  35 MINUTES SPORTS COACHING DIPLOMA

Module 12: Coaching for Other Popular

Sports

Coaching Swimming
Competitive swimming in Great Britain has one of the most glamorous athletes in the world, i.e. Mark Foster. He
bags England’s majority trophies in the Swimming section in Olympics. British Olympic Association and the
British Paralympics’ Association organise di erent international swimming competitions in Great Britain every
year.

In order to correct and build swimming strokes with young athletes, the coach must rst understand some of the
crucial principles of speed and stroke development. The continued success of a swimmer depends on stroke
technique basics learned by the swimmer and reinforced by the coach. Two basic principles are:

Decrease Resistance: For most swimmers, the fastest way for a swimmer to improve is to decrease resistance
as the body moves through the water.
Increase Propulsion: After reducing resistance, the swimmer must then increase propulsion.

Resistance

Water-resistance a ects swimmer in di erent ways. One way is through the impact of water with a swimmer and
the subsequent ow of water around the body. This is called “form resistance.” Another way is through water
turbulence and waves that are created by moving water. This is called “wave resistance”. A third way is through
water sticking to a swimmer’s suit or skin and creating “friction resistance”. These three resistance components
all have a negative e ect on swimming performance and should be reduced whenever possible. Streamlining and
adjustments to body position and body balance are two ways to reduce resistance signi cantly.

The rst “stroke” that the coach should teach is underwater swimming with streamlining. The hydrodynamic
principle of streamlining applies to all four strokes. The streamline position should be used during starts and
turns when the body is completely submerged underwater. The head placement is most critical to minimising the
water resistance.

The most streamlined position is with the ears just slightly above the arms, and the arms squeezed as tightly as
possible. Just the slight motion of lifting the head doubles the resistance from the water. Often the head will lift
before breaking the water surface after starting or turning, even at the elite level.

A swimmer must “balance” his or her upper and lower body in the water so that both are perfectly horizontal in
the water the optimal position for fast swimming. This can occur in several ways:

Put the arms and hands above the head, out in front of the body in the water. This shifts weight forward and
thus moves the centre of gravity closer to the centre of buoyancy.
“Lower the head” by placing the chin closer to the chest. Lowering the head helps raise the hips and legs by
shifting the centre of gravity forward, closer to the centre of buoyancy.
Push the “buoy” or lungs downward. This brings the centre of gravity closer to the surface.

Decreasing resistance is a major key to improvement. If the swimmer does not decrease resistance, the natural
tendency to get the body into position is to kick harder. Kicking hard is extremely important to fast swimming,
but it should not be emphasised to compensate for poor body position. 

Propulsion

The next step is to increase propulsion. Propulsion is primarily achieved by a direct application of force on the
water in a backwards direction. In other words, in order to most e ectively move the body forwards, swimmers
should generally focus on pressing on the water with their palms and forearms facing toward their feet as much
and as long as possible.

There are several forces at work that create propulsion. Lift forces are created by the sculling motion of the
hands and forearms (and the feet in breaststroke) while drag forces are the result of pressing the water
“backwards” toward the feet.

The phrase, “feel for the water,” is used by coaches to describe a swimmer who has a natural ability with strong
skill potential. It seems di cult to teach a “feel for the water,” but it is fairly easy to recognise. The best way to
develop this kind of sensitivity is through sculling drills. Sculling drills emphasise the initial motions that set up all
of the strokes and help to develop “feel for the water.”

Monitoring Biomechanical Improvement

Helping athletes to improve strokes and stroke e ciency is one of the most important jobs of a coach. It is even
better to be able to show the athletes how much they are improving objectively. This can be done by monitoring
stroke count (i.e. distance per stroke) and stroke rate. All that is needed are a stopwatch and the ability to count.

Stroke Count and Distance per Stroke: One of the easiest ways to monitor stroke technique improvements is
to measure distance per stroke. To monitor an athlete, coaches simply count (or have the athlete count) the
number of strokes taken per length of the pool. Stroke technique improvement would be achieved when the
athlete is swimming faster for the same number of strokes or swimming at the same pace with fewer strokes.
Stroke count is a good indicator of the development of muscular endurance.
Stroke Rate: Many young swimmers cannot consistently maintain successful stroke rates. While coaches don’t
want them to “spin their wheels”, they must attain and more importantly maintain a stroke rate that generates
some speed. Measure the stroke rate by timing ve complete stroke cycles. As the swimmer’s left index nger
enters the water in freestyle, start the watch. (Consider the rst entry “zero.”) Watch and count the left index
nger entries and stop the watch after the 5th complete cycle. Multiply by 2 and then shift the decimal to get
a measurement of seconds per cycle.

