)andLearntoTrainStages(8-11).
c. Skills,Speed,Strength,SupplenessandStaminaarealwaystrainablebutitisvitaltotakeadvantageofthewindowsoftrainabilityinorderfortheathletetoreachherfullathleticgenericpotential.
5. Flexibility (suppleness):Theoptimalperiodforgirlsoccursbetweentheagesof6-8.Specialattentiontoflexibilityshouldbepaidduringandafterthegrowthspurt(PHV).Ifplayersareactiveinhockeyandotherphysicalactivities/sportsinvolvingwater,land,airand/oriceandsnowsupplenesswilloccuronitsown.
Communication, Motivation and Self-Esteem
“With women, your effectiveness is through your ability to relate. They have to feel that you care about them personally or have some kind of connection with them beyond the game…..to be an
effective leader of a men’s team, you don’t need personal rapport as long as there is respect. That’s the extent of the relationship. That’s all that’s really required. But in a women’s team, respect is
only part of it, and it is derived from a personal relationship. Women have to have a sense that you care for them above and beyond their (athletic) abilities.”
— Anson Dorrance comments on motivating females.
Communication• Thebestcoachesareeffectiveandstrategiccommunicators.Communicationisthekeyin
deliveringyourmessage.• Themethodsusedfordeliveringinformationandfeedbackwillaffectperformance.Keepconfrontationsprivate
withtheplayerandanotherstaffmember.• Younggirlsaregenerallynotusedtoaharshstyleofcoachingandusuallywillnotrespondwell.Don’tbein
theirfacesandconfrontational.Bepositiveandfindtherightcoachingmomenttoconveyyourmessage.• Takeahumanisticapproach;respectthem,communicatewiththemandaskthemwhattheyneed.
“Coach us like men, treat us like women.” — Mia Hamm
• Letyourplayersparticipateinthedecision-makingprocess,createleadersandallowthemtoaskquestions.Playersaremorelikelytobuyintoyourcoachingplaniftheyhaveavoiceandopportunitiestoembraceleadershiproles.Ultimatelyitistheplayer’steam…….givethemandletthemfeelasenseofownership.
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Coaching Female Athletes
• Usethe‘SandwichTheoryofCriticism.’o Startwithpositivefeedbacko Followthiswith3piecesofinformation.Thisincludes(1)whathappened,(2)whatshouldhave
happenedand(3)whyisshouldhavehappened.o Finishwithonemorepieceofpositiveencouragement.o Thisfeedbackshouldbedeliveredinaconstructivemanner.Positivefeedbackandinteraction
breedssuccess.• Malesandfemaleshavedifferentconversationalstyles.Females,ingeneral,prefersmallworkinggroups.
Thecoachneedstocreateaconnection/relationshipwithplayersinordertobesuccessful.Girlsaregenerallymoreempathetic.Theyusetheirverbalskills-wanttoknow‘why?’and‘how?’Theywillreacttohowsomethingissaid-theymaynotevenhearthemessageifyourbodylanguageandtonedon’tmatchyourmessage.Femaleswillexpressemotionsmoreopenly.Thisisnotasignofweaknessbutasignofcommunication-expressingtheirfeelings.
• Whencommunicatingwithyourplayers,thinkaboutyourbodylanguage,facialexpressionsandtone.Maintaineyecontactwhileyouaretalkingorlistening.Beforeapproachingtheathlete,contemplatewhatyouwantfromthem.Don’tmakeassumptionsthattheyunderstandorautomaticallyknowwhatyouwantorarethinking.Trynottoyell.Askyourselfwhyyouareyelling.Isitbecauseoftheirbehaviororyouremotions?Asacoach,itisimportanttocheckyouegoatthedoor.Remember,itisabouttheplayers.Ifyouareemotional,calmdownbeforeanyinteraction.
• Think“Sell,notyell.”
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Coaching Female Athletes
Motivation• Girlsandboyshaveaneedforautonomy,theneedtofeelcaredaboutandasenseofbelonging.
Girlscarrytheseneedsintothelockerroom,andontotheice.• Team/coachrelationshipisimportanttothesuccessandgrowthoftheplayer.• Femalesaremotivatedbypleasingothers.Gettoknowyourplayersoutsideofjusttheirhockeyskills.• Involvetheminteamdecisionsandbeempathetic.• Femaleathletestendtowanttodeveloprelationshipswithcoachesandpreferthosewhocommunicateopenly
andareempathetic.Theyneedacoachwhocaresforthemasapersonandathlete.However,asanadultandauthoritativefigure,youmustfollowtheappropriateboundariesthatandnotgotoofaroutsideofjusthockey.
“The young female athlete is driven, committed and disciplined. They want to be coached and can appreciate and process constructive feedback. Most are not receptive to strong language or screaming.
