GUNN TIPS FOR COACHES #5 - 365 DAY PROJECT 2019/20 - CAN SHE KICK? DEPENDS - WHO'S ASKING?

G’Day learning peers,

Welcome to Blog 5 of ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ a daily reflective piece for teachers/coaches of all movement contexts, curating the learning of unique individuals. 

I’m Gunny (Coach Gunny/Craig Gunn) an experienced educator. I have a particular ‘calling’ to support those at the grassroots/foundation/community level.  As such consider joining the below group:

“Grassroots Coaching and Consulting” Facebook group (not the page) which gathers coaching/teaching brains from around the world.  It began less than 17 months ago and now has 528 members from every continent and most sports: https://www.facebook.com/groups/147501649318126/

Join and invite your friends!  We’re practical, warm and engaging, but also a little more generalist for people who are often given a bag of balls as volunteer ‘coach’ and are trying to navigate what it means to be a teacher!  

I’m sharing this ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ to further support communities of educators, sharing about how to best engage learners. 

The topic of today’s piece is a revisit from last year where I had questions around the true cultural acceptance of women coaches into the national game. Not a whole lot has changed from my experience…

My blog begins now:

I, like many of you who coach women and girls, or, indeed, who just love the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) competition, thoroughly enjoyed Julia Hay’s recent opinion piece on LinkedIn, called, “The Importance of Women Contributing to Australia’s National Sport Australian Rules”. It is an inspiring tale of Julia’s recent decision to take up Aussie Rules coaching and implores other women to strongly consider volunteering to coach the nation’s game. Indeed, she rightly points that, “Women need to realise their experience with other invasion games such as basketball, netball, soccer and hockey, can easily be applied to football.”

However, I’ve since reached out to Julia, the great PE teacher, plus others, with some reservations about this rallying call. For example, I posted her amazing thoughts on the Brisbane Lions AFLW Facebook fan group which stimulated much discussion. Maybe things are different in Melbourne but up here, much of the commentary was from supportive men and women who sadly at times had some doubts about the ‘can do’ attitude. No need to go into it, but, I also gained my first ‘intelligent’ troll, who goaded me over email about my feminist agenda.

I may be facing further hate mail for saying this, but, Aussie Rules ‘clubland’ to me seems dominated by a ‘macho’ culture that does not like ‘change’. This is saying something from a bloke who was reared on playing and loving rugby league, the most beautifully simple game in the world. However, I stress now that it will take more than women putting their hand up to break the gender sterotypes Mrs Hay spoke about… I reckon it’s us stuck in cement blokes who need to change. Let me explain…

I have coached and educated in all sports and levels for a couple of decades. I swore that I’d never coach my own daughters and have happily sat back and enjoyed their triumphs or failures under many good and some not so good coaches. My girls knew that they were always there to work and have fun with their mates and I only complained once about coaches, after half a season of two blokes screaming constantly at the teenage umpires!!! I cringe every time I hear the ‘roar’ of ‘BAAAALLLLLL’ by the crowd at our young officials but that’s something for another day…

However, when it was my time to take my youngest daughters U/11 gals team, when there was no other option, the shoe was on the other foot. You see I was different!!! I hadn’t ever played AFL before and was actually formally complained about for allegedly not teaching the girls basic skills. This was not true, because as Julia pointed out there is research out there suggesting that there are far more effective ways of training than drills, like her referenced Game Sense. And, I was the lecturer of PE and Sports Coaching at a local university teaching Game Sense, along with, Teaching Games for Understanding, The Sport Education Model, and, the Constraints led Approach among others.

Thus, whilst my methods were completely backed by, modern motor learning theory and coaching ‘101’; plus, despite the fact that my players were five times more active than any teams around, comments would be made to club hierarchy by former players that I was doing it all wrong because I wasn’t using ‘drills’… But this was just the tip of the iceberg and you can read more of this journey if you Google a paper written by me and ably led by the wonderful Aussie Rules and Game Sense ‘Guru’, Dr. Shane Pill from Flinder’s University, presented at a Australian Council of Health Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) international conference in 2017. POINT BLANK: You see, I wasn’t the right cultural fit for people used to the way things were usually done. BUT…it got worse!

One afternoon I was sick and my wonderful, surf lifesaving, mother of three daughters, plus, dynamic, role modelling, assistant coach was charged to take the session. She worked in a girls’ boarding school, had a thirst for my coaching style, because as she said we “Didn’t ‘Lord’ over the kids”, and, had a true passion to serve the kids. Yet, I was worried about the folded armed male brigade in close proximity, which proved sadly correct. To support, I sent my wife, an experienced educator with illustrious levels of EQ to assist. However, the males soon moved in and made comments about what was going on to the coaching coordinator who had chipped me about this ‘games stuff’ before. By halfway through the session, the males mounted their mutiny and took over… My amazing assistant coach whom I was grooming to take over, resigned and took her girls away… Forever…

I have many, many sad tales of ignorance among my ‘national game’ male peers to add if you want to contact me. But needless to say, I, and a few of the key females driving the program have progressed to supportive climates. I though, am still coaching, senior men, women and girls from U/11-17, and happily assist with coaching the Queensland U15s girls, through what they affectionately call ‘Gunny Madness’. It’s actually just game centred learning, that to be honest, they are just not that used to.

