With the first Badminton England junior tournament now only a week away, it got me thinking back to early 2020 and the last set of tournaments to be played. The highs and the lows, the joy and the despair, the early starts and late finishes and the 300 mile round trips…cause let’s face it, everything seems like a 300 miles round trip from Suffolk!
And there is one thing I have learnt over the years, and that is, there is a right time to be a coach, and a right time to be a parent. Let me explain…
Tournament Days
There is often a lot of pressure put on junior players on tournament days. The expectation of coaches, the expectation of other players, the expectation of parents. And with like all sports, whether or not parents play themselves or not, all of a sudden we become experts when watching our kids play.
And I have definitely been guilty of this in the past, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, trying to coach and provide feedback when emotions are still raw – it’s a recipe for disaster – and sometimes – we just need to be a parent!
So here are just a few tips on how I deal with tournament days:
The journey there
I talk about what to expect on the day (this is important if a player is inexperienced in terms of tournaments). I always ask my girls to set their own goals and objectives for the day so they know what they are aiming for. And you’ll find over time that your players will become more ambitious without being pushed.
Arriving at the venue
Once signed in, this is when you can be a coach. Ensuring your players are properly warmed up, they’ve had enough fluids and have eaten sufficiently to sustain energy levels. Once you’ve had a look at opponents, if there are any you recognise it’s worth a quick discussion on how the match went last time they played, what worked and what didn’t and how they should approach the match this time.
Game time
At Silver and Bronze level tournaments there is no coaching allowed so you can’t give advice during the match. However, think about your body language, especially if your player can see you from the court. A few things here I have definitely learnt not to do if things aren’t going well:
- Fold my arms
- Look cross/angry
- And NEVER let them catch you rolling your eyes 😀
Your player needs to stay relaxed on court, so even if things aren’t going according to plan, they definitely won’t want to be losing. So keep smiling and say a few words of encouragement. They need to know that, even if they end up losing, they won’t be in for a ‘telling off’ after the match.
Post-match debrief
OK, so this is an important one. When a match finishes there will be a lot of emotions – either very high or very low. Give your player some time. Let them cool down properly, let them grab a drink and some food if they need it. But definitely do not jump straight into any negative feedback!
Instead, start by highlighting what went well and providing praise for effort and any specifics. It is important for a coach to ascertain what worked well, and what the development areas might be. Ask your player what they thought went well. If it was a tight match and your player played well but still ended up losing (it happens), perhaps ask them one thing they think they could change next time. But leave the analysis to a minimum. Make some notes and talk through another day. Your player may have more matches and therefore can’t be bogged down on things to work on before they next step on court. And they’ll need to prepare.
If the match has been a total disaster, this is the time to forget being a coach and be a parent. Just give your player a hug, highlight any positives, such as effort levels, and try to move the conversation on to take their mind off what has just happened. They know if they’ve had a bad match and the last thing they need is reminding of it! Negative feedback at the wrong time can destroy a whole day!
At the end of the tournament
Whether your player wins the tournament or doesn’t make it through the box – there would have been some positives and some areas for development. One thing I ask my own girls to do is think about two to three things that they thought they did well, and two to three things they’d like to improve on.
The language is key here – pitch it as areas for improvement/development and don’t pitch is as things they did badly. Remember – emotions could still be raw. Then, when you are at your next training session a few days later, you can discuss in more depth and work together to improve, or, pass the feedback on to your player’s coach if you don’t coach yourself.
The journey home
This is where you definitely switch back to full parent mode. Put some music on, talk about anything other than badminton, have a laugh and make your player smile. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll have a player who is starving and probably cons you out of a KFC or McDonalds – but forget about the unhealthy food – at least until the next day when you become the coach again – they deserve it!
Ultimately you want the lasting memory of the day to be a positive one so they look forward to the next tournament!
Comments