After finishing my undergraduate program at Oakland University in the spring of 2011, one thing was very clear: I wanted to be a college cross country and track coach. I set up an interview with one of the most successful coaches in the country that, luckily for me, was at Michigan State University in Coach Walt Drenth. After the interview, Coach Drenth welcomed me on to his staff in a volunteer capacity.
|
During that first year, I learned that there was more to coaching and leading a group of athletes than I could have ever imagined. My eyes were opened to the importance of blending the physiological principles of endurance training with the psychological aspects of coaching and teaching athletes. While my undergraduate studies afforded me a strong foundation in physiological training principles, the "science" of coaching (or the nuts and bolts), I quickly became aware of how little prepared I was to teach athletes and prepare them psychologically for competition, the "art" of coaching (or the canvas and paint). It was then that I spoke with Coach Drenth about which Master’s program I might benefit from the most. He encouraged me to consider the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) degree from Michigan State because the program would increase my knowledge of not just the scientific principles of coaching, but also of leadership, teaching, and psychological principles. And with the program being online, I could complete the degree and continue my career no matter where it would take me. I began the MAED program in the fall of 2012 and could not be happier with my decision.
KIN 856, The Physical Bases of Coaching Athletes, taken early in my MAED journey, reintroduced and reinforced many of the scientific principles I had learned during my undergraduate studies, but focused on how to apply these principles in real-life settings. In addition, having the opportunity to learn from Dr. Scott Riewald, who works at the United States Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was amazing. Dr. Riewald allowed each student to focus on his or her particular sport, so all of my attention was focused on distance athletes for track and field. One of his main points of emphasis was that, as a coach, our time is limited with the athletes and we should focus on the most important aspects of the sport. He wanted each coach to get the “most bang for your buck” with athletes and not waste time on minor details that may not have as much of an affect as other ones. For instance, when we were covering the strength and conditioning aspect of the course, my original thoughts were that runners’ legs are naturally strong, so they should focus a more on strengthening their weaker upper body and not worry so much about the lower body. Dr. Riewald informed me otherwise; while strengthening the upper body would benefit the athletes, it would not help the athletes get the "most bang for their buck."
"...our time is limited with the athletes and we should focus on the most important aspects of the sport." |
One key assignment in KIN 856 was identifying the actions of your sport and the muscles that are used the most. For running, it was the legs, and I learned that by focusing primarily on the leg muscles, my athletes will be more injury resistant and have better ground-force reaction with stronger leg muscles (hence why focusing on upper body strength would have less of an impact than focusing on lower body strength). This was just one of many helpful assignments the class had to offer. The topic areas ranged from nutrition to traveling and the toll it takes on an athlete’s body. We were not assigned busy work. Once each assignment was complete, they could be used as a coaching reference or tool (check out a few examples here). Each and every assignment that I completed provided another nut or bolt to add to my coaching toolbox.
|
However, after finishing KIN 856, I realized I desperately needed some canvas and paint. I needed to know how to best teach these principles to a group of athletes to whom these principles may be foreign. I also realized I needed to improve my ability to lead a group of followers and to create an environment that was conducive to learning. EAD 801, Leadership and Organizational Development, with Dr. Debbie McFalone and EAD 867, Case Studies in Educational Leadership, with Dr. Marilyn Amey and Dr. E. Jessup Anger, equipped me with new knowledge and skills to do just that. I took these courses during the same semester. I figured that these classes would complement each other and help me grow as a leader. Both classes started in the same manner: asking students to define a leader and a follower. We talked about common misconceptions of leadership and followership, and differences in leadership styles. From there, both classes dug right in and opened my eyes to what it means to be a leader.
At the beginning of these courses, I thought that followers were just people that could not think for themselves but this could not have been further from the truth. Followers are critical to change. If they do not share a common belief with the person who started the movement (i.e. the leader), change will never happen. In addition, followers can be great leaders. Sometimes there is a point where the person leading the group needs to take the backseat and follow a follower. Doing so gives the group a feeling of ownership or a sense of empowerment of their ability to complete a task. As a coach, I now understand the power of letting the athletes lead and that taking a backseat can sometimes be the way to move the group forward. Add one paint set to my coaching toolbox.
