Designing Effective Practices for Team Sports

• ISBN13: 9781477600276
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: N/A
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publisher Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication Date: August 8, 2012
• Pages: 148
• Original Price: USD 16.95
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 209 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): Coaching / General

Success in team sports depends on many factors with preparation being at the top of the list of elements that can be controlled by the coach. In order to insure a team in any sport is prepared as well as possible, effective practice sessions are essential. For many coaches designing effective well-planned practices is one of the most difficult tasks involved in teaching sports. Putting it all together to craft a single effective practice can seem daunting to any coach. Coaching legend John Wooden spent nearly two hours planning his daily practice sessions during his tenure as the Wizard of Westwood at UCLA. Considering the skill Coach Wooden possessed in conducting practices, this single example shows the importance of being able to plan effective practices. Wooden was not alone in his attention to detail in planning practices. The Showtime Lakers coach Pat Riley was known to spend 3-5 hours in preparing for a ten minute meeting with his team. Football coaches are legendary for the time spent in preparing for practices. This seemingly mysterious process is not that hard. It simply takes time and some knowledge of what must happen in order for practice sessions to be effective, both for a single practice session and over the course of an entire season. Planning practices is both an art and a science. Based on both research by experts in the fields of sport psychology, motor control and motor learning and the nearly 30 years of the author's experience as a varsity coach, Designing Effective Practices for Team Sports examines a wide range of factors essential to designing effective practices. Planning effective practices is requires more than just effective teaching of team sports skills. There is so much more that goes into a great sports practice than just teaching sports skills. Just a few of the factors to be planned for on both an individual practice session and the entire sports season include some of the following: -Crafting an overriding purpose for the program and team -Creating a culture of success -Goal setting -Effective teaching strategies and tactics -Maximizing the use of time, facilities, staff and space available -Preventing burnout -Drill selection -Theories of learning motor skills The author takes a look at all of these issues and more in the more than 20 chapters in the book. Mixing research with practical experience, the author addresses issues rookie and veteran coaches, regardless of the sport face in practice. These include: -Setting the tone of practice -Dealing with difficult to motivate athletes -Avoiding common practice planning mistakes -Building intensity in practice -The role of confidence in sports Designing Effective Practices for Team Sports was written for coaches who would rather develop their coaching skills and design their own effective sports practices than purchase a book with sample practice sessions for their sport. Designing great practices is on of the most important elements in sports coaching. Not only do effective and efficient practice sessions play an important role in preparing teams to win, these types of practices are much more fun for everyone involved!

A 28 year veteran of the coaching profession, with twenty-two of those years spent as a varsity head coach, Coach Kevin Sivils amassed 464 wins and his TEAMs earned berths in the state play-offs 19 out of 22 seasons with his TEAMs advancing to the state semi-finals three times. An eight time Coach of the Year Award winner, Coach Sivils has traveled as far as the Central African Republic to conduct coaching clinics. Coach Sivils first coaching stint was as an assistant coach for his college alma mater, Greenville College, located in Greenville, Illinois. Coach Sivils holds a BA with a major in physical education and a minor in social studies from Greenville College and a MS in Kinesiology with a specialization in Sport Psychology from Louisiana State University. He also holds a Sport Management certification from the United States Sports Academy. In addition to being a basketball coach, Coach Sivils is a classroom instructor and has taught U.S. Government, U.S. History, the History of WW II, and Physical Education and has won awards for excellence in teaching and Teacher of the Year. He has served as an Athletic Director and Assistant Athletic Director and has also been involved in numerous professional athletic organizations. Sivils is married to the former Lisa Green of Jackson, Michigan, and the happy couple are the proud parents of three children, Danny, Katie, and Emily. Rounding out the Sivils family are three dogs, Angel, Berkeley, and Alec. A native of Louisiana, Coach Sivils currently resides in the Great State of Texas.