They want a clear understanding of their value and know they are continuing to develop. Often time’s young female athletes don’t grasp the balance of work versus rest ratio. Their tendency is to push to
exhaustion. Coaches and parents need to be mindful of this pitfall.” — Katey Stone, Head Coach 2011 USA Women’s National Team
• Acoach’sstyleformotivatinggirlsmayneedtobedifferentwhencomparedtomotivatingboys.o Positivecommunicationdeliveredconsistently,alongwithconstructivefeedbackwillearnthe
respectandtrustofyourplayers.o Buildtheconfidenceofyourplayersinsteadofattackingit.o Askquestionsofeachathlete.Findouthowsheisthinkingandfeeling.Activelylistenwithout
makingassumptions.o Validatetheirfeelings.Showcompassionandunderstandingabouttheirfeelingsbeforeyougive
adviceonhowtofixorrectifyasituation.
Self-Esteem• Femaleintrapersonalcharacteristics:
Competence-AmIgoodenoughConfidence-WillIstandout,fitin?Autonomy-DoIhaveavoice?
• Manygirlshavelowself-esteem.Ifyoufindaplayerstrugglingemotionallyorbeyondnormallevelsofinsecurityoryoufeeltheymaybedealingwithdepressionnotifyherparents.Therearenationalconcernsovertherisingnumberofyoungfemaleteensuicidesandthepressurestheyputonthemselves.
• Girlslovephysicalactivityanditcanhelpbuildconfidence.• Createanenvironmentinwhichtheywillsucceedineverypracticeandgame.Successbreedsconfidenceand
confidencebreedssuccessandpassionforthegame.• Avoidcomparingoneteammatetoanother:comparisonscanhurtagirl’sconfidence.Thecomparisontends
tomaketheplayerfocusontheirweaknesses.Theywillfeellessthantheirteammate.Everyplayerbringssomethinguniqueandvaluabletotheteamandthegame.Focusonselfimprovementthroughgoalsetting.
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Coaching Female Athletes
Team Dynamics: Team Work and Team Building“Girls crave and thrive off of communication and feedback…whether it comes from coaches, teammates,
sport psych individuals, etc. In my personal experience, team building/unity activities in which females can share their thoughts, feelings, emotions, habits, weaknesses, and strengths with each other creates a very
strong team dynamic. This team dynamic, is an essential part to the success of the team on the ice.” — Meaghan Duggan- 2010 USA Women’s Olympic Team member and 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner
• FemaleInterpersonal(social)characteristics:Attachment/relationshipswithfriendsandadultsChallengeofCompetitionTeamWork
• Girlsthriveinacooperativeenvironment.• Femalesvalueattachment,intimacyandinterdependence.Femalesfearrejection,isolationandabandonment.
Girlsbondandformalliancesthroughconversationwhileboysbondandformalliancesthroughsharedactivity.• Teambuildingcanprovetobeverycriticalforfemales—allowsthemtimetobondthroughinteractionand
communicationandsocialization.• Femalesuseconversationsasatimetoshareanddeveloprelationshipswiththeirteammates.Ithelpsunite
andbuildtrustbetweenoneanother.• Themaleplayeroftengainsacceptancethroughhisperformanceandafemaleplayerneedsacceptanceto
performwell.Inorderforthemtoputthemselvesonthelineandmakesacrificesfortheirteamtheymustfeelacceptedfirst.
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Coaching Female Athletes
“For women, sport is a social activity as much as a competitive one.” — Kathy Deboer• Femalesdownplaysuccessastheydon’twanttosoundarrogant.Theymayevenblamesuccessonluckor
contributesuccesstoteamwork.Boystendtoblameothersfortheirfailuresandmistakesortake100%creditfortheirsuccessandachievements.
• Competitionandpersonalrelationshipsareintertwined.Theirteammatesaretheirfriends.• Teamchemistry–conceptofselflessness…encourageteambuildingandcohesiveness• Femalesvaluefriendshipsandcanfocusonteamunity• Mostgirlsliketomakedecisionsthroughcollaborationandteamconsensus.
“Each gender approaches competitive situations from a vastly different context. Girls come to the gym seeking to bond as a means to success; boys battle to achieve the same thing. Women enter the workplace predisposed to connect to achieve goals; men compete to achieve goals. Both want to win and both want
results, but they hold markedly different ideas on how to access their aspirations.” — Kathy Deboer
Process Driven versus Results Driven• Femalesaremoreprocessorientedandeveniftheydon’twin,theyfeelasenseofaccomplishmentwhenthey
reachatraininggoal.Coachesneedtohelpfemalessetmilestones/goalsandtofocusontheprocess.Boysaremoreresultoriented-wewonbecauseIscoredagoal.Girls-wewonbecauseofgreatteamworkandeveryonewasworkinghardindividually.Processdrivenvs.resultcoacheswillbemoresuccessfulwithfemales.
