UIUC KIN 369 - Observation Assignment 3 (2 pages)

Observation 3 Randy Davis Kin 369 Coaching Strategies I completed my third observation on Thursday December 14th I observed University High School s head coach Darin O Connell and his varsity basketball team during their practice from 4 5 30pm at Kenney Gym on the corner of Springfield Avenue and Wright Street I found this observation to be the most enjoyable of the three and I felt coach O Connell did a great job demonstrating pedagogical aspects of coaching such as practice preparation team athlete management instruction and professionalism Before practice began coach O Connell explained to me all his plans for the practice He informed me that they had a game the following night so this practice would mostly focus on fine tuning their game plan He also told me that he spent several hours of the previous night watching the opposing team s film and had a few key points to explain to his team I thought it was very useful that coach O Connell thoroughly watched the opposing team s game film It proved its use when he demonstrated techniques to counteract some common plays used by the opposing team I felt the activities and material were planned at an appropriate level and prepared them for their next game I would have prepared for and planned practice just the same When I talked with coach O Connell before practice began he mentioned that because of the strict requirements to get into University High School all their students are exceptional so he has had zero academic or behavioral issues with any of his athletes It s necessary for your athletes to maintain good academics and behavior and it s quite beneficial knowing your athletes have no troubles doing so Coach O Connell used consistent practice organization so the team always knew what drills were next and where they needed to be He utilized some of the transitions between activities for teaching while he kept some transitions very short to help condition his athletes During practice coach O Connell made sure to move around the court and get numerous perspectives of all the athletes His use of his practice organization and transition periods worked great and it allowed him to maximize the time he had with his team I also Randy Davis thought it was good that he circulated around the court like he did As a couch I would have consistent practice organization and appropriate team athlete management like I saw in coach O Connell It keeps practice flowing well and reduces wasted time that could be better utilized I felt coach O Connell did an exceptional job instructing his team He began by briefly letting the athletes shoot around to get loose and then he brought the team together and went over his plans for that practice This gave the team time to mentally and physically prepare for practice before gathering their focus Because they had a game the following night there were no new skills to be taught but he did have some techniques to be demonstrated and he used various methods to do so I thought it was helpful for athlete learning that he mixed up his demonstrations by having them perform some while he performed some himself He checked for athlete understanding by having them perform the techniques and then he made adjustments as needed This method appeared to work well for ensuring that the team understood the content Additionally I thought coach O Connell s closure was good because he reviewed everything they learned that week and how to apply it in their upcoming game I feel it s best to know how your athletes learn and to teach to their understanding which is what coach O Connell has done Like coach O Connell I plan to design my instruction methods based on my athletes learning Coach O Connell demonstrated excellent professional and personal qualities during practice He was punctual and dressed professionally listened to his athletes and he assumed fulfilled his responsibilities The only thing I would consider doing differently would be to have slightly better self control over anger and irritation when athletes make mistakes In conclusion I found this observation very valuable in shaping my coaching philosophy Coach O Connell demonstrated excellent pedagogy through his preparation management instruction and professionalism I intend to align many of my coaching strategies and techniques to be congruent with those I observed in coach O Connell