For example: 5 cycles = 11.03 seconds

Multiply by 2 = 22.06

Shift the decimal = 2.20 seconds per cycle.

A coach needs to teach di erent strokes to the swimmer. A few famous and common strokes are Freestyle,
Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butter y etc.

Freestyle

Freestyle is the primary training stroke used by swimmers. It is the rst stroke a coach should teach and
emphasise with novice swimmers. Strong quality kicking is essential in the ability to swim freestyle and perfect
the arm stroke mechanics.

Good freestyle technique begins with strong kicking and an emphasis on both the streamlined position and the
side glide position. Emphasise that freestylers swim by switching from side to side rather than by lying on the
front. A good freestyle teaching should include:

Kicking: with a board, without a board, head down streamlined

Side glide
Side glide with switching sides
Three strokes to side glide
Perfect stroke without breathing; with breathing

Backstroke

Backstroke is the companion stroke to freestyle and should be the second stroke taught, often simultaneously to
freestyle. Both are considered long axis strokes because the entire body moves on the same axis. Many of the
same principles apply to both strokes. Strong quality kicking is essential in the ability to swim backstroke and to
perfect the arm stroke mechanics. Note that roll and rotate are used interchangeably. Young children more
readily understand the concept of “rolling the body” and need to be taught the concept of “body rotation.”

Like freestyle, good backstroke technique begins with strong kicking and an emphasis on both the streamlined
position and the side glide position. Emphasise that backstrokers swim by switching from side to side rather than
by lying on the back. A good backstroke teaching includes:

Streamline kicking
Streamline kicking to one arm pull and side glide
Streamlining kicking to one arm pull, side glide and switch sides, adding cycles

Breaststroke

Body position and timing are crucial in breaststroke. Swimmers should be taught to return to the streamline
position after every stroke cycle. There are many style variations in breaststroke. It may be easier to teach a
traditional breaststroke style and then modify the stroke to t the swimmer. Breaststroke is a short axis stroke
because unlike freestyle and backstroke, the entire body does not rotate on one long axis.

A good breaststroke teaching includes:

Kicking on a wall, kicking on back, kick on the belly

Kick with/without a board: “breathe, kick, glide.”
Kinesthetic teaching of arm stroke on the pool deck
Full stroke emphasising glide in the streamline position

Butter y

As in breaststroke, body position and timing are crucial in the butter y. Butter y and breaststroke are referred to
as short-axis strokes because of the varying body movement of the upper half versus the lower half of the body;
the body is not moving on one long axis as in freestyle and backstroke. Butter y is a rhythm stroke with the
rhythm driven by the body position. The body rolls through the water by moving the chest down and hips up,
then chest up and hips down.

A good butter y teaching includes:

One pull and “dive” or press. (The downward chest press brings the hips up and creates the kick. Young
swimmers may not understand the concept of “chest press” and will more readily understand “diving” slightly
underwater.) “Hands go in, hips go up” is a visual concept for teaching.
All types of dolphin kicking (with a board, streamlined without a board, underwater)
 Pull and kick, then kick again (kick when hands leave the water, kick when hands enter the water.)

Coaching Tennis
Stroke Production

One of your primary goals should be to provide each of your players with a biomechanically sound basis for each
stroke; the stroke should be comfortable and not lead to overuse injuries. At the same time, each stroke
technique must allow your players to accomplish the strategic aims or shot patterns that form the basis of
winning tennis.

In game-based coaching, if you have e ectively demonstrated what players need to do in a speci c play
situation, it will be clearer to them what type of shot will be most e ective. For example, when the opponent is at
the net, a passing shot with a good amount of topspin will keep the ball low and out of the power zone of the
opponent at the net.

Let your players maintain some individual style to their strokes. As you know, from watching professionals, many
di erent styles of play can be successful. Don’t try to make the strokes of every member of your squad exactly
the same.

The style you and a player choose should suit the player’s physical and mental abilities on the court. Maintain an
open dialogue with your players as their strokes are taking shape, and listen to their feedback so that a
cooperative exchange occurs. This makes learning much easier.

Every coach is faced with the problem of analysing why a player didn’t succeed during match play. Was it poorly
learned racket skills, or was it just nerves? The easy way out for a coach is to blame the failure on the player’s lack
of e ort or poor shot selection during a match. Assessing the failure as stroke-related re ects badly on a coach’s
ability to teach.

To coach successfully, you must be able to assess a player’s on-court problems correctly. If further basic training
on stroke production is necessary, then you must “coach to learn,” which is done by instructing the player to
repeat the proper technique for the stroke that broke down during play. If nerves or poor shot selection was the
reason for failure, then you must “coach to perform.”