Once again, Julia is right about the research saying Game Sense is effective but the research also suggests that Aussie Rules coaches generally don’t use it even if they say they do!!! Walk past any senior, ‘sub elite’ team and you will see line ups, waiting behind cones and static learning environments, because, CHANGE is HARD!!! Don’t believe me??? Consider that Game Sense was launched in Australia in 1995. It was taught in my rugby union Level II course in 2000, yet when I get to present anything on Game Sense in Aussie Rules circles, coaches constantly refer to Game Sense ‘drills’ which would be rather counter-intuitive to its earlier promoters like Rod Thorpe and Ric Charlesworth. Yep, CHANGE is HARD because CULTURES are STRONG! Which also means, some of us fit in and some don’t…

This is the bones of my present research: coaching behavioural change. But what have I done to help the change? Well, I have started and run a diverse sports coaches’ group called, “Grassroots Coaching and Consultancy”, where worldwide sports coaching experts like Shane Pill offer their help for all members FREE. Look us up and join 330 members from all around the world who are questioning the cultural, learning ‘norms’ and supporting each other to “BE THE CHANGE!!!” And, finally to support ‘change’, I have been on social media to call on any female coach inspired to improve learning outcomes, to connect with me virtually or face-to-face in Brisbane for FREE support. I am very experienced and know that coaching this game has challenges for humans who don’t kick as long as others… This is odd, because you see, we are the ones who can be the best of coaches because we have remained curious about how “things get done ‘round ‘ere’!”

As for Mrs Hay, I applaud you as a true WARRIOR in the movement and look forward to aligning myself with you in further initiatives. Indeed, I applaud the AFL for inviting you to a ‘think tank’ on attracting more female coaches. This is a MUST for my daughters and their male peers. However, a ‘caveat’, I believe much education is needed around cultural change in ‘clubland’ to ensure this gets going properly. We need ‘true’ support for a ‘hands up’ policy, because, some clubs DO CHANGE and others DON’T.

In fact, I’d reckon the rise of the AFLW has probably saved many clubs but has taken us all ‘off guard’. It was only last year that my girls’ club got change rooms, which was far better than previous years’ changing on the field. However, as an educator, I wonder how much of this current growth has been properly thought through. Indeed it reminds me of Susan Kahn (2017) citing Peeler (2009) on what led to the collapse of Enron, “There is a strange thing goes on inside a bubble. It’s hard to describe. People who are in it can’t see outside of it, don’t believe there is an outside”.

Thus please volunteer leading female coaches because many of you reside outside the ‘bubble’. In fact, you will probably be better teachers as a result of this. But, seek support early and often in preparation for those can’t see outside…

Yours in learning,

Coach Gunny

www.coachgunny@craiggunn.org

0431311070

GUNN TIPS FOR COACHES #3 - 365 DAY PROJECT 2019/20 - REMAIN CURIOUS!

G’Day learning peers,

Welcome to Blog 3 of ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ a daily reflective piece for teachers/coaches of all movement contexts, curating the learning of unique individuals. 

I’m Gunny (Coach Gunny/Craig Gunn) an experienced educator. I have a particular ‘calling’ to support those at the grassroots/foundation/community level.  As such consider joining the below group:

“Grassroots Coaching and Consulting” Facebook group (not the page) which gathers coaching/teaching brains from around the world.  It began less than 17 months ago and now has 528 members from every continent and most sports: https://www.facebook.com/groups/147501649318126/

Join and invite your friends!  We’re practical, warm and engaging, but also a little more generalist for people who are often given a bag of balls as volunteer ‘coach’ and are trying to navigate what it means to be a teacher!  

I’m sharing this ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ to further support communities of educators, sharing about how to best engage learners. 

The topic of today’s piece..

My blog begins now!

It's 9:47pm as I write this and I am an 8:30pm to bed bloke... However, I've already found this reflective habit beneficial. In the past couple of weeks (as indeed mentioned yesterday) I was reminded of something important: advocacy through creative, professional sharing requires teachers to remain curious. Although I think this is changing, my memory of school teaching features a tendency of colleagues working in isolation and shutting ourselves off from other peers' innovation. Times this by at least five when it comes to higher education institutions. I was certainly guilty of this when it came to technology so got out! However, I loved 'teaming' and professional learning conversations. And now, my last half a decade dalliance working with sports' organisations instead of schools or universities has taken the silo effect to another level in some.

