Cyber Coach

By Kylo Harris

Rarely a day goes by that I am not thinking about how to teach a new skill or looking for a new drill to reinforce a skill. Living in rural communities, the number of experienced coaches to bounce ideas off or the ability to go watch someone else’s practice for those ideas are often minimal. However what we do have is the internet, and no matter if it is hours before practice, or 1:00AM and the next practice is weighing on your mind, the internet is always ready to help out.

If you go on www.youtube.com you can find everything from Field Hockey goalie drills, Cricket catching drills, youth Soccer dribbling drills, to tips on how to train for an Off Road Triathlon Transition. Simply search for the sport and type of drill you are looking for and you are bound to find something.

There are also many websites that are dedicated to providing this type of online resource and they are invaluable tools for coaches, and more importantly to rural coaches. Below are some of the other websites that you may find useful.

http://www.playsportstv.com
http://www.sportskool.com
http://www.positivecoach.org

We are certainly not saying every posting you see on the internet is to be considered the best. When selecting drills off the internet, there are a few things you need to consider:

• Is the drill age or skill level appropriate for your athletes?
• Is the drill designed in a safe & manageable manner?
• As a coach, do you have the appropriate level of skill to run the drill?
• Can I adapt the drill to my situation including: Practice Space – Number of Athletes – AND use of Assistant Coaches?

If you are not sure, don’t be afraid to ask another coach their opinion on the drill’s relevance for your group of athletes. If you know of more online resources, please email me, kyloharris@sport.mb.ca so we can post them on our resources page on the Coaching Manitoba website, www.coachingmanitoba.ca.

 

Kylo Harris is the new Rural Coaching Manager at Coaching Manitoba. He is a certified NCCP Learning Facilitator, a student in the National Coaching Institute, and a Provincial Team Coach for Lacrosse. Further to his vast coaching experiences, he was the Chef De Mission for the Interlake 2008 Power Smart MB Games, was involved with Manitoba’s North American Indigenous Games Team, and has most recently worked for the Lakeshore Recreation Commission and Kugluktuk High School Athletics Association.