Grips
Many coaches use terminology created to describe where the dominant hand is placed on the racket. Others use
numbering systems, labelling the panels of a racket handle where the pad of the index nger and the heel of the
hand should be placed. Generally, tennis players don’t care about arti cial methods of achieving the proper grip-
they just want a grip that works for them without having to think about it every time they prepare to hit a shot.
The best way to make this happen for your players is to give them simple parameters to use as a guide to a
functional grip. 

Most players await their opponent’s shot in the ready position with a forehand grip. Your players should
experiment with whichever forehand grip feels comfortable. Whatever choice they make, it is a good idea to ask
them to do two things before experimenting: keep the racket face perpendicular to the ground and keep a rm
wrist. Doing so allows better contact with the ball through the hitting area.

Achieving this racket position requires the dominant hand to be placed along the backside of the racket’s handle,
which results in an eastern or semi-western forehand grip. Once a base forehand has been established, grip
variations can be added to handle di erent situations.

Advances in racket technology and di erent playing surfaces force most players to use more than one grip
during a match. Height of the ball’s bounce and speed and trajectory of the shot must be considered in the
selection of a functional grip. The area of the court at which the shot is executed will also determine what grip to
use.

Because players will use more than one grip in a match, they need to be comfortable with how they are going to
change grips quickly during a point. Grip changes should be accomplished by using the non-dominant hand. The
player cradles the racket at a point between the throat and the top of the grip. As the shoulders are turning into
the shot, the player uses the non-dominant hand to turn the racket to the proper grip. The non-dominant hand
also aids in balancing the racket between points and allows the dominant hand some rest.

Each stroke requires a decision as to what grip will work best. Factors such as ball speed, the height of bounce,
and spin have to be instantly analysed as the ball approaches. Occasionally these quick decisions will catch a
player in the wrong grip. However, if a player knows which grip is best suited for her game in each circumstance,
chances are he/she will be in the right grip most of the time before striking the ball.

Some basic grips that are used and must be taught are:

Forehand Grip
Slice Forehand Grip
One-Handed Backhand Grip
Two-Handed Backhand Grip
Slice Backhand Grip
Service Grip
Volley Grip

Footwork

Footwork is actually the art of remaining balanced while anticipating an opponent’s shot, running to the ball, and
setting up to hit a shot. In the ready position, a player will feel balanced when his/her feet are shoulder-width
apart, and her knees slightly bent. The player should be on the balls of his/her feet, ready to move in whatever
direction the ball is hit.

Bending the knees slightly as he/she awaits the next shot will lower her centre of gravity and prepare him/her to
react. The best way to react to an opponent’s shot and gain momentum quickly is by using a split-step, which is
usually associated with approach shot-volley technique. However, many teams practice using the split-step
before groundstrokes as a means of developing explosive speed to the ball.

As an opponent hits a shot, a player must maintain proper balance while reacting to the ball. Long strides are
e ective until the player gets close to the point of contact when steps must be shortened. Shortening the steps
as the shoulders rotate allows the player to lean into the contact point with a prepared racket, which makes
recovery easier once the shot is hit. Recovery is the number of steps a player has to take to stop forward
momentum past the point of contact after the ball is hit.

The following are some tips on footwork that a coach can give to the players:
 Maintain balance with a proper ready stance (on the balls of your feet, with knees slightly bent).
Use a split-step to react quicker to an opponent’s shot.
Steps should be shortened as you get close to the ball.
Use the body as a linked system. Power is generated rst in your legs. Step into each shot so that this power
transfers to the upper torso.
Minimise recovery steps.
Continue to work between shots. Don’t stand at-footed.
When hopelessly out of position, gamble. If you hit a short ball, sprint to the side, you think your opponent will
most likely try to hit it.

Serves

Since every point in tennis begins with a serve and the return of serve, it would seem players and coaches would
place more emphasis on perfecting these two shots. In fact, if you chart match results, you’ll nd that many
points never get beyond these rst two shots before ending. Most players spend a large majority of time
practising their “rallying” skills and rarely do they focus on the serve and return. It’s your responsibility as the
coach to make certain they give equal attention to these two shots that begin every point. Teach your players the
wisdom of adopting the following priorities when serving:

Get the serve in the court consistently, even under pressure.

Vary the placement to the opponent’s backhand, forehand, or at the body.
Adjust the amount of spin-if serves are long, add more spin; if serves fall short, use less spin and aim higher.