Notwithstanding the amazing recent efforts of Netball and National Rugby League (NRL) mentioned yesterday to be honest and vulnerable in their collective work, the guarded actions displayed towards me by some leaders within large corporations like the Australian Football League (AFL) has me constantly curious. After guiding key people through things like 'Game Centred Approaches' and other coach development innovations around safety their guarded and at times combative attitude towards me could be because good teachers/learners open us up to questions like you know, how’s it going with the communities of practice you promised after going online with 'Coach AFL'? How much have you written of the curriculum? Do you mind telling me why a coach of children rather than youth is not allowed to do a level 2 or 3 coaching certificate? Distancing themselves from me rather than being curious with questions and dialogue... They just don’t want to go there. But I've seen it all before. Most teachers (as leaders of young people) are just like leaders of powerful institutions. We want to keep private, for some maybe just out of a sense of fear. For others, you know, perhaps it's just because their sole job appears to be to hold power. That is all just like leaders of large corporations.

But this week I was walking my dogs recalling my Australian Football learning journey over the past five years and I remembered the first light bulb moment that occurred from interaction with Dr. Shane Pill. I reached out to him because after being asked to deliver to AFL staff on 'Game Sense' coaching, it appeared to me that they knew little about any of it, despite what was promoted through official AFL manuals and the like. So Pilly, I doubt you are reading this, but my journey would have taken a different path if not for our professional conversation that day. Maybe I'd be back to knowing little about Australian Football! Yet I reached out to him over email (a little intimidated) and I said, you know, can we have a quick phone call because I think, you know, your research shows we’re thinking about many of the same issues. Indeed, I only knew him through his research and had been citing much of his work in my coaching and PE lectures at Australian Catholic University a few years before. So many things came out of his kind professional conversation. I of course took lots of notes as we were talking and Shane eventually coached me through my only peer reviewed conference paper as a result. And so that was amazingly helpful to talk with him that day. Shane’s so very giving.

Yet, the main thing I got from that conversation was that Shane thought about these learning issues in a different way than I was. He was questioning the cultural processes and I was still stuck on some of the words, like, 'Game Sense'. And even the games I was using to help the learning were overdone. For me it was a transformative conversation. For example, when I 'banged on' about the words like 'Game Sense Drills' that to me were counterintuitive, Shane asked me to dig deeper and consider if the AFL was really using 'Game Sense' as a model. This learning conversation again (just like with Richard I posted yesterday) helped me to remember how I cannot assume certain things about complex organisations and their learning structures. And eventually he led me to think about how my practice as an agent for change needed to tell my story of how I came to this and to try to connect with coaches once again on their 'story's' level. And of course always start and end with questions...

Unlike many of my peers at an un-named university in this piece that I also worked at, I certainly don’t consider myself to be an expert on coaching and teaching issues. I mean, just because you have a PHD and written a few a book on things means nothing (Jack Cahill, 2018). Indeed, I’m really not that arrogant unlike some haunting the halls of academia or fields of stadia! Yet, through sharing my coaching practices for volunteers and creating safe forums to share, I am trying to foster support for young people that would have been most helpful for me when I was growing up. And like the weirdo I am, I just had to do a bunch of stuff on my own that was essentially unique. And why should other coaches learn with me? Well, why can’t they learn from the kinds of methods and resources that I promote? Well, they couldn’t in the past due to my guilt at not being a so called and self-labelled ‘expert’ which has held me back for the last decade… See I’m just a teacher. But a ‘flaming’ good one.

So when I sat down and started to think about what this blog could be about, I was jolted again thinking about the fact that the best learners are the most humble, curious and giving. Indeed, rather than being solitary and closed, the great Shane Pill gave me some words and phrases on that day in early 2015 that set me on a path that I was never even thinking about. For example, I’m currently working on a book with someone Shane introduced me to: the ultimate in 'engagement', Dale Sidebottom. It will be much lighter on academic references than other things I’ve written on learning, but it will be rich in stories of learning through sharing and action.

Thus in closing dear peers, remain curious and never stop sharing, just like the great Shane Pill.

Yours in learning - Gunny!

By the way, Gunny and Dale Sidebottom https://energetic.education/ are coming to UK and Ireland in September: 

1) What questions have you asked your sharing peers about the deeper meaning behind learning? 

2) How has this helped your own learning? 

3) When have you given yourself some dedicated time to stop, observe, and think??? 

Learning!!! 

email: coachgunny@craiggunn.org (September UK and Ireland tour of learning 2019)

Again learning peers, I’m Gunny.  If you want these Blog Posts to your inbox send me a personal email on address above or other, and, I’ll start compiling an all-important ‘list’.