In addition to various class discussions, we were also able to apply what we were learning to different real life situations. In EAD 867, we evaluated three case studies and analyzed each situation as in-depth as possible. These case studies forced us to think outside of the box by focusing on the facts that were in each case, changes that could be made, and potential outcomes or consequences of each change. These assignments allowed me to put myself in a situation that I may encounter in my career. As a leader and as a follower, I am going to have to make many decisions; by training myself to analyze all the facts and think of the potential outcomes, I ultimately am getting myself in the routine of handling difficult situations.
EAD 801 had each student dive into a selection of readings that were comprised of observations and stories of successful leaders. I was able to learn vicariously to expand my own leadership philosophy. For example, one of the stories was about leaders not observing the entire task at hand. The author talked about the need for a leader to "get off the dance floor and on to the balcony," or see the big picture and not get caught up on one task in particular so you can make the necessary corrections that you may not see if you are not up on the balcony. These courses combined gave me with a bucket of paintbrushes to paint my own experiences.
Sometimes artists use unique mediums, mediums that perhaps they never thought they'd use. KIN 854, Sport Law for Administrators and Coaches, taught by Professor Rick Atkinson, was that unique medium for me. When I first enrolled in the course, I honestly thought it would be lackluster; however, I found the assignments very useful and the information critically important as a collegiate coach. Professor Atkinson compelled us to think outside of the box and in as much detail as possible about a wide array of legal aspects of athletics. I learned the hard way that you have think critically and read the fine print when considering litigation. In the particular assignment, I was asked to describe who was at fault with a particular sporting incident. I did so in a very detailed explanation; however, I missed a particular detail of the scenario and placed fault on the wrong team. Professor Atkinson told me that this happens to most of the students each semester; they do not read the fine print. As he put it, I need to read every little detail in order to save myself from any legal matter.
|
In KIN 854, we also read court cases and found out how easy it is for a coach or an administrator to get tied up in some sort of legal action. As a coach new to the profession, this was something I never considered. From every aspect of team travel, workout locations and their safety, to the equipment we use and the supervision we provide, coach is more reliable for the safety and well-being of other people than I thought possible. This course also discussed the court cases involved in Title IX and its importance to each school and university. I truly feel that this course gave me some great tools to avoid any legal problems around coaching in the future.
The final course that moved me closer to mastering the art of coaching was KIN 890, an independent study that was supervised by Dr. Deborah Feltz. This study, my canvas if you will, was a huge step for me in terms of refining my coaching philosophy. I completed a literature review and conducted phone interviews with six highly successful track and field coaches around the mental preparation of athletes for competition. Even though each athlete is different from the next, there were some common themes. I found that, as a coach, you have to do a little trial and error in order to figure out the correct state of arousal that is successful for each athlete. This may take a little time and some personal reflection after good performances of how the athlete was feeling psychologically before the performance. Each coach also noted that an athlete’s mental preparation starts with their training in practice. If the training is going well, they tend to race with more confidence and have better results. If the training has not been going well, athletes tend to race with less confidence and then the coach needs to make an adjustment in order to get the athletes back on the right track.
The other aspect that was researched in the independent study was how to maintain a positive team culture. Many teams have an athlete that may be the most talented, but not the best example of a positive team leader. This will likely have a huge effect on the team culture. I learned that it starts from the top, with the coach, and trickles all the way down to the athletes. Each of the readings and the coaches that were interviewed noted that in order to maintain a positive team culture, you have to hold each athlete accountable. I came across a great example of holding athletes accountable in one of my readings. Despite the athlete being the most talented athlete on the team, the coach kicked him off of the team because of his poor attitude, continually disregard of team rules, and poor work ethic. The coach then made one of the hardest workers on the team but the least talented athlete a team captain. The team realized that if the best athlete was not safe from getting kicked off the team due to his/her actions, nobody was, and the team culture changed for the positive. This was a very extreme example, and other situations and solutions were also examined. This course allowed me to pick the brains of some of the best coaches in the nation and found that they all had similar ways of preparing athletes and these methods mirrored my findings in the literature review.
While it would be naive to think that I have truly mastered the art of coaching, each of the courses I took in the MAED program inched me closer to that goal. The courses that I listed further developed me as a leader and a coach. I am very happy with my decision to enroll in the MAED program at Michigan State. I do not know if I would have taken as much away from any other program. I have a better understanding of the artful side of coaching and am better prepared now to lead a team than I ever was before.