After players master these skills, they can work on adding speed and power to force a weak return. You should
urge players to take some time before each serve to perform a ritual (before beginning the serving motion).

Ask each of your players to imagine themselves in the following scenario: “It’s the third set of a tough match, and
you’re up 6-5. Odds are if you hit four rst serves in you’ll win the match.” Then have each player attempt these
four serves in succession:

Serve to the outside half of the deuce court.

Serve to the inside half of the deuce court.
Serve to the outside half of the ad court.
Serve to the inside half of the ad court.

If all four serves land in, you’ve got a winner. If a player misses on the rst serve, he/she must go and hit 40
practice serves before trying again. For a miss on the second serve, the penalty is 30 practice serves, and so on.

Returning Serve

Although every point requires a return of serve, this is probably the least practised shot in tennis. Emphasising
the following points with your players will help them improve their service returns. Players should adjust their
position on the court based on the speed and depth of the opponent’s serve. They should move inside the
baseline to attack a weak second serve and move behind the baseline to counter a hard rst serve.

Tell your players to watch the ball as the server tosses it, split step just before he contacts the serve, and begin
their return with a quick shoulder turn. If the serve hits the net, they should check to see if their shoulders are
turned. Because there is usually less time for the swing on a service return, the length of the backswing should
be shortened from that used on normal groundstrokes.

Most returns should be hit the cross-court or deep down the middle to increase the margin for safety. If the serve
is weak, a player should attack it by going to the opponent’s weakness. The receiver’s position should bisect the
angle of possible serves from the opponent. If the server varies his serving position, the receiver should adjust to
the left or right accordingly.

Teaching Drills

Helping players learn rapidly requires drills that isolate attention on a particular shot. This should include player
repetition of the shot. The design of a drill should encourage players to perform the shot in a way that is similar
to play during actual competition.

Here are some tips to help you use drills e ectively in practice:

Begin by discussing the purpose of the drill and demonstrating it to your players. Identify the key points for
 players to focus on.
Remember to emphasise technique and control of the ball (e.g., height, direction, depth, and spin). As players’
skills progress, drills should provide practice on consistency and accuracy. As often as possible, use live balls,
rather than dead ball drills so that players learn to adjust to a ball in play. The coach should feed dead balls
(i.e., a ball not in play) to players who are just learning a shot or a sequence of shots so that they can
experience early success.
Whenever possible, simulate game situations and natural shot sequences so that your players begin to use
patterns of play that transfer to playing points. Simulate the typical length of a point in drills so that players
get used to playing out three to six shots in succession.
Use targets on the court when drilling for the accuracy or consider targets above the net when emphasising
control of direction and height.
Challenge your players by using a variety of drills each practice, and change drills before players become tired
and bored with the repetition.
Adjust the purpose of a drill by performing the drill for a certain amount of time, for a certain number of trials,
until there is a winner until players master the skill, or until the coach blows the whistle.
Maximise court space by using some drills that can accommodate six to eight players on one court, thereby
freeing other courts for singles drills or game situations.
Adjust drills to the ability level of players on each court. Although all players may be performing the same
task, you can make the drill more di cult for your better players by adding the challenge of depth, accuracy,
or increased penalty for errors.
Integrate frequent rotations and enough movement into each day’s drills so that your players are getting a
good physical workout without even noticing it. Make sure players do not have to stand in line for a turn more
than 30 seconds-nothing is more boring.
Look for opportunities for positive reinforcement while players are drilling. Try to catch them doing something
right. If you need to correct their technique or performance, do it clearly, concisely, and without emotion.
Above all, remember to make drills fun. Players like challenges. They like competition and love to beat the
coach. Plan some time each day for fun-especially after periods of intense concentration and hard work.

Coaching Rugby
Rugby is one of the most liked sports in the UK.  In this country, rugby was the sport of the elite people, yet it is
now played by many peoples in the UK, as its popularity increases continuously. Like football, rugby is also
encouraged by the Government of the UK.

The Game of rugby is governed by Principles, and the key to being an e ective rugby coach is understanding
these principles and how to apply them with your players. Take the principle of GO Forward; for instance, all
coaches try to get their teams to go forward whether in attack or defence. A coach must be able to analyse his
team and see how e ective they are at going forward and then relate this to the Players on the Ball and the
Players in the Space,  and nally to the individual skills of the players. An example of this could be every time a
team attacks laterally; they don’t go forward.

The coach now must look at the group (Players in the Space) and workshop this group, is it their Alignment,
Timing etc. or is it the individual skills of the players, Running and Decision Making, Passing and Receiving. By
starting with the collective and showing the outcome of the lateral attack then breaking down the general
principle of GO Forward and linking it back to the individual skills of the players a coach can improve the
understanding and knowledge of the team in this area.