The HOW (not WHAT) of coaching can be found at the ‘Gunn Engagement’ YouTube channel:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DAC5b2rZHlt8bxXHVgAHg/featured?view_as=subscriber   

Please SUBSCRIBE!

To correspond on today’s post, provide discussion guidance, or ask questions that can be used in future posts, connect with me on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/c_gunny73, OR

FaceBook Pages, https://www.facebook.com/coachgunnybrizvegas/   

AND https://www.facebook.com/gunnengagement/ 

OR LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-gunn-b5017a69/ 

OR Website, www.craiggun.org 

If you find the ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ to be a supportive resource, please consider sharing with your friends and network—again, don’t forget to subscribe to the email list or YouTube channel and again tell your friends and colleagues.  ‘Word of mouth’ is still my preferred advertisi

‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ was brought to you by, me Gunny, and superior learning vision is curated by my partner in learning Anthony O’Brien of AOB Media, https://www.aobmedia.com.au/. 

Of course learn more about my work or how to hire me as a consultant, facilitator, or speaker, through 0431311070.  

Finally, “Kids learn teacher NOT subjects!”

GUNN TIPS FOR COACHES #2 - 365 DAY PROJECT 2019/20 QUEENSLAND SPORTS COLLECTIVE REPORT -

G’Day learning peer

Welcome to Blog 2 of ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ a daily reflective piece for teachers/coaches of all movement contexts, designed to increase confidence and ability for managing the learning of unique individuals. 

I’m Gunny (Coach Gunny/Craig Gunn) an experienced educator and I have a particular ‘calling’ to support those at the grassroots/foundation/community level.  As such consider joining the below group:

“Grassroots Coaching and Consulting” Facebook group (not the page) is once such community resource that gathers coaching/teaching brains from around the world.  It began less than 17 months ago and now has 527 members from every continent and most sports: https://www.facebook.com/groups/147501649318126/

Join. Join. Join.  We’re practical, warm and engaging, but also a little more generalist for people who are often given a bag of balls as volunteer ‘coach’ and are trying to navigate what it means to be a teacher! 

I’m sharing this ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ to further support communities of educators, sharing about how to best engage learners in the work of movement…  

My blog begins now!

The topic of today’s piece is an observation on the ‘Queensland Sporting Collective’ housed and facilitated by Netball Queensland (NQ).  This is the introduction only.  I will share some of my idea summaries later.

In essence, I want to tell the story of how two very different collectives came to fruition within a year period.  And how with the latter collective,  I was able to eat some humble pie as a result. The collectives/forums were very different and maybe that’s because the participants were very different.

For example, I am often citing the likes of Martin Flanagan talking about his beloved Australian Football, (as reprinted in 'The Footy Almanac' ) where he explains  contrasting narratives: "...the game has evolved into two very different cultures. Those at the top talk in terms of branding and product and market share, the language of corporate culture”.  He describes this greatly with in the ‘grassroots’ when talking about the GAME of Australian football in his home state which is described to him like, ”...the ecosystem of Tasmanian football is sick”.  As such I try hard to support grassroots coaches particularly volunteers.

In July last year a ‘forum’ was proposed and facilitated by me, but housed by Australian Catholic University (ACU), Banyo. It was based on my passion for some of the amazing  research of ACU peers and guest researchers like Shane Pill and Rochelle Eime who find that community sports’ participation measurements needed an overhaul.  I worked hard at gathering together many stakeholders from many key sports and even left my own (rugby league (NRL)) out on purpose, figuring that as Queensland was an NRL state they were already securing great public funds.  In the end though, we talked and achieved little I suppose as it was never followed up.  We enjoyed it, had international guests and the hospitality was grand.  Yet I remember one key stakeholder from NQ, Richard McIness saying to the open floor, “We already know this Gunny.  But… How are we going to change it?”

Then one day a few weeks’ ago, I was scanning for learning material to share with coaches.   I came across a piece by NQ announcing the “Queensland Sporting Collective” and I was really conflicted.  Not because I wasn’t invited (this was quickly rectified) but was critical in social media because of the message I ‘assumed’ they (the collective/NQ) were trying to get out there. I mean here I was giving away much of my own IP for free for years… And I tried a few different free professional development formats etc at pubs for free and hosted groups like “Grassroots” (above) but kept feeling rejected…  (Talking like my kids now) I was just trying to think of, like, how much passion do I want to keep putting out there, only to be totally affronted by the ‘TCs’ (some of the greatest coaches in Australia and heads of NSOs ,Sport Australia, MPs on stage)???  This was a big mistake and I was blinded by my own bias of the ‘grassroots’.