• RoleofaCoach-Theathletesexperienceshouldbeabouttheprocessinsteadoftheoutcome.Don’tworryabouttheresultsonthescoreboard.Makesuretheyaredevelopingandhavingfun.Studiesshowgirlsaremoreprocessorientedingoalsettingandboysaremorefocusedongoalsettingfortheendresult.
“Females generally have a higher tolerance than males for the mundanity of repetitive drills. Their process focus means they pay more attention to the details of particular skills and are more attuned to technical specifics. A drill-based training regimen also allows them to bond with each other and the coach
through non-confrontational, method-focused activities. The valuation of process over outcome allows groups of females a synergy of spirit in practice settings rarely available for male groups.”
— Kathy Deboer
• Girlsaretaskoriented.• Sportshelpteachgirlstobeassertiveandtaskorientedwhilefunctioningaspartofateam.• Boysseemtobemuchmoreliteralwhilegirlsareprocess-oriented.Theywillquestion,notbecausetheywant
totestyou,butbecausetheyarelookingatthefinaloutcome.• Giveeachfemaleplayeraroleontheteamsoshefeelslikeavaluedcontributor.• Createrealisticteamandindividualgoals.Teamgoalswillcreateasenseofunity.Holdthemaccountable
withinreason.
Cultural / Societal Implications“Society often positions women to just fit in. We coach them, however, to stand out,
to make a difference, and for woman that can be an incredibly empowering experience.” -— Tony DiCicco
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Coaching Female Athletes
• Boysaretraditionallyencouragedtojoinsportsatayoungage.Girlsaren’tofferedthisopportunityasoften.Girlswhostartfundamentalskilltraininglaterareatahugedisadvantage.Thishurtstheirathletesuccessandconfidence.Workontheirskillsets,selfesteemandconfidence.
• Createanenvironmentwheretheycanbesuccessful.Manyfemalesplayonmaledominatedteamsorteamswithmultipleskilllevels.Ensureyourplayersarereceivingenoughrepetitionsinordertodevelopthegame’sfundamentalskills.
• Girlsarejustascapableasboysofdealingwithintensesportscompetition.• Teachyourfemaleathletesthatitisokaytobeaggressive,competitiveandassertivewithinpracticesand
againsttheopponent.• Don’tbelittleboyswhileencouraginggirls.Thistacticactuallyembarrassesbothgendersandcreates
anegativeenvironment.Someplayersarebetterthanotherplayersregardlessofgender.Createagenderneutralenvironment.
• Avoidusinglanguagelike“sissy”or“youplaylikeagirl.”Thesestatementsonlyminimizefemaleathleticsanddemoralizemaleathletes.
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Coaching Female Athletes
• Encouragegirls(andtheirparents)toenrollinmultiplesports.Encouragegirlstoplay3sportsuntilhighschool.Ifsheendsuptakingtheadvanced/highperformanceplayerdevelopmenttrackinhighschool,shemayneedtofocuson1or2sportsonceshereachestheageof16.
• 54%ofourfemaleplayersdon’tmakeittothesquirtlevel:makeitfunforthegirls.Duringstationwork/practicesplacegirlstogetherforatleast2/3oftheallottedtimesotheycaninteractwiththeirfemalepeers/teammates.Ifskilllevelisappropriate,trytohavegirlsoneachteamforcrossicegames(8U).It’simportanttostressfunandskilldevelopment.Workwithallplayers;don’tassignthemlabels(defense,goalies,weakskater,etc.)atyoungages.An8-year-oldisonlyan8-year-oldonce.Wedon’tknowat8whattheywillbeat14,16or18yearsold.
• Girlslovesportsandcompetition.Givenachanceanddirectiontheywillplayandthrive!Seekoutopportunitiestoexposeyourplayerstohighlevelwomen’shockeysuchascollegegamesortheUSWomen’sNationalTeam.
• Makethefemalegamevisibletoyourplayerswheneverpossibleandtrytocreatementorsandrolemodels.
Additional Resources• CreatingOpportunitiesattheCollegiateLevelStartsattheGrass-Roots
www.usahockeymagazine.com
• OpportunitiesforGirlsinHockeywww.usahockeymagazine.com
• QuickSilver:AdventureGames,InitiativeProblems,TrustActivitiesandaGuidetoEffectiveLeadershipbyKarlRohnkeandSteveButler
• CatchThemBeingGood:EverythingYouNeedtoKnowtoSuccessfullyCoachGirlsbyDiCicco,HackerandSalzberg
• GenderandCompetition:HowMenandWomenApproachWorkandPlayDifferentlybyKathleenDeboer
• GamesGirlsPlay:UnderstandingandGuidingYoungFemaleAthletesbyCarolineSibly
• BuilttoWin:TheFemaleAthleteasCulturalIconbyLeslieHeywoodandShariL.Dworkin
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Coaching Female Athletes
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