Attack

Coaching the players how to attack in a rugby match includes:

Gaining possession: As in all rugby, gaining possession of the ball and keeping it are the primary objectives of
the team. Consequently, scrums, lineouts and kick-o s are of major concern; however, in Sevens, these are
fewer in number. Because of the large number of points that can be scored, priority should be given to kick-
o s. Secondly, because of minor infringements, the next priority should be to scrums and last of all to lineouts
because teams usually avoid putting the ball into touch.
Retaining possession: Players must be able to retain possession of the ball even when they are under
pressure. In doing this, they may be stationary or even moving backwards. Once a player is on the ground the
ball must be released consequently, fundamental to ball retention is the ball carrier’s ability to be physically
strong enough to spread their base and lower their centre of gravity in contact to prevent going to the
ground. The player must have the skill of making the ball available to a supporting teammate by turning either
side on or back on to opponents and holding the ball so a teammate can drive in to secure possession.
Creating space: Space exists in two directions; it may be lateral space across the eld or linear space down the
eld.
Lateral space: Lateral space across the eld can be created by the positioning of teammates in the attack.
Of course, possession is best retained by avoiding contact altogether. The movement of the ball to a player
in space who eventually penetrates is the ideal, as all players will remain in the match as receiving options.
Linear space: Linear space is the space between the two teams. From scrums, lineouts, rucks and mauls
this is the distance between the o side line and the alignment of the backline.

Defence

Defence in rugby includes:

Contesting possession: If a team defends, only after conceding possession the e ectiveness of the defence is
reduced. It is the quality of the possession that will initially determine the e ectiveness of the attack. By
contesting the ball, this e ectiveness will be reduced, enabling the actions that follow to recover the ball to be
more e ective.
Denying space: By denying space to an attack, the defence gives the attack less time and space to penetrate.
However, in Sevens, the defence must operate as a unit by moving forward together so that they keep their
formation and shape. To retain peripheral vision, players further from the position of the ball must align so
that they can see what is happening with the ball. Equally, they must not get ahead of those insides as this will
create a gap in the defensive line. Players should move up and across together so that the ball carrier can be
tackled from the inside, not the outside. If a defender is directly in front, both sides are available to the ball
carrier.

Some Other Popular Sports in the United Kingdom

Aside from being a global and regional leader in politics and economics, the United Kingdom is a major player in
the world of sports. Virtually every sport this European nation has featured in has seen an incredible performance
from its contingents. The Country has also produced some of the best players in various sports such as football,
tennis and netball. The success of the United Kingdom in sports can be attributed to the deep cultural ingrained
practices and traditions its people have lived by over the years. These cultural ingrained sports traditions have
been passed down from generation to generation which has helped improve the United Kingdom’s reputation in
sports as one of the best countries which can boast of remarkable talents as well as exemplary success in the
intensely competitive world of sports. Though many in the United Kingdom engage in lots of sporting activities,
few of these sports activities have attracted an incredible amount of followers

Badminton

Being a heritage, badminton is ranked as one of the most liked racket game in the UK. The Badminton
Association of England was founded in 1893, which grew slowly but surely and currently is known as Badminton
England. Badminton England is also the founding member of the International Badminton Federation. This
federation is responsible for providing support to 41 countries of England in league structure and club structure.

Rowing

The Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) of the UK is the main body in England for the sport of rowing in the
country. This Rowing Association is accountable for the progress and association of global rowing teams in lieu
of Great Britain. The most popular rowing teams in the UK are Thames Rowing Club, Bedford Rowing Club,
London Rowing Club, and Kingston Rowing Club. This Rowing Association is also responsible for the
development and organisation of international rowing teams representing Great Britain.

Horse Racing

Horse racing in the United Kingdom is a sport that attracts thousands of spectators in the UK. Its immense
contribution in terms of monetary value in the British economy is pegged at about £3.7 billion. The game enjoys
a good media following as certain newspapers such as the Racing Post provide details about horse racing in the
UK. The sport is broadcasted on TV in the UK on channels such as the Sky Sports Racing and the subscription-
based Racing TV.

Ice Hockey UK

Ice Hockey UK is the national governing body of the sport of ice hockey in the UK. The Ice Hockey UK is a liated
to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). IHUK is also the internationally recognised umbrella body in the
United Kingdom. Except for the management and arrangement of di erent tournaments, this association is also
responsible for the good order of the sport in the UK.  The well-known Ice Hockey team is the Great Britain Men’s
National Ice Hockey Team which is also commonly known as Team GB.