 and NQ traded a few questions and I played the stubborn game of reconsidering past let-downs… However, unlike others from big corporations and those grassroots devotees like me in the past, as educators we remained curious, asking questions to ascertain motives etc. And soon, I accepted the opportunity to have an ‘open’ chat where key stakeholders were together addressing the issue I am most passionate about: Kids and Movement! Indeed, my own NRL who’d been so brave in addressing woes and drop-out were being used as a test case for change! And I should say that the collective was not the, you know, “oh we’re special, we write these plans and we love what we do” because I got the feeling that our current Queensland Sports Minister gets it. In fact, you had people like me questioning the head of Sport Australia about the demise of grassroots coaching.  You had members of the big sports saying we are sucking out too much public money.  We had an academic questioning the use of public funding for more wasted stadia…  We had Lisa Alexander and other head coaches debating some real issues around gender on a platform of, “let’s get fair dinkum!”   

Well that’s the inspiration that I got—and in a very small, kind of obscure way—I will continue working hard at my ‘Grassroots calling’. So this is a kind but weird congratulations Richard, NQ and crew.    It won’t be read by many but please know that I have placed your HONEST and FAIR DINKUM efforts at no.2 of the Gunny 365 project.  AND, I was indeed wrong to jump the ‘Gunn’ and fire the crossed bow blanks at this worthwhile ‘think-tank’.

So, this is a story about resilience and ongoing plying of our trades, even when you have no guaranteed signs that you’re going to find any kind of success.  However, I believe that the NRL’s ‘tackle safe’ program is something that’s come along that highlights bravery, skills and abilities that will eventually contribute to something positive for our kids in all of our professional futures.  AND it took brave members of NQ to remind me of it…

And so I actually got in my truck homewards processing words but also a strange feeling in my stomach: there has been action with the NRL and now NQ, reinforcing in me renewed opportunity for lifetime movement learners that I really care about.  AND I’m just, overall, thrilled that these two sports are going against the tide and being honest about ‘churn’ and revitalizing their games (although I’m not sure of the NQ workings in fine detail). 

Now before I finish, I must recall that coaches across Australia once knew this feeling well. Putting effort and time into kids and being able to share it out among peers feeling with pride through the Australian Sports Commission and NCAS.  So peers, if you’re struggling now with a problem whether it’s a government body, a grant, a lack of resources etc and you’re thinking about hanging up the whistle, I encourage you to share it among the wider caring collective. Just like we did on that morning.  Indeed start your own sharing cross-code mastermind group. Share that you’re trying your best to make good decisions. And, who knows, rather than parting ways with me, like other key sports’ stakeholders and accusing me of ‘online bashing’, remain curious like NQ and Richard and ask questions. Because it really, really worked for me.  And got me thinking again about my own learning motives…

REFLECTION:

By the way, Gunny and Dale Sidebottom https://energetic.education/ are coming to UK and Ireland in September: 

1) What changes have you made in your own actions over the last few seasons to try and ‘walk in a different stakeholder’s shoes’? 

2) How has this helped the learners you are working with? 

3) What specific evidence actors showed up in the narrative? 

Learning!!! 

email: coachgunny@craiggunn.org (September UK and Ireland tour of learning 2019)

Again learning peers, I’m Gunny.  If you want these Blog Posts to your inbox send me a personal email on address above or other, and, I’ll start compiling an all-important ‘list’.

The HOW (not WHAT) of coaching can be found at the ‘Gunn Engagement’ YouTube channel:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DAC5b2rZHlt8bxXHVgAHg/featured?view_as=subscriber   

Please SUBSCRIBE!

To correspond on today’s post, provide discussion guidance, or ask questions that can be used in future posts, connect with me on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/c_gunny73, OR

FaceBook Pages, https://www.facebook.com/coachgunnybrizvegas/   

AND https://www.facebook.com/gunnengagement/ 

OR LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-gunn-b5017a69/ 

OR Website, www.craiggun.org 

If you find the ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ to be a supportive resource, please consider sharing with your friends and network—again, don’t forget to subscribe to the email list or YouTube channel and again tell your friends and colleagues.  ‘Word of mouth’ is still my preferred advertisi

‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ was brought to you by, me Gunny, and superior learning vision is curated by my partner in learning Anthony O’Brien of AOB Media, https://www.aobmedia.com.au/. 

Of course learn more about my work or how to hire me as a consultant, facilitator, or speaker, through 0431311070.  

Finally, “Kids learn teacher NOT subjects!”

Yours in learning,

Gunny

GUNN TIPS FOR COACHES #1 - 365 DAY PROJECT 2019/20 - Gunn Engagement

G’Day learning peers. This is what I do:

Welcome to the ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’! This is a daily reflective piece for teachers/coaches of all movement contexts.  It is designed to increase confidence and ability for managing the learning of unique individuals.  

