England Athletics is once again holding three major coaching conferences which cover the whole country - one in each of the north, midlands and south. This year the focus of each is slightly different and is based on input from coaches in each area into what content they would like to see.

This year the conference is free to all coaches on the Local Coach Development Programme. Coaches who are part of the LCDP should contact the Club and Coach Support Officer supporting them for details on how to book.

In the South conference, at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Saturday 1 October, coaches will be able to choose which topic they wish to focus on for the day. They will then attend morning and afternoon sessions covering this subject. The South Coaching Conference themes are:

1.    Coaching the Injury Prone Athlete
Injuries can significantly disrupt an athlete’s training programme and preparation for competition. They may prove a difficult challenge to overcome, for both the athlete and their coach. Coaches attending the ‘Coaching the Injury Prone Athlete’ workshops will take an in depth look at managing the training programme and environment to limit the risk of injury and build fit for purpose athletes.

This will include an opportunity for coaches to practically explore the benefits of screening athletes’ movement patterns to identify limitations or asymmetries which, if unidentified, may lead to a reduced level of performance or injury.

Coaches will take a practical look at adapting drills for athletes returning from injury providing a carefully managed approach to re-introducing an athlete to training.

Coaches will also gain insight in to the psychological impact of injury which may present in athletes as reduced motivation, self-helplessness and reduced confidence. Coaches will engage in an interactive session which looks at the psychological antecedents of injury through to the psychological issues of returning to training.

2.    Coaching the Female Athlete
Coaches attending the ‘Coaching the Female Athlete’ workshops will take an in-depth look at the considerations of coaching female athletes. Coaches will be introduced to the Female Athlete Triad and explore the three components of the triad: eating disorders, amenorrhea and osteoporosis. Importantly, this workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss the coach’s role in managing the Female Athlete Triad when working with athletes who present symptoms, as well as managing a training environment which limits the risk of athletes developing symptoms.

Coaches will also develop their understanding of the significant variations in the Athlete Development Model for females. Coaches will address the volumes and intensities of training for females during puberty ensuring female athletes are able to fulfil their potential as they continue to develop.

After taking a physiological look at the female athlete, coaches will explore how they can help develop confidence and self-esteem in female athletes.

3.    The Multi-Competent Junior Athlete
Our young athletes are the future of our sport and developing their futures starts now! These workshops will provide coaches with a strong mix of theoretical and practical knowledge to enable them to confidently plan and deliver realistic sessions to aid young athletes in establishing a strong base of fundamental skills that will help them as their athletics career unfolds.

Coaches attending these workshops will explore together the ways in which young athletes learn new information and the ways in which coaches can adapt their coaching styles to reflect the athletes’ individual learning styles. These workshops will also highlight ways that coaches can successfully include technical coaching information in a session, when often faced with managing large groups with a substantial athlete-to-coach ratio.

The practical element of the workshops will focus on using Athletics 365 and other resources to address how coaches can implement a multi-event foundation setting in a club. Focusing on the theory discussions earlier in the workshop, the session will include practical elements to explore the development of skill and technique in young athletes.

4.    Coaching Club Road Runners
High percentages of our affiliated clubs are either road running clubs or have road running sections.  In the middle of a new running boom, coaches and leaders face a real challenge working with such a wide range of abilities and aspirations - beginners joining throughout the year balanced with the need to progress current members. 

This interactive set of workshops will look at different types of club training sessions and how to manage large numbers of runners at different stages of fitness and with very different motivations for running. This session is for coaches in typical road running clubs and not about coaching elite athletes.

Coaches will also be provided with an opportunity to look at the observation and analysis of basic running technique and discuss when and how to offer feedback to runners. In addition, coaches will take a practical look at improving strength and power in road runners.

Coaches attending these workshops will be able to share good practice, pick up new ideas and look at the resources available to support coaches. 

5.    Consideration of the 18-23 Year Old Athlete
Like many sports, Athletics suffers from a large drop-off in participation amongst athletes in their late teens and early twenties. There are many factors that can contribute towards this - some of them are more generic but others are especially pertinent to athletics.

Those attending “Consideration of the 18-23 Year Old Athlete” will participate in a variety of workshops that consider the various issues faced by athletes in this age category, the way in which we currently provide for them as a sport and then consider the ways in which we can support this age group more fully in the future.

Although there will naturally be some focus on athlete retention, attendees will also consider the results from some of the latest Sport England research into what motivates young people in sport, hear about some real examples of how coaches have managed to support their athletes transition to university through successful co-coaching and also consider the role of coaches in managing the athletes competition programme through working closely with team managers – ensuring athletes are not over-burdened during this critical period in their athletics career.

In all sessions references to the athlete is inclusive of disability athletes.

To make an online booking please go to www.englandathletics.org/south-coach-booking

Click here to download flyer and paper booking form

Timetable
9:30 Arrival and Registration
10:00 Welcome Address
10:20 Morning Workshops (in chosen topic)
12:45 Market Place Lunch
14:15 Afternoon Workshops (in chosen topic)
16:45 Depart

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• 2011 Coaching Conference flyer (South)