Author: Hillary Franks

Considerations for Assistant Coaches Pursuing Head Coaching Positions

(2 Minute Read)

The process a coach uses to develop an athlete can be applied to assist coaches in pursuing a successful head coaching career. Due to the numerous roles and responsibilities, qualified coaches’ preparation and training have become a topic of great importance. New coaches should pursue experiences and opportunities that lend themselves well towards successful head coaching tenures. Findings from a pilot study of twelve NCAA Division I head coaches identified three considerations for assistant coaches pursuing head coaching positions: finding a coaching mentor, gaining coaching experience, and pursuing coaching education.

Photo of Kelly Carlstrom, Basketball Coach, Troy High School (ID)

Coaching Mentors
Lyle (1986) describes mentoring as essential in young coaches’ development because learning from more experienced coaches occurs. Learning how to coach effectively is facilitated by participating in informal and formal learning communities with coaching peers (Gilbert, Gallimore, & Trudel, 2009), who may serve as professional mentors.  In a study conducted by Irwin, Hanton, and Kerwin (2004), 91% of coaches in the study identified mentoring as very important in developing elite coaching knowledge. Mentors not only socialize mentees into the profession, but they also help their mentee navigate problems or consider important decision-making factors, to eliminate fumbling over unseen obstacles later on in one’s career (Abravanel, 2012). Citing Coakley’s (1990) initial work acknowledges the importance of veteran coaches on the careers of those who would like to become a full-time coach and suggests that younger coaches’ future usually depends on the sponsorship of established coaches serving as a mentor. Once a mentor has been identified and a relationship established, assistant coaches should gain as much coaching experience as possible.

Coaching Experience
Years of experience as an athlete may influence the developmental stage of learning to coach (Gilbert & Trudel, 2005) and coaches draw on their own experiences, interactions with other coaches, and numerous athletes’ experiences to employ their coaching development (Lynch & Mallett, 2008). While rookie coaches may possess a great coach’s inherent qualities, it is still pertinent to gain a variety of quality coaching experiences (i.e., different athletes, facilities, coaching strategies) in fostering coaching learning and improvement.

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Utilizing Assessment Technology in Physical Education

Assessment in physical education is a key accountability measure for both the student and the teacher.  The primary goal of assessment should be the enhancement of learning (NASPE, 2004), not an add-on (Nye, Dubay, Gilbert, & Wajciechowski, 2009).

Unfortunately, due to time constraints or uncertainty of the purpose, assessment in many physical education programs is inadequate. Common reasons physical educators do not assess include a) “It takes up too much time.”  Teachers may feel they do not have enough time to spend collecting assessment data, when they only see the students for 40 minutes, once a week. b) “I don’t know how.”  Teachers might not know how to assess and/or what to assess. c) “It won’t change anything, why even bother.”  Teachers might assess and collect data, but do not use it to inform instruction.  Fortunately, it has never been easier to collect, organize and save assessment data using technology in physical education. This article highlights two technology resources a physical education teacher can use to collect student data, Kahoot and MetricMe.

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