I’m Gunny (Coach Gunny/Craig Gunn) an experienced educator and I have a particular ‘calling’ to support those at the grassroots/foundation/community level.  I thought I better tell you a little bit about this ‘project’. 

Up until recently, I gave away teaching/coaching expertise for free.  “Grassroots Coaching and Consulting” Facebook group (not the page) is once such community resource that gathers coaching/teaching brains from around the world.  It began less than 17 months ago and now has 527 members from every continent and most sports:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/147501649318126/

“Grassroots Coaching and Consulting” FaceBook group for volunteers and experienced sharing learners.

Please feel free to join us.  We’re practical, warm and engaging, but also a little more generalist for people who are often given a bag of balls as volunteer ‘coach’ and are trying to navigate what it means to be a teacher!  I decided to create “Grassroots” but it’s nobody’s ‘baby’ as we are dedicated to learners in our charge. 

From here I’m sharing this ‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ to further support communities of educators, sharing about how to best engage learners in the work of movement.

 A few things for you to know in this first post:

 The first is that I specialise in ‘learners’ and NOT sport. I actually have educated in every context and coached/taught many, many thousands of students and lessons.

The second, I’m always learning as a role-model.  Indeed, some of my post-graduate study has been on professional learning communities. As well, since 2016, I’ve gone from a flip-top phone called a ‘Doro’ to expanding my network through social media.  This is important as I was still handing out my land-line number in 2015…  

Thus these reflections bring some of that vulnerability and knowledge into creating a good sharing experience for you, my fellow learning peers.

The third thing to know is that I’m going to try to keep these posts relatively short (in Gunny terms). As in, two and a half to three A4 pages of ‘text’ (12 font Calibri). You and I know, that one of the challenges of coach development since the invention of YouTube has been the inundation of information over time. Thus my aim is to keep it at a reasonable length and ask questions so ‘volunteer’ or ‘pro’ coaches can squeeze them into their professional lives.  You may be surprised what pops up in your daily walk or drive…

Finally and most importantly, anyone who knows me well, knows that I don’t like ‘talking myself up’… BUT I think the ‘365’ will be practical and packed with tips that you can use as well.

To begin with considering this query by an experienced coach recently in a coaching forum I am a member of called ‘Coach Logic’ (costs me about $5 Aussie every month https://app.coach-logic.com/player):

“Hi all, quick and simple one. I am doing a season review meeting with the rest of my coaching group for an under 16’s team.

Any tips on how I encourage the other coaches on defining success outside of simply “we didn’t win the league and therefore the season is a failure” which is what I’m going to get from a few of them.

I define success on the fun the lads have had and the learning and development they have enjoyed plus they scored over 500 points this year which is amazing!

How do I change the other coaches thinking?”

Gunny response (in itallics):

 G'Day _____

Start with what you said: "I define success on the fun the lads have had and the learning and development they have enjoyed."
Learning is hard to see even in MRIs...

By the way, Gunny and Dale Sidebottom https://energetic.education/ are coming to UK and Ireland in September. I'm on a roll here so ask:

 1) What changes in player, club and coach behaviour have occurred?

2) How has this helped motivation of all stakeholders?

3) What factors showed up in thebuild to the ‘500’ = knowledge, skills etc?

4) What have you as a coaching team done to MODEL or explicitly teach, or grow this all? EG. If you have followed the problem solving/guided discovery of ‘Magic Academy’ and or England Rugby’s ‘CARDS’ etc, How was this different to traditional "Lines, Laps and Lectures”?

5) Look up Kolb's work on reflection! Plenty of stuff here to incorporate.

6) List many of the different learning strategies as a coaching group brain dump and then use these sub-questions to scaffold:

a) What was new?

b) How did we solve problems?

c) Where are our next opportunities?

d) When did we use games to explore?

e) How did we get players to reflect?

f) What were some missed opportunities?

g) When was it player led?

 Love learning,

 Gunny

 email: coachgunny@craiggunn.org (September UK and Ireland tour of learning 2019)

Again learning peers, I’m Gunny.  If you want these Blog Posts to your inbox send me a personal email on address above or other, and, I’ll start compiling an all-important ‘list’.

 The HOW (not WHAT) of coaching can be found at the ‘Gunn Engagement’ YouTube channel:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DAC5b2rZHlt8bxXHVgAHg/featured?view_as=subscriber   

Please SUBSCRIBE!

To correspond on today’s post, provide discussion guidance, or ask questions that can be used in future posts, connect with me on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/c_gunny73, OR

FaceBook Pages, https://www.facebook.com/coachgunnybrizvegas/  

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‘Gunn Engagement - 365 Day Sharing Project’ was brought to you by, me Gunny, and superior learning vision is curated by my partner in learning Anthony O’Brien of AOB Media, https://www.aobmedia.com.au/.

