Group Philosophy
- An athlete centred coaching approach – as opposed to a coach, parent, school or club centred approach. All decisions are based on what is good for the wellbeing and long term development of the athlete.
- Inclusive athletics groups - that welcome all ages, abilities, disabilities and accepts that individuals will want to be part of the group, for a variety of reasons, all of which are considered to be of equal importance. The reason may be: for health & fitness; the development of fundamental movement skills; to improve performance in other sports; the social aspect and camaraderie that comes from being part of a training group; to compete in a variety of athletics events; to become an elite athlete ……. to name but a few.
- Multi-eventing - this is essential from both a developmental and opportunity perspective for athletes that are in the Fundamental & Foundation stages of development. However good a young athlete is, in a particular event, a multi event approach will be taken to ensure: correct skill and physical development; an opportunity in another, even better, event is not missed; variety in training reduces the risk of getting bored/ losing interest and simply because, as young people develop, their skills and abilities change and as such, trying to predict what they will be best at, as a young fully grown adult, is near to impossible.
- A good learning environment – differentiated, accommodating different learning styles, varied and creative, based on encouragement and positivity and allowing each individual to learn and progress at their own pace. Most of all friendly and fun!
- Whole Child development – Athletics is a great opportunity to develop, not only the physical qualities, but also the behavioural, social and psychological requirements of young people.
- Group sizes - Smaller groups, just like smaller class sizes, mean young athletes get more time and individual attention to learn and focus on Fundamental movement skill development & technique that are fundamental to their future wellbeing , with respect to reducing the risk of injury and ultimately improving their performances in Athletics and across all other Sports. From a Coaching perspective, it gives the opportunity to get to know and understand each athlete’s development requirements a lot better.
- A Late Specialisation Sport- a real appreciation and understanding of this concept ensures that children are not encouraged down any one particular event, too soon, to the detriment of their athletic development and possibly a missed opportunity in another event, as mentioned above.
- The UK Athletics “Athlete Development Model “ - Commitment to working to this model to ensure the appropriateness of the training that is selected for each individual athlete.
- Respectful behaviour and a positive attitude - what we expect and aim for, with all our young athletes.
- Involvement of parents - this is actively encouraged, wherever possible, and in a number of different roles – coaching, marshalling and participating.