Aztec Soccer, a rapidly growing club not far from Boston MA, have an increasingly diverse range of coaches operating across the various ages and stages of the game. Keen to ensure all coaches have a consistent philosophy towards cultivating athlete-centered experiences, e.t.c was invited to lead the first professional development of new year and new decade in their new facility at Essex Sports Center. And we were delighted to accept.
Using a concept created by dear friend and world leading colleague in the coach education space, Penny Crisfield, we were able to help coaches distinguish between the how to coach and what to coach skills using the Coaching Bugs. Relying heavily on micro coaching, coaches were given the opportunity to explore and practice these how to coach skills using soccer skills and games. Through critical reflection on practice peer coaches were able to cultivate some new thinking about how to engage players in their own learning and development.
All coaches now have key actions to integrate into their coaching tool bag to ensure that can positively impact athlete experiences and outcomes.