 Of course learn more about my work or how to hire me as a consultant, facilitator, or speaker, through 0431311070. 

 Finally, “Kids learn teacher NOT subjects!”

Yours in learning,

Gunny

Copy of 46 Sparks to Enliven Plans of Beginner & Veteran Coaches

Coming coach development sessions for March so far:

March 4, Alex Hills JAFC with, Simon Black and Nathan Clarke of Simon Black Academy

March 18. Brothers Rugby Union Club, Albion, for Gunny and supported by researchers and all monies raised going to Sierra Leone Rugby.

46 Sparks to Enliven Plans of Beginner & Veteran Coaches - by Craig Gunn (Coach Gunny)

Through a couple of decades, I’ve coached many sports, created varied content, and taught a multitude of learners. I’ve also used the following tools and tricks.  This is not an exhaustive list by any means!  Hopefully you find these 46 (for my 46 years on earth) worthy of consideration...

1. Get to know your students. “Kids learn teachers NOT subjects,” said my favourite leading principal, Fr. Peter Daly (OMI).  Thus, make connection a priority. Learn their backgrounds and where they are coming from. MASLOW must always come before Bloom. Then after all of this, worry about the subject matter…

2. Next, we need to know what they know, or, what the can DO!

3. BUT well before this, plan your session’s operational behavioural pedagogy. How on earth will you get their attention for example? (Consult old school PE teaching gurus like Pangrazi, Launder, Siedentop for help)

4. What routines would Judith Rink (1993) suggest you want to practice with them?

5. Plan absolutely everything if you are a new coach. BECAUSE you can lose them in an instant! The one thing that any teacher knows is that you solely are in control of your actions!!!

6. Plan for transitions: ‘Active Learning Time’ studies since the 70s show how much time gets wasted… Coach Educator Chris Cushion’s recent studies have shown that ‘elite’ coaches are some of the worst in this regard!

7. Plan for grouping all athlete into teams of colours.

8. Plan to never, EVER, simply point at kids and expect them to remember what team they are in. The exact same is true for adults in fact!!!

9. Listen to this very carefully: kids thrive in structure!!! When you are a beginner, don’t listen to ‘elite’ coaches working with ‘elite’ players saying things like they don’t use cones… They have never worked at the Grassroots, and more than likely if they did, and used this ‘no boundaries’ practice, they’d be pulling their hair out when the kids went wild.

10. Consider the number of participants and have far more equipment than necessary (if your budget allows for it).

11. I use four colours of cones and sashes or bibs of the same colours.  

12. How about the white cones?  They are your goals!!!

13. Use a four grid system of 10m by 10m like I was taught at university (PE teaching ‘101’). This easily engages a full class.  If I work with 90 coaches or players, I repeat the same process three times.

14. Label all of your own gear with permanent markers.  Coaches/PE teachers are ‘thieves’ but great natured ones. I drove to the Australian Institute of SPORT (1400km in my ute) with all of my own gear just in case… I am being ‘deadset’ serious!!!

15. PE teachers know that the hall/gym can be ‘squirrelled away’ from you in an instant.  Be prepared with Plans ‘B-Z’ at all times.

16. If your budget allows for it, you need a ball between two at least. I’m so tired of seeing community coaches, AND, visiting ‘experts’ lining up kids in columns with a bag of balls unused and lonely off to the side. In Australian football (AFL) for example, Indeed, it’s a great day if you see ‘elite’ groups with a single ball between eight when they do their ‘custom’ of lanework!

17. However, if the budget doesn’t allow for it, use balls, any balls... I have used everything from milk crates to stuffed toys as implement! ‘Old’ PE books gathering dust in libraries talk of things like ice-cream lids for markers. Use them or anything, because four and five year olds in particular NEED all the spatial help they can get (BIG kids too)!

18. If you can afford them, use agility poles to stake out your ‘turf’ before any other coaches arrive.  Because you are so organised and use less space than them, they will appreciate the help!

19. Put your bag of varied balls in the middle of your area and encourage kids to grab one and play, whilst you are setting up.

20. Always get to the training paddock well before start time. If I’m working professionally, I start setting up 45 minutes before. At the start of an amateur season, it’s at least 30 minutes.

21. Don’t EVER listen to anyone saying that kids shouldn’t kick around until warmed up etc… OR, that it looks untidy having them playing before the ‘official’ start. These people are clueless or narcissists. I have NEVER seen a kid ‘do’ a hamstring in cold weather or wet weather kicking before training. I suspect this wive’s tale was invented by the same parenting group in the 70s who told us all not to swim for 30 minutes after we ate lunch… Because of potential cramping!!!

