Learning the role of CoachForce

Coaches work with and develop players. The New Zealand Squash CoachForce are the people who educate, train and motivate coaches. Throughout the country squash has regional CoachForce officers and facilitators who work to offer and facilitate coach development modules and provide support and advice to club and school coaches so they can help their players improve and fall in love with the sport. CoachForce are qualified and active coaches with a background in teaching and are passionate about learning.

In order to help lift her game to the next level, Central’s CoachForce Sally Stantiall recently attended the 3-day Sport New Zealand Coach Developers Course which is designed to improve the effectiveness of people in CoachForce roles. We caught up with her on how this went…

Being relatively new to my role as a Coach Developer for Central Squash I was a bit apprehensive about attending. I had heard from others that is was a great course and I was really lucky to have been nominated to attend. By lunchtime on the first day I didn’t think so! Our group had all missed the brief we had been given, my presentation was a disaster, but at least I was in good company with most of us in the same boat. About now I was ready to shoot Luke - what on earth was Squash New Zealand thinking sending me here? Most of the others on the course worked full-time for either a RST or as a high performance coach. I was way out of my comfort zone.

I now feel much more confident moving into the Coach Developer role. I have learnt many new skills and discovered some I already had to move forward with confidence that I can make a difference in the world of squash not only in Central but throughout New Zealand. I feel that I have gained many new skills for my position as Coach Developer for Central Squash. These new skills will also help me be a better coach towards the athletes that I am privileged to work with. I am now a more confident communicator, am becoming a better active listener, and regularly self analyse and review my work sessions to help me to continue to improve.

Keen to join the CoachForce?

Squash NZ and the regional District Associations are always on the lookout for people who are passionate about teaching, learning and helping other coaches to better their coaching. If you want to give back to squash, take your coaching to the next level and earn additional income by facilitating learning modules and providing on-court and off-court mentoring and shadowing to other coaches, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Luke for further information.