22. Smile and say hello to every single adult you see near the field, as they could be parents or carers of ‘Little Josephine’. You need this potential contact up your sleeve if there is ever an issue. However, of course try to get out of the habit of waving and smiling at random mums at the shops. I haven’t mastered this yet…

23. Consider the difference in abilities of a group. Large balls or balloons are easy to catch. Round balls are easy to kick.

24. Think like a primary school teacher: the first many, many sessions should be focused on a safe environment for all, where kids and you relate well in intentional practice.

25. Play a game to begin your very first session (and every session).

26. Allow kids to kick, throw a javelin etc (within reason) first up with NO instruction!!! Then after, start the simplification process.

27. Watch for unique solutions that kids come up with in the above process.  For example, ‘Little Josephine’ putting the ball on the ground first before her kick.  Then, “Hey everyone! Let’s try…”

28. Once you’ve marked ‘the turf’ and organised all, start playing with kids. Sadly, many have been conditioned by school and other coaches and the like NOT to ‘play’.

29. Make sure that this early unofficial play has boundaries. That’s where the designated area above comes in.

30. Start at Greenwich Mean Time ‘on the dot’. If you bend here, adults will relax their travel time and it’s infectiously disruptive.

31. There is beauty in ‘chaos’. Plan for maximal movement that incorporates much functional movement and game skills. Then, finish your session 5-10 minutes ahead of time to talk to parents etc with no complaints due to the frenzied activity. 

32. Teach the kids how to help you set up. Practice this and ‘time them’ here and in pack-up with a watch. They love it!!!

33. Kids with attentional deficit issues need to keep moving but love structure too. They can be your best gear stewards and also the most creative game inventors too!

34. Plan for NO ‘lines, laps, or, lectures’!

35. Record yourself often on film. There is no better PD than this if you are prepared to watch with an open, curious heart

36. Get youth players to use smartphones and peer teach.

37. Hand-draw all activities . You'll be surprised how much clarity is gained from scratching the papyrus.

Sorry kids… Nothing beats a plan written on paper by hand!

38. Join a coaching group like ‘Grassroots Coaching and Consulting’ (Facebook group not the page of the same name) for research based, crosscode/multi-contextual support, and, inspiration. https://www.facebook.com/groups/147501649318126/?ref=bookmarks

39. Commit something to memory about every single one of your athletes for life.  Then, bring it up every year you coach them, and then, every time you see them well into their athletic retirement…  I am currently coaching four or five learners I taught or coached over a decade ago!

40. Constantly research for creativity and then journal all insights (my personality means that my ideas are everywhere but you may prefer strict organisation) . I use my calendar year diaries for this purpose: if I have quiet days that are sparse of notations, I brain dump often!!! BUT, always make sure you review often and design a contents/index list for the front.

41. If you ignore the advice within this selection of ‘46’ and forget to plan - turn off the radio on the the drive to training and pray HARD. It’s surprising how much a decade of the Rosary comes to the rescue when desperate.

42. Make your learning intentions explicit for all activities, sessions, and phases within the season.

43. At least once a day, during a half hour walk or drive, turn off the radio or take headphones out.  Have a notebook handy (or nowdays use a phone ‘app’) to record innovative ideas that come from nowhere.  My best coaching/teaching problem solving would come running through bushland! When I could run of course AND two achilles’ surgeries prior...   

44. Focus on all of the ‘w’ type questions: ‘What is a game problem encountered? What does it look like? Why is it happening? What does it need to look like to make you happy? How can you design a task to assist players in this regard!!!

This is the planning I did when coaching a coaching peer of mine (whose team went on to win the State flag)… Notice the pen and paper with the ‘w’ processes?

45. The great Dr. Ken Edwards (PE ‘guru’) taught us (and I have passed on in kind) to have three learning intentions: a major, a minor and an incidental one that will easily allow you to cover and map curriculum sequence.

46. Even if you can’t create a solution to a problem faced in a session, return to the previous session to reimagine and improve something through the ‘Change-It’ philosophy (Australian Sports Commission). This is because the learning is fresh in your players.  Many coaches are too hasty in trying the new gadgetry or novelties...

47. (Don’t say I NEVER give you anything) Keep your session plan on a clipboard (phone/Ipad) and ensure that it’s well explained ‘on paper’. Refer to it via an odd glance throughout open activity.  At NO POINT refer to it in front of athletes like you’re reading a manuscript. If you do, they’ll think you’re a muppet!!!

For Reflective Practice!

What is new or inventive from above? Try one and see how it suits.

Which of these classics have worked in past? What can you add to this list of 1000s?

Gunny’s Golden Rule for any Coaches I’ve Led and Learned With:

If we appear organised, parents and THEN players believe in us above most other coaches!

Yours in learning,

Gunny

Email: coachgunny@craiggunn.org

Web: www.